CH171 - CH172

CH171

"My lord, you have mail," Shatia said, entering the room with two letters.

Helag sat by the window, engrossed in a book. He turned at her voice, "Leave them there."

After placing the letters, Shatia asked, "Anything else, my lord?"

"Make me a pot of coffee," Helag replied, picking up the letters.

Shatia went to prepare coffee, gradually embracing her role as a maid.

Helag examined the letters, one from Bessie and the other from Lilian.

He opened Bessie's letter first. It was lengthy.

The key point was that the potion Helag made worked; her injuries were fully healed.

Bessie had resumed normal meditation, with her mental power growing faster than before.

She mentioned nearing the mental power needed to become a formal wizard.

Helag felt relieved; Bessie's recovery was excellent news.

Her talent was exceptional, and losing hope of advancement at such a young age would be devastating.

Bessie also shared minor updates from Moonlight Woodland, similar to before Helag left, with no major changes.

Newcomers joined yearly, while others suffered injuries or death from various tasks.

Everything was as usual.

Bessie planned to contract with Moonlight Woodland, granting her access to ancient and Amanda potions.

Though she'd need to stay a century, for a wizard apprentice like her, it was the best and only option.

Helag finished Bessie's letter and opened Lilian's.

Lilian had become a formal wizard two months ago.

She spent the time stabilizing her mental power and adjusting.

Lilian was fortunate, with Professor Nina guiding her, providing resources without Moonlight Woodland's contract restrictions.

Most importantly, Lilian mentioned a possible opportunity to enter the Land of Dawn.

Augustus Academy, established by the Land of Dawn in the Barrens, had access to it.

The rule barring Barrens wizards from the Land of Dawn mainly restricted lower-level wizards.

But Augustus Academy could bring in exceptional individuals.

The conditions were strict.

Even for a promising wizard like Lilian, it was challenging, merely a possibility.

Lilian's letter mainly shared wizard world information and intelligence.

Helag set the letter down, picked up a quill, and began replying, sharing his recent experiences.

He glossed over many details, briefly mentioning the Kent Valley attack.

After writing, he gave the letters to Lennon to mail.

With two months until the Death Swamp Ruins opened, Helag continued his routine while gathering more information on the ruins.

The ruins had existed for over a thousand years, their origin unknown.

Rumor had it they were once a planar rift, used for invasions into the wizard plane.

Wizards sealed the rift, but the rules remained chaotic, filled with mysteries.

The unique environment produced rare materials.

For a long time, the area was chaotic, with wizards fighting for resources.

The ruins' unique environment made management difficult, attracting criminal wizards seeking refuge.

Eventually, it became a lawless city, with a sizable population.

After the Dawn War, wizard organizations like Moonlight Woodland and Green Cottage were exiled to the Barrens.

Wizards from the Land of Dawn established the Northern Mountains and brought the ruins under control.

They couldn't move the ruins but could enclose them, setting restrictions.

They controlled the ruins' opening, preventing unchecked resource extraction.

The ruins opened every ten years, with limited time and entry slots.

The Land of Dawn controlled slot allocation, requiring approval for Barrens wizard families and organizations.

***

Two months passed quickly. Helag stood with Brack and others at Kent Valley's entrance.

Seven from the Terchy family, including Helag, were going to the Death Swamp Ruins: two crystallized wizards, two liquefied wizards, and three gaseous wizards.

Brack led the group. The other crystallized wizard was an elderly woman named Karen, her skin like withered wood, face deeply lined.

Karen, a Terchy family elder over two hundred years old, was powerful and the group's trump card.

Her goal was to obtain rule-infused items for advancement.

Karen had been stuck as a crystallized wizard, unable to progress.

Despite her age, nearing life's end, advancing to a second-level wizard would grant her longevity.

But the step was difficult.

Karen was determined. If she failed to find rule-infused items, she might not get another chance.

For her, this was an all-out effort.

"We should go. Helag, stay close to me inside, don't wander," Brack advised.

"I understand, Mr. Brack," Helag nodded.

Brack trusted Helag.

Their time together showed Helag's reliability and prudence.

His talent, strength, and character impressed Brack.

Brack saw more potential in Helag than Larry, who only noticed his potion talent.

Brack's experience recognized Helag's vast potential, with potion talent as a bonus.

Brack believed, given time and opportunity, Helag could achieve great things.

CH172

The seven-member team stood together as Elder Karen drew complex runes on the ground with a purple solution.

Helag and the others would be teleported near the Death Swamp Ruins, avoiding a long carriage ride.

During this time, Helag observed the others.

The two liquefied wizards, a man and a woman, seemed to be a couple, both in their thirties or forties.

The two gaseous wizards appeared older, around their fifties, and were there for menial tasks.

Helag would keep all his findings from the ruins, unlike the others, who had to hand theirs over.

An hour later, Elder Karen finished drawing and instructed, "Stand on the runes and don't move, or I won't be responsible if you lose your head."

The group stepped onto the purple runes. Karen raised a staff, chanting.

The runes glowed, releasing a powerful magical wave.

Helag took a deep breath, adjusting his breathing as the space around them distorted.

He glanced at the distant potion garden, now a twisted, rainbow-colored ribbon.

After a brief dizziness, Helag found himself in a plaza.

He saw the others; the gaseous wizards were collapsed, and the liquefied wizards looked unwell.

Only Brack, Elder Karen, and Helag were unaffected, thanks to Helag's strong physique and bloodline.

Helag surveyed the surroundings. The plaza was surrounded by barren land, the ground black and blood-stained.

This black soil differed from Kent Valley's, stained by blood.

Elder Karen cast a spell on the collapsed wizards, quickly reviving them.

"Let's go," she said, leading the way.

Helag followed, glancing back.

He sensed something odd about the distant sky.

Brack noticed and explained, "Only teleportation can bring us here. The Death Swamp Ruins can't be accessed normally."

"We're inside the ruins?" Helag asked.

"Not exactly, this is just the entrance," Brack clarified.

Helag looked back again, noticing the sky seemed enclosed by a gray barrier.

They walked along the barren path, seeing a group ahead.

"Those are the other wizards entering the ruins," Brack whispered.

Helag spotted an old man, Carl from the Moss family, with two liquefied wizards.

Carl noticed Helag, his expression souring.

Though Carl hadn't seen Helag before, he recognized him from descriptions.

Seeing Helag again, Carl was furious.

"If not for this kid, our Moss family wouldn't have suffered so much!"

Their plan failed, resulting in huge losses.

Since they were at fault, they couldn't negotiate favorable terms.

Originally allotted five slots for the ruins, they now had three, with two given to the Terchy family.

The Moss family suffered greatly.

Seeing the Terchy group approach, Carl turned toward a giant purple light gate.

The gate stood ten meters tall, with a purple vortex inside.

Carl and his companions entered the vortex, disappearing.

"Is this the entrance?" Helag asked.

Brack nodded. "Yes, we just go in."

"How do we exit?" Helag wondered.

"Three days later, we'll automatically return here, if you're alive. Many don't come back. So stick with me," Brack advised.

Helag, cautious by nature, wouldn't wander off.

Other wizard groups and families were present, but Helag didn't see anyone from Moonlight Woodland.

Moonlight Woodland and Green Cottage would also explore the ruins, but they hadn't encountered them yet.

Besides the ruins' inherent dangers, other wizards posed threats.

Valuable treasures often led to conflicts.

Elder Karen entered the gate first, vanishing.

Brack followed, with Helag close behind.

Entering the gate, Helag felt nothing, unlike the slight dizziness of teleportation.

As the purple glow faded, a foul stench hit him.

When the light cleared, Helag saw a dilapidated city.

Before him lay a decaying city, its buildings collapsed, untouched for years.

"This was once the City of Chaos, home to many," Brack explained.

Helag activated Deep Blue's environmental scan, staying alert.

"Let's go. Our destination is the Black Forest," Brack said.

This plan was pre-discussed, so Helag was aware.

The Black Forest, a vast resource-rich area within the ruins, lay deep inside.

The deeper they ventured, the rarer the resources.

But deeper meant more danger.

Their main goal was the Black Forest, with only three days, leaving no time for other areas.

The Terchy family knew the Black Forest well, choosing the safest approach.

The forest lay north of the city ruins, requiring them to traverse the ruins first.

The ruins were generally safe.

Karen led, followed by Brack, then Helag.

The liquefied wizards followed Helag, with the gaseous wizards at the rear.

As they passed the ruins, Helag saw many bones, remnants from years ago, indicating long-dead individuals.