Chapter 11 Wizard Land - Greenreel (Combined 2 in 1)_2

"Follow me first. This isn't a place to chat; the battle just now might have exposed our whereabouts," Johnny said apologetically, glancing at Lynn, then beckoned everyone to return to the encampment under the cover of night.

When the full moon hung high overhead, a desolate, ruined village appeared before Lynn's eyes.

"This village was massacred and destroyed by a group of mercenaries who infiltrated during the last conquest war led by Duke Nordland. Now, besides us, there are only a few wild beasts left here," Johnny sighed, then whispered, "Damn nobles, damn church, damn war!"

Lynn looked at Johnny with a hint of surprise. He wasn't surprised by what the girl said; he just thought that almost everyone here was probably of noble origin. Was it really okay to say that?

Despite her inexplicable resentment towards nobles, Johnny still chose to set up their temporary base in a noble's manor.

The large manor, ravaged by war, no longer had its former glory. The main house looked on the verge of collapse, surrounded by ruins and broken walls.

Inside wasn't much better. Cobwebs filled the crumbling walls, overturned chairs were covered in thick dust, and the place reeked of decay.

However, since this was a noble's residence, the vast main house was almost like a small castle designed to withstand war. It had a few guard posts and even an independent drainage system, meaning they didn't need to worry about their water supply here.

Upon entering the manor, Lynn soon saw the Wizard Apprentice stationed there—Barton!

Compared to his burly brother Buck, Barton was almost his exact opposite, emaciated to the point of looking like he could be blown away by a gust of wind.

After moving the junk to the door with everyone and resealing it, Johnny spoke up before Lynn could ask any questions.

"Kent is dead!"

Who was Kent?

Lynn paused, searching his memory before recalling that Kent was the third disciple of Kro and the only Wizard Apprentice not present. He hadn't expected this guy to be dead already.

"On the same day our teacher was captured by the church, the Nordland Territory's guards raided Kent's hiding place. After that, both Buck and Barton, as well as Will, were also pursued, but Bai Ge managed to avoid the attack thanks to her special abilities," Johnny explained.

Special abilities?

Lynn instinctively looked at the Wizard Apprentice named Bai Ge.

She looked excessively young, about thirteen or fourteen years old, not even reaching his shoulder in height. Her yellowish face was dotted with sparse freckles, and her messy hair was tangled as she squatted in the corner feeding some gray crows.

Lynn quickly recalled the sound of crows he had heard in the tavern, guessing that she might possess some kind of magic to control animals.

"I suspect someone sold us out, enabling the church to locate our hiding places so precisely," Johnny said worriedly.

"How many people know about our hiding place?" Lynn asked the most crucial question.

As wizards being hunted and oppressed by the church, they would never casually reveal their whereabouts, indicating very few people knew. A process of elimination would suffice.

Johnny was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "Normally, only we should know."

"Could it be that the teacher..." Buck hesitated but asked nonetheless.

"Absolutely not!" Johnny's eyes sharpened, and she rebuked decisively.

Buck immediately fell silent.

Lynn didn't dwell on the issue too much but asked the second question that concerned him the most.

"So, what's our plan from here?"

Lynn faintly regretted coming to find these Wizard Apprentices. He had assumed that while Johnny and the others were being hunted, at least their internal situation was stable and that even if they couldn't lead him to another full-fledged wizard, they could at least provide some support.

However, that didn't seem to be the case now.

If Johnny didn't have a reliable enough plan to evade the church's pursuit, he would look for an opportunity to leave this group.

To Lynn, moving alone was much safer than following a group of incompetent companions.

Buck and Will also looked at Johnny, and even Bai Ge stopped feeding the gray crows.

During the time they were being hunted by the church, they had asked the same question multiple times, but Johnny had always dodged the question, insisting on waiting until everyone was present before divulging anything.

This time, Johnny didn't conceal anything and responded smoothly. "We will cross the Mist Sea by boat and head to the Wizard Land—Green Lire!"

"Does the Wizard Land really exist?" Will, who had been silent, suddenly asked. "But I've heard that beyond the Mist Sea is a Land of Death, from where people never return."

"Yes, I've been there with my mentor before. It's a land exclusively for wizards, free from the influence of the church and witch hunters, where everyone can freely study magic!" Johnny said firmly.

"It sounds as marvelous as the Holy Land of Eira," Barton mumbled, finding it impossible to imagine a world where wizards could cast spells freely without being hunted. It could only be described as a dream.

Much like the Holy Land of Eira described in the "Bible," it was a place only the most devout believers could reach after death.

No sickness or aging existed there, and everyone lived in spacious estates, cared for by dream elves with utmost attentiveness.

In the Holy Land, rivers flowed with fragrant wine, fields automatically yielded abundant wheat without the need for farming, and every tree branch was laden with succulent, juicy steaks...

"Eira doesn't like wizards..."

Squatting in the corner, Bai Ge weakly interrupted Barton's fantasy.

"How do we get there?" Will asked anxiously.

Johnny hesitated for a moment but then responded truthfully. "Wuer Town is very close to the Nordland Territory's port. We can board a ship there. I think... Lame Laud should help us."

Laud?

Lynn couldn't help but be surprised. Previously, the boss of the Drunken Tavern, Old York, had also mentioned this name to him.

Rumor had it that Lame Laud had been a pirate for several years in his youth, making quite a name for himself until a leg injury during a merchant raid forced him to fake his death to survive.

This incident, however, turned Laud's luck around. After a fierce battle where most of the pirate leaders perished, Laud conveniently became the pirate leader.

Yet, instead of continuing the pillaging lifestyle, he turned to legitimate business, now controlling the alcohol trade in Wuer Town and its port, making him the biggest local power in the western Nordland Territory.

Recalling various city rumors, Lynn immediately realized that Laud's supposed alcohol trade was just a cover, and his real business was maintaining the connection between the Wizard Land and the outside world.

"In short, we need to hurry. The road to the Wizard Land will open briefly only on Monday," Johnny swiftly drew her longsword and sketched the positions of Wuer Town and the port on the ground, marking out their route with sword strokes.

"We'll set off early tomorrow morning, circumnavigating through Kodesuo Mountain. We shouldn't attract much attention. Based on the star signs, this year's Monday will last for five days, so we have ample time!"

Johnny outlined the general plan. Seeing that Lynn and the others had memorized it, she cast a Fireball Technique to destroy the drawn map.

"That's it for tonight!" In the burst of flame, Johnny looked around at everyone and added, "Bai Ge, you'll take the night watch. Tomorrow, Carl will carry you on the journey."

Why me?

Touching his nose, Lynn felt extremely frustrated. They were really just bullying the newcomer, weren't they?

(PS: I couldn't find a suitable spot to end the chapter, so here's a double release today.)