Chapter 143: The Dusky Drakelands, A Rare Opportunity

White Tower Province, outskirts of Ryan City.

An expansive estate filled with densely packed red fruits stretched as far as the eye could see, resembling a sea of red.

In the garden paths, Xieman looked at the thriving dragon blood fruits, a genuine smile of joy on his face.

The apprentices behind him also beamed with happiness.

"The first batch of dragon blood fruits is about to mature, which means the formation of the magical plantation is working perfectly. We've succeeded!"

"This means the task is complete!"

"I knew it, with Senior Xieman here, there would be no problem!"

"Exactly, it's all thanks to Senior Xieman."

The apprentices chatted excitedly, creating a cheerful atmosphere.

Xieman turned and smiled, saying, "The establishment of the magical plantation wasn't just my work; it's thanks to everyone's help. You've all worked hard during this time. I'll submit a report to the base according to your contributions, and I'm sure the task rewards will arrive soon."

The apprentices' faces lit up with even more delight.

Traveling all the way to White Tower Province to establish a magical plantation was arduous, but the rewards were substantial.

The four months of effort were equivalent to over half a year's task income for them.

Xieman himself was in high spirits.

As the lead in the magical plantation establishment, he would earn the most contribution points, enough to exchange for several bottles of superpower potions and four or five first-circle spells.

"Senior Xieman, when are we heading to the next location?" An eager apprentice asked.

There were two teams for establishing new magical plantations, led by Xieman and Cole.

Each team was responsible for setting up three new plantations, all located near the six knight academies.

Ryan City's plantation was their first, with two more to go.

Xieman considered for a moment before saying, "I'll submit a report to the base later. Once the stationed personnel arrive for the handover, we can leave."

"In addition, we need to harvest and store this batch of dragon blood fruits properly and deliver them to the Dragon Claw Knight Academy in the city. We'll also plant new seeds, including silver moon flowers and calming flowers."

Hearing that Xieman had planned everything, the group readily agreed.

"Everyone's worked hard today. Once we return to the city, I'll treat you all to a meal at the Blue Rose Restaurant," Xieman said with a smile.

"If Senior Xieman is treating, I'm going to eat to my heart's content."

"Senior Xieman is generous. The Blue Rose Restaurant isn't cheap."

"Come on, Senior Xieman isn't short on gold coins."

The group laughed and teased.

Except for two envious apprentices on duty, the rest left the plantation together.

At the entrance, four luxurious carriages awaited, bearing the family crest of Ryan City's lord.

Seeing Xieman and the others emerge, the coachmen quickly dismounted, set up the footstools, and stood respectfully aside.

The lord of Ryan City dared not neglect these wizard apprentices from the capital base. He arranged for their accommodation at the lord's manor and had four carriages ready for their use, with dedicated service for their outings and meals.

After all, these were students of that esteemed figure.

As the group boarded the carriages, the convoy set off towards Ryan City with a series of neighs.

Inside the carriage, Xieman took out a spell model book, engrossed in his reading.

After advancing to a second-level wizard apprentice, he could now start learning first-circle spells.

His chosen first-circle spell was [Shield Spell].

"First-circle spells are indeed much more difficult than zero-circle spells. After nearly six months of study, I still haven't fully mastered the Shield Spell."

Only after starting did Xieman realize the challenge of first-circle spells, deepening his admiration and reverence for his teacher.

According to Lord Amy, the teacher could master a first-circle spell in just a month!

An unimaginable feat for him!

Time flew by as he studied.

Before long, Xieman felt the carriage slow down, followed by the coachman's voice outside.

"Sir, we've arrived."

Xieman closed his book, opened the carriage door, and stepped down.

The convoy had reached the gates of the lord's manor.

Steed Pont, who had been informed, stood at the entrance, greeting Xieman with a warm smile.

"Sir Xieman, I heard you're planning to dine at the Blue Rose Restaurant. I've arranged a banquet there for you. If you don't mind, let me host you today."

Xieman graciously accepted, "Then I'll take you up on that, Lord Steed."

"Please, call me Steed," Steed said warmly.

Steed was the eldest son of Ryan City's lord, responsible for hosting Xieman and his group.

Just then, urgent hoofbeats sounded from a distance.

Xieman turned to see a rider galloping towards them, reining in at the gate, dismounting swiftly, and hurrying inside with a worried expression.

"Hold on!"

Steed called out to the rider.

The rider stopped reluctantly, but upon seeing Steed, his face immediately showed respect.

"Lord Steed."

"What's happened?" Steed asked gravely.

Galloping within 500 meters of the lord's manor was prohibited, indicating the rider had urgent news.

The rider quickly explained, "Lord Steed, a monster attack occurred in a village west of the city. The city guard dispatched a hundred-man unit to deal with it, but they were severely outmatched, suffering heavy casualties. I was heading to report to the lord."

A monster attack?

The apprentices exchanged puzzled looks.

While wild beasts attacking villages for food was common, village militias usually handled such threats, rarely requiring city guards.

A beast capable of heavily damaging a hundred-man unit was exceptionally rare.

Such a beast qualified as an exotic beast.

Steed's expression turned serious, apologizing to Xieman, "Apologies, Sir Xieman. I can't accompany you to dinner. I'll make amends for today's oversight."

"Lord Steed, you're too kind. Handling this attack is more important," Xieman waved him off, then added, "You've hosted us so graciously. If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you. Perhaps I can help."

Steed's eyes lit up, and he readily agreed.

"Thank you, Sir Xieman."

Given the urgency, they departed immediately for the village.

Upon arrival, they found the situation graver than the rider had reported.

Bloodied corpses littered the ground, both villagers and city guards.

Xieman noticed an officer's armor torn and shredded, as if by a beast's claws.

A knight-level exotic beast!

Xieman's expression grew somber.

Steed noticed too, his face darkening.

"We must kill this creature before it escapes, or it may attack other villages!"

A knight-level exotic beast, if left unchecked, could wreak havoc.

Steed was relieved to have Xieman with him, as he and his soldiers might not handle the beast alone.

"Roar!"

A deep, thunderous roar echoed from afar.

Xieman and Steed exchanged glances and headed towards the sound, followed by the soldiers.

Rounding a house, they saw a hideous creature.

A lizard-like creature stood upright, covered in dark gray scales.

It had a massive, powerful jaw, short forelimbs, long hind legs, all with sharp claws, and a mouth full of razor-like teeth.

"Dusky Drakelands!" Xieman exclaimed in shock.

"Do you recognize this creature, Sir Xieman?" Steed asked quickly.

Xieman nodded, his face a mix of surprise and uncertainty. Seeing Steed's confusion, he quickly explained:

"The Dusky Drakelands, also known as Cave Dragons, are sub-dragon species with poor vision and hearing, but they possess an exceptionally strong sense of smell and echolocation."

"However, these creatures typically dwell in the underground world and shouldn't appear on the surface!"

The Dusky Drakelands noticed Xieman's group and charged with a roar.

"Be cautious. This Dusky Drakelands is fully grown, with combat strength between a high knight and a peak knight. Beware of its claws. They're sharp, and injuries can cause severe bleeding."

The Drakelands' claws naturally carried a [Bloodlight] effect, causing injuries to bleed profusely.

Hearing the beast had at least high knight-level strength, Steed and his men paled.

In their haste, only three knights were present, including Steed, all junior knights, barely able to defend against a high knight-level beast.

Fortunately, Xieman was there.

Facing the charging Dusky Drakelands, Xieman calmly prepared a spell, hitting the beast with a Daze Spell.

Boom!

The Dusky Drakelands stumbled and fell, sliding several meters across the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Seizing the opportunity, Steed and the knights charged.

However, dragons naturally had high spell resistance. Though a sub-dragon species, the Dusky Drakelands retained some of this, resisting spells better than other exotic beasts.

Shaking its head, the beast rose and attacked again.

"Zero-circle spells are ineffective against the Dusky Drakelands. Too bad I haven't mastered an offensive first-circle spell."

Xieman sighed, seeing Steed and the knights struggling. Reluctantly, he produced a gemstone.

The intricately engraved gemstone glinted beautifully in the sunlight.

Xieman tossed the gemstone, shouting:

"Get back!"

Steed and the knights retreated. The gemstone exploded into a blinding light, transforming into a bolt of lightning that struck the Dusky Drakelands.

Boom!

The beast let out a piercing wail.

When the lightning dissipated, the Dusky Drakelands lay smoking on the ground, motionless.

A knight cautiously approached, then beamed.

"It's dead!"

Steed breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Xieman with newfound respect.

So this was the power of a wizard!

The lightning was terrifyingly powerful!

Even a grand knight wouldn't withstand it!

Xieman, too, was surprised.

It was his first time using a runestone in battle, and its power was astonishing, even killing the high-resistance Dusky Drakelands in one blow.

"Runestones are expensive, but worth the price."

Xieman mused.

Returning to focus, he approached Steed, saying, "Lord Steed, it's unusual for a Dusky Drakelands to appear on the surface. It might be linked to the underground world. I must report this to my teacher. Could I handle the corpse?"

Steed nodded solemnly, "Of course. If you need help, please let me know."

Xieman thanked him, requesting the corpse be moved to the lord's manor for preservation.

Back at the manor, Xieman returned to his room to write a report for his teacher.

Steed headed to his father's study to report the day's events.

"Why would an underground creature appear here?"

After hearing the report, House, the lord of Ryan City, furrowed his brows.

After Sunan's exploits spread, Starlight Duchy's nobles began collecting wizard-related information, and House had heard of the underground world.

Having an underground creature in his territory was troubling.

There might even be an entrance to the underground world nearby.

If true, it would be a headache.

"Better leave this to the wizards."

House rubbed his temples, recalling something else.

"How has your interaction with Xieman been?"

"Pretty good," Steed smiled. "Sir Xieman is just as the rumors say, approachable and unassuming."

"That's good."

House nodded, a meaningful expression on his face.

"Lord Sunan has many students, but Xieman and Cole are the most outstanding."

"Cole is noble-born and aloof, not easy to approach. Xieman, by contrast, is easier to get along with."

"This visit to establish a magical plantation in Ryan City is a rare opportunity. Make sure to build a good relationship with him. It will greatly benefit your future."

"Yes, Father!" Steed replied earnestly.

Anyone with foresight could see the base would play a significant role in the Starlight Duchy's future.

Thus, forming ties with base-trained wizards was advantageous for any noble.

Ryan City was fortunate to have Xieman visit, and they intended to make the most of this opportunity.

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