Inside the underground tavern, Sirius, having received his benefits, demonstrated the integrity of a businessman by swiftly fulfilling his earlier promise.
Standing behind the bar with a cheerful smile, he remotely instructed his subordinates:
"Shut down the checkpoint. Suspend operations for now."
The checkpoint, which had been firmly kept open until now, was completely shut down at his mere command.
Not only that, but he also sealed off the entire underground tavern, allowing Silver Ash and his men to conduct a thorough search, carefully investigating all individuals connected to the Falling Star Council and the Spirit Eye Furnace.
As for Sirius himself, he remained leisurely behind the bar, skillfully mixing a light blue margarita. He took a gentle sip, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes as he quietly observed Silver Ash's search operation.
The apprentices in the tavern's hall naturally did not dare to protest.
A full-fledged wizard had ordered them to cooperate with the investigation, so they obediently complied.
Even though many of them were dissatisfied with the Furnace Stone's high-handed methods, none dared to resist, and all cooperated in silence.
In the private booths, there were even some Second-Level and Third-Level wizards. Though they were inwardly displeased, they still chose to keep a low profile and allowed the search to proceed.
Two hours later, Silver Ash returned to the bar, fuming. His expression was even darker than before, his gaze filled with anger and frustration.
"I have a hundred percent confirmation a group from the Falling Star Council already passed through here. They must have left by now!"
He was speaking to Sirius, but the latter remained completely indifferent. Still as relaxed as ever, he sipped his drink, his eyes narrowing slightly, showing no concern for Silver Ash's urgency.
"Four hours from now, I will reopen the checkpoint."
Sirius reminded him calmly, his voice steady yet carrying a trace of amusement.
Silver Ash's expression darkened further. He gritted his teeth and said, "Open it now! Give me ten passes I'll go after them myself."
Sirius replied unhurriedly, "One thousand magic stones. And don't forget before you leave, pay for my table. It may not be worth much, but I like it, so the price is one thousand magic stones."
The moment these words left his mouth, Silver Ash's face twisted with rage. Furious, he flung his robe aside and slammed twenty mid-tier magic stones onto the bar.
"Take it. Now hurry up!"
Sirius tossed him ten tokens, which Silver Ash quickly gathered before turning around and rushing toward the black door with his team of wizards, completely ignoring his image.
Meanwhile, Sirius leisurely watched them leave, calmly collecting the magic stones before continuing to polish his glasses and cocktail shaker.
The towering Atlas Mountains loomed high, forming a natural barrier that separated the territories of black wizards and white wizards.
Whether one sought to cross the Atlas Mountains into white wizard lands or traverse the vast range toward the Red Marshes, the journey was anything but easy.
The dangers hidden within the mountains were as unpredictable as they were numerous.
Thousands of years ago, these lands had been the battleground for brutal conflicts between black wizards and white wizards. Countless wizard corpses lay buried beneath the earth.
The powerful magical energy left behind by these fallen wizards still lingered in the air.
Due to its unique geography and residual magical radiation, the environment of the Atlas Mountains was extraordinarily complex and unpredictable.
The weather could shift in an instant one moment the skies were clear, the next, violent storms could suddenly descend.
Even more deadly were the ancient magical formations scattered throughout the mountains, lying in wait-like hidden traps, silently launching attacks on unsuspecting intruders.
Many unlucky individuals had suffered heavy injuries or even perished after triggering one of these formations.
Beyond that, the dense forests of the mountain range were home to a vast array of wild magical beasts.
With its vast expanse, the Atlas Mountains were not merely inhabited by first-tier magical beasts that could threaten apprentice wizards lurking within its depths were terrifying second and even third-tier creatures.
Yet, precisely because of these dangers, the mountain range was also filled with opportunities.
For millennia, wizards had perished in these lands, leaving behind priceless legacies.
Many spells, secret arts, and rare treasures remained buried deep within the mountains, waiting for a fortunate soul to uncover them.
Additionally, the perilous and mysterious environment of the Atlas Mountains nurtured a variety of rare extraordinary plants.
Growing in these abandoned lands, these plants possessed rare and potent medicinal properties, often fetching high prices on the market.
This was one of the main reasons apprentices ventured into the mountains to gather these precious plants and profit from them.
As Dieter's group entered the mountains, their numbers gradually dwindled.
Not because anyone had died this area was still relatively close to the teleportation point, meaning truly dangerous magical beasts were unlikely to appear.
Rather, it was because many had voluntarily left the group.
Some had merely joined for the journey but soon veered off to explore the mountains in search of treasure.
As night fell, the dense forests of the Atlas Mountains were swallowed by darkness, the silence so profound it seemed even the wind had vanished.
Yet, for wizard apprentices, the dark posed no real obstacle.
Faint glows flickered as each member of the group carried or emitted a light of varying intensity, casting an ethereal radiance over the dim forest as they moved forward.
Dieter, who was leading at the front, held a palm-sized crystal in his hand. A soft golden glow flowed within the crystal, resembling a tiny sun, illuminating the surroundings clearly within a few meters.
As he led the way, he spoke in a relaxed tone:
"We've just left the teleportation point. Based on past experiences, as long as we don't deliberately increase our speed, we won't encounter any major danger for the next day and night. Everyone can relax a bit and get used to the rhythm of the Atlas Mountains..."
Despite his words, most of the team remained cold and indifferent, moving forward with steady steps without any response.
Even though their numbers had dwindled to fewer than twenty, they all maintained their silence, showing no intention of engaging in conversation.
However, amidst this oppressive atmosphere, one person stood out.
It was a young man, around sixteen or seventeen years old, clad in knight's armor with a longsword at his waist. His youthful face radiated vitality and an unrestrained spirit.
Unlike the cold and aloof wizard apprentices, he seemed naturally outgoing and sociable.
At that moment, he eagerly approached Dieter, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he asked,
"Dieter, do you often travel this route? You sound like you have a lot of experience!"
Dieter was momentarily taken aback by the question, then scratched his head with an embarrassed smile and chuckled,
"Not at all, not at all. This is my first time here, and my first time leading a team. The so-called experience is just what I've read from books."
The young man reacted with an exaggerated expression, clicking his tongue in amazement. He seemed completely unfazed by Dieter's lack of real experience and was even more enthusiastic about chatting with him.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the group, Lynn observed the young Darwin, estimating that he was likely around the same age as himself sixteen going on seventeen.
However, unlike Darwin's youthful energy, Lynn felt as if he was an old man inside cautious, composed...
Yet, he hadn't even gone through his coming-of-age ceremony.
"Cut the chatter... If you keep babbling and attract some magical beasts, you'll be the first to die, you mere mortal..."
A cold, disdainful voice suddenly cut through the night.
A bearded wizard apprentice spoke up, his tone filled with scorn, making it clear he had no patience for Darwin and Dieter's casual conversation.
Darwin's face immediately changed. Noticing the hostility, he quickly lowered his voice and apologized, "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you..."
The bearded apprentice merely snorted in response, completely ignoring Darwin's apology and not even sparing him a glance before turning away.
Lynn cast a sidelong look at the bearded apprentice.
This man was a second-level apprentice, with a mental power of 11 likely someone who had just reached the second level. Judging by his full beard, he was probably not young anymore, which suggested that his talent in wizardry was mediocre. Of course, compared to ordinary mortals, he was still far superior...
"Aging physically but still mentally immature. If I were him, I wouldn't have bothered picking on that mortal..."
In the world of wizards, just like in the mortal world, the most dangerous individuals were often the seemingly weak women and children.
If this mortal was just a fool seeking his death, why waste time dealing with him? He would die on his own sooner or later.
And if this mortal had hidden strength and was merely pretending to be weak, then provoking him would be asking for unnecessary trouble.
Following the group, Lynn took the opportunity to consume potions while studying wizardry in his mind.
Thanks to his innate ability, Heaven Rewards the Diligent, any effort he put in would yield results. Even if he studied in a distracted manner, he would still make progress just not as quickly as if he were fully focused.
At this moment, the advanced first-circle defensive spell Tranquility of the Void that he had chosen for his promotion to an official wizard echoed in his thoughts.
At his current level, it was impossible to fully grasp such a complex first-circle spell.
However, Tranquility of the Void could be broken down into three high-tier zero-ring spells: Laws of the Void, Unwavering Command, and Metamorphosis.
By mastering these three spells first, he could then combine them to learn the Tranquility of the Void more efficiently.
"Even among high-tier zero-ring spells, there are different levels of difficulty. Those derived from formal spells are the hardest to learn..."
With this in mind, Lynn began focusing on the Laws of the Void.
The world was composed of countless elements, with the four fundamental ones water, fire, wind, and earth forming the very foundation of existence.
These elements interacted in complex ways, creating everything in the universe and giving rise to other elements such as lightning, light, and shadow.
The intricate relationships between elements led to the development of a research field known as Higher Elemental Theory, which explored elemental reactions, combinations, and higher-level mysteries.
Lynn's understanding of elemental theory was shallow barely scratching the surface.
After all, the formal spell he had chosen was not directly based on elemental magic.
However, in truth, everything in existence was ultimately composed of elements.
Humans, for instance, could be classified under "human elements," just as dragons had their own "dragon elements."
From this perspective, even though Tranquility of the Void was classified as a non-elemental spell, it could still be interpreted through an elemental lens.
Unlike conventional elements, this particular element did not react with others. It neither countered nor was countered by anything.
Such elements were known as "general elements" or "fundamental elements."
Their defining trait was their neutrality having no interaction with other elements.
The three high-tier zero-ring spells Lynn had chosen Laws of the Void, Unwavering Command, and Metamorphosis also fell into this category of non-reactive general elements.
"Laws of the Void is neither an offensive nor a defensive spell, but more like a buff-type enhancement. While active, it keeps the caster's mind sharp, prevents mental disturbances like charm or dizziness, accelerates thought processing, and even promotes mental power recovery."
As night fell, the team pressed onward through the dense forest of the mountain range.
Silently following the group, Lynn continued contemplating the principles behind the Laws of the Void.
Wizardry, at its core, involved using mental power to manipulate energy particles in the world and cast spells.
Except for purely mental spells, almost all magic adhered to this principle including the Laws of the Void.
However, unlike visible elemental energies such as fire or water, general elements were much harder to perceive.
This significantly increased the difficulty of learning the Laws of the Void.
If not for his Heaven Rewards Diligent ability, Lynn would never have chosen such a complex spell.
For now, his task was to fully understand the theory behind the Laws of the Void, identify the right energy particles in the world, and eventually cast the spell successfully...
Meanwhile, at the teleportation point of Stone Fortress, several figures in black robes gradually emerged.
Leading them was a silver-gray wizard a powerful third-circle Grand Wizard.
"The members of the Falling Star Council previously entered one of our strongholds and triggered a magic formation. As a result, they now carry magical tracking marks that cannot be easily erased in a short time. Keep that in mind!"
The silver-gray wizard's gaze was icy as he issued his commands in a low voice:
"Split into two teams! One will follow me toward the White Wizards' territory, while the other will track them through the Atlas Mountains! If you spot them, do not act rashly fire the signal first and wait for reinforcements!"
As soon as he finished speaking, ten figures swiftly dispersed, transforming into streaks of black light that vanished into the dim, overcast sky...
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