After that, Erica left the Empire and was not heard from for eight long years.

Who was she fooling around with during those eight years?

He coughed lightly twice, seemingly to ease the awkwardness, before bowing slightly to Aurelion respectfully.

"Your Majesty, on behalf of the Mage Council, I welcome your arrival."

Upon hearing Rachel's greeting, Aurelion nodded slightly.

As an Imperial citizen, it was only natural for Rachel to show her respect, and Aurelion didn't see anything wrong with it.

“If you’re here for ‘that’ project, we can set off now.”

Rachel then continued.

Hearing this, Erica's eyes immediately lit up, and she eagerly leaned over to ask:

"What? What plan?"

Rachel glanced at Erica, stroked his beard, and said:

"I suggest that Miss Erica also come along."

"After all, whether you are accompanying Her Majesty the Queen or want to visit the city of mages, we will need to cross the Rhea Canyon."

Rhea Canyon, that canyon filled with magical energy.

All mages heading to the City of Mages must traverse the magically chaotic Rhea Valley to reach the heart of the City.

In short, the first level of the City of Mages is merely a tourist area.

The latter part is the core area of ​​the Mage Capital.

Erica listened, looking somewhat confused, her gaze constantly shifting between Rachel and Aurelion.

After all, this was her first time visiting the city of mages.

She had only heard about the Mage Council before.

Moreover, strictly speaking, Erica cannot be considered a pure mage.

"Just listen to Dean Rachel."

Aurelion spoke to Erica without hesitation, then stepped forward, responding to Raschel.

"Please lead the way, Dean Rachel."

"Okay, please follow me."

Rachel, leaning on his cane, turned around and led the way with composure.

Aurelion followed closely behind, and Erica glanced at the Queen before hurrying on.

After all, this was her first time here, and it would be incredibly embarrassing if she lost track of her.

Meanwhile, Rachel led the way, explaining the precautions for crossing the Magic Canyon:

"The magic within the canyon is exceptionally strong; do not cast spells lightly."

"Otherwise, it might attract some magical creatures, um... and something even bigger."

He paused halfway through his sentence, then slowly continued:

"While these principles may be irrelevant given your abilities,"

"But considering that there are first-time visitors, I still need to explain this in advance as is customary."

Simply put, you can ignore this, but I have to say it.

Erica felt as if she had returned to a magic academy classroom, listening attentively to the dean's instructions and memorizing all the important points.

Afterward, the three of them proceeded along a narrow rocky path and eventually arrived at a rocky canyon shrouded in thick, dark clouds.

Here, lightning flashed, winds howled, and rugged, towering mountains stood intermittently above the abyss.

A cold wind surged from the dark abyss below the canyon, sweeping past the three of them with a chill.

The wind swirled in the air, as if it had transformed into a long whip, crackling and popping in the darkness.

Erica walked along the narrow path on the mountainside.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as the cold wind blew against her, and her eyes were filled with astonishment.

From the moment she entered this place, Aurelion couldn't help but look around.

The magic here remains chaotic.

Previously, she even had difficulty speaking here; opening her mouth would cause her to feel dizzy and break out in a cold sweat due to magical interference.

Mages who enter this place are not allowed to use magic at will.

Otherwise, one is easily affected by the surrounding magical fluctuations, which may even lead to the loss of control over the magical energy within the body, resulting in death by explosion.

She had been warned by Victor, who was leading the way, before.

However, once a mage reaches the fourth rank, they can easily traverse this area.

Fifth-tier mages can almost completely ignore these magical turbulence.

As Rachel said, none of this affected her or Erica.

However, in order to experience a quiet journey, Aurelione chose not to use any magic.

The three walked quietly when suddenly, a huge bolt of shimmering blue lightning flashed in their sight.

Erica glanced in that direction.

In the distance, amidst the rugged mountains, a colossal magical dragon, its body wreathed in lightning, was traversing the landscape.

Erica's eyes were filled with excitement, but she still quietly observed the handsome creature.

Perhaps sensing the attention from the outside world, the Storm Dragon King also turned its head and looked towards the center of the canyon.

As a result, it fled the place with lightning speed.

Since the Storm Dragon King was defeated by Viktor, many mages have come to try and challenge it in order to prove their own strength.

This has led to the Storm Dragon King now fleeing quickly upon seeing people, disappearing without a trace.

Seeing the dragon's disappearing figure, a clear sense of disappointment flashed in Erica's eyes.

But soon, the three of them passed through a magical canyon.

We arrived at a peaceful and open rocky plain.

Standing outside the Magic Canyon, Aurelion was slightly taken aback.

Because the scene before her was completely different from what she remembered.

In the past, after crossing Magic Canyon, they would be directly teleported to other areas of the Mage Capital.

But now, what appears before them is a lush, overgrown forest.

The deep and dark forest path stretches into the distance, hidden by the trees, with no end in sight.

Standing there, Rachel turned around, leaning on his cane, and said in a deep voice to Aurelion:

"Only one living person is allowed to enter the path of the Temple of Heroes. You must complete the journey ahead alone, Your Majesty."

With a slightly surprised expression on Aurelion's face, Rachel continued:

"Since we also don't know what kind of heroic spirits the Temple of Heroes will summon, therefore,"

"Before that, I hope you can think it over carefully."

"What exactly do you want?"