Chapter 127 White-Robed Mage Knight, Mage, Fortunate Event
When Edmund woke up, it was already broad daylight. Sparrows were perched on the railing outside the house, chirping noisily as if they were having a meeting.
In the countryside, there are no street vendors hawking their wares in the morning, no clattering of horses' hooves on the stone pavement, and no church children singing songs praising God during morning prayers.
Quiet and still, only the most authentic sounds of nature.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, even time seems to slow down.
The sudden leisure time was somewhat unsettling for Edmund, who had been constantly busy with various tasks.
He thought he understood Vincent and Jennifer's choice a little.
"Coo coo coo".
Neil's voice came from outside the window. Edmund stretched by the window and saw Neil herding the poultry into the fence across the way. The little black dog barked fiercely at the flock of red ravens.
He's not very big, but he has a loud voice.
After being pecked a few times by the bolder red rockbirds, it fiercely bit back. It successfully got a mouthful of feathers, but it also frightened the flock of red rockbirds, sending them scattering all over the yard.
"Little Black! You've been naughty again!"
Neil made a sarcastic remark, but the puppy continued to do as it pleased.
Edmund chuckled softly as he looked at the scene downstairs.
Good morning, Uncle Edmund!
Good morning, Neil!
Neil looked up and saw Edmund, who was already awake. Edmund greeted him warmly, and Edmund returned the greeting.
"My brother is cooking. There is hot water for washing up on the first floor."
Neil reminded him.
"good."
Edmund finished tidying his clothes and making his bed and went downstairs, where he ran into Ray, who was busy in the kitchen.
"The hot water is in the kettle. You can just pour it in the backyard. The back door to the backyard is open."
"Okay, sure."
After Edmund finished washing up, he poured the used water onto the ground in the backyard.
Lai and Neil took excellent care of the vegetable garden.
Some sunflowers were planted in front of the wooden fence, and now they have grown flower heads. The golden petals are dazzling and beautiful in the sunlight.
Vast fields of unidentified vegetables grew very lushly, but unfortunately Edmund could only recognize cabbage, bok choy, and radish; he didn't know what the others were.
Please forgive him for only having seen what vegetables look like when they're served.
Near the edge of the small building, there was a tree he had never seen before; being near it gave him a refreshing feeling.
Next were several grapevines, laden with bunches of grapes, some nearly ripe, their green tinged with purple. Perhaps due to magic, the large green caterpillars that love to live on grapevines were absent.
There were also some round watermelons lying on the ground. These were planted by Lai this year and he took great care of them. They should be ready to eat.
The vegetables in the garden were planted very neatly, with no tall weeds in sight. It was clear that Lai had taken good care of them, showing that he lived a very serious life.
These are things that a young man like Ray, who has just come of age, shouldn't be doing...
Edmund felt a pang of melancholy once again.
"Uncle, breakfast is ready."
"good."
Edmund put the bowl back where it was, and breakfast was already set on the dining table in the living room.
There was freshly baked bread, as well as oatmeal, jam, quail eggs, and leftover pasta and pickled vegetables from last night.
"How did you sleep last night? Was there anything you weren't used to?"
Ray asked Edmund.
"Very good, very comfortable."
Would you like some oatmeal?
Edmund nodded, and Ray handed him the freshly boiled water.
"I heard that the woods near your village withered overnight."
Edmund found out.
Yes, that is true.
Leigh remained calm and answered Edmund's question without changing his expression.
The culprit behind this incident is very likely in his room. Better to avoid trouble than to cause any more problems. Now that he's taken the egg, he doesn't want to hand it over to any faction for the time being.
Besides, he hadn't yet figured out what that mysterious force that attracted him was all about.
Strangely enough, ever since Lai brought back that egg, it hasn't reacted at all, just like a stone.
"No one noticed anything unusual in the woods the night before this happened."
Some villagers got up early to work and went to the woods to cut firewood. They found that a large area of the woods had withered, so they immediately reported this to the clan elders.
The clan elders couldn't resolve the matter, so they reported it to the mayor, the church, and the mage's association. However, even after the town's knights and mages arrived, they still couldn't solve the problem, and the matter has remained unresolved ever since.
"Nobody dares to go over there now; the rumors in the village are terrifying!"
Neil added.
"What are they all spreading?"
Edmund and Ray both looked at Neil, making Neil a little embarrassed.
"That's right, it's about the mutated plants undergoing secondary mutation, and the demons wanting to return to the continent or something."
"Mutant plants?"
Edmund asked, puzzled.
"Yes, last winter we found a mutated vine in that forest. It can release a strange fragrance that can confuse prey, and it actively hunts its prey. Fortunately, the villagers in the nearby villages have not had any problems since then."
"Such a thing actually happened? Didn't the clan elders have someone handle this before?"
Edmund frowned.
"We searched for it, but it was no use. The vines were attacked and injured during the winter, and then no one who went into the forest ever found it again."
"And so this matter has been shelved until now?"
"Yes."
Ray concealed the fact that he had been attacked. Neil probably didn't know that such a thing had happened yet. He didn't want Neil to be agitated by this incident and revert to the way he had been when he first woke up, always following closely behind him.
"Sigh...this matter might be a bit difficult to handle."
Edmund had only intended to investigate the dead forest along the way, but unexpectedly, he also encountered the matter of mutated plants, which made him sigh.
"You've come here to deal with this matter?"
"Ray asked."
"Yes, it's just part of the mission."
However, he had already destroyed the vines and cocoons in the forest, leaving only a mess on the ground. He didn't know if Edmund could find anything out.
Ray lowered his head and thought to himself.
"Lay, you're more familiar with this small village. After breakfast, could you take me to the woods?"
"Okay, no problem."
"Just leave me there, I'll be back before dark."
"Uh-huh."
The dinner table fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of eating.
"Brother, I'm going to school."
Neil quickly finished his breakfast, grabbed his bag, and prepared to leave.
Don't forget to take your things.
Ray handed him the paper bag containing the food.
"Thank you, brother!"
Only Ray and Edmund remained at the table. After finishing their meal, Ray took Edmund to the vicinity of the Dry Forest.
"Lay, this is enough. There might be some dangers nearby. You should go back now."
"Okay, please be careful."
"Um."
Ray watched Edmund walk into the withered forest before turning and leaving to go to Hagrid's house.
He had to tell Hagrid about Edmund's plans to deal with the withered forest.
On the other side.
Although the guesthouse in the small town was decorated with the best materials available at the time, and even had the most fashionable glass lamps installed, its environment was still not as good as that of an ordinary inn in the royal city.
The three monks made do for one night, spending money to change the bedding in the room, but they still didn't sleep very comfortably.
Fortunately, the smoked sausages, cold-prepared smoked beef, and freshly baked whole-wheat bread at breakfast made up for the poor taste of the estate and slightly reversed the negative impression it had received from guests.
The three mages didn't have time to wait for Somion, the head of the town's mage association, to return; they had many other things to attend to.
After a less-than-satisfactory night's rest, they just wanted to finish their work quickly and return to their comfortable rooms and warm, soft beds inside the White Tower.
Moreover, the air here was far too dry compared to the royal city, which made them feel extremely uncomfortable; even breathing was somewhat difficult. Their nasal passages and throats were so dry they felt like they were on fire.
Wocain was the main executor of this mission.
He was forced to set off by rushing through various cities at his teacher's request, eventually arriving at the remote town of Rosen.
The journey was long and time-consuming; using a teleportation array would have made it possible to travel in an instant. His teacher's decision was perplexing, but he didn't question his teacher—a highly respected archmage.
Wokain was of noble birth and possessed astonishing talent, making him one of the most outstanding academic mages in recent years. Naturally, he became a disciple of a renowned master. His teacher was one of the students of that legendary figure in the White Tower.
Wokain is therefore proud of himself, and he is indeed the envy of many.
Although he didn't show it, Wocain was already getting impatient inside.
"Lord Vocain, what do we do next?"
"The teacher said that something was wrong in the east. After investigating along the way based on the information reported from various places, only the events near Rosen Town were rather strange."
This place is near the Eton Forest, and it's also the eastern starting point of the 'Star Ring'. Today, we're mainly going to check out that small village, and after we resolve this matter, we'll head to the Star Ring to handle that more important issue."
"Yes, Lord Wocain."
Neither of them objected to Wokain's decision, and the matter was settled amicably.
After breakfast, they hired a guide and rode horses to the scene of the incident, a withered forest near the small mountain village.
They did not rashly enter the village and disturb the villagers' peaceful lives, as excessive attention from the villagers often affects the progress of handling matters.
Ordinary villagers are capable of protecting themselves, yet they cannot suppress their strong curiosity and gather around to watch the excitement, which could very well cause accidental injury when the spell is cast.
So it's better to resolve this quietly. The Mage Association or the town mayor will inform them that it's safe now.
"My lord, this is the place."
The guide was very respectful and attentive.
Vokain and the other two mages looked at the forest, which was mostly withered, without showing any unusual emotions.
"This is a map of the area."
The guide offered it with both hands.
“I’m here to watch over the horses outside the woods for you adults. This area isn’t very peaceful; last year, there was a monster attack on the village. I’m here to keep watch so that wild animals won’t attack your mounts.”
The guide said this, but his mind was elsewhere.
This withered forest has been shrouded in mystery, and he still wants to make money, but he doesn't want to go there and lose his life!
These messy matters still need to be resolved by these high-ranking officials, while ordinary people like us have been paying all sorts of taxes every year without fail.
The mages were not fools, of course. The guide had already made it very clear, and they couldn't force an ordinary person to take the risk of continuing to do things.
"Just keep an eye on the horses outside and don't get any funny ideas. You probably don't want to see what we're capable of."
"Naturally, naturally."
One of the white-robed monks issued a warning, to which the guide replied tremblingly.
"My lord, let's set off."
The three monks turned and set off, and the guide, watching their figures gradually disappear into the distance, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
After the three entered the forest, all they saw was desolation.
The tree trunks were withered, the plants were decaying, and the carcasses of various animals were everywhere along the way.
These animals have lost their lives, and although their bodies have changed somewhat, they will still decompose. For over half a month, no one has come to dispose of the animal carcasses; it's still the height of summer, so you can imagine the stench in the forest.
The deeper you go into the dead forest, the stronger the smell of decay becomes, enough to make you stumble.
Wokain used a minor purification spell, and the three of them felt a little better, but the small creatures on the corpses still gave them goosebumps.
"My God, don't the people living nearby know to clean up these corpses?! With so many animal carcasses piled up here, a plague will break out sooner or later, and they themselves will be the ones to suffer."
"They may not know what's going on in the forest. Besides, there have been incidents of mutated plants attacking people there before. Ordinary people certainly wouldn't dare to enter such a dangerous place easily."
“You’re right. In the face of absolute power, ordinary people don’t even have a chance to resist. If they can protect the safety of a region, that would be a great achievement, as the supreme god protects them in the boundless unknown realm.”
"Are you talking about Victor and his wife? They truly are heroes."
Wokain listened to his two subordinates' discussion while carefully observing his surroundings.
"What kind of mutated plant? Did the guide mention it?"
"Wocain asked."
"I don't know, but after the mutation it should be a tentacle type, it has a lot of vines."
Are you referring to those things?
Following Wokain's gaze, the two spotted vines hidden among the fallen leaves and withered grass. They exchanged a glance and then caught up with Wokain, who was already following the vines.
By this time, Edmund had been in the woods for some time.
At first, he didn't pay much attention to the carcasses of small animals like wild birds, mice, and hedgehogs, as this is a common sight in the wild.
But as more and more large animal carcasses appeared before his eyes, he began to realize that something was wrong.
The stench of rotting meat wafted through the woods on the breeze, which was originally meant to bring coolness and comfort but now carried a fresh, foul odor whenever it blew.
Edmund didn't have any magic to purify the air, so he could only pour some water onto a handkerchief and cover his face with it.
The effect wasn't great, but it was better than nothing. The smell was barely acceptable after being separated by a damp cloth.
Knowing beforehand about the mutated vines, Edmund focused on finding traces of them after entering the forest.
He quickly found a clue, following the vines on the animal carcass. After walking about half a kilometer, he saw the same scene that Ray had seen that night.
Numerous tiny vines cascaded down the dead tree. These 'tiny' refers only to the vines that were the main vines on the ground; in reality, those on the tree were at least as thick as an adult's thumb.
Edmund immediately became alert and drew his longsword to launch a probing attack.
His longsword was also extraordinary, with miniature magic circles engraved on it to gather magical elements, and fire and metal magic stones inlaid on the hilt.
With a single strike, the vines hanging from the tree were severed in half and fell with a thud. The residual force also struck a nearby withered tree, which crashed to the ground with a crack, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The vines didn't retaliate even with an attack of this magnitude, so they must really be dead.
Following a principle of caution, Edmund thrust his longsword straight into the thickest vine, but it still showed no reaction. Edmund finally concluded that the vines were no longer offensive.
He chose a direction and followed the vines down.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 09:03:39 on March 25, 2024 and 19:09:28 on March 27, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Today I'm also looking for articles 20 bottles; Mr. Green 3 bottles; Yuanxu, Ultraman's Little Monster, Luoning, and Fengyu 1 bottle each;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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