Chapter 128 Arson Clues, Speculation, Forest Burning
Edmund wasn't as lucky as Ray; the vine he chose wasn't the main root, so he had to choose another one.
After much back and forth, he finally arrived at the source. The ground was covered with dense vines and wood chips.
Clearly, someone had already arrived before him.
Edmund frowned.
Who exactly is it?
As he pondered, Edmund caught a glimpse of several white figures flashing past him out of the corner of his eye.
He quickly jumped to the side and assumed a defensive stance.
"Edmund?"
Wocain asked tentatively.
The man was too far away, and his face was completely covered. If he hadn't recognized the distinctive longsword, he would have used a spell on him.
The group reunited and recognized each other.
"Vocaine, you've arrived?"
“Mr. Edmund, it really is you! Why are you so bundled up? Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
One of the monks asked a question, then immediately realized how foolish his question was.
Volcain cast a purification spell on Edmund.
"Alright, now you can take the handkerchief off."
"Thank you, Wocain."
Edmund removed the damp cloth and, sure enough, the rotten smell was gone.
"Edmund, have you found anything here?"
"Wocain asked."
Edmund shook his head.
"No, it was already like this when I arrived. What about you? Have you found any clues?"
"We've just arrived here. The only discovery we've made is that the mutated plant is actually a psychedelic magic vine from the Great Forest of Eton."
This vine is very rare; it usually lives deep within the Eton Forest. For some reason, it has somehow grown here.
Another mage standing next to Wokain stepped forward to explain.
Although they belong to different camps, the Papacy and the White Tower have maintained a relatively friendly cooperative relationship on the surface, but what they are competing with behind the scenes is unknown to outsiders.
Edmund and Vorcain had crossed paths several times due to various events and got along quite well. They coincidentally met again in Eaton City during this mission and thus traveled together to Rosen Town.
"Edmund, were the debris on the ground caused by your attack?"
Woka asked bluntly.
They had just heard a loud noise in the woods and were heading in that direction when they encountered Edmund.
"No. It was already like this when I arrived; it's obvious that someone got here before us."
Wokain fell into deep thought.
"Haven't all the animals and plants in this forest withered away? Why are there still moss, spore plants, and good elemental plants that like to grow in places with abundant magical elements still alive?"
One of the mages raised his doubts. He was very knowledgeable about the various plants in the Great Forest of Eton, which was why Wokain had brought him along on this mission.
Everyone's gaze immediately turned to the green hidden among the intertwined vines.
The lush, fuzzy moss looked vibrant, not like it had just survived that night's ordeal, but rather like it had grown back from the ashes.
If they existed before the withering and spreading, they simply could not have grown on movable vines.
Spore plants are not the common mushrooms, but rather small, light brown plants.
During the day, they shrink their petals into a small spore, which then blooms again at night, emitting a shimmering blue light under the moonlight.
These transparent, lovely, blue little petals are delicate and beautiful. They will wither and fall immediately if touched.
No one knows how they appeared on the mainland, and no one can fully understand their living habits and the necessary growing conditions.
All that is known is that they are found in decaying places, where death and despair are their best nourishment.
"Perhaps an elemental storm once occurred here, which is why these anomalies have occurred."
Wokain offered his own insights.
After all, nearly half a month has passed, and no one knows what has happened during that time.
"So what triggered this elemental storm? And how were the mutated plants eliminated?"
Edmund raised a question.
This matter was chilling to think about, and everyone fell silent.
"Perhaps the answer isn't here, but rather in the nearby Eton Forest."
"That's what another mage said."
Compared to the mage who was an expert in plants, he was more optimistic and a bit talkative, but his defensive magic was superb.
"Don't make premature statements about things that haven't been verified."
Wokain reminded him, and the defensive mage pursed his lips and shut his mouth.
The element storm hypothesis is actually based on facts.
Wocain remembered something that had happened before.
That was more than ten days ago. The teacher suddenly abandoned them and rushed to the top floor of the tower. At that time, the detector seemed to have detected something.
That powerful force instantly awakened the detection instruments that had been dormant for hundreds of years. It immediately attracted the attention of the teachers.
Although the Venerable One later said that this was a good thing and there was no need to pay attention to it, the teacher still decided to send him here to investigate thoroughly.
The location of the Great Forest of Eton is so special and important that it cannot be taken lightly.
"The mutated vines are dead, and we can't find any valuable information nearby. Staying here will only waste time. We might as well go directly to the source."
Wokain went on to say that he was preparing to leave and head to the Great Forest of Eaton.
"Vocaine, wait!"
"What's wrong?"
Wocain was puzzled.
"I'd like to ask you for a favor."
Edmund organized his thoughts.
“The forest is littered with animal carcasses that have already begun to rot. Leaving them here will pollute the water source. The nearby villagers rely on these rivers for their livelihood. If we don’t deal with them properly, the villagers will only face death.”
Wokain immediately understood Edmund's meaning.
"Edmund, just tell us what you need us to do, and we'll do everything we can to help you."
"Vokane, you are truly an excellent and kind magician. It is a blessing from the Lord God that the White Tower has such an outstanding student as you. All the residents living nearby will thank you for your help today."
Flattery will get you everywhere.
Edmund knew what kind of words these privileged children liked to hear, and if it could solve the problem of these rotting animal carcasses in the withered forest, he wouldn't mind being a little obsequious.
"I think we can do this... and then this again..."
Overnight, a massive magical shield enveloped the entire withered forest.
The mage, skilled in defensive magic, continuously reinforced the stability of the magic shield with energy from outside.
Edmund, Vorcain, and another wood mage were suspended in mid-air within a magical shield, facing the withered forest from different angles.
Indeed, the most effective and simplest method Edmund could think of was to burn the entire forest to the ground.
Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.
Wood-type mages will cast spells on the entire forest after a fire, promoting the growth of plants within.
In just a few years, towering trees will grow here again.
There were so many animal carcasses in the forest, and they had already rotted and spawned small creatures. Even if all the villagers from the nearby villages were gathered together, it would take a great deal of effort and time.
He and Wocain wouldn't stay here for long; they didn't have much time to deal with these problems in a gentler way.
"Let's begin."
"Vokain said."
Wokain used a large-scale fire spell, Edmund used the power of the fire magic stone on his longsword, and the wood mage used a small magical item.
Flames shot out from the hands of the three men simultaneously, instantly igniting the entire forest.
How could such a commotion not attract the attention of the villagers?
When Barnett arrived, he saw the entire withered forest ablaze, with thick black smoke rising straight into the sky.
"Who are you! What are you doing!"
Barnett loudly questioned the only defensive mage standing on the ground. The villagers standing behind Barnett were all holding their own pots and pans to put out the fire.
Fortunately, defensive mages have a good habit of casting a protective spell on themselves before casting a spell. Otherwise, he really suspected that he would have been torn to pieces by these angry villagers.
"Are you the village chief from nearby? We are mages from the White Tower. The White Tower! Have you heard of it? It's the most powerful mage sanctuary in the royal city."
Barnett knew of the existence of the White Tower, and he looked at the stranger in the white robe with suspicion.
"Ah, village chief, don't worry, we're trying to save the people in your village!"
"Everyone, please be quiet and listen to his explanation! Listen to his explanation!"
Ray helped maintain order at the scene.
He saw Edmund's figure in the air and believed that Edmund would not harm the villagers of the small mountain village.
Because it was magical fire, it burned extremely fiercely. After ensuring the entire forest was ablaze, Vokane released Edmund and the others.
Upon landing, they saw villagers surrounding the defensive mage in a circle.
"Lord Vokane, Mr. Edmund, and the bookworm, come and save me!"
Wocain: "..."
The wood-elemental mage, known as a bookworm: "..."
As expected, the villagers' attention turned to the three of them, and the defensive mage secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hello, you must be the village elder. I am Grand Magister Vokane from the White Tower. I have come here because the events that have occurred in your village have been reported to the White Tower through the town's mage association. My teacher specially sent me and two other subordinates to Rosen Town to help you resolve these issues."
Wokain had an extremely upright appearance, and his speech revealed a scholarly air of good upbringing. His white mage robes, along with the patterns and magic circles on them, made him look solemn and dignified.
Just by looking at his attire, the villagers were able to believe in his background.
"Why did you burn this forest?"
Barnett raised a question.
Even though the forest has withered, the dead trees inside can still be taken home by the nearby villagers as firewood to get through the winter, and some of the decades-old trees can be sold for timber.
Whether from a group perspective or an individual perspective, he should prevent outsiders from arbitrarily disposing of the forest.
"This is a long story. I believe that because of the presence of mutated plants in the forest, none of you have been to the forest recently."
When we arrived at the forest, we found that almost all the animals inside were dead, and their bodies were scattered in every corner of the forest.
Because of the extreme heat, the corpses had already decomposed. If they weren't dealt with soon, they would contaminate the nearby water source, causing a terrible plague that would kill everyone in the area.
Wokain looked at all the villagers around him, speaking with great conviction and displaying the demeanor of a leader.
For some reason, Lei felt that Wocain's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer.
But his vision quickly returned to normal. Perhaps it was just his imagination.
Lei stopped thinking about it.
The villagers were taken aback by Wocain's words, their faces showing hesitation as they turned their gaze to Barnett, waiting for him to make a decision.
"You burned down the entire forest, how are we going to explain this to the mayor?"
"Don't worry about that. We'll explain this to the mayor after this is over, and he won't cause you any trouble."
My subordinate is a mid-level seventh-tier wood-elemental mage. After a fire burns down the entire forest, he will cast a spell to accelerate its recovery. Within a few years, a lush green forest will grow back here.
Wocain's explanation was very convincing, and Barnett, combining it with the brief words spoken by the town knight earlier, knew that Wocain's words about the animal carcasses were true.
Barnett had witnessed the vibrancy of big cities and experienced many significant events in his youth. He quickly regained his composure, and Wocain and the other three expressed their gratitude.
Edmund stood beside the defensive mage, protecting the mage who was casting a spell and could not be attacked.
The guide had already led the white horse into the distant woods when he saw the villagers heading this way.
The fire burned for a full three hours, and the villagers watched for the full three hours. The defensive mage intermittently repaired the protective shield dozens of times.
The fire was finally extinguished, leaving only scorched earth and piles of ashes inside the protective shield. Fortunately, the protective magic worked, and the earth-shattering fire did not spread to the nearby forests.
Some of the more sentimental villagers had already begun to wipe away tears as they looked at the mess before them.
This is the woodland they've lived on since childhood, but now it's turned into this.
What is there that doesn't make you feel sad and heartbroken?
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