Dusk Town is a small town located on the edge of the kingdom, most of which is covered by the Black Forest.

Many years ago, probably close to fifty or a hundred, in short, a long time ago, Rimu Town was a fairly prosperous town with large tracts of fertile farmland, flowing rivers, and a prosperous, comfortable, and desirable pastoral life. For the townspeople here, every day was just an ordinary day.

Until the devil tide comes again and again.

The scene with the blood moon hanging high in the sky and monsters wreaking havoc became the deepest nightmare in the hearts of all the old people still alive in Dusk Town.

The average life expectancy in the Kingdom of Darkness was relatively longer. If a person was healthy and had not experienced the baptism of war, they could live to be over 200 years old in most cases. If they used magic to prolong their lifespan, then 300 years was possible.

In a place like Rimu Town, people who are seventy years old are already extremely rare, and living to be a hundred years old is enough to be called a long life.

Under attacks from illness, monsters, and various disasters, it is considered very lucky to be able to survive.

The town's past prosperity has gone with the wind, leaving only its present decline.

A large amount of fertile farmland was occupied by vines and twisted trees. Clean water sources were polluted by the Black Forest, causing madness and hallucinations after drinking. Livestock were also contaminated by the land, causing various mutations and even starting to attack humans.

It would be a huge joke to think that you could make some money in a place like this.

"Joster and I have known each other since childhood. He was exposed to magic when he was about four or five years old. He had the talent to be a wizard and soon became an apprentice. My family did have some money, but after years of exploitation, the money was quickly consumed."

Baron Jello sat at the table and said that the wine in the glass was as light as water. Most of the water sources nearby were polluted, and drinking it directly would cause insanity. Only after boiling it could it barely quench thirst. This wine had been brewed and was less polluted.

"But later, Jost broke some taboos and was driven out of the palace. Perhaps because his talent was too good, he was not killed for the crime that should have been punishable by death. Instead, he was exiled to a small border town like this."

"My family's business was completely bankrupt at the time, and I was all alone, so I simply bought the title here and took care of Jost."

He glanced at the wizard who was lying on the bed and seemed to be having a nightmare.

"You said he is very talented?"

Lu Ban and Stone went out to the town to check the situation, leaving Trist and Xia here to communicate with Jello.

"Yes. Normally, a wizard who wants to reach Jost's level needs at least forty to fifty years of study. However, he has already achieved such an achievement at the age of twenty. This is extremely rare. Even if we look back in time, there are very few official court wizards as young as him."

Baron Jello said this as if he was very proud.

“That’s really impressive.”

Drizzt agreed. He glanced at Xia, but the wizard girl did not look happy, but frowned slightly.

"I think that, regardless of whether Jost is a rare genius or not, according to what you said, he may have made a serious mistake."

Sia was blunt.

"What's wrong?"

Baron Jello felt that Xia was quite confident in her every move, and she had just displayed a spell that even Jost found amazing. She must be a powerful court wizard.

"Magic is knowledge and pollution, just like the water you drink. These things are subtle and gradually erode your body. When they accumulate to a certain level, they will eventually cause disease."

Xia looked at the wine in Baron Jello's glass and said, even though there was only a little pollution left in it, for ordinary people, drinking it over the years would definitely lead to erosion. The residents and soldiers in this town had all been polluted by the Black Forest.

In the era of Shia, the survey of water sources and land was very important. Even in the border town at the edge of the Black Forest, the mages responsible for border defense would use purification spells to ensure the safety of water and food.

But in this era, there are obviously no such strict measures. There is probably only one mage here, Jost, and he doesn't have this awareness.

Even if the demonic tide had not arrived, the lifespan of the people in this town would have gradually shortened. Eventually, the entire town would either fall into madness and kill each other, or the remaining residents would move away and the town would become an abandoned village.

"Similarly, when a mage learns magic, it is also a process of gradually accumulating pollution. You think that those mages who can only master this level of magic in their forties or fifties are actually because they need time to digest, bear, and accommodate the pollution. He has mastered so much magic in such a short time. I don't know about other things, but his body must not be able to handle it. It is equivalent to him consuming all the pollution that others can only digest in fifty years in just a dozen years, which will definitely shorten his life."

Xia's words made Baron Jello's face darken.

He had never considered the possibility.

No wonder there were not many talented mages before, because truly smart mages all understand that haste makes waste. They will not be in a hurry to starve themselves to death in a dozen years, but will extend their lifespan as much as possible.

From this perspective, Jost's genius actually reveals his stupidity.

Faced with knowledge, he was like an ignorant child, trying with all his might to pick up all the fragments left on the ground, but he didn't expect that the heavy fragments had already bent his back and would lead to death.

In fact, there are many such people in those civilizations that are still unaware of the horrors of foreign lands.

"Come to think of it, you said Jost was kicked out because he violated a taboo. What exactly did he do wrong?"

Drizzt asked again.

"He wants to teach magic to ordinary people, which is a serious taboo among court mages."

Baron Jello replied.

At first, Trist was a little confused and thought that these were measures that would solidify classes and make the people ignorant, but soon he understood why these were taboos.

Because magic itself is pollution, if ordinary people learn magic casually, then the pollution will spread. Everyone has different physiques and cognitions. If magic is abused, it will definitely lead to huge social unrest and may even cause collective madness or even more serious disasters.

The court wizard's prohibition of teaching magic does not seem to be tyranny, but rather reasonable.

"...Is that why he wants to study the magic network?"

Xia was thoughtful. She came to Jost's laboratory and saw a notebook fell on the ground. She opened it. Although the ancient language of the Kingdom of Night was used in it, Xia had learned some and could understand it quickly.

It looks like this is Jost's note.

She had just read a few pages when she heard Lu Ban's voice coming from outside.