Chapter 357 356. Success
The empire was obviously secretly planning something big, and Lin Jun really wanted to get involved, taking advantage of the opportunity to fish in troubled waters and see if he could reap some unexpected benefits.
However, the Dwarf Kingdom was too far away from his sphere of influence.
There is a dungeon related to elemental creatures in the dwarf territory, but it is not connected to Lin Jun's dungeon, so it is out of reach.
Damn it, I have information but can’t use it. It’s so frustrating!
As for leaking intelligence to humans, and then having them warn the dwarves to destroy the empire's plan... this idea just flashed through his mind and was rejected by him.
Doing so would not only bring him no substantial benefits, but would also foreseeably cause him a lot of trouble.
This kind of loss-making business that harms oneself and benefits others, or even strangers, has never been within his consideration.
Putting aside these considerations that could not be implemented for the time being, the "takeout" that Lin Jun had been looking forward to finally arrived.
…
In the carport of a camouflaged, plain-looking cart, the evil wizard Valen was looking at the scenery outside.
He is not good at hiding, nor does he master the skills of disguise, and he even only knows a few words of human language!
Fortunately, the Duke has already arranged these technical issues for them.
The team leader is a professional spy who is proficient in this field. His superb disguise skills, combined with the secret magic circle hidden in the carriage that can interfere with low-level detection magic and props, form a protective umbrella for more than ten people to travel through human territory.
Of course, this level of disguise would definitely not be able to pass the entrance inspection of a human city.
But fortunately, their destination was not any city, but a deserted and uninhabited area, so they did not need to pass through those checkpoints.
Along the way, the biggest trouble did not come from the regular human patrols, but from those bandits!
Their disguised identity was an expedition team composed of scholars and students. This identity usually earned them basic respect and cautious treatment when facing patrols, thus avoiding many unnecessary accidents.
But in the eyes of the robbers, this team is nothing more than a piece of fat meat.
It is not difficult to get rid of a few bandits, but the difficult part is to completely clean up the traces of the battle and ensure that no clues are left that may expose their identity as demons. This process is far more cumbersome than killing itself.
Fortunately, as the convoy went deeper and deeper into human territory, the situation gradually improved.
Especially when large patches of white fungal mats began to appear in the surrounding environment, the traces of the bandits almost disappeared and the journey became smoother.
According to the team leader, this is partly because the area relies on mushroom cultivation to achieve food abundance and lacks the soil for breeding large-scale bandits.
On the other hand, it is because a new type of adventurer profession called "Pujishi" is extremely efficient and has completely squeezed the living space of traditional bandits.
There may still be some sporadic criminals in this area who are motivated by the urge to rob and kill, but they usually do not choose to target such a large convoy.
"Master Puji" Valen has also seen this, but to be honest, he really doesn't understand what kind of combat effectiveness can be achieved with some walking mushrooms?
Even if it has mutated, it is still a walking mushroom!
Moreover, listening to the leader's introduction, Valen couldn't help but wonder why the empire didn't try to destroy these high-yield mushroom fields and plunge humanity into a famine?
Could this be the purpose of my mission?
But on second thought, if they really wanted to disrupt food production, there was no need to use these extremely unstable evil wizards. The high-level pharmacists under the empire could easily concoct more efficient and concealed poisons or withering potions that would be more effective and more difficult to trace.
He asked this question to the team leader, but unfortunately the team leader knew nothing about it and was just following orders.
The carriage finally stopped at a clearing in the woods. To reach a deeper destination, they had to cross a dense forest, which was impassable for vehicles. The rest of the journey would have to be made on foot.
However, just as they were about to reach their destination, the group was unexpectedly stopped by a human.
"Stop! You can't go any further!"
He was a rather young-looking male human, wearing leather armor, carrying a weapon, and wearing a uniform that was clearly that of an Adventurer's Guild.
However, the emblem he wears on his chest is not the usual sword and shield, but a striking mushroom cap pattern.
The leading spy stepped forward, a scholar's gentle, harmless smile plastered on his face as he displayed a badge. "Hello. Are you a friend of the 'Puff Master Professional Association'? We are a team of scholars from the Relic Association, and we need to conduct some necessary research in the area ahead."
The young man scratched his head, taking in the dusty yet scholarly attire of Valen and the others. He became noticeably more respectful. "Uh...yes. The stone forest area ahead isn't safe right now. Are you going there for any specific research?"
"We hope to enter for close observation and recording to complete an important ecological study." The team leader's voice remained gentle, but behind him, the naturally drooping hand had silently begun to transform, gradually transforming into a deadly claw. "Has the guild issued a ban on entry? If you need to notify or apply for permission, we can wait here."
The young man tried to recall the mission he'd been assigned and shook his head. "That's not explicitly forbidden... The guild simply told us to warn and dissuade uninformed individuals from going too far. It's mainly because there's a special "Puji" inside that releases a weak petrifying energy. While the effect isn't strong, long-term exposure still carries risks. You should be extra careful."
Seeing the young man make way, the leader's claws quickly turned back into human hands.
After thanking the young man, the group continued on their way.
Not long after they continued moving forward, everyone saw a magical sight.
It's not the petrified land and trees, but the petrified Puji here!
For example, there is a Puji stone statue in front of Valen. It maintains the posture of standing on one leg with one short leg, and the other short leg is raised comically, and the four hyphae tentacles are cleverly intertwined into a heart shape on the top of the mushroom cap.
There are quite a few stone statues with strange postures like this one.
"Who... did this?" An evil wizard couldn't help but mutter in a low voice. The scene was too weird.
Puff——
The sound of a passing bird attracted everyone's attention.
The seemingly ordinary Puji shuttled between the stone forests, causing slight ripples on the magic shields of everyone, which was caused by the influence of the petrification rays.
However, it is indeed quite weak, and it is almost impossible to be petrified without long-term exposure to this environment.
In this stone forest, there are no stone statues of other animal monsters except Puji.
But soon, Valen's mind returned to business.
They were divided into three groups and entered three different underground secret rooms.
"It's indeed divided according to ability..." The low complaint of another evil wizard in the same group reminded Valen.
He looked around and realized that those who were assigned to the same group were all "newbies" like him, whose [Abyss Magic] level was only below LV3.
This discovery made his heart sink to the bottom in an instant.
This means that they were assigned to perform what was clearly the most insignificant and least meritorious part of the entire ceremony.
Even if the mission succeeds, upon returning to the empire, these low-level evil mages will probably not be valued or rewarded...
"Damn it!" He cursed in a low voice, his heart filled with resentment.
Despite this, Valen and his team members completed the drawing of the abyss magic circle of unknown purpose in the secret room as required and successfully activated it.
Even after the light of the magic circle completely dimmed, they still didn't know what effect the magic circle had.
"Did it fail?" Valen felt even more uneasy, with an ominous premonition lingering in his mind.
When they left the secret room with a nervous mood under the guidance of their leader who had an equally grim expression, they found that only their group had followed them out.
As expected, I failed, so I was kicked out?
Valen pleaded, "Give us another chance! Let me check the magic circle again. I'm sure I can find the problem!"
The team leader glanced at him strangely, stunned for a moment before realizing his misunderstanding. He explained stiffly, "No, it's not your fault. You should have set up three interconnected magic circles... I'm not entirely sure how this works, but it's clear that something went terribly wrong with the other two groups... Do you want to go over and take a look?"
Valen suddenly realized what was going on. The horrific scene of the failed ritual in the past, which resulted in six slaves being blown into a bloody mess in the secret room, flashed through his mind. His stomach churned and he quickly shook his head like a rattle, firmly rejecting this "good intention".
The few of them then followed the leader in silence, deliberately avoiding the area where they had previously encountered the young Master Puji, and returned to the hidden carriage.
Just like that, as if he had done something, and as if he had done nothing, Valen embarked on his journey back to the empire.
He was as worried as several other surviving low-level evil wizards in the car, having no idea what fate would await them.
The annihilation of the other two groups once again proved in a bloody way the unreliability and high-risk of the evil wizard's path. These "losers" who survived by chance will most likely be abandoned by their superiors, right?
For Valen, being abandoned meant being unable to repay the huge debt, which meant those ruthless creditors would come knocking on his door, and then... he didn't dare to think about it anymore.
However, he didn't know that what was waiting for him was not abandonment.
After returning, he will receive the promised resource support as promised, which will be used to improve his poor spellcasting level.
Their success will spread among the evil wizard community, and soon, Duke Sigimund will issue a similar recruitment order for the second time...
…
[Seven Sins of Greed Trigger]
[Plundering Skill: Abyss Magic LV4]
It’s still too little, barely reaching LV4!
According to the records in the classic notes inherited from Malgas, in order to actively open the hole leading to the abyss, one needs to reach a casting level of at least LV7.
He also needs more and better evil wizards to contribute their knowledge and experience!
However, the LV4 level is enough to try some simple basic applications. Lin Jun plans to experience the abyss magic himself.
(End of this chapter)
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