Chapter 118: A Chance Encounter with a Third-Level Apprentice
Although a cocoon inexplicably invaded his eyes, Saul wasn’t too alarmed at the moment.
Penny, a normal little girl, had been wearing this cocoon for three or four years without issue. He, as a wizard apprentice, certainly wouldn’t be afraid.
Moreover, as long as the diary doesn’t get involved, it wouldn’t be a problem.
The only real trouble was that he couldn’t ask Byron for help right now, as he couldn’t explain the origin of this cocoon.
If it weren’t for the diary’s hint, he wouldn’t have noticed it at all.
He would have to wait a while before bringing this up openly.
The experiment on the Nightmare Butterfly Cocoon had to be put on hold, but he’d continue researching it once they got back to the tower.
Saul relaxed slightly, leaning against the car window. “Where are we going?”
“We’ll bypass this area, there’s a mountain hollow ahead. It’s a little deeper than the original location, but it should still be safe for us,” Nick, who was sitting behind the perception instrument, spoke up.
“Could there be more over there?” Saul asked with some concern, as their trip hadn’t been very smooth from the start.
“Highly unlikely,” Byron said in a low voice. “I’ve thought about it, those things showing up at the entrance of the Hanging Valley was likely due to a rare tidal storm.”
Since Saul wasn’t familiar with this, Byron explained it in detail.
The Hanging Valley had buried thousands of wizards, which is why it was divided into an above-ground and underground world.
The underground world, due to the past rescue efforts, escapes, and post-discovery excavation, had become a complex network of tunnels.
Dangerous monsters, like the headless creatures, would appear deep in these tunnels.
They generally didn’t come out, because the outside world was too stable for them, making it unsuitable for their existence.
However, occasionally, the underground would randomly surge outward with storms.
Some monsters would temporarily run into other tunnels or even climb to the surface.
When this happened, people would usually evacuate quickly, and it was much safer once they left the area affected by the storm.
Since tidal storms were rare, the area outside the Hanging Valley was generally considered a safe zone for wizard apprentices.
None of them had any intention of retreating, after all, if they backed off over such minor danger, they wouldn’t need to be wizards.
They bypassed an area with several large boulders, stacked about three or four meters high, and Byron suddenly told the wooden spider to stop.
Had they arrived?
Saul saw Byron get off the wooden spider and followed suit.
Upon landing, he realized there were several people ahead.
It seemed like two groups of people.
One group had four members and was engaged in a fight with the other group.
Saul look a glance and immediately realized it was a one-sided massacre, with the four members being slaughtered by a single person on the opposing side.
The other group had two people: one with purple hair was playing with the four attackers, slaughtering them mockingly, while the other person sat on a large stone nearby, looking lethargic and pale.
By now, two of the four attackers had already been taken down. They were foaming at the mouth, and their skin was beginning to melt.
The pale wizard from the other group suddenly noticed Saul and the others. He leaped off the stone and flew toward them.
Saul immediately activated his spiritual form, ready for battle.
However, he soon realized that Byron didn’t enter a combat stance. Only Nick looked somewhat nervous—though his face remained expressionless.
The pale wizard landed in front of Byron and suddenly smiled, greeting them.
"Yo, Byron, long time no see!"
Byron nodded slightly. “Hmm.”
"You’re still so cold, haha," the pale wizard said, his temper seeming mild. He then greeted Nick, "Nick, it's rare to see you out here."
Nick respectfully bowed. “Senior Wright.”
The pale wizard, named Light, then turned to Saul, still smiling. "This little guy hasn't seen me before. Are you a newly promoted second-level apprentice?"
Saul also bowed like Nick. "Senior Wright, hello, I just recently became a second-level apprentice."
Wright smiled. "You don't look too old. The new generation is truly impressive. Who knows, some of you might become formal wizards before us old folks."
Though Wright called himself an "old guy," he didn’t look old at all, appearing to be only in his early twenties, even younger than Byron.
Wizards who underwent physical modifications could delay the aging of their bodies, so one couldn't easily guess their real age based on appearance.
Once a wizard officially advanced, their lifespan would greatly increase, meaning one could never judge a wizard's age or strength just by looks.
As they were talking, the purple-haired wizard had already finished off the four attackers.
He opened his mouth, and purple smoke spewed out, enveloping the four bodies.
After a while, the smoke re-entered the purple-haired wizard’s mouth, and the bodies on the ground disappeared, leaving only a pile of clothes.
The purple-haired wizard, Bill, then moved forward to pick through the spoils.
Byron glanced at the clothes and suddenly spoke. "Are they from the Land Sail group?"
Wright quickly raised his hand, signaling innocence. "It’s not my fault. Those guys saw we only had two people and ambushed us. You know Bill’s personality; he always kills enemies on the spot. I couldn’t stop him."
Byron frowned. "The Land Sail people usually act in groups. Isn’t he afraid that by killing a few, a whole bunch might come after us?"
Wright wasn’t worried and laughed. "No problem, if they come, we’ll just push Bill out."
At that moment, Bill, having finished dealing with the spoils, strolled over, hands in his pockets.
"Byron? The Hanging Valley is really lively today. Everyone’s here to collect treasures. But why are you bringing two second-level apprentices, slowing us down?"
Byron looked at Bill, a trace of caution in his eyes.
He knew the Land Sail people dared to ambush because Bill had probably disguised himself as weak to provoke a counterattack.
The Land Sail group was a larger wizard organization. Though they lacked high-end combat power compared to the Wizard Tower, they generally avoided conflicts with the apprentices of the Wizard Tower.
So, this time, it was likely that Bill had hidden his identity and deliberately provoked the others into attacking, only to turn the tables. Now that the enemies were dead, Byron couldn’t say much. He could only hope it wouldn’t cause trouble later.
"We’re not here to treasure hunt. But this place isn’t really suitable for you, is it?" Byron said flatly.
"Heh, running low on money, so I came with Wright to collect some corpses," Bill shrugged and suddenly turned to Nick. "But what about you, Nick? Weren’t you supposed to be at Master Rum’s place getting a letter to visit Grindstone Town? How’s it going? Did you sneak some Grinding Sound Fruit? When I go to collect it next month, I hope you haven’t taken them all!"
Bill was the one who went to Grindstone Town every year to collect the Grinding Sound Fruits?
Saul's heart skipped a beat.
Did he know that Grindstone Town was dealing with the barbarians?
Before Shelly died, he had mentioned that the Wizard Tower never helped Grindstone Town—was he referring to Bill?
Nick lowered his head slightly, looking a bit nervous.
"Senior, you don’t need to go next month. Grindstone Town was ambushed by barbarians, and the Grinding Sound Fruit fields were destroyed."
Bill raised an eyebrow. "Now the wandering wizard apprentices are getting weaker? How could they be ambushed by a bunch of barbarians?" He smiled. "But I guess it’s fine. I don’t have to make that annoying trip anymore."
Bill placed an arm around Nick’s shoulders. "But now you won’t get the Grinding Sound Fruit, huh? Tsk, you know, emotions are something you’ve got to control yourself. You can’t rely on potions."
Nick bent his back under the weight, but could only keep agreeing.
"Since there’s nothing else, let’s continue," Byron said, pulling Nick away from Bill.
Wright, curious, asked, "Why are you going inside with 2nd Level Apprentice?"
Byron answered honestly. "Saul saw some headless creatures at the entrance. I suspect a tidal storm appeared, so it’s safer inside."
"Headless creatures?" Wright's face grew serious. "Every time they appear, someone mysteriously disappears. Hopefully, we won’t be next."
But Bill's attention was elsewhere.
He tilted his head and looked past Nick and Byron, noticing Saul, who had been quietly standing at the back.
"So you're Saul," Bill’s eyes narrowed, exuding a dangerous vibe. "I’ve heard a lot about you. You're quite the impressive junior."
Who had been talking about him to Bill?
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