Chapter 173: The Cabin in the Woods
Yes, Leon wasn't mistaken—there really was a carriage!
Joey didn't bother with formalities. He simply called for a carriage in Seaview City, even made Leon pay the fare, and so they rattled off toward the supposedly 'faraway' Rockridge...
It wasn't until dusk that the carriage finally stopped at a small town near Nightsong Forest.
Leon dutifully got off the carriage, planning to find an inn first before anything else.
There was no way around it—of the three, Leon was the youngest. Salomon was ill, Joey was the master of Cloudspire Tower, so, really, this sort of thing could only fall to Leon.
But just as Leon stepped down, he noticed Joey following after him...
"Alright, you can head back now." Then Joey tossed a small pouch of gold coins to the coachman.
"Thank you, thank you..." The coachman's face lit up with delight as he grabbed the coins—there must've been over a hundred in that little pouch. More than enough to cover the fare from Seaview City, and plenty left over to buy ten carriages just like this one.
"Master Joey, what are you..." Watching the coachman drive off, Leon was even more confused. What exactly was Joey up to this time?
They'd started out with something as primitive as a carriage, but now, after reaching this little town, Joey just sent it away with a pouch of gold. Wasn't that a bit pointless? Maybe tomorrow he'd call for another carriage—or would he just use a flight spell instead?
Leon couldn't help but shoot Joey a strange look as that thought crossed his mind...
If Joey weren't so old, Leon would have really liked to ask: Master Joey, all this fuss—doesn't it ever make your balls ache a little?
"I'm going to meet someone. You two are coming with me."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'? You won't be running around for nothing..." Joey shot Leon a glare. He might not know what that look from Leon meant, but he could guess it wasn't anything flattering...
"Where are we going?" The promise of compensation made Leon's attitude shift instantly, but he didn't forget to add, "By the way, can I borrow the Black Death Rune for another three months?"
...Joey refused to say another word, his face dark as thunder, as he led the two out of town...
Soon, the three of them stepped into Nightsong Forest.
Nightsong Forest lies between Seaview City and Rockridge. It's not like Razor Rift, which is haunted by powerful rock trolls, but the forest still teems with magical beasts—most around level ten or twenty. If you're lucky, you might even run into a level thirty beast. Seaview City and Rockridge have plenty of mercenary companies, but only the top five from each city dare to hunt in Nightsong Forest.
Of course, that's only true for ordinary mercenary companies.
But for the three who arrived tonight, it's a different story entirely.
Tonight's trio included a ninth-level Title Archmage, a ninth-level Archmage, and the weakest was a fifth-level Grand Mage. And this Grand Mage had just proved in Seaview City that he could take a ninth-level Archmage down with him if it came to it.
A team like that—there are barely a handful in all of Andalusia Kingdom. If they formed a mercenary company, even the Silvermoon Mercenary Company would be crushed.
Of course, they weren't nearly that bored...
Once inside Nightsong Forest, Joey took the lead, Leon brought up the rear. It was like a bulldozer plowing through the woods—Leon’s only job was to keep the Light spell going for illumination; the rest was all up to Joey.
At this point, the peak Title Archmage had nothing but a rune shield flickering on his body—no other magic in sight. Yet, as Joey walked into Nightsong Forest, not a single magical beast could get within thirty meters of him.
Several times, Leon saw beasts lurking in the brush—before they could even show themselves, as soon as they entered that thirty-meter radius around Joey, they turned to ash right there in the thicket.
That kind of omnipresent, terrifying power made even Leon’s heart race. More than once he wondered: if those beasts were replaced by himself, how long could he last in front of this peak Title Archmage? Ten seconds? Five?
Joey strolled through Nightsong Forest in that terrifying way, as if he were taking a casual walk in the park...
And then there was Salomon—no need to even mention him...
At least Leon had to keep the Light spell going. Salomon, on the other hand, did nothing but cough and walk—he didn't even lift a finger the whole time.
After about an hour of this, Joey finally stopped near a thicket...
"We're here."
"Where is this place?" Leon followed Joey's gaze and saw, a few hundred meters ahead, an old wooden cabin. The boards had clearly been patched up many times and were weathered by wind and rain. The door was ajar, creaking in the night breeze of Nightsong Forest...
Seriously? People actually live in a place like this?
Leon’s first thought was that whoever owned this cabin had guts. Nightsong Forest might not be a deathtrap, but level thirty magical beasts do show up now and then. Living here takes real courage.
Wait a minute...
Just as Leon was quietly impressed, he suddenly sensed something off. Around the seemingly decrepit cabin, a bizarre magical fluctuation hung in the air...
No doubt about it—the magical fluctuation was truly strange. It didn't feel powerful, but it was everywhere. Even standing a few hundred meters away, Leon could feel it silently wrapping around him, slowly invading his Mana Harness.
Luckily, Leon had a Mana Harness...
With just a slight adjustment, that strange magical fluctuation vanished. But the feeling of its invasive presence lingered in Leon's mind. He was sure he'd heard of this bizarre magic somewhere before...
"Once we're inside, remember: less talking, more observing." Joey didn't answer Leon's question, just whispered the warning before leading them toward the cabin.
Joey reached the cabin and pushed open the door. Immediately, Leon caught a pungent scent...
"Flameflower?" Leon was startled. That scent was unmistakably Flameflower.
It's one of the top magical materials—extremely rare. Many alchemists insist that Flameflower is extinct in Northend, only found in planes overflowing with fire element.
Leon was half-convinced by that theory himself.
Since coming to this era, Leon had never seen a Flameflower anywhere, not even an alchemical potion made from it.
Who would've thought he'd smell Flameflower today, in a cabin in Nightsong Forest...
"Damn it, Joey, you're back again? Haven't I told you a thousand times—stop bothering me, stop bothering me, or don't blame me for being rude..." Almost as soon as Joey opened the door, an impatient, unfriendly voice rang out from inside...
...Leon sucked in a breath—Joey was a peak Title Archmage, just a step away from the legendary tier. For someone to speak to him like that, what kind of guts did they have?
Then Leon realized...
Not only did this person dare to say it—they dared to do it...
As the words fell, a beaker came flying out, shattering at Joey's feet with a sharp crack.
"Come on, Oswald, old friend—no need to be so cranky..." Joey, the peak Title Archmage, wasn't even angry at being treated so roughly. No, it was beyond not being angry—at this moment, Joey could only be described as shameless...
Seeing Joey's ingratiating grin, Leon couldn't help but wonder: if he had a tail, he'd be wagging it right now...
Damn, is this really the dignity of a peak Title Archmage?
Leon felt like his entire worldview had just been turned upside down...
Wait a second—why did the name Oswald sound so familiar?
Just as Leon was puzzling over it, an elderly man with graying hair stepped out of the room. He looked to be about fifty or sixty, dressed in a faded gray robe, stained and clearly unwashed for months.
The magical fluctuations from him were stronger than Salomon's, but still nowhere near Joey's level of transcendent power. Leon guessed he was a Title Archmage—maybe first or second tier, but definitely not at Joey's peak.
"Damn it..." The old man spotted Leon and Salomon as soon as he came out. His wrinkled face immediately darkened: "Joey, you bastard—not only did you interrupt my experiment again, you brought two people with you. Are you really convinced I can't do anything to you?"
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The new book month just ended, and my monthly ticket ranking dropped so much... It really hurts...