Chapter 241: The Lucky Box
Of course, running is out of the question...
The binding force of the Flame Chain is so strong that even a Dragonblood Orc can't break free, let alone a mere blade of grass.
As the Mana Harness spun, the high temperature of the Flame Chain erupted. In an instant, that blade of grass was reduced to ashes. At the same time, a phantom shot out from the ashes—so fast it was almost like lightning—slipping past the Flame Chain's reach in a blink.
Next thing Leon Merlin knew, his vision blurred. When he could see clearly again, that phantom had already crossed the lava barrier and was about to disappear into the dense jungle...
Yet Leon Merlin’s face showed not a hint of panic. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that panic is for people who still think they have options.
Almost at the very moment that phantom crossed the lava barrier, Leon Merlin raised the Soulbound Staff in his hand. A Mind Shock spell—not very lethal, usually used by mages to overwhelm lesser foes. But now, a shrill screech rang out, and that lightning-fast phantom suddenly froze in place, as if compelled by some unseen force. Funny how the simplest tricks can bring a monster to its knees.
The phantom remained still for no more than a second. The Soul-Draining Tree’s wraith was slippery, but even that brief pause was enough for Leon Merlin.
"Saedus!" But for Leon Merlin, a second was more than enough. As the Mana Harness spun, the Prime Flame Sprite shot out—swift as an arrow...
In an instant, fire and phantom tangled together... The Soul-Draining Tree’s wraith struggled, but the flames were relentless.
As a Prime Flame Sprite, Saedus was already a being nearly at the True Spirit level. The phantom of the Soul-Draining Tree might be ever-changing, with an innate ability to devour the essence of all plants, but compared to Saedus, it was still leagues apart. In just a moment, Saedus transformed into a raging inferno, wrapping that phantom tightly. Though the phantom struggled desperately, in the blazing light, its resistance gradually weakened...
Finally, the phantom was utterly consumed by the flames. Saedus, who had been no larger than a thumb, was now a plump, round ball, about the size of a fist. The once fierce and blazing fire, after devouring the phantom, grew lazy, as if it had just eaten its fill and wanted to nap...
"Delicious..." Saedus burped lazily and smacked its lips twice before diving back into Leon's body. With the help of nine Mana Harnesses, it began digesting the phantom's power...
"..." Leon Merlin rubbed his nose, thinking to himself, Why is it that everything I own is such a glutton? Maybe I should start charging them rent. If only greed could be harnessed for magic...
"Leon..." Salomon was dumbstruck, calling out to Leon Merlin but at a loss for words...
"It's nothing, just a wraith." Leon Merlin knew what Salomon was thinking, but there was no time to explain. Once the Parasitic Tree's spirit vanished, its body would wither in ten minutes at most—he had to hurry and find the real tree.
After quickly brushing off Salomon, Leon Merlin cast seven or eight Wizard's Eyes in rapid succession. This time, the search went smoothly—he didn't even need Salomon's help. Just a few minutes after sending out the first batch of Wizard's Eyes, Leon Merlin found a small sapling not far away.
At first glance, it looked no different from any ordinary sapling. But on closer inspection, this little tree was thriving—lush leaves, tangled roots, overflowing with vitality. One thing was clear: the sapling was growing right beside a Soul-Draining Tree, a rare and precious magical material. A staff made from the trunk of a Soul-Draining Tree could easily fetch over ten thousand gold coins.
And the fruit of the Soul-Draining Tree also had a slight magic-boosting effect; many mages liked to serve Soul-Draining fruit to their guests.
But the Soul-Draining Tree had one special trait...
Once it takes root, the Soul-Draining Tree will desperately seize every resource—sunlight, air, water, mana, everything. Around a mature Soul-Draining Tree, nothing else grows within ten meters; not even a single blade of grass.
But now, this sapling was growing right beside the Soul-Draining Tree, seemingly unaffected. Instead of being drained, its branches leaned toward the Soul-Draining Tree. Digging into the soil below, it was clear—the sapling’s roots were gradually growing toward the Soul-Draining Tree, already entwining with its roots...
So brazen, so shameless—what else could it be but the Parasitic Tree?
If Leon Merlin and Salomon hadn’t shown up, this Soul-Draining Tree would have been slowly strangled by the Parasitic Tree, like prey caught in a spider’s web—tighter and tighter until it suffocated.
“Leon, is this what you were looking for?” Salomon watched for a while, unable to see anything special, and finally asked with a frown.
“Yeah, with this sapling, I can brew you a Rebirth Potion when we get back. If luck’s on your side, you’ll be able to return to Auckland as a Title Archmage in three months, tops.”
“I’ll do it!” Salomon didn’t hesitate, rolled up his sleeves, and started digging.
A few minutes later, Leon Merlin tossed the Parasitic Tree into his spatial ring and, together with Salomon, returned to the starting point to meet up with Fran and Suas.
Both of them looked like they'd made quite a haul—especially Fran, whose face was flushed with excitement. No need to ask; it was obvious he'd just gotten something good. Some people have all the luck, while the rest of us get stuck with soul-sucking trees and pyromaniac sprites.
After the four reunited, they chatted for a bit, sharing what they'd found. Of course, everyone kept a few secrets—no one was foolish enough to reveal everything. They all understood that, so the conversation was pleasant enough, eventually drifting to talk of the others.
“Earlier, I took another look at that maze array...” Suas said, pulling a few sheets of draft paper from his pocket—notes he'd used while deciphering the maze. “I think I missed a key module, but I'm not entirely sure. Master Merlin, could you take a look...?”
“The Lucky Box.” Leon only needed a glance to see that Suas had indeed made a mistake.
The Lucky Box itself was a small alchemy array, usually embedded within larger arrays as a module. Most of the time, it was used for escape, because its sole function was random teleportation—moving you to a random spot within a set range.
Many alchemists liked to add a Lucky Box to their protective arrays, just in case the array was breached—they could use the Lucky Box’s random teleportation to escape.
But embedding a Lucky Box into a maze array? That was just asking for trouble. If there was a prize for reckless alchemy, someone here would win it.
Unfortunately, the twenty members of the joint exploration team had become victims of this recklessness...
“Yes, the Lucky Box. I really didn't expect anyone to embed a Lucky Box in a maze array. Aren't they worried that the random teleportation could wreck the whole array?” Suas just couldn’t figure out how any alchemist could be so reckless.
Leon Merlin couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle at Suas’s frustration. Sometimes it’s the reckless ones who survive, and the careful ones who end up buried. Fate’s little joke, I suppose.
But in Leon’s mind, the maze array was now even more puzzling. The appearance of the Lucky Box confirmed his earlier suspicions—this was completely contrary to Vaughn’s style. Vaughn was meticulous; he’d never embed a Lucky Box in a maze array, risking the whole array for a random teleportation feature. Someone obsessed with perfect details like Vaughn would never do such a thing.
“But judging by this Lucky Box, the others probably aren’t in much trouble...” Leon thought to himself, then added with a smile.
“Yeah...” Suas was also a top craftsman, and his understanding of the Lucky Box wasn’t much less than Leon’s. The Lucky Box’s random teleportation was limited to a set area—just look at where the four of them had landed, in this botanical garden. This was clearly still within Vaughn’s alchemy lab.
In other words, the others had a good chance of ending up just like the four of them—teleported by the Lucky Box, but still within Vaughn’s lab. As long as they searched carefully, they’d eventually regroup.
“Leon, what do you think we should do now...” Suas was finding it harder and harder to treat Leon as just a master mage; even his way of addressing him had quietly shifted, bringing them closer.
“Let’s leave this place first,” Leon said, glancing around—they were already near the edge of the garden. After a moment’s thought, he added, “But let’s be careful...”
“Hm?”
Suas was momentarily puzzled—this was just a botanical garden. Apart from all the plants, there wasn’t a single living creature around, let alone anything dangerous...
“Leon Merlin, aren’t you being a bit too cautious? It’s just a garden...” Maybe it was because he’d scored big earlier, but Fran was in such a good mood that, after days of barely speaking to Leon, he actually said a few words. Funny how gold coins loosen tongues faster than any spell.
He spoke as he strode boldly ahead...
“Careful!” Leon Merlin saw this and cursed inwardly. What a pig-headed teammate. Maybe next time I should bring a leash. Or a muzzle.
Too late to stop him now—almost as soon as Leon shouted, a magical beam zipped past Fran’s head with a sharp whoosh...
No, not just one...
But dozens—hundreds...
The once-peaceful garden was suddenly crisscrossed by dozens, even hundreds, of magical beams—ice, fire, lightning, light. In an instant, the four of them were pinned down by the barrage, unable to even lift their heads. So much for a quiet stroll among the flowers.