Chapter 353 The Lonely Ghost Encountered by Chance
Luo Yan’s carriage did not drive into the stone castle ruled by the Lord Knight in the Eagle Rock Territory. Instead, as usual, he found a secluded corner as a place to camp in the wider and more chaotic traveler camp on the outskirts of the city.
"Yan Tu, follow my orders... If someone you don't know comes in, teach him a lesson." Luo Yan waved his wand and weaved a spell.
Two clay puppets half as tall as a man quickly stood up on the muddy ground.
They looked like gray snowmen, bowing slightly towards their master, and then stood at the door of the tent on the left and right like loyal guards.
Although the elemental golems are not as useful as the stone men of the Rock and Earth Soul tribe, they are extremely convenient for executing these simple commands.
The people around who had just awakened their magic potential saw him and cast envious eyes, and turned around to whisper to their companions.
"This boss should be at the Bronze level."
"Bronze?! With his skillful singing and perception of the elements, I think he is at least the Stainless steel level!"
"You know what the hell! A mage who can travel alone in the wilderness must be at least Silver!"
"Bullshit, what is he doing in the academy?"
The quarrel became more and more intense, and Luo Yan, who accidentally heard it, became more and more speechless, while Tafu made two "puff" sounds heartlessly, until her tail was "accidentally" stepped on.
After setting up camp, Luo Yan took Sarah and Tafu out of the tent area and went to the market in the traveler camp.
This time he still did not alert the local lords, but strolled in the market as a traveler with his cat and dragon.
Compared with dealing with the same vain country noble, the scene full of vitality in front of him aroused his interest more.
Hundreds of tents spread out like mushrooms on the muddy snow, including simple, gorgeous, dilapidated and brand-new tents.
The air was mixed with the smell of firewood burning, the sour smell of bad ale, the burnt smell of barbecue, and the smell of sweat from the crowd.
Hundreds of young and anxious faces make up the main body of this camp.
They gathered in small groups around the campfire, either immersed in reading yellowed books, or making famous jerky spell-casting gestures in the air, muttering something to each other. A strange, almost fanatical academic atmosphere prevailed in this chaotic camp, and occasionally there would be one or two out-of-control accidents.
It is extremely difficult to complete a spell without someone's guidance, as his little players have proven a long time ago... The threshold for entry for mages is much higher than that for warriors.
It is precisely for this reason that vendors in the market will sell some magic potions that are "supposedly" leftover by the mages of Xuebang, which can stimulate the magic elements in the body.
As for whether it has any curative effect...who knows?
Comfort therapy is also a kind of treatment, and the prerequisite for calling on extraordinary power is to believe that one has this power that transcends ordinary people.
If it really cannot be activated, it means that there is indeed no such talent, and obviously it cannot be blamed on the potion not working.
Luo Yan, taking Tafu and Sara, walked in the hustle and bustle like leisurely travelers, and his eyes were quickly attracted by a vendor selling sundries.
On the man's stall were several "lucky charms" that didn't look very reliable, several pieces of colorful "magic ore", and rolls of parchment sealed with wax.
Luo Yan picked up a scroll and asked the shrewd-eyed vendor: "It's very lively here, is there any celebration?"
"Celebration? Oh no, no, sir, this is much more important than the celebration!" When the vendor saw Luo Yan's clothes, he immediately put on a smile and introduced enthusiastically, "This is your first time here, right? This is a student. Bang’s annual winter “Apprentice Recruitment” is about to begin! I’m not bragging to you at all. This is a top priority for the young people of the Rhodes Kingdom! Even young people from not only the Rhodes Kingdom, but also the Lion Kingdom and many other places will come here to try their luck!” At this point, he lowered his voice and continued mysteriously.
"In a few days, the adults from the thirteen mage towers in Xuebang will send envoys to the border. They will organize exams and personally interview qualified apprentices. The lucky ones selected will be led by the mage himself, through the wasteland swamp that mortals cannot cross, and go to the tower to learn real magic!"
"Sounds interesting." Luo Yan said with a smile.
"That's not it!" The hawker's eyes flashed with envy, wishing he was among that group of young people. "For the young men in Osland, this is the only chance to change their destiny besides becoming a knight! And this road is easier than that of a knight, although it is also more difficult. It is said that becoming a magician depends on talent! Hundreds of people come here every year to try their luck, and for those who can pass the Master Mage's examination in the end, one in a hundred is considered good!"
Luo Yan nodded and picked up another scroll.
"I see, then these are...?"
"A must-have for beginners, sir!" The vendor immediately started selling, "The scroll of "Cleaning Technique" can help you stay decent in the mud! "Lighting Technique", when you are deep in the wilderness, it will be the guide to guide you forward. A bright light to get in! These are genuine products from Xuebang, and they only cost 10 silver coins each!" Luo Yan smiled, dropped a gold coin, and waved his hand to pocket the ten scrolls that were useless to him, thinking he was paying for this information.
Leaving the scroll vendor, he took the two of them and continued to move forward. The scene in the camp became increasingly bizarre.
In addition to the "scholars" who were immersed in studying, there were also some ladies dressed up in fancy clothes.
They wore heavy cashmere coats and heavy makeup to cover up their nasolabial folds. Their gorgeous clothes were vaguely visible under the cover of wool... They were obviously not serious clothes.
These girls leaned against the door of the tent, using their bold and fiery gazes to tease some young men from the countryside who had never seen the world until they were red-faced and at a loss. Occasionally, someone would get into the tent together, and soon the lights in the tent would be turned off.
Taph's head poked out of the cloak curiously, feeling that it was very novel. She had never seen it before on the continent of Janna.
It seems that the Zeta Empire does not have this ancient profession.
At this moment, a hand suddenly covered her eyes and stuffed them back under the cloak despite her protests.
The person who took action was naturally Sarah.
Her cheeks were so flushed that even the inside of her cat ears decorated with black fluff had a lovely pink color.
She was seen holding Tafu's head with one hand, and the other hand was nervously blocking Luo Yan's face, as if she was afraid that her master would see something unclean.
"Your Highness, please don't look over there...they will contaminate your eyes." Sarah's voice was as thin as a gnat, and her words were incoherent.
Luo Yan couldn't help but smile when he saw her serious look as if facing a powerful enemy.
For him, the devil of the labyrinth, the seven emotions and six desires in the world are just the most bland scenery in the palm of his hand.
What hasn’t he seen?
"A few poor people will not contaminate my eyes, let go of Tafu, we are leaving."
"Yes..." Amidst Tafu's chirping dragon cry, Sarah blushed and retracted her hand.
…
The "Adventurer's House" on the edge of the camp is the only decent tavern here.
Luo Yan and his party walked through the noisy crowd, found a relatively clean table in the corner and sat down, and ordered a plate of the most famous grilled lamb chops here.
Sarah took out the hand towel and wiped the table carefully again. She did not stop until a layer of skin was peeled off the oily wood.
Luo Yan smiled and did not stop him.
He knew that Sarah did this for him, although he was not actually that particular. As for when he was in the Holy City, it was just to maintain the character of Prince Colin.
When the sizzling lamb chops sprinkled with spices were brought to the table, even Sarah, who had always lacked interest in the food of the empire, couldn't help but take a second look, and Taff had already begun to swallow quietly under her cloak.
"Eat it while it's hot, the oil will no longer be fragrant if it condenses."
Looking at the reserved cat and dragon, Luo Yan took the lead, slowly cutting off a piece of mutton, and casually asked the waiter on the side for the registration details of the apprentice recruitment.
Just when the waiter with the tip looked confused, a slightly nervous but sincere voice came from beside him.
"Hello, sir, is there anyone sitting here?"
Luo Yan raised his head and saw a young man whose face was roughened by wind and frost, but whose eyes were still clear.
Not far behind him, there were three young companions standing, two gentlemen and one lady, looking nervously this way.
After chewing the crispy mutton carefully, Luo Yanyan replied briefly and concisely.
「Nobody.」
Great!
The young man breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled up a stool but did not sit down. Instead, he bowed politely and said, "My name is Fenick, and we are also here to take the apprenticeship assessment. Seeing that you are also alone and still inquiring about recruitment, I took the liberty to come over and ask... If you don't mind, we can go together, and there will be someone to look after you on the way."
Luo Yan looked at him twice, and calmly announced his identity when he was away from home.
Seeing that he did not refuse, Finick became more courageous.
He could see that Mr. "Colin" had an elegant temperament and extraordinary conversation, especially with a powerful maid by his side. It was obvious that he was either rich or noble.
If you can make friends with such a person before the assessment, even if you are not selected in the end, it is still a rare good fortune.
"Mr. Colin, please allow me to introduce my companions," Finick enthusiastically introduced his companions after standing up. "The sturdy one is Barrett, the blacksmith's son, the one holding the bow is the hunter Leo, and the lady is the merchant's daughter Ilara. We all met on the road."
He continued: " It's a coincidence that we just finished understanding the registration process yesterday and are preparing to go to the registration office at the border tomorrow. If you are willing, we can show you the way. "
"That's the job." Luo Yan nodded, happily accepted the offer, and then chatted about Xuebang with the candidate who had been preparing for a long time.
When talking about Xuebang, Fenik's eyes shone with light, and he listed the thirteen core mage towers of Xuebang and their corresponding schools in detail.
“There are hundreds of mage towers in the school, but there are only thirteen core ones, which correspond to the thirteen mainstream magic schools in the empire! Among them, the tower of the great sage who studies "source power" is the leader! The other twelve towers are for soul, holy energy, element, protection, enchantment, illusion, and summoning. Summoning, transformation, life, spirit, law, tower of the Star School! "
It was hard for him to memorize these twelve words completely. Luo Yan glanced at him in surprise, and suddenly felt that it was a bit hasty to take the exam without preparation.
These guys have all been carried on their backs!
But the boat will be straight when it reaches the bridge. The important thing about taking an exam is to participate. Anyway, his storage ring also has a letter of recommendation from Count Hilfen.
For the sake of the empire, Xuebang would not let him fail the exam no matter what.
"I'm very curious... what is that source of power?"
h Masters believe that all magical phenomena originate from a cosmic base energy that transcends elements, light and darkness, and that the source of power that fills the universe comes from a place called the virtual realm. "
Sounds a bit like the "ether" theory.
Hello actually has a similar theory, but it is more academic and has relatively weak practical value. After all, if you are pursuing pure destructive power, flame is undoubtedly the most intuitive. Not to mention it is an abstract substance, even other elements are slightly weaker in terms of lethality.
Looking at Mr. Colin who was deep in thought, Finick continued with great expectation.
"By the way, Mr. Colin, have you decided which mage tower to apply for? I plan to apply for the Tower of the Great Sage. It is said that it has the richest educational resources and material resources among all the mage towers!"
"I...still thinking."
< br/> Luo Yan wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, pondered for a moment, and said slowly in a matter-of-fact tone: "But from what you said, the Tower of the Holy Energy School is more in line with my mysterious temperament."
Tafu, who was huddled in his cloak, couldn't help snorting.
Mysterious?
The magic stick is almost the same!
Unlike Taff, who despised him in his heart, "Colin"'s words made Finick stunned for a moment, and then he stood in awe.
The School of Holy Energy is a school that studies the connection between sacred prayers and faith. It is also the branch of magic most closely connected with the Imperial Holy See!
The people who choose there are all those who have devout faith in the Holy Light and have noble character. After all, people with evil intentions cannot obtain the blessing of Saint Sith.
"So that's it!" Finick admired sincerely, "Mr. Colin does have a reassuring aura about him! No wonder you made such a choice!"
Tuff wanted to continue laughing, but her tail was lightly stepped on by Sarah's boots, and she could only hide her face in her cloak and keep silent.
At this time, Fenick seemed to have made up his mind. He took out a somewhat wrinkled reward order from his arms and spread it flat on the table.
He had already given up on this commission. After all, his journey with his companions had almost come to an end here.
When adventurers only want to earn tuition and travel expenses, they are not like those adventurers who live near the maze, who must make a choice between risk and reward.
As a commission, Pompeii Village in Eagle Rock Territory was attacked by necromancers, and the local miller issued a reward of fifty silver coins in total. If you are willing to go with us, we can give you thirty coins after the event is completed. Although it is not much, it is still a small reward. "
Luo Yan's eyes fell on the reward notice. His indifferent eyes did not show much interest, but the corners of his mouth curled up with an almost imperceptible arc.
Speaking of which, he has never seen a "wild" necromancer in this world, but his players "claim" to have encountered it a few times.
The undead system of hell is formed under strict laws and ancient inheritance, and the birth of every lich has traces to follow.
And this kind of "fallen" who broke away from the inheritance system of hell and groped and evolved on the surface of the earth is undoubtedly an excellent research sample, or point of interest, for him.
As for the reward of thirty silver coins, he automatically ignored it.
Luo Yan thought for a moment, raised his head and met Finnick's expectant eyes, and said in a gentle tone.
Seeing Luo Yan simply agreed, the faces of the four people in Fenik showed uncontrollable joy.
For their fledgling "rookie" team, having a seemingly unfathomable strong man join them is undoubtedly a huge insurance for this dangerous mission.
"Great, Mr. Colin!" Finick rubbed his hands excitedly, "Then let's..."
"There's no hurry." Luo Yan raised his hand and smiled, gesturing for him to sit down. "Eat first. Fill your stomach, and then you will have the strength to face the undead."
He pushed the fragrant plate of grilled lamb chops to the center of the table, and asked the bartender for four identical meals and a few hot drinks.
This generous act made the four young people who were short of money even more grateful.
They thanked him solemnly and wolfed down what was perhaps the most sumptuous dinner they had had in months.
In the course of one meal, the relationship between several people became much closer. Except for Sarah, who did not participate in the conversation throughout the whole process, she just waited silently beside Luo Yan.
As for Tuff, she is a dragon. Because of her master’s orders, she cannot speak in front of others and can only concentrate on the food on the plate.
The four adventurers all saw the legendary species for the first time. They didn’t expect that the dragon’s cub could actually be used as a pet!
Reminiscent of the legend of the giant dragon protecting the calf, they looked at Colin with even more admiration, and the tall figure suddenly became unfathomable.
After the meal, it was almost dusk. They left the noisy camp together without delay and walked towards the place of commission - the village of Pompeii.
The village of Pompeii is not far from the traveler camp, but the scene is completely different.
There are about hundreds of families living here. The roads in the village are muddy and most of the houses are dilapidated. It is obvious that the lord here is not a person who is good at managing the territory.
Especially when undead attacks occurred, the villagers kept their doors and windows closed, and only militiamen armed with spears patrolled the roads.
The whole village was shrouded in an atmosphere of fear, and the thick depression made Ilala, who was the supporter, weak in the calves.
Not only her, but the blacksmith's son is also the same. He looks around with wary eyes and his hand is always unconsciously touching the war hammer behind his back.
Luo Yan observed them carefully. They probably didn't take on too difficult tasks along the way, otherwise they would never survive here.
Although he has not been an adventurer for a few days, he also knows one thing... How can he go to trouble the undead at night?
After making some inquiries in the village, they quickly found the client. After all, the entire village was just a mill, located on the southern hills.
This mill is the only decent stone building in the village, with towering fan blades like sails. The mill owner is also the wealthiest person in the village and built a two-story villa next to the mill.
It’s just that at this moment, the owner of this mill has no dignity of a rich man. His sunken eye sockets are more like a ghost than a skull, and his face is full of haggardness.
As soon as he saw Fenick and others, he grasped at straws and ran out of the door to greet them without even having time to put on his shoes.
"Sir Adventurer! You are finally here!"
The middle-aged man fell into the snow and got up in a panic.
Fenick stepped forward to support him and said in a deep voice: "We accepted your request. Can you tell us the situation in detail? Where did your child disappear?"
"Yes... he was kidnapped!"
The miller's voice trembled with fear, "Just last night! Those...those monsters rushed out of the forest, and they knocked open my door. I...I watched helplessly as my son was dragged into the darkness by a skeleton..."
"Didn't you ask Sir Richter for help?" Ilara on the side couldn't help but ask, her clear eyes filled with dissatisfaction with the world.
When mentioning the lord, the miller's face was not only sad, but also showed a look of despair and resentment.
"Please! I ran to Eagle Rock Castle at that time, but the master didn't see me at all. His servant said that he was waiting for Prince Krankel, and he thought I was annoying, and said that you adventurers should take care of this kind of thing!"
As he said this, he fell to his knees with a plop, almost sobbing, and begged: "I only have one son! Please, please help me find him! I am willing to spend all my savings!"
Luo Yan's expression was a little subtle. Could Prince Krankel be talking about himself?
"You don't have to give all your savings, we only charge the fifty coins we deserve... As for whether he is still alive, we can't guarantee, but we will do our best." Fenick said in a deep voice, and helped the middle-aged man up from the ground again, who had been drained of all his strength.
Just at this moment, there was suddenly a tooth-breaking sound of bones rubbing against each other from the direction of the village entrance, accompanied by several shrill barks.
Not long after, the bell rang and the militia began to gather.
“They...they’re coming again!” The miller was so frightened that his face turned pale.
Luo Yan noticed that the combat effectiveness of the militia here was really worrying. The team of less than fifty people could not even get five muskets together.
Not long after, the fence of the village was knocked down. One wave of evil undead chased the defeated militiamen, and another wave ran towards the direction of the mill.
Fenick's expression changed, and he immediately drew out the long sword from his waist and shouted to his companions.
"Get ready to fight!"
I saw a dozen undead creatures made of animal bones, staggering towards the entrance of the village, with pale green will-o'-the-wisps burning in their empty eye sockets, heading straight to the mill, as if something was attracting them here.
Tafu, who was not too concerned about watching the excitement, looked excited, but she didn’t know which side she was cheering for in her heart. Sarah glanced at Luo Yan quietly, and the latter indicated with his eyes that she did not need to take action. At the same time, he showed the wand under his sleeve and said with his lips——
『Leave it to me.
Although Luo Yan considered himself not a good person and never showed mercy when it was time to take action, he still despised the slaughter of unarmed villagers.
This kind of behavior will not benefit anyone except death.
The skeletons that went straight to the mill were caused by him on purpose.
Sarah understood it and did not ask the devil why he did this, but just stood beside him silently.
Fenick took the lead in drawing his sword and shouted.
"Barrett, go up!"
"Leave it to me!"
Barrett, the son of the blacksmith, roared angrily, picked up the heavy war hammer, and faced the undead bear at the front like a wall.
Hunter Leo quickly found a high point, drew his bow and arrow, and accurately shot the eye socket of another undead wolf. Elara nervously retreated to the back, chanting unorganized mantras in her mouth, trying to bless her companions with a weak protective spell.
The four young people cooperated tacitly, but these undead creatures were tireless and fearless of death, and they soon fell into a disadvantage.
Especially when it’s dark——
The moon is out.
With the blessing of the moonlight, these undead souls seemed to have taken medicine, and their originally slow movements suddenly became sharper.
Seeing that Barrett was about to be hit by the claws of the undead bear, Luo Yan, who had been standing behind and observing, finally took action symbolically.
He raised a hand inadvertently, and above the storage ring, a fist-sized, dark red fireball quietly condensed.
This is the most basic black iron-level fireball technique. The power is accurately controlled by him at the level that an "outstanding adventurer" should have, and it is disguised as the power of a ring.
With a slight roar, the fireball drew a precise arc. Instead of attacking the thick-skinned undead bear, it directly hit the skeleton mage behind it who was commanding the undead troops.
"Boom!!!"
With a muffled sound of explosion, the skeleton mage exploded into pieces of bones.
Without the command, the remaining undead creatures stagnated, and then were defeated by the four Feniks who seized the opportunity, and turned into a pile of wreckage.
The battle was over, and the four young men were panting and in shock. They exchanged glances about the aftermath of the disaster, and invariably turned their awe-inspiring gazes to Luo Yan.
Just one well-placed fireball spell instantly turned the tide of the battle. This mysterious Mr. "Colin" may be more powerful than they imagined.
Looking at the ring on his knuckle with envy, Fenick wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at Mr. Colin and said.
"Thank you... If you hadn't taken action, Barrett would have been in danger!"
Barrett bowed and saluted, with respect written on his face and no trace of contempt.
Him He had never looked down upon this gentleman of noble birth before, thinking that this guy only had everything he had now because of the shadow of his ancestors.
But now, he found that he was terribly wrong.
This gentleman indeed has a noble soul and is worthy of his noble birth... After all, he can wait until he is dead before taking action, and still get a few more silver coins as reward.
Ilara looked at Colin with a blushing face, not because of any emotion like admiration, but simply because she felt ashamed that she couldn't hold back even a single fireball just now.
This is actually nothing, Luo Yan will not laugh at her.
Even the best players in the Necropolis cannot cast fireballs on the first cast. Most players learn it after dying many times.
In short, the battle at night was much more difficult than they imagined.
The four young people finally realized that facing a real necromancer, courage and dreams alone were far from enough.
"This necromancer is probably more powerful than we thought," hunter Leo lowered his voice and looked at the dark forest warily, "Especially the power of the undead will be strengthened at night. We are too passive when we go in at night."
Ilara also nodded in agreement and nervously wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeves.
"Yes, we are not familiar with the terrain of the forest, and our vision is limited at night, so we can easily be ambushed. Finick, how about... we should wait until dawn before going? It doesn't matter if we postpone the registration for the school for a day."
Fenick looked embarrassed. He glanced at the miller next to him who was about to cry to the ground, and then at his companion who was also exhausted, and fell into a deep embarrassment.
The miller heard their deliberations, just like a man in the water watching a ship passing by the island sail away.
He rushed forward, grabbed Fenike's arm, and begged with tears streaming down his face.
"No! Sir Adventurer, please, we cannot wait until tomorrow! Every moment we wait, my child will be in more danger! God knows what that devil will do to a child! Please, go save him tonight!"
"But..." Fenick didn't know what to do, and patted the miller's shoulder gently with a steady hand.
This is Mr. Colin.
At some point he came closer and spoke to the weeping miller in a calm and convincing tone.
"Don't cry, we're going tonight."
As soon as these words came out, not only the miller, but also Fenik and the other four were stunned. They all looked at Luo Yan, their faces full of worry.
"Mr. Colin," Finick couldn't help but say, "the forest at night is very unfavorable to us, and we don't know anything about the strength of that necromancer..."
Luo Yan's eyes swept across their four young and restless faces, indicating that they did not need to worry.
"Today's matter will be settled today."
It's just a lonely ghost with no organization, and it's not enough for the noble Demon King to waste another day on it.