landbeastnovel Chapter 8 Spiritual Pollution from Gatherings
Chapter 8 Spiritual Pollution from Gatherings
After saying goodbye to Rackham and Deitz, Sun drove to the trade district.
Unlike the solemnity of the Wizarding Quarter, the Trade Quarter is much more lively.
The carriage was blocked here, so Suen simply got off and walked.
The scenery along the way was breathtaking.
Shops selling all sorts of extraordinary materials were dazzling in their array. The magical artifacts displayed in the windows radiated a mysterious glow, and strange, trumpet-shaped plants hung at the entrance, their cries echoing: "Sword Bay Wand Factory has gone out of business! Wands that originally cost 5000 magic stones are now all only 199!"
At a roadside stall, a black cat with three eyes squatted in a cage, lazily licking its paws. A wooden sign next to it read: "All-Spirits Divination and Prophecy, five magic stones per reading."
The Wood Spirits, adorned with flowers on their heads, brushed past Su En, drawing frequent glances.
Following the map, he squeezed into an alleyway with the flow of people.
The Rose Witch Tavern sign at the alley entrance is very eye-catching, and its decor is completely different from the surrounding area.
Behind the low iron gate is a cobblestone path lined with unknown exotic flowers and plants that emit a faint glow in the twilight.
Ross, sitting by the window, waved to Suen: "Ian, over here!"
As Su En approached, he heard a tall, thin apprentice at the long table boasting animatedly:
"...I obtained three Miraculous Grass seeds. As long as I successfully cultivate one, I can learn the zero-ring sorcery model 'Thorn Entanglement'."
"How enviable!"
Another round-faced boy chimed in, lowering his voice but unable to hide his smugness.
"I spent 1 magic stone coin in the Goddess of Fortune's shop to draw a prize and directly won a miraculous magic potion, which I then sold for 150 magic stone coins."
A murmur rippled through the crowd as the round-faced boy raised his chin slightly, basking in the envious glances of those around him.
"Ian is here."
Ross interrupted the conversation at the right moment, leading Suen to the table and looking around. "Everyone's almost here."
"Speaking of which, Ross will definitely be the first to be promoted to advanced apprentice!"
The tall, thin man smiled at Ross, "I heard that his mental strength has reached 1.7 levels, and he's not far from being promoted to a junior apprentice."
Just as Ross was about to say something modest, a voice interrupted, "Selena is even more impressive. Not only has she constructed a complete spiritual body, but she has also mastered three zero-ring spells."
All eyes immediately turned to Selena, who was sitting next to Ross.
She wore a well-tailored light gray apprentice robe, with an exquisite teardrop brooch pinned to her collar, making her appear even more refined and elegant than she had been on the airship.
"It's all just good luck; my supervisor valued me a lot."
Selena linked arms with Rose in an intimate manner.
But whether it was just her imagination or not, Suen felt that when she and Ross sat side by side, their auras seemed to be subtly vying for dominance.
Ross patted the back of her hand and turned to the bartender standing in the corner: "You can serve the food now."
One after another, exquisite dishes were served, their unique aromas making everyone swallow hard.
Ross cleared his throat and picked up his glass.
"We've invited everyone here today to celebrate our successful entry into the Tower."
"At the same time, this is also to invite everyone to join the Crimson Society."
Everyone's attention instantly shifted from the food on the table to Ross.
"As you all already know, my elder brother Rulke Alvin is Lord Ulysses's student."
"The Crimson Society was founded by Lord Ulysses during his advanced apprenticeship. Its purpose was to unite and help all apprentices, especially those of us from Icathia."
Suen was engrossed in a dish of basil and cheese stewed fish in front of him when he suddenly heard the name Ulysses. His gaze immediately shifted, and he became interested in what Ross was about to say.
"Anyone who joins the Crimson Order will receive a magical artifact!"
Following the eager gazes of the crowd, Ross took out a palm-sized leather bag from his waist, its surface embroidered with peculiar patterns.
"A storage backpack that can hold 6 standard units. This is a gift from Lord Ulysses to you all."
"The Scarlet Society also offers a variety of benefits to its apprentices, including witchcraft instruction, resource investment, and countless other advantages."
Having said that, everyone present was already itching to get started.
The Wizard of Olympus, a name all apprentices heard from childhood, was a hero of Icathia.
A hundred years ago, if it weren't for Lord Ulysses, the entire Icathia would probably have become a vampire paradise.
The prospect of joining the organization he founded was incredibly tempting for the apprentices.
But Suen remained unmoved.
In his first life, he witnessed firsthand Ulysses's indifference towards Hans.
The phrase "dirty mortals" was uttered without any emotion, as if it were directed at stray dogs.
Would such a person truly be so generous as to bestow magical artifacts upon his apprentices and provide unconditional assistance to his juniors?
Suen forked a piece of fish and chewed it with a normal expression.
He saved Icathia from becoming a vampire paradise a century ago, and this story takes place during his reincarnation.
What role did Ulysses play in that disaster? Was he a savior who turned the tide, or was there something else going on?
He suppressed the urge to ask further questions.
At present, all the apprentices present at the table held Ulysses in high esteem, and Ross, in particular, regarded himself as Ulysses' student in every way.
Speaking rashly will only expose your abnormality.
Suen suppressed her curiosity and continued listening.
Ross looked around and was quite satisfied with the eager expressions on everyone's faces.
Even before the qualification test, his elder brother Rulke had given him a task: to win over all the apprentices from Icathia and get them into the Crimson Order as much as possible.
My brother even specifically mentioned that this matter was the will of Lord Ulysses.
Ross knew very well the weight of those words.
The Kingdom of Icathia and the border region are not on the same continent. Without Lord Ulysses, these apprentices would have had to endure hardships and cross oceans to have a chance to undergo qualification testing.
Moreover, Lord Ulysses has only been a full-fledged wizard for a century, and his momentum is at its peak.
If he can handle this matter well, his status in the Crimson Tower will naturally rise.
He glanced at Selena beside him.
The girl was taking small sips of water from her cup, her profile soft and delicate in the candlelight.
But on the part of her wrist that was visible beneath her sleeve was a silver bracelet as thin as a hair. It was a mid-level magical artifact, possessing the effect of defending against magical attacks, and it was a gift from Lord Ulysses.
Selena is ahead of everyone else.
Rose's smile remained gentle, but there was a deeper meaning in his eyes that only he himself understood.
Suppressing his thoughts, he put down his wine glass and lowered his voice.
"Now that we're all on the same side, I might as well speak frankly."
The noise at the table quieted down.
"As far as I know, the Tower will organize a mid-term assessment in less than six months."
He paused for a second.
"The assessment will take place in the Bewitching Wilderness, a place teeming with out-of-control monsters, ancient ruins, and taboos that even formal wizards are unwilling to touch."
The air around the table cooled down a few degrees.
Seeing the changing expressions on everyone's faces, Ross added slowly, "More importantly, the wizards allow for the elimination of some apprentices."
His words were like a bucket of ice water poured over his head; the round-faced boy's knife and fork hung in mid-air, his lips struggling to speak.
The tall, thin man who had just been showing off his cosmos seeds was now completely pale.
"However, it's not like there's no time to prepare."
Ross then changed the subject at the opportune moment.
"Three months from now, Selena and I plan to travel to the wilderness together for some early training. We can choose two of you to go with us then."
Upon hearing this, hope rekindled in the eyes of the crowd who had just been pale.
Traveling with Selena, who has already mastered three zero-ring spells, and with Ross, whose brother is a formal wizard disciple, ahead of her, this is clearly a ticket to pass the test.
No one spoke out, but everyone silently sat up straight.
Amidst the silence and everyone's own thoughts, Selena put down her cup.
"There's something I think I should remind everyone of."
Her voice wasn't as polished as Ross's; it carried a hint of hesitation, as if she were carefully choosing her words.
"When meditating, try to choose a quiet place, and do not observe the starry sky through clairvoyance."
There was a moment of silence at the table.
The round-faced boy, Lute, broke the silence in a low voice: "Why?"
Selena pursed her lips: "My mentor told me that this is related to the spirit world. Peeking into the truth that shouldn't be seen can easily lead to spiritual pollution."
Suen's pupils contracted slightly, and she silently placed her knife and fork on the edge of the plate.
He instinctively recalled the terrifying experience of that night, the chaotic scene he had glimpsed when he stared at the stars.
Selena's voice softened, as if she were repeating something she herself might not fully understand.
"Knowledge itself is a kind of extraordinary power."
After saying that, she leaned back in her chair and said no more.
Ross raised his glass at the opportune moment and used a few lighthearted remarks to bring the atmosphere back on track.
The conversation then turned to witchcraft artifacts and cultivation insights, as if the chill from earlier was just a minor incident during the banquet.
Night was falling.
A stack of empty plates lay beside the long table, and the wine jug had been changed twice.
Several apprentices had flushed cheeks, their voices were becoming increasingly weak, and the tall, thin one even started snoring while lying on the table.
Rose, supported by Selena, walked towards the tavern entrance and said goodbye to everyone.
Several apprentices, completely drunk, helped each other out of the alleyway, their footsteps ringing out crisply on the stone pavement in the dead of night.
Suen was the last to leave the tavern.
A night breeze blew in my face, carrying with it the cool, clear light of the silver moon.
The shops in the trade zone had long since closed, with only a few fluorite streetlights still casting a faint green glow on the street corner.
He took a deep breath.
I received too many messages tonight.
But what truly alarmed Suen was learning about the story of his old friend, Ulysses.
In the blink of an eye, he had already begun his second life through the hourglass of time, and Ulysses had become a formal wizard.
Wizards pursue truth, seeking immortality through the analysis of knowledge.
Even though he possesses the hourglass of time and can be reborn repeatedly, compared to a wizard who wields extraordinary power, his immortality is merely a false one.
True immortality should be like the silver moon in the sky, never falling.
"However, compared to Ulysses, my greatest advantage is that I have unlimited possibilities."
Su En glanced casually at the silver moon in the sky, and a thousand emotions welled up in her heart, all of which she exhaled in a long breath.