I can optimize spell code

Chapter 54 Welcome to Red Dragon City

"Aren't you... scared?"

Suddenly, Elena's soft voice came from behind.

Rom turned around. He had assumed Elena was asking him if he was afraid of encountering this group of fierce thieves.

But noticeably, Elena's eyes were darting away as she looked at the body parts on the ground, her eyes filled with an undisguised fear.

Rom looked around.

The charred snow was littered with severed limbs, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of roasted meat and the strong stench of blood. The scene was truly like purgatory.

It turns out, she was afraid of killing.

are you afraid?

Luo Mu asked himself this question.

To be honest, in his previous life as a programmer living in a peaceful era, he had never even killed a chicken. He always had his boss butcher it and chop it into pieces before taking it home.

Tonight marks the first time in his two lifetimes that he has truly killed someone, and he has killed a whole area.

It would be a lie to say that I felt no emotional reaction whatsoever.

He did indeed have an extremely unreal and absurd feeling when the fireball exploded.

But he suppressed this feeling after only a few seconds.

Perhaps because it uses supernatural methods like "magic code," it's like using skills to clear monsters in a game, lacking the direct and shocking impact of each strike drawing blood.

More importantly, he was just a time traveler, and he always maintained a sense of alienation from this cruel fantasy world.

In his eyes, these people were nothing more than a group of red-named NPCs who had triggered a hostile response. The most effective way to deal with those who wanted him dead was to eliminate them.

Besides, they're just a bunch of damned scum, what's there to be afraid of?

"In my hometown of Blackrock Town, many civilians freeze to death every winter, or are torn to pieces by monsters that come into the mountains."

Rom looked at Elena and stated calmly, "Many villagers risked going deep into the mountains to gather herbs so that their families could have a full meal, and then they never came back."

"The lower classes of this world may not be as privileged or holy as you live in the mage's attic."

Rom's gaze was profound. "Since we're both going to become true mages and go to places like Red Dragon City that devour people without spitting out the bones, we'll likely face many more such situations in the future. Just get used to it."

Elena was slightly taken aback.

She stared blankly at Luo Mu's cold profile, never expecting that this boy, who usually spoke with a touch of cynicism, would utter such words full of vicissitudes.

She lowered her eyes and gripped the law book in her hand thoughtfully.

"Boss! I found it!"

Just then, Jack, leading the terrified luxury carriage, trotted out of the woods. He exclaimed excitedly, "Great! The snow deer wasn't injured, and the carriage is intact. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to get to Red Dragon City out here in the middle of nowhere!"

Rom nodded, then turned to Elena, who was still lost in thought, and reminded her, "Let's continue on our journey, Elena."

Elena snapped out of her daze. She took a deep breath, as if preparing herself mentally. She vigorously wiped the remaining blood from her face, her eyes becoming more resolute than before.

"Okay," she whispered in agreement, and climbed back into the driver's seat of the carriage.

The atmosphere inside the carriage became much quieter along the way.

Perhaps it was because of that bloody encounter in the wilderness.

Luo Mu, exhausted from the continuous consumption of computing power, leaned back in his seat and fell into a deep sleep.

Fortunately, the rest of the journey went surprisingly smoothly.

The closer they got to the territory of Red Dragon City, the more frequently large magical inns and heavily guarded outposts appeared along the way. The security situation improved noticeably; there were no wilderness bandits, not even a trace of low-level magical beasts could be seen.

On the evening of the third day, the carriage finally arrived at Red Dragon City, the heart and hub city of the empire in the north.

Even Rom, who had seen countless modern international metropolises in his previous life, couldn't help but secretly marvel when he lifted the carriage curtain and saw the city in its entirety.

This is a massive city built against the mountain, more than a hundred times larger than Baiyin Town.

The towering black stone walls, tens of meters high, stretched endlessly, their surfaces carved with dense, even shimmering, defensive runes. Not only were heavily armored guards on the walls, but rows of ballistae were also positioned there.

At the gate, after Jack showed his second-tier mage badge, the guards saluted with utmost respect and let him pass.

"Welcome, Master."

The carriage stopped at the post station outside the city, and the three of them walked into this city full of magical wonders.

"Cyberpunk and medieval fantasy, this is something else," Rom thought to himself as he looked around.

In the sky, several large, cigar-shaped wooden airships were steadily floating and patrolling above Red Dragon City, relying on the blue wind elemental currents at their bottoms.

Instead of torches burning along the streets, rows of exquisite brass lampposts stood, their tops adorned with magic crystals that emitted a soft, bright white light.

The wide cobblestone streets were bustling with traffic, and spellcasters dressed in colorful and gorgeous robes and holding exquisite staffs could be seen moving through the crowds.

"Boss, what do you think? Pretty impressive, huh?"

Jack took a deep breath, his face beaming with pride. "I could navigate Red Dragon City with my eyes closed. Don't hesitate to ask me anything you don't recognize! I grew up here!"

Seeing Jack's smug look, Romough casually chuckled, "Since you're so familiar with the place, could you cover my food and lodging for the next few days?"

"Absolutely, boss! Leave it to me!"

Jack thumped his chest loudly, then leaned closer to Rom, giving him a knowing, wicked grin. "There are plenty of places in this city that are much more fun than Blackrock Town. Like that famous 'Succubus Street' in the East District..."

"Ahem!"

Hearing these offensive words, Elena, who was walking ahead, turned around and glared fiercely at Jack, forcefully interrupting their whispered conversation:

"Don't delay our business! The teacher instructed us that once we enter the city, we must go to the Dharma Academy first."

The Northern Headquarters of the Mage Guild is located on the highest floor of the academy.

Jack shrank back when glared at, chuckled dryly, and quickly led the way.

After walking for about half an hour, a magnificent complex of buildings appeared before the three of them.

It was a large complex of Gothic towers built of white marble.

The tallest spire pierces the clouds, with a huge energy crystal emitting a dazzling red light suspended atop it, resembling the heart of a beating dragon.

"Boss, we've arrived. This is the entrance to the Red Dragon City Mage Academy, and also the registration area for the guild headquarters."

Jack pointed to the massive bronze gate, ten meters high and intricately carved with magical runes, and said, "Three years ago, I stood in line here for two days before I passed the exam and registered for school. I'll take you there."

"The Academy of Mage Arts"

Looking at the imposing academy before him, Luo Mu felt no sense of awe.

I came here not to memorize those long and tedious instruction manuals, nor to be disciplined by the backward laws of this world.

He's here to take over the underlying permissions and restructure the entire system.