Chapter 354: Encounter with Wandering Ghosts

Luo Yan's carriage did not drive into the stone castle ruled by the knight master in Eagle Rock Fief, but as usual, found a quiet corner in the vast and chaotic traveler camp on the outskirts of the city as a place to camp.

"Earth and soil, obey my command... if anyone you don't know comes in, give him a lesson." Luo Yan waved his magic wand and wove a spell.

Two clay golems half a person tall soon stood up on the muddy ground.

They looked like gray snowmen, bowed slightly to their master, and then stood at the door of the tent like loyal guards, one on the left and one on the right.

Elemental golems are not as easy to use as the stone men of the Earth and Soil Soul tribe, but it is extremely convenient to execute these simple orders.

People around who had just awakened their magic potential saw it, and one after another cast envious glances, and turned to whisper to their companions.

"This big shot should be a Bronze level."

"Bronze?! Just looking at this proficient chanting and perception of elements, I think it's at least Steel level!"

"You know a fart! A mage who can travel alone in the wilderness must be at least Silver!"

"Nonsense, then what is he doing coming to the Academy State?"

The sound of the argument became more and more intense, which also made Luo Yan, who accidentally heard it, even more speechless, while Tafu "puffed" twice heartlessly, until her tail was "accidentally" stepped on.

After camping, Luo Yan took Sarah and Tafu and left the tent area, and went to the market in the traveler camp.

This time he still didn't disturb the local lord, but walked in the market as a traveler with his cat and dragon.

Compared to dealing with a vain country noble, this scene full of vitality in front of him could attract his interest more.

Hundreds of tents spread out on the muddy snow like mushrooms. Simple, gorgeous, dilapidated, brand new, and so on.

The air was mixed with the smoky smell of burning damp firewood, the sour smell of inferior ale, the burnt smell of barbecue, and the sweat of the crowd.

And the main body of this camp was hundreds of young and anxious faces.

They were in groups of three or five, surrounding the campfire, either burying their heads in reading yellowed books, or gesturing with raw spell-casting gestures in the air, chanting words. A strange, near-fanatical academic atmosphere rose in this chaotic camp, and occasionally one or two out-of-control accidents would occur.

It is extremely difficult to complete a spell without guidance, which his little players proved a long time ago... the threshold for entering the mage is much higher than that of a warrior.

It is precisely because of this that peddlers in the market will sell some "alleged" magic potions left by mages of the Academy State, which can stimulate the magic elements in the body.

As for whether it really has curative effects... who knows?

Comfort treatment is also a kind of treatment, and the premise of calling extraordinary power is believing that one possesses this power that transcends ordinary people.

If it really can't be activated, it means there is indeed no such talent, and obviously it can't be blamed on the potion not working.

Luo Yan took Tafu and Sarah, walking in this hustle and bustle like a leisurely traveler, and his gaze was soon attracted by a peddler selling sundries.

On that stall were several "lucky charms" that didn't look reliable, several colorful "magic ores," and scrolls of parchment sealed with wax.

Luo Yan casually picked up a scroll and asked the shrewd peddler: "It's very lively here, is there any celebration?"

"Celebration? Oh no no, Sir, this is much more important than a celebration!" The peddler saw Luo Yan's dress and immediately piled up a smiling face, introducing enthusiastically, "You are here for the first time, right? This is the annual winter 'apprentice recruitment' of the Academy State about to begin! I'm not blowing it to you at all, for the young people of the Rode Kingdom, this is a top priority! Even not just the Rode Kingdom, young people from many places like the Ryan Kingdom will also come here to try their luck!"

Speaking of this, he lowered his voice and continued mysteriously.

"In a few days, the adults of the thirteen Mage Towers of the Academy State will send envoys to the border. They will organize exams and personally interview apprentices with qualifications. The lucky ones selected will be personally led by the Mage adults, pass through the wilderness swamps that mortals cannot cross, and go to the high tower to learn real magic!"

"Sounds quite interesting." Luo Yan said with a smile.

"That's not it!" The peddler's eyes flashed with envy, wishing he was also among the young people. "For the young men of the Aus continent, this is the only opportunity to change their destiny besides becoming a knight! And this road is much more comfortable than a knight, although it is also much more difficult. It is said that becoming a magician depends entirely on talent! Hundreds and thousands of people come here to try their luck every year, and in the end, it's not bad if one out of a hundred can pass the assessment of the Mage adults!"

Luo Yan nodded and picked up another scroll.

"So that's it, then these are...?"

"Essential for beginners, Sir!" The peddler immediately promoted, "'Cleaning Spell' scroll, can keep you decent even in the mud! 'Light Spell', when you are deep in the wilderness, it will be a bright lamp guiding you forward! These are genuine products flowing out of the Academy State, one for only 10 silver coins!"

Luo Yan smiled, dropped a gold coin, and in the peddler's surprised eyes, waved his hand to collect the ten scrolls that were useless to him, just as paying for this information.

Leaving the peddler selling scrolls, he took the two and continued forward, and the scene in the camp became increasingly bizarre.

In addition to those "scholars" burying their heads in reading, there were some ladies dressed in fancy clothes.

They wore heavy cashmere coats, wore heavy makeup to cover the decree lines, and the gorgeous clothes were vaguely visible under the cover of wool... that was obviously not decent clothing.

These girls leaned against the tent door, using bold and fiery gazes to tease some young men from the countryside who had never seen the world, making them blush and at a loss. Occasionally, people would go into the tent in pairs, and soon the lights in the tent would be turned off.

Tafu's head probed out of the cloak, feeling very novel, not having seen it when she was on the Jana Continent before.

It seems that the Zeta Empire did not have this ancient profession.

And just at this moment, a hand suddenly covered her eyes, ignoring the former's protest and stuffed her back under the cloak.

The person who took action was naturally Sarah.

Her cheeks were flushed, so much so that even the inside of the cat ears decorated with black velvet fluff was covered with a layer of cute pink.

I saw her pressing Tafu's head with one hand, and blocking in front of Luo Yan with the other, as if afraid that her master would see something unclean.

"Your Highness, please don't look over there... they will pollute your eyes." Sarah's voice was as thin as a mosquito, and her words were inconsistent.

Luo Yan saw her serious appearance like facing a great enemy, and couldn't help but smile.

For him, the Demon King of the labyrinth, the seven emotions and six desires of the world are just the most plain scenery in the palm of his hand.

What hasn't he seen?

"A few poor people won't pollute my eyes, let go of Tafu, we are leaving."

"Yes..." Amidst Tafu's chattering dragon chirps, Sarah took back her hand with a blushing face.

The "Adventurer's Home" on the edge of the camp is the only decent tavern in this place.

Luo Yan and his party passed through the noisy crowd, found a table that was still clean in the corner and sat down, and ordered a plate of the most famous roast lamb chops here.

Sarah took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the table again, until the oily wood was peeled off a layer of skin before stopping.

Luo Yan smiled and did not stop her.

He knew that Sarah did this for him, although he was actually not that particular, as for when he was in the Holy City, it was just to maintain the persona of Prince Kelin.

When the sizzling lamb chops sprinkled with spices were served on the table, even Sarah, who had always been uninterested in the food of the Empire, couldn't help but look at them twice, and Tafu was already secretly swallowing saliva under the cloak.

"Eat while it's hot, it won't be fragrant if the oil freezes."

Looking at the restrained cat and dragon, Luo Yan took the lead, cut a piece of lamb slowly, and asked the waiter on the side about the registration details of the apprentice recruitment.

Just when the waiter holding the tip was at a loss, a slightly nervous but sincere voice came from beside him.

"Hello, Sir, may I ask... is anyone sitting here?"

Luo Yan looked up and saw a young man whose face was slightly rough from wind and frost, but whose eyes were still clear.

Not far behind him, there were three other young companions, two gentlemen and one lady, looking nervously towards this side.

Swallowing the crispy and fragrant lamb, Luo Yan replied concisely.

"No one."

"That's great!"

The young man breathed a sigh of relief, pulled over a stool, but didn't sit down, instead bowed politely, "My name is Finik, and we are also here to participate in the apprentice assessment. Seeing that you are also alone and asking about recruitment, I took the liberty to come over and ask... if you don't mind, we can travel together, it would be good to have someone to take care of each other on the road."

Luo Yan looked at him twice and calmly reported his identity while traveling.

"Kelin."

Finik saw that he didn't refuse, and his courage grew even more.

He could see that this "Kelin" gentleman had an elegant temperament and extraordinary conversation, especially with a maid with extraordinary strength beside him, obviously rich or noble.

If he could make friends with such a person before the assessment, even if he wasn't selected in the end, it would be a rare kindness.

"Mr. Kelin, please allow me to introduce my companions," Finik introduced his companions enthusiastically, "The sturdy one is the blacksmith's son Baret, the one holding the bow is the hunter Leo, and that lady is the merchant's daughter Ilara. We all met on the road."

He continued: "It's a coincidence, we just learned about the registration process yesterday and are preparing to go to the border registration office tomorrow. If you are willing, we can lead the way for you."

"That would be hard work." Luo Yan nodded and accepted this kindness happily, and then chatted with this seeker who had been preparing for a long time about the Academy State.

Once talking about the Academy State, Finik's eyes shone, and he listed the thirteen core Mage Towers of the Academy State and their corresponding schools as if counting family treasures.

"The Academy State has hundreds of Mage Towers, but there are only thirteen core ones, corresponding to the thirteen mainstream magic schools of the Empire! Among them, the Tower of the Great Sage who studies 'Source Power' is the head! The other twelve are the Towers of Soul, Holy Energy, Element, Protection, Enchantment, Illusion, Summoning, Transformation, Life, Spirit, Law, and Star Schools!"

It was hard for him to remember these twelve words completely, Luo Yan looked at him in surprise, and suddenly felt that it was a bit sloppy for him to participate in the exam without any preparation.

These guys have all memorized them!

But the boat will naturally be straight when it reaches the bridge, the exam is about participation, anyway, he also has Count Xierfen's recommendation letter in his storage ring.

For the sake of the Empire, the Academy State would not let him fail the exam anyway.

"I'm very curious... what is that Source Power?"

"It is the source of matter! It is also the Holy Grail of the magic world today!" Looking at Mr. Kelin who looked curious, Finik continued with burning eyes, "The Mage adults of the Academy State believe that all magic phenomena originate from a cosmic base energy that transcends elements, light and darkness, and the Source Power that fills the universe comes from a place called the Void."

Sounds a bit like "Aether" theory.

Hell actually has similar theories, but it is more academic, and the practical value is relatively weak. After all, if you pursue pure destructive power, fire is undoubtedly the most intuitive, not to mention a kind of abstract matter, even other elements are slightly weak in terms of lethality.

Looking at Mr. Kelin who was lost in thought, Finik continued full of expectation.

"By the way, Mr. Kelin, 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 is the richest in educational resources and material resources among all Mage Towers!"

"I... am still thinking."

Luo Yan wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, pondered for a moment, and said slowly in a matter-of-fact tone: "However, listening to you say this, the Tower of the Holy Energy School is more in line with my mysterious temperament."

Tafu, who was huddled in the cloak, couldn't help but snort.

Mysterious?

More like a charlatan!

Unlike Tafu who was despising in her heart, "Kelin's" words made Finik stunned for a moment, and then he looked respectful.

The Holy Energy School is a school that studies the connection between sacred prayers and faith, and it is also the magic branch most closely connected to the Imperial Church!

Those who choose that place are all people with pious faith in the Holy Light and noble character, after all, people with evil intentions cannot obtain the blessing of Saint Xisi.

"So that's it!" Finik praised sincerely, "Mr. Kelin really has an aura that makes people feel at ease! No wonder you would make such a choice!"

Tafu still wanted to continue laughing, but her tail was gently stepped on by Sarah's boots, so she could only tighten her face and huddle in the cloak without making a sound.

At this time, Finik seemed to have made some determination, took out a somewhat wrinkled bounty order from his arms, and spread it flat on the table.

He had originally given up on this commission, after all, the journey of him and his partners was almost coming to an end here.

Being an adventurer was just to earn tuition and travel expenses, they were not like those adventurers living near the labyrinth who made a living by this, and they had to make trade-offs between risk and return.

"... Mr. Kelin, since your heart is towards the Holy Light, perhaps you will be interested in this matter."

He pointed to the words on the bounty order and said tentatively, "This is a commission we took after just passing by the adventurer guild. The Pompeii Village in Eagle Rock Fief was attacked by an undead mage, and the local miller issued a bounty, totaling fifty silver coins. If you are willing to travel with us, we can give you thirty after it is done, although it is not much, it is our little heart."

Luo Yan's gaze fell on the bounty order, his indifferent eyes didn't see much interest, but a trace of a smile that was almost imperceptible hooked at the corner of his mouth.

Speaking of which, he had never seen a "wild" undead mage in this world, his players claimed to have encountered it several times.

The undead system of Hell was formed under strict laws and ancient inheritance, and the birth of every lich could be traced.

And this kind of "fallen one" that broke away from Hell's inheritance system and explored and evolved on its own on the surface was undoubtedly an excellent research sample for him, or rather, a point of interest.

As for the reward of thirty silver coins, he automatically ignored it.

Luo Yan pondered for a moment, looked up at Finik's expectant eyes, and said in a gentle tone.

"Okay, I'll join."

Seeing Luo Yan agree decisively, the four of Finik showed uncontrollable joy on their faces.

For their fledgling "rookie" team, having a strong person who looked unfathomable join was undoubtedly a huge insurance for this dangerous mission.

"That's great, Mr. Kelin!" Finik rubbed his hands excitedly, "Then, we..."

"No hurry." Luo Yan raised his hand and signaled him to sit down with a smile, "Eat first. Only when you are full will you have the strength to face the undead."

He pushed the fragrant roast lamb chops to the center of the table and asked the bartender for four more meals of the same and a few hot drinks.

This generous act made the four young people who were short of money even more grateful.

They thanked him restrainedly and wolfed down the dinner that might be the most sumptuous meal they had had in months.

During the meal, the relationship between several people pulled closer. Except for Sarah who did not participate in the conversation throughout, just waiting silently beside Luo Yan.

As for Tafu, she was a dragon, because of the master's order she couldn't speak in front of people, so she could only focus on dealing with the food on the plate.

The four adventurers saw the legendary species for the first time, not expecting that the giant dragon cub could also be used as a pet!

Thinking of the legend of the giant dragon protecting the calf, they looked at Kelin with even more admiration, and that straight figure suddenly became unfathomable.

After the meal, the sky was near dusk, they didn't delay, left the noisy camp together, and walked towards the commission location—Pompeii Village.

Pompeii Village was not far from the traveler camp, but the scene was completely different.

There were about hundreds of households living here, the roads in the village were muddy, and most of the houses looked a bit dilapidated, obviously the lord here was not a person good at managing the territory.

Especially after the undead attack, the villagers all closed their doors and windows tightly, and only the militia holding spears patrolled the road.

The whole village was shrouded in an atmosphere of fear, and the thick oppression made Ilara, who served as a supporter, have soft legs.

Not just her, the blacksmith's son was the same, looking at the surroundings vigilantly, his hand always unconsciously touching the war hammer behind his back.

Luo Yan observed them carefully, they were afraid they hadn't taken any difficult tasks along the way, otherwise they would definitely not have lived until here.

Although he hadn't been an adventurer for a few days, he also knew one thing... who would go to find trouble with the undead at night?

After asking a little in the village, they soon found the client, after all, the village had only one mill, located on the hills in the south.

This mill was the only decent stone building in the village, the towering fan blades were like sails, and the miller was also the richest person in the village, building a two-story villa beside the mill.

It's just that, at this moment, the owner of this mill had no decency of a rich man, his sunken eye sockets were more like a skull than a ghost, and his face was full of haggardness.

Seeing Finik and others, this middle-aged man was like grabbing a straw, not even having time to put on his shoes, and ran out of the house to welcome them.

"Adventurer adults! You finally came!"

The middle-aged man fell into the snow, and then climbed up in a panic.

Finik stepped forward to support him and said in a deep voice: "We took your commission. Can you tell us the situation specifically? Where did your child go missing?"

"It... it was kidnapped!"

The miller's voice trembled with fear, "Just last night! Those... those monsters rushed out of the forest, they smashed my door, I... I watched my son being 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 full of dissatisfaction with the world.

Mentioning the lord, the miller's face showed not only sadness, but also despair and resentment.

"Asked! I ran to Eagle Rock Castle at that time, but the master didn't see me at all, his servant said he was waiting for some Prince Klanker, annoyed by me, and said this kind of thing should be managed by you adventurers!"

Saying that, he, who had just stood up, knelt on the ground with a "thump," almost crying and begging: "I only have this one son! Please help me find him back! I am willing to take out all my savings!"

Luo Yan's expression was a bit subtle, could that Prince Klanker be talking about himself?

"You don't have to pay all your savings, we only charge the fifty silver coins we deserve... as for whether he is still alive, we can't guarantee, but we will try our best." Finik said in a deep voice, helping the middle-aged man whose strength had been drained from the ground again.

Just at this moment, a sound of teeth-aching bone friction suddenly came from the direction of the village entrance, accompanied by a few shrill dog barks.

Not long after, the bell rang, and the militia began to gather.

"They... they are coming again!" The miller was scared out of his wits.

And Luo Yan noticed that the combat effectiveness of the militia here was really worrying, and there were not even five muskets in the team of less than fifty people.

Not long after, the fence of the village was pushed down, a wave of evil undead chased after the defeated militia, and another wave rushed towards the mill.

Finik's face changed, and he immediately drew the long sword from his waist and shouted to his companions.

"Prepare to fight!"

I saw more than a dozen undead creatures pieced together from animal bones, staggering from the village entrance, their hollow eye sockets burning with miserable green ghost fire, heading straight for the mill, as if something was attracting them here.

Tafu, who didn't think it was a big deal to watch the fun, was excited, and didn't know which side she was cheering for in her heart. Sarah glanced at Luo Yan quietly, and the latter signaled her not to take action with her eyes, while revealing the magic wand under her sleeve, saying with lip shape—

'Leave it to me.'

Although Luo Yan didn't consider himself a good person, he never softened his hand when he should take action, but he despised slaughtering unarmed villagers.

This kind of behavior brings nothing but death, and no one benefits from it.

Those skeletons heading straight for the mill were exactly what he deliberately lured.

Sarah understood, didn't ask the Demon King the reason for doing so, just stood silently beside him.

Finik took the lead in drawing his sword and shouted.

"Baret, top it!"

"Leave it to me!"

The blacksmith's son Baret roared, swung the heavy war hammer, and greeted the undead bear at the forefront like a wall.

Hunter Rio quickly found a high point, nocked an arrow, and precisely shot into the eye socket of another undead wolf. Ilala retreated nervously to the rear, chanting a disjointed incantation in an attempt to cast a weak protective spell for her companion.

"Entangle!"

Finik gritted his teeth and activated the power of the magic pendant, urging the weak natural affinity, and several vines broke through the soil and entangled towards the ankle of a skeleton soldier.

The four young people cooperated tacitly, but these undead creatures were tireless and fearless, and they soon fell into a disadvantage.

Especially when it got dark—

The moon came out.

Under the blessing of the moonlight, these undead were like taking medicine, and their originally dull movements suddenly became sharp.

Seeing that Baret was about to be hit by the claws of the undead bear, Luo Yan, who had been observing from the rear, 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 was accurately controlled by him to the level that an "excellent adventurer" should have, and disguised as the power of the ring.

"Whoosh—"

The fireball carried a slight whistling sound, drew a precise arc in the air, did not attack the thick-skinned undead bear, but directly hit the skeleton mage who was commanding the undead troops behind it.

"Boom!!!"

With a muffled explosion, the skeleton mage shattered into a pile of broken bones in response.

Losing command, the remaining undead creatures paused, and were then defeated by the joint efforts of Finik and the four, turning into a pile of remains.

The battle ended, the four young people were panting and terrified. They exchanged looks of surviving a disaster, and looked at Luo Yan with awe again.

Just one well-timed fireball technique instantly turned the tide of the battle. This mysterious Mr. "Kelin" had strength that was probably even stronger than they imagined.

Looking enviously at the ring on his finger, Finik wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Mr. Kelin and said.

"Thank you... if you hadn't taken action, Baret would definitely be in danger!"

Baret bowed and saluted, his face full of respect, without a trace of contempt.

Before, he had always looked down on this gentleman of noble birth, thinking that this guy was just relying on the shade of his ancestors to have everything he had today.

But now, he found that he was wrong.

This gentleman indeed had a noble soul, worthy of that noble birth... after all, he could have waited for himself to die before taking action, and could have taken a few more silver coins as a reward.

Ilara looked at Kelin with a blushing face, not because of admiration or anything, purely because she felt ashamed that she couldn't even squeeze out a fireball just now.

This is actually nothing, Luo Yan wouldn't laugh at her.

Even the best players in the Necropolis couldn't release a fireball the first time they cast a spell, most players died many times before learning it.

In short, the night battle was much more difficult than they imagined.

The four young people finally realized that facing a real undead mage, courage and dreams were far from enough.

"The strength of this undead mage is probably even more powerful than we thought," hunter Leo lowered his voice, looking vigilantly at the pitch-black forest, "Especially since the power of the undead will be strengthened at night, we are too passive to go in at night."

Ilara also nodded in agreement, nervously wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

"That's right, we are not familiar with the terrain of the forest, and our vision is limited at night, so it's easy to be ambushed. Finik, why don't we... wait until dawn to go? It doesn't matter if we postpone the registration for the Academy State by one day."

Finik looked embarrassed, he looked at the miller who was almost crying on the side, and then looked at his equally exhausted companions, falling into deep dilemma.

The miller heard their discussion, as if a drowning person watched the ship passing by the island sail away.

He rushed up, grabbed Finik's arm, and begged with tears in his eyes.

"No! Adventurer adults, please, you can't wait until tomorrow! Every moment you wait, my child is in more danger! God knows what that demon will do to a child! Please, please help me find him back! I am willing to take out all my savings!"

"But..." Finik was at a loss, when a steady hand gently patted the miller's shoulder.

It was Mr. Kelin.

He walked to the front at some point, and said to the miller who was crying, in a calm and convincing tone.

"Don't cry, we'll go tonight."

As soon as this was said, not only the miller, but even Finik and the four were stunned. They looked at Luo Yan in unison, their faces full of worry.

"Mr. Kelin," Finik couldn't help but say, "The forest at night is very unfavorable to us, and we know nothing about the strength of that undead mage..."

Luo Yan's gaze swept over their four young and uneasy faces, signaling them not to worry.

"Solve today's things today."

A mere wandering ghost without a compilation is not enough to let the noble Demon King waste another day for it. ===== CHAPTER 355 =====