After the test, the contacts from various wizard organizations led their respective wizard apprentices away.
Over by Professor Nina, there was only one wizard apprentice, Lillian. She held Lillian’s hand and headed east.
Lillian glanced back at Herag. She tiptoed and whispered something into Professor Nina’s ear. After Professor Nina nodded, Lillian walked toward Herag.
"What’s up?" Herag asked.
Lillian gave a slight smile and then threw herself into Herag’s arms for a hug.
"Remember to write to me. Don’t forget we’re allies; we must help each other in difficult times," Lillian said softly with her head buried in Herag’s chest.
"I know," Herag felt the warmth in his arms, and ripples stirred in his heart.
"I’m off." Lillian waved at him and gradually disappeared into the white mist behind Professor Nina.
"This way." Larry stood with his arms crossed by the flower bed. After Herag finished his goodbye, they set off on the stone-paved road heading north.
As Herag looked around, he realized that only the two of them were left there, with Dino having left sometime earlier.
Seeing Larry’s figure about to vanish into the white mist, Herag quickened his pace to catch up.
This cobblestone road was the same as before, surrounded by a dense fog that seemed eternal.
Larry walked ahead silently, while Herag observed the surroundings without speaking.
A rustling sound came from the trees beside them. Herag looked up to find three crows perched on a branch, tilting their heads in unison to look at him.
"Newcomer! It’s a newcomer!" one of the crows actually spoke.
"A newcomer has arrived. Should we catch a field mouse as a gift?" another crow inquired.
"Humans don’t eat field mice!" a crow screeched, "They love the caterpillars on cauliflower!"
"You’re wrong, I remember it’s the field mice!"
"It’s the caterpillars!"
The three crows started arguing, and as tempers flared, they began pecking at each other, scattering black feathers all over the ground.
After taking a few more steps, the noise of the crows’ quarrel gradually faded, aided by the white mist’s capability to dull human perception.
Twenty minutes later, Herag and Larry reached the end of the stone-paved road.
There was no more road ahead, but rather a dense forest, with the ground covered in fallen leaves and a sunken metal bucket placed at the center.
Larry walked over to crouch beside the bucket and pressed a finger on its edge, then turned back, saying, "Come, place your hand on it."
Confused about what he intended to do, Herag obediently crouched down and mimicked Larry by placing a finger on the bucket’s edge.
The bucket was filled with fallen leaves soaked in murky rainwater, in which mosquito larvae-like creatures swam.
Seeing Herag prepared, Larry recited a spell: "Mentos!"
Herag felt a powerful suction force emanating from the bucket, gripping his finger tightly to the bucket’s edge.
Simultaneously, a strong thrust came from behind, pushing continuously through his navel area.
The surroundings began to spin rapidly, spinning faster and faster. Dizzy, Herag couldn’t discern what was around him and was forced to close his eyes.
Herag had no sense of how long this state lasted. When he instinctively opened his eyes, he found himself in a square.
In the center of the square was a huge statue of a curly-haired man holding a book in his left hand and flipping its pages with his right, his eyes gazing forward.
"That is Carlos Toron, the founding father of the Moonlight Forest, who established it three thousand years ago. He was a great wizard," Larry looked at the statue with deep respect.
He continued, "This place is called Carlos Square."
To the south of Carlos Square lies the forest shrouded in white mist, while to the north there is a long stone bridge.
The stone bridge spans about seven hundred meters, with a black chasm beneath it that seems bottomless. Statues line the bridge’s railings at ten-meter intervals, showcasing various forms, including gargoyles and knights with sword and shield.
As they walked, Larry explained, "I’ll take you to register first."
Herag walked across the stone bridge, where a perpetual wind howled through the canyon below.
"High-energy magical source detected!"
"High-energy magical source detected!"
Shenlan continuously issued alerts. Upon checking, Herag found that every statue on the bridge was a source of high magical power.
Herag astutely perceived that these statues were "watching" him as he passed.
"This is one of the defenses of our Moonlight Forest. Each statue here has considerable strength," said Larry without turning his head.
On the opposite side of the bridge was a complex of buildings with a distinct Gothic style, featuring the classic pointed spires.
Larry led Herag to a five-story building, introducing it with, "This is the Operations Hall, where personnel registration, task assignments, and postings are handled. You’ll come here often in the future."
Herag nodded, making a mental note of the place.
Upon stepping into the Operations Hall, he was greeted by the soft yellow glow of the lights.
Elegant crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, emitting gentle yellow light. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NovᴇlFir(e).nᴇt
The hall was spacious, with numerous department windows around it. Many people queued before the windows to handle affairs, while busy wizards inside signed and stamped documents.
The arrival of Herag attracted no attention. They went directly to a window labeled Personnel Affairs.
Behind the window was a chubby middle-aged woman, her name tag reading Jennifer.
She looked up and asked, "What do you need?"
"New member," Larry replied.
Jennifer glanced at Herag and asked, "Do you have a token?"
"Yes." Herag removed a ring from his finger and placed it in front of the window.
Jennifer picked up the ring, examined it for a while, then swallowed it whole.
Closing her eyes, she said, "Hmm, alright, no problem."
After her inspection, she spat the ring out and placed it in front of the window, gesturing for Herag to take it back.
Herag frowned at the saliva-covered ring but reluctantly took it back.
He already sensed that Jennifer was also an official wizard and didn’t want to offend her right after arriving.
After checking the ring, Jennifer pushed off with her feet, causing the chair to retreat with a heavy sound. She then opened the drawer in front and rummaged through it chaotically.
After a while, she pulled out a yellowed piece of paper from a pile of wrinkled sheets.
"Fill out this form."
Larry handed the form to Herag, who took it and glanced at it. It was titled "Moonlight Forest New Member Registration Form."
Larry advised, "Don’t fill it out carelessly. You can leave spaces blank but don’t lie. There is enchantment magic on this form."
This prompted Herag to notice the faint flow of magic power within the paper, subtle enough to go unnoticed without special attention.
Beside the window was a quill and a bottle of ink, which Herag took to carefully fill out his information.
The form was detailed—age, gender, birthplace, practice of meditation methods, duration of practice... He even noticed a section asking "Are you a virgin?"