Herag swung onto his horse, and Robert quickly followed, mounting his own horse.
Herag looked back at the One-Line Sky Canyon, where dense bushes still grew.
He turned his head and asked, "Robert, look over there."
Robert followed his gaze toward the One-Line Sky Canyon. Seeing the scene clearly, he exclaimed in surprise, "What’s going on here? It wasn’t when we came."
He looked as if he’d seen a ghost, unable to comprehend how such a transformation could occur overnight.
"Looks like it’s not just me," Herag had doubted whether only he saw it this way, but now it seemed the place had indeed undergone significant changes.
Herag pulled the reins and gently kicked the horse’s belly, and the horse began to gallop down the road.
The matters concerning Valley Town remained unclear to him; he only knew that what was hidden behind it was beyond his current capability to explore.
There were many mysteries here yet to be unraveled, waiting until he had enough strength to explore them in the future.
This experience was perilous, fraught with danger, and surviving it took no small amount of luck.
Were it not for randomly encountering Blacksmith Uncle at the tavern and treating him to a mug of butter beer, he might have perished at the hands of the little girl.
But with high risk came high reward, and this time the gains were substantial.
A pile of high-tier magic potion materials; selling them to Larry once back in the Moonlight Forest should earn a considerable number of magic stones.
Most importantly, the Ancient Magic Stone Slab, a secret Herag vowed to keep even from his teacher, Larry.
The stone slab recorded a Level 1 Spell, which he currently had no qualification to even look at.
He needed to at least advance to a Third Class Wizard Apprentice and raise his spiritual power close to the requirements for an Official Wizard promotion to read the contents of the stone slab properly.
Herag wasn’t worried; such matters couldn’t be rushed and required a step-by-step, gradual enhancement of his strength.
This time also provided an opportunity to learn more; his understanding of ancient magic was still too scant.
The complexity of a Level 1 Spell model was exponentially greater than that of a Level 0 Spell, entirely different in magnitude.
Herag had much to learn; Shenlan stored a wealth of knowledge he hadn’t yet had the time to study.
During this trip, he could digest the knowledge stored in Shenlan, most from the Moonlight Forest’s library.
Robert rode behind him with a troubled expression.
He couldn’t understand what had happened, nor dared he ask Herag.
But seeing Herag eager to leave, he sensed that the matter was grave.
Herag was a Mystic, and for something to frighten a Mystic so, Robert found the thought terrifying.
More importantly, he couldn’t remember what he’d experienced.
"Sir, I feel pain in my neck and limbs."
Robert hadn’t noticed upon waking, but once on horseback, he felt pain in his neck and limbs, as though he’d been slashed.
He touched his neck but found no wounds.
"Neck pain?" Hearing this, Herag recalled the sight of Robert’s severed limbs from the previous night.
He grew puzzled, thinking, "Robert feels neck and limb pain; could he really have been dismembered, yet why is he still alive now..."
Herag silently pondered, not mentioning his observations to Robert.
Speaking of it would solve nothing and might instead increase Robert’s fear.
Both rode swiftly, eager to distance themselves from Valley Town.
Herag deliberately observed the surroundings on the return journey; the scene remained unchanged after leaving Valley Town, just as it had been when they arrived.
Two days later, Storm City came into view for Herag.
Upon returning to Storm City, both felt a sigh of relief, the bustling street imparting a sense of safety, as if this was truly the realm of humans.
The hawker calls, disputes, and the distant sound of a child crying and a mother’s scolding all seemed melodious. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⸺fire.net
Herag headed immediately for the Adventurers’ Association upon returning to Storm City.
The first-floor hall of the Adventurers’ Association building was as crowded as before.
"Where’s Milo?" Herag asked as he grabbed one of the association’s staff members.
The young man frowned when held, unhappy and about to curse, but seeing Robert obediently following Herag like a child, quickly realized the gravity of the situation.
His expression shifted promptly to a smile as he said, "Sir, the vice chairman is upstairs. Shall I notify him for you?"
"No need, I’ll find him myself." Herag released his hand and headed straight for the second floor.
Robert followed closely, glancing at the staff member and offering a small smile without a word.
On reaching the second floor, Herag knocked on the door and entered without waiting for Milo’s response.
"Mr. Herag? You’re back." Milo was seated on a couch reading, with a steaming cup of coffee before him.
Herag sat across from him and asked, "Are you sure you showed me all the file information on Valley Town?"
The people there had obviously all died, turned into evil spirits.
For years, surely he wasn’t the only visitor; entering as an ordinary person was certain death.
Herag couldn’t believe no one had gone missing there over the years.
Given the scale of the Adventurers’ Association, ignorance of the anomalies at Valley Town seemed implausible, leading Herag to suspect that Milo was holding back.
Milo explained, "I indeed showed Mr. Herag all the files. As I said, it’s merely an abandoned town for decades, not worth looking at."
"What?" Herag widened his eyes, feeling as if Milo were playing with him.
In just two days, Milo’s story completely changed, with unflinching composure as though stating facts.
Milo hesitated, "Uh... Mr. Herag, did something happen?"
Spotting Robert’s perplexed eyes upon him, Milo sensed that something was indeed amiss.
Herag took a deep breath to calm himself: "You didn’t say so two days ago; you said it was just an ordinary town back then, no mention of it being deserted for decades."
Milo shook his head firmly: "Impossible, many know Valley Town was raided by bandits years ago, left everyone dead and the town burned."