It is late autumn on Black Rock Island, the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer.
Often, before you notice the passage of time, the sun sets and twilight falls.
For poor civilians, the time during the day has become shorter, but the work has not become less, forcing them to seize their time even more.
However, at least at this moment, it is just the afternoon. There is still a lot of time before nightfall, so there is no need to rush too much.
On Palm Street, in the courtyard of a two-story villa, a black carriage slowly stopped.
Arthur put away his riding crop, got out of the car and went to the back to help Renee carry the ingredients he had just purchased.
Although Renee can't lift it by herself, she will feel a little guilty if he doesn't help.
Moreover, although the master treats him and Renee no differently on the surface, in fact, Renee's status is obviously higher than his, and he needs to go to Renee for any expenses he needs to pay on weekdays...
Although Renee is just a maid, she is actually more like a housekeeper.
"Sister." Demi heard the sound of the carriage and ran out of the house. She grabbed a big bag full of vegetables before Arthur.
"Demi, have you finished recognizing the words today?" Renee gave Arthur some of the dishes, then picked up her own portion and asked as she walked.
"We've all met, Demi is very smart!" Demi said proudly, holding up the bag.
Renee smiled and raised a hand to touch her head.
Arthur walked behind silently.
There is no expression on his face.
But if you look closely, you will find that his complexion, which was once tortured and numb like a statue, seems to have softened a bit and is not as gloomy as before.
As he walked closer to the door, Arthur suddenly had an idea for some reason. He stopped for a moment and looked back at the yard behind him.
What comes into view is the neatly tended grassland. The transplanted fruit trees are at the moment when they are full of fruit. Although there are not many flowers in bloom, they can remind people of the appearance of spring.
If you see it every day, all the time, you won't feel it is new, and it will be difficult to detect changes.
But there will always be a moment when you suddenly wake up.
It turns out that everything is completely different...
Bang.
The door of the room was pushed open by Renee.
Arthur was also awakened, came to his senses, turned his head and continued to follow silently into the house.
He didn't know how to describe his feelings,
But he did what he did most - silently praising the great Master Colin in his heart!
...At the same time, he selfishly made a small extravagant hope,
He hoped that life could continue like this and that he could always be his master's groom...
After entering the house, I didn't take a few steps.
"Master." Renee paused briefly and greeted the handsome young man in front of her with Demi.
"Master." Arthur also greeted quickly.
"Well, have you just come back from purchasing ingredients?" Colin smiled at them, and then said to Renee, "Make dinner more generous."
Then he leaned over and pinched Demi's little face, then continued to walk towards the master bedroom.
He is in a great mood now!
More than three months... He has persisted for more than three months!
For three months, he meditated for at least fifteen hours every day, and the rest of the time was not wasted, but he continued to practice witchcraft.
Under such an extremely fulfilling arrangement, the passage of time seems to become blurred, and three months even feels like only one day has passed!
If it weren't for the fact that the progress on the gold paper was increasing every day, and the scenery in the yard was changing all the time... he would have thought that time might still be stuck in the past.
However, after this, he was finally able to return to a somewhat normal routine.
because,
Just now, the progress of the second limit-breaking circle meditation method finally reached 100/100!
Prior to this, as early as half a month ago, the progress of the wizard level on the gold paper had reached the limit first!
The rest of the witchcraft, including the production of photo crystals, are also beyond the limit!
It can be said that everything is ready, all it needs is to advance!
Colin climbed up the stairs.
To be on the safe side, he planned to go back to the bedroom and take a nap first, and then advance to the next level when he was energetic and refreshed.
Pushing open the bedroom door, he let out a breath, cleared his mind, and sat quietly by the bed for a while.
After a while, the excitement subsided and fatigue came back. Colin took off his coat and prepared to lie down on the bed.
Tuk-tuk-tuk.
But at this moment, there was a sudden knock on the bedroom door.
He stood up, opened the door, and asked doubtfully:
"What's wrong, Renee?"
"Master, there are guards from the patrol office looking for you." Renee replied.
"looking for me?"
"I don't know, Master, he said he must see you face to face." Renee shook her head.
Colin frowned slightly, put on his coat, and followed Renee to the first floor.
In the hall, the steel-armored guards were already waiting quietly.
"Lord Colin."
Seeing him coming downstairs, the guards rushed to greet him and greeted him in a deep voice.
"Yeah." Colin nodded and asked, "What happened?"
"Sir..." The guard raised his head and glanced at Renee beside him, hesitating.
"Master, I will prepare dinner for you first." Renee left knowingly.
"Yes." Colin nodded slightly, and after Renee walked away, he turned to the guard and said in a deep voice:
"Say it."
The guard leaned over and saluted, then straightened up and said quickly and clearly:
"Sir, Lord Flower ordered, urgent mission!" He handed the envelope in his hand to Colin.
Colin took it, turned it over in his hand and looked at it.
The envelope is the most ordinary kraft paper envelope, overall brown, with a moon-patterned wax seal printed on it.
The seal is complete and has not been opened yet... There is a faint fluctuation of magic power coming from it.
Colin understood.
"Lord Colin, Lord Flower ordered you to check it as soon as possible after receiving it." The guard on the side added.
"I understand," he looked up at the guard and asked, "Is there anything else?"
The guard shook his head, said goodbye to him and left.
Colin returned to the study, took the envelope in his hand, converted a ray of mental fluctuations from the original version of the circle meditation method, and touched the fire seal on the envelope.
laugh.
The seal is like butter in a pot, melting instantly and turning into a red-black liquid, which is gradually absorbed by the cowhide envelope.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! After a while, after the kraft envelope completely absorbed the sealing liquid, Colin slowly opened the envelope.
Take out the letter paper inside and throw it aside.
He unfolded the envelope and laid it flat on the table.
On the brown kraft paper, a red and black text has now appeared.
The red and black text is very short, with only a few keywords——
"At the second intersection of Thorny Street, at six o'clock in the evening, we will arrive in secret. Pay attention to the disguise."
After Colin carefully noted down the time and place, he burned the brown paper and the letter paper he had just thrown aside to ashes.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the brown-red desk surface, thinking calmly.
The inspection office follows the previous notification model of the guard team.
The contact between senior apprentices such as Flower and Lord Hongyan is usually through a fixed communication witch circle.
But for them.
Usually, if there is any notification, it is mainly conveyed by the guards orally or with documents.
Secret messages like this will only appear in particularly important operations.
When he was in the guard team, he knew something about it, but he had never seen it before.
Cha.
He took out the metal pocket watch and opened it.
It is now past four o'clock in the afternoon, and there is only more than an hour left before the time agreed in the secret message.
Colin frowned slightly.
The Thorny Street is a slum further away. It takes at least half an hour to get there. If you pretend to walk, it will take even longer, probably at least more than an hour.
The tasks notified by secret messages are very important. If you fail to arrive in time, you will be severely punished afterwards!
He sighed slightly, walked out of the study, and gave instructions to Renee who was cleaning downstairs.
"There's no need to make dinner, Renee, bring me some bread now."
"...Okay, Master." Renee was slightly startled, raised her head and responded, then turned and walked towards the kitchen.
Colin pressed his eyebrows.
Time is tight, so I may have to wait until the mission comes back before I can advance.
The time required to advance to the Advanced Wizard Apprenticeship varies from person to person and varies with meditation methods.
Generally speaking, it takes at least half an hour.
If you choose to advance now, it will be too hasty and it is easy to fail at both ends.
After hastily eating the bread, he packed up his equipment and prepared to go out early.
Walking down the stairs, opening the door, he glanced at the yard.
Different from the mess when we first moved in, now under Renee's care, although it can't be said to be very exquisite, it is at least in order.
He looked at the second limit-breaking circle meditation method that had reached its limit on the gold paper in front of him, looked calm, and comforted himself again.
‘Advancing is a big deal after all, and it’s not easy to rush.
And it’s already getting late, it will take almost an hour for me to get there...'
As he stepped forward, he raised his eyes to look at the sunset in the distance.
The next second, he seemed to think of something, was slightly startled, and hurriedly turned around and returned to the meditation room.
The days are short and the nights are long now, and around five o'clock, the sun will completely set.
Previously, in order to satisfy the secret message's request to go covertly, he originally planned to go there on foot.
But in this case, time is very tight.
But if he waits until it gets dark later, he can use the agility technique and the speed of the knight to attack quickly.
I think it only takes twenty minutes at most to reach the Thorny Street!
In this case, he has time to advance to become a senior wizard apprentice!
*
*
*
Night falls.
It's almost six o'clock in the evening.
The seabirds have returned to their nests, and the moon has not yet risen from the sea.
There are no stars or moon in the deep sky, only black clouds drifting.
"Cough~cough~cough!"
In a low, damp shack, a sick fisherman was coughing.
Then there was a rustling sound, which seemed to be too uncomfortable. He sat up in the dark, ready to find some water to drink.
But suddenly, a black shadow flashed from the window outside the shack!
The fisherman was startled and subconsciously rubbed his eyes...
Whoosh!
On the deserted dark street, Colin, dressed in black, was running recklessly.
The agility technique combined with the physical fitness of the ultimate knight allows his speed to reach extraordinary levels.
After a while, he gradually slowed down. He was almost reaching the Thorny Street.
After a while, he came to the location designated by the secret message, paused, and walked towards the dark corner next to it.
A large circle of apprentices had gathered there... there were many unfamiliar faces, all wearing school badges.
‘Could it be that they came down from the mountain?’ Colin speculated secretly.
However, the leader was an acquaintance—Regana.
Colin greeted her silently and walked to stand among the apprentices in front of her.
Compared to three months ago, Regina looked much better, and a black cat was lying quietly on her left shoulder.
"It seems to be a new black cat... not Maggie." Colin looked at it and speculated with some uncertainty.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Regina glanced around at the apprentices in front of her, then slowly spoke in a low voice:
"I'll make a long story short. In Blackstone City, there are cultists of the Flesh Thorn Cult hidden. They are trying to summon evil gods and destroy the island.
In addition, the Chiwen Gang and the Perco Gang in the city have also been bewitched by the Flesh and Thorn Cult and have fallen into the embrace of the evil god."
"After a long period of investigation, the Lapp wizard has determined the location of the ceremonial altar of the Flesh and Thorn Sect...
Tonight, Wizard Lapp will lead Lord Hongyan and other top apprentices to completely eradicate the Flesh Thorn Cult and the corrupt Chiwen Gang and Perco Gang!"
Having said this, she paused for a moment to give the apprentices time to react.
Colin's face was calm, but he was a little shocked in his heart. Although Regina said it lightly, the process behind it would definitely not be that simple.
Inexplicably, he thought of Flower's words to reassure him three months ago.
...Unexpectedly, in a place where he couldn't see, the school had already reached this point quietly...just waiting to be wiped out together tonight.
"Of course, the frontal battlefield will not be our turn." Regina continued, "Our goal in this mission is to guard the intersections we are responsible for and prevent anyone from escaping!"
She paused for a moment and then emphasized: "As long as you are not a member of the school and you want to escape, don't be soft-hearted. You must not let anyone go!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Colin's face was stern. This sentence undoubtedly meant that there were basically no living people left in the area surrounded by them.
"Next, I will assign the intersections that you are each responsible for..." Regina continued.
If you look down from the sky at this time, you can find that under the cover of night, with the Thorn Street as the center, there are several groups like Regina gathered by many wizards in a circle.
These groups spread in the next moment, divided into many small points, connected into lines, and surrounded the entire area.
…
Somewhere at the intersection.
Colin exhaled slightly.
Autumn nights are not as warm as summer, but a bit cooler.
"Cough~cough~cough!"
The fishermen not far away were still coughing, and seemed to be tortured by the pain and unable to sleep.
Colin's face was expressionless, hidden in the shadows.
The intersection he was assigned to was right at the shack he had passed before.
The breeze blew by, fluttering the corners of his black clothes.
If you ignore the annoying cough, the night should be comfortable and quiet.
It won't be as cold as winter, nor as hot as summer...it's also a little different from spring, with a richer and longer meaning.
Colin silently called out the gold paper to calm the faint restlessness in his heart.
Before coming, he had successfully advanced.
It took less time than he thought, only half an hour.
But after the breakthrough, it took him half an hour to adapt before he barely returned to normal.
'The mental fog...is both a hindrance and a refuge.'
This is a sentence from the overview booklet.
Only after he advanced did he truly understand the meaning of this sentence.
Colin put away the gold paper and looked around again.
distortion…
distortion--
Look around, no matter where you are, no matter which corner!
...Everything you see is a mess of twisted gray-black strange floating objects.
If you observe carefully, you can find that these gray-black floating objects are constantly squirming like living creatures... If you observe more carefully, you can see densely packed black spots like insects through the translucent dim black light!
Under the influence of these gray and black filth, the originally peaceful and peaceful night became a bit gloomy.
Colin raised his arms.
Dense black spots were pouring towards him in a steady stream, but they were firmly blocked by the imperceptible spiritual light on the outer layer of his skin.
This is the barrier formed by humanity and knowledge after advancing to a senior apprenticeship.
Colin raised his head and looked at the shack not far away. By the window facing him, he could see a figure wrapped in countless dirty black spots.
"Cough-cough!" The figure coughed violently again.
He looked extremely ill.
But those black spots were still resisted by a layer of light white mist outside his skin.
That’s mental fog!
To a certain extent, facing these filthy black spots, the mental fog may be more tenacious than the aura on his body.
After all, if you can't see it, you can't be hurt.
Colin withdrew his gaze and continued to wait quietly for the Lapp Wizard operation to begin.
He is not worried about these abnormalities, they do not last too long. The details vary from person to person, but generally speaking, they will gradually disappear within half a month at most.
Later, when you advance to become a formal wizard, it will appear again...but by then, this state can be turned on or off at will.
The moon gradually rose and time passed quietly. The fisherman stopped coughing and fell asleep quietly.
Colin is like a sculpture, standing still and waiting.
Until a certain moment——
The sky in front of him looked like meteorites and stars falling!
Dazzling light bursts out!
An indescribable orange ball of light suddenly fell towards a certain area!
??Update one chapter first, 4.6k contributed!
? Keep writing, there will be more tonight!
? ps:
? Set up a 1-point speech limit to prevent the Oatmeal guy