Wizards: Starting with Fairy Crests

058: Clues

Time flies, and two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Gray fog jungle, outside the poisonous valley.

At noon, a thin gray mist drifted slowly through the forest, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the thick canopy, forming slanted beams of light that illuminated the dust and spores floating in the air.

At the entrance to the valley, dozens of figures dressed in gray-brown coarse cloth apprentice robes gathered quietly. They held simple magical tools or poisoned weapons, and warily scanned the twisted trees and tangled vines around them.

These apprentices were mostly between fifteen and twenty years old, with youthful faces but a wariness and coldness that were inconsistent with their age.

They lined up in two rows, forming a simple warning line on both sides of the narrow passage leading into the valley.

Everyone's eyes kept glancing toward the dirt road worn into the depths of the jungle, their expressions a mixture of tension, anticipation, and awe.

The leader was a young male apprentice, about twenty years old, named Bruno. He was tall and thin, with an ordinary face, but his gray eyes were exceptionally sharp, constantly watching the movements around him.

In his left hand he held a short staff inlaid with a low-quality energy-storing crystal—

She was one of the few core members of Lilith's Hut who were granted genuine magical equipment.

"Boss Bruno," a freckled young apprentice whispered, "Will Lady Lilith really come in person? And that... Master?"

Bruno didn't turn around, his gaze still fixed on the end of the road: "Shut up, do your job. The time will come."

His voice was calm, but his fingers gripping the wand tightened unconsciously.

Just then, an unusual sound came from the distant jungle.

It was neither the running of wild beasts nor the footsteps of apprentices, but a rhythmic, dull thud, accompanied by the rustling of branches being forcibly parted, coming from afar.

"Here they come!" Bruno perked up and immediately straightened his body.

All the apprentices turned their heads to look.

Deep in the jungle, two enormous creatures were pulling a strangely shaped carriage at high speed.

The creatures pulling the cart were not horses, but two giant lizards over four meters long, covered in thick, dark brown scales.

They have strong, powerful limbs and webbed toes, leaving deep marks on the soft forest floor as they run, making complex terrain seem like flat ground to them.

The carriage was made of dark black ironwood, with simple protective runes etched on its surface, giving it a matte finish in the sunlight.

The train windows were tightly closed, and the curtains were drawn tightly. On each side of the carriage was a small flag, one embroidered with a burning flame emblem, and the other with the silhouette of a raven with outstretched wings.

"It's Lady Lilith's vehicle!" an apprentice whispered.

The giant lizard dragged the carriage all the way to the entrance of the valley, and suddenly stopped less than ten meters away from Bruno and the others.

The two monitor lizards exhaled heavy breaths of white vapor, their yellow vertical pupils coldly sweeping over the apprentices before them, causing many to subconsciously take a half-step back.

The carriage doors remained tightly closed.

Bruno quickly straightened his robe, took a deep breath, and led two trusted men forward. He stopped three meters in front of the carriage door, bowed deeply, and was extremely respectful.

After a few seconds of silence.

"Click!"

With a crisp click of the mechanism unlocking, the heavy black iron and wooden car door slowly opened inward.

The first foot to step out of the carriage was a foot wearing a deep red high-heeled leather boot. The boot was exquisitely crafted, with intricate flame patterns embroidered in silver thread on its surface.

Immediately afterwards, a tall figure appeared before everyone's eyes.

Lilith.

In just two years, this girl who once sought refuge in the shantytown has been completely transformed.

She wore a well-tailored, dark red robe with a slit at the hem that reached mid-thigh, revealing her long, slender legs encased in black leggings. Over the robe was a short, dark black leather jacket with a stand-up collar edged with decorations made of teeth from an unknown creature.

Her chestnut-brown hair was now dyed with strands of dark red highlights and tied into a high ponytail at the back of her head, revealing her smooth forehead and graceful neck.

Her features were still exquisite and beautiful, but those brown eyes that once held fear and unease now held only coldness and sharpness.

She slightly raised her chin, and as her gaze swept over the bowing apprentices before her, it was as if a queen were surveying her territory.

Lilith did not speak immediately, but turned to the side and nodded humbly towards the carriage.

All eyes were drawn to the carriage door.

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows inside the carriage.

The person was completely shrouded in a large, gray-black cloak, with the hood pulled low, obscuring most of their face, leaving only their sharply defined chin and thin lips visible.

The cloak's material appears ordinary, but under the light, one can vaguely see fine runes that flash and disappear.

He wasn't particularly burly; in fact, he could be described as rather slender. But when he stood firmly beside Lilith, an invisible pressure quietly spread out.

It wasn't an imposing aura, but something deeper, as if the surrounding air had become stagnant, the light around him was slightly distorted, and even the usual chirping of insects and birds in the jungle disappeared at this moment.

Bruno's heart began to pound uncontrollably. He felt a primal tremor, like the fear a small animal feels when facing a predator at the top of the food chain.

He forcefully suppressed this discomfort, lowered his head even further, and spoke with just the right amount of awe:

"Lady Lilith."

Lilith nodded slightly in response.

Her gaze lingered on Bruno for a moment, then turned to the gray-black figure beside her, and she introduced him to Bruno in a clear and respectful voice:

"Bruno, this is our master."

Owner.

These two words, like a pebble thrown into calm water, stirred up ripples in the hearts of all the apprentices present.

Although the members of Lilith's Hut already knew that they had a formal apprentice from the Grey Tower as their backer, seeing this mysterious figure in person and feeling the unfathomable aura emanating from him was still a completely different experience.

Bruno suddenly raised his head, then quickly lowered it again, his voice dry with nervousness: "M...Master."

He didn't even dare to look directly at the other person's face under the hood.

Lin Qi nodded slightly. His gesture was small, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

He didn't exchange pleasantries or ask about anything unrelated; he went straight to the point, his voice calm and clear, like a cold spring dripping onto a stone: "Tell me the specifics about the Heart-Eating Worm."

The Heart-Eating Worm refers to the Heart-Eating Shadow Leech that escaped from the Barek Wizard's laboratory.

Yes,

After nearly two years of continuous searching, Lin Qi finally received a report from Lilith.

The Heart-Eating Leech...we've got a lead!