Chapter 72 – The Next One

Above, the ceiling continued to crumble. Lin Wei raised his hand to shield himself from the falling debris, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was made of sunstone—he immediately recalled the sunstone Sirius had used to repair the hull of the magic ship.

If the areas that were originally cabins were also made of sunstone…considering the size of the ship, such strength would be enough to support countless top-tier magic arrays. It was highly likely that the corpses on the upper level had indeed died from “burning.” Combined with the magic runes carved into the walls along the way, this conjecture seemed increasingly plausible.

Lin Wei retreated to a safe corner and looked at the platform in front of him: “This place is about to collapse! Can we take the thing with us?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized it might not be possible. Since the spear was the source of the elemental disturbance, carrying it with him—wouldn’t that mean creating a Valley of Elements wherever he went?

Duan Yu didn’t answer him. Lin Wei watched his movements and blurted out, “You…what are you doing?”

The Mage closed the lid of the coffin and conjured a sharp blade in the air, slicing his own wrist. Blood dripped onto the crystal, and as his fingers moved across it, the blood seemed to come alive, spreading out in strange patterns. The color then faded, and finally, the blood disappeared into the crystal.

Lin Wei realized he should use his spiritual power to observe—he was astonished to see the golden elements filling the room recede like the tide, pushed back into the crystal coffin by an invisible force.

Duan Yu stored the entire crystal coffin in his space ring. At that moment, the ship’s trembling intensified, and the entire platform collapsed with a deafening roar. He leaped to Lin Wei’s side, swiftly bringing him back to the upper level: “Let’s talk outside.”

They didn’t proceed as cautiously as they had when entering. In fact, the situation was extremely dangerous, leaving no time for hesitation. As the two passed by the seats, Lin Wei reached out and grabbed the black booklet, storing it in his space ring, and in passing took out the magic disk.

The passage was tilting…the entire ship was capsizing. By the time the two reached the cabin door, it had completely collapsed, and fragments of the wall blocked their exit.

They stopped, and Duan Yu said, “Be careful.”

Lin Wei looked at the sealed passage, unsure of what he was about to do.

Then, in the next moment, the Mage began to chant a spell in a low voice. This was the first time Lin Wei had heard him chant.

The spell wasn’t long, but the syllables were extremely obscure, with a slow yet distinct rhythm. He paused briefly and concluded with, “Agathas.”

A heavy explosion erupted from ahead, and the passage shook much more violently than before. Lin Wei almost lost his footing—the explosion reached them in an instant, and fragments of sunstone flew everywhere. Duan Yu steadied him, turning to shield him in his arms, and leaped backward, facing away from the passage entrance.

Lin Wei looked over his shoulder and saw the entire passage explode. The two were thrown through the debris and into the sea.

Bubbles formed instantly, and the coral branches lit up. The front half of the ship was shattered into pieces by the immense force, stirring up the sand on the seabed, while the rear half collapsed completely a moment later.

The mermaids dodged the falling debris, momentarily thrown into chaos. The two ignored them, and the bubble floated upward, leaving the area behind.

Lin Wei looked down at the wreckage of the ship: “Did you use a spell to destroy it?”

“It was already breaking apart,” Duan Yu replied. “The rear part wasn’t destroyed by my magic.”

“Alright…so because we took the crystal coffin, the ship just fell apart on its own.” At this point, Lin Wei remembered Duan Yu cutting his wrist and handed him a potion: “Your hand.”

The potion sizzled as it was poured over the still-bleeding wound. This concoction could speed up the healing process, but it wouldn’t take effect immediately—it would take at least a day to fully heal.

The sea remained calm, allowing the two to discuss what had happened on the sunken ship.

“So, you used your family’s method of suppressing the Valley of Elements to deal with the elemental turbulence here.”

Duan Yu nodded. “Correct.”

They then shifted the conversation to the spear that had broken into three pieces. The ability to condense such dense gold elements, along with that sacred and powerful aura, all indicated that this was no ordinary weapon—unfortunately, there was no way to examine it now. They would have to wait until they returned to the Academy to study it further.

Although they still didn’t understand where the ship had come from or what events it was tied to, for the two who had obtained the crystal sword, the ledger, and the crystal coffin, this trip had been quite fruitful.

Descending in the bubble had been difficult, but ascending was much faster, especially as they neared the surface. The speed made them slightly dizzy, and as they broke through the water, the sky was suddenly illuminated by an intense flash of lightning, followed by a deafening thunderclap that made their hearts skip a beat.

Sandra, summoned once again, flew close to the surface of the sea. She raised a five-colored barrier, quickly ascending and passing through the clouds before the barrier was destroyed by the elemental storm, heading toward the shore.

This underwater adventure had taken up half the afternoon. When they returned to the dock, the tavern was filled with a few more mages from other levels. After learning that they could safely return to the Academy by riding the sea beasts, they relaxed and began sharing their experiences.

One mage said, “We went to the Misty Forest in the north. There are an unusually large number of water-type magical creatures there this year!”

His classmate chimed in, “We didn’t need a lot of crystals yet, so we just wanted to enjoy the scenery of the Misty Forest—who knew it would be so dangerous along the way!”

A classmate of Xipo joined their conversation: “The Central Forest is the same as always. It seems like the Misty Forest has become a good option for hunting crystals?”

An alchemist nearby interjected, “I’m afraid not. I’ve been working at a shop in the trade house these past few days. The number of water-type crystals flowing into the trade house this year has surpassed all other types. My boss said the trade house is considering lowering the value of water-type crystals—the number of water mages hasn’t increased at all, so no one will want those crystals!”

A female mage with flaxen hair looked up from the book she was holding: “I’ve been meaning to say this—using crystals as a medium of exchange is foolish. They’re too unstable, full of risks, and their value fluctuates based on their grade and density. A mage’s wealth shouldn’t be determined by the state of magical creatures! If I can join the Magic Association after graduation, I’ll definitely propose this idea…”

Her companion pushed her playfully: “Don’t daydream, Cecilia. Magic elements are becoming scarcer by the day. Mages need crystals, and there’s nothing that can replace their status.”

The tavern was bustling when suddenly, the door opened again.

Lin Wei looked toward the sound. The newcomer was a mage in a blue robe, his face stained with dried blood. He leaned against the doorframe, trying to catch his breath.

Haitie also noticed and whispered, “Winston? What happened to him?” They all recognized this person—one of Daniel’s classmates.

A mage near the door also recognized him and greeted him with a smile: “Winston, my friend, you look terrible. Did you freeze in the Valley of Ice? Huh—where’s everyone else?”

The mage at the door looked up, his chest heaving, his eyes red: “They…they’re not coming back.”

The tavern, which had been filled with laughter a moment ago, fell into silence. The mage who had greeted him was stunned: “What do you mean?”

The blue-robed mage closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again, as if suppressing something with great effort. His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion, but his gaze was unnervingly determined: “Something happened in the Valley of Ice—they’re dead!”

North.

Qiu Na was searching for her teacher—the Tower Master of the Astrology Tower. She checked every room in the depths of the corridors and finally found him in the attic on the top floor, by the window.

Adrishig sat by the window, his eyes closed as if listening. When he heard her enter, he raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.

Qiu Na stood by his side. After a long while, the Tower Master opened his pale silver eyes and asked, “Did you hear it?”

Outside, the cold wind howled through the treetops, and occasionally, large clumps of snow fell from the pines, accompanied by the roars of beasts from the forest.

“Yes, Master. The beast tide from the Valley of Ice has arrived. We must stop them before they—”

“Not that,” Adrishig smiled as he looked out at the gray horizon. “I meant the thunder.”

Thunder? Qiu Na looked at him in confusion: “I only heard the wind outside.”

“Thunder from the Siren Sea,” Adrishig stood up and shook his head slightly. “It shouldn’t be Adele…I haven’t ordered her to do this yet.”

Qiu Na didn’t understand what he was talking about. Her expression was grave: “The beast tide is heading this way.”

A map of the continent hung on the wall of the room. Qiu Na looked at it: “From the Valley of Ice, through Mozier Canyon, is the Astrology Tower. Then, heading south, the northern mountains will lead them through the ice plains and the Misty Forest, across Elander Valley, and into the lands of the continent’s people.”

“They’re not that smart,” Adrishig took out a translucent crystal ball and tapped it lightly with his knuckle—an invisible ripple spread out, and the snow fog blocking their view instantly dissipated, revealing the dark mass of beasts surging through the canyon. “The Astrology Tower does need to act. You’ve been studying the Great Prophecy for so many years…it’s time to put it to the test.”

“Yes, we’ll stop them here,” Qiu Na’s gaze, however, remained on the map. The map depicted the contours of the continent in simple lines, with clear markings on the areas where mages or magical creatures gathered. Several Valleys of Elements glowed with faint lights of different colors, and the Valley of Ice, which was very close to the Astrology Tower, had already gone dark. “The elemental storm will continue for a long time, and the rate at which water-type magical creatures are advancing is terrifying—shouldn’t we do something about the Valley of Ice? If we sacrifice ourselves, we could temporarily seal the Valley of Elements. Master, your eyes can pierce through time…what did you see?”

Adrishig shook his head, his knuckles continuing to tap rapidly on the crystal. Waves of varying intensities spread out, erecting an invisible barrier. “I’m glad you always remember the duty of the Astrology Tower…but reckless sacrifices will only lead to greater, irreparable regrets.”

He stopped tapping the crystal ball. The light and Qiu Na moved to one spot, and his fingers traced over the ancient map, lingering on the remaining four Valleys of Elements. His voice was low, carrying a mysterious rasp: “My beloved student, tell me…which one will be next?”