Chapter 47 – The Seasonal Tide Approaches

Stepping out of the ascending staircase and onto the ground, the scene that greeted them was a vast, empty expanse of rain.

Unlike the dry climate of the Imperial Capital, the western region was rainy, and a single downpour could last for many days.

The magical barrier enveloping the Death Swamp blocked the flow of elements, but it couldn’t stop the endless rain—droplets fell from the gray sky, stretching into thin threads in the air before disappearing into the blackened ground and the branches of withered trees.

The withered trees had no leaves for the raindrops to patter against, and their fall into the swamp was silent. As a result, the sound of the rain was faint, and the dense mist cut off the view into the distance, giving Lin Wei the illusion that the entire world consisted only of him and Duan Yu.

“In Jerald’s memories, the rain during this season would last for many days.”

A faint golden mist shimmered around the two, shielding them from the continuous drizzle and lessening the damp, cold air of the swamp. Duan Yu’s gaze was fixed on the distant, indistinct horizon—this was the first time he was seeing the world in its entirety in this way.

Lin Wei stood quietly with him in the rain, neither speaking for a while.

After some time, Duan Yu was the first to break the silence. “I want to try to lure out a magical beast that lives here.”

Lin Wei understood his intention—if they were to move forward, they would inevitably encounter magical beasts along the way. If they could lure one here, they could test the strength of the beasts lurking in the swamp. Fighting within the area that Jerald was familiar with would also increase their chances of success.

“Let’s do it—we’ll run into them sooner or later,” Lin Wei said. “You’re a high mage now, so even if they’re high-level magical beasts, it’s not a big deal. If they’re top-tier magical beasts and we can’t handle them… we’ll just have to run.”

Even so, both of them knew that the Death Swamp had been sealed for nearly a millennium, and the beasts that had survived until now were likely the exceptionally gifted top-tier ones.

Magical beasts varied in their innate intelligence, but even the smartest among them couldn’t compare to humans. As a result, they couldn’t comprehend the rules of the world and were forever stuck at the high-level stage, infinitely close to the realm of an archmage but unable to break through. Such beasts were known as top-tier magical beasts, the pinnacle of their kind’s strength.

Lin Wei didn’t summon the “Gate of Contracts” again—it wouldn’t be of much use in the upcoming battle. It was better to abandon the possibility of summoning numerous mid-level beasts and instead focus his limited mental energy on summoning high-level ones. He chanted a series of complex spells, and several high-level magical beasts emerged from a small contract gate, waiting nearby.

“But if we can gain the upper hand… I could also form a contract with it,” Lin Wei said with a pleased expression.

Thinking about it this way, it wasn’t such a bad thing to have inexplicably stumbled into this place teeming with powerful beasts.

The magical elements spread out like ripples on water, slowly expanding. A high mage could control them continuously, no matter how far they extended.

Of course, the spread of the magical elements was cautious. Without knowing the strength of their opponent, luring one or two would be enough. Accidentally attracting two or three, or even more, would be an incredibly foolish act of self-destruction, so the range of the spread wasn’t too wide.

The area of the swamp under Jerald’s control had no magical beasts, and the beasts outside this area were scattered and well-hidden. After this wave of elemental fluctuations, there was no response for a long time.

This meant that the beasts were even fewer than they had imagined, and the fewer there were, the more intense the previous battles must have been, and the stronger their strength would be—think of the top-tier beasts living outside Siren Island, Old Master Ansel’s old friends. They were among the few top-tier beasts in the eastern seas of the continent, each terrifyingly powerful, and their age didn’t even come close to the time the Death Swamp had been sealed.

“Let’s go,” Duan Yu said.

The two prepared to set off as they had before, with the only difference being the addition of an elemental spirit.

Jerald sat on the unicorn’s head, its horn glowing. As they were about to leave, it glanced back at the swamp filled with withered trees.

After forming the contract, it could have chosen to stay in its original place—Lin Wei could summon it whenever he needed it. But this little creature still chose to follow Lin Wei all the way.

Curious, Lin Wei probed the spirit’s emotions—there was a hint of reluctance to leave the place it had lived in for hundreds or even thousands of years, but it was faint.

It had grown up in this lifeless place, where the vast area sealed by the barrier held nothing but lurking, dangerous beasts. The Withered Wood Forest was equally devoid of life. Though it had the gift of intelligence, it had remained in a state of confusion for a long time, only knowing to follow its master and hoping to see something different. Though it didn’t yet understand what “freedom” was, it yearned for the outside world.

The unicorn took a step, ready to head in the original direction.

“Wait,” Lin Wei suddenly said.

Jerald actively transmitted some fragmented memories through their soul connection. These were memories from when its consciousness wasn’t yet complete.

Lin Wei had seen Jerald’s memories before—they were chaotic—but this time, the spirit had chosen several similar ones.

Blurred images flashed through Lin Wei’s mind—figures walking, mages flying through the air, fragments of incomprehensible language…

“Jerald doesn’t know exactly which direction leads out of the swamp,” Lin Wei said, “but it remembers one direction… many people who passed through here went that way.”

So, the direction it pointed to, even if it wasn’t the way out, would be a place of special significance within the Death Swamp.

The two quickly decided to head in that direction—it was at least more promising than the random direction they had chosen earlier.

The spirit flapped its wings and flew up, and the unicorn followed, beginning to run through the rain. Its snow-white figure looked even more graceful and beautiful against the black swamp.

Far to the east of the continent, the Magic Wheel sailed across the vast ocean.

The female knight wore brown leather armor, and the sea breeze lifted her long, silver curls, which reached her waist, making her petite figure seem even smaller. The wind mage, Ah Lan, stood beside her, gazing at the undulating waves.

Haitie and Daniel had ultimately failed to open the door of the gray-cloaked old man’s shop. They decided to return to the Magic Academy—and brought Ah Lan with them.

With Ah Lan’s strength, it was possible for her to carry Daniel on a long-distance flight. They landed at a small town on the edge of the Central Forest, picked up two knights, switched to a carriage, and set off again. Upon reaching Siren Bay, Daniel activated a scroll, and they boarded the Magic Wheel to begin their voyage.

Footsteps sounded from the cabin, and Ah Lan turned to see Haitie emerging.

“You’re here,” Ah Lan said to Haitie. “According to the schedule, we should be nearing the mermaids’ territory, but they’re not on the surface.”

Mermaids usually surfaced at dusk, and their songs continued until the moon set.

It was now the tail end of dusk, and the golden light of the sunset had mostly faded from the sea. Thick gray clouds pressed low, shrouding the ocean. The half-sun on the distant horizon was an intense red, resembling a terrifying eye through the dense clouds.

Haitie gazed at the sinking, blood-red sun, her voice trembling slightly. She turned toward the cabin and called out, “Daniel… come out quickly!”

“What’s wrong?” Hearing her voice, Daniel hurried up the cabin’s stairs to the deck and immediately saw the distant horizon.

His steps slowed as he shifted his gaze from the sun to the gray sky and the undulating, gray-blue sea.

“The Seasonal Tide,” he said, his ice-green eyes fixed on the distance. “The Seasonal Tide is coming.”

Daniel was a qualified alchemist, the sole disciple of the legendary Master Sirius. This had nothing to do with his often loud personality or his penchant for wearing green.

A qualified alchemist needed to remember how the efficacy of the same magical plant varied depending on the season and weather when it was harvested. He had to be familiar with the color of each magical element at different concentrations—he had to be immensely knowledgeable. Moreover, compared to Haitie and Ah Lan, Daniel had spent much more time on Siren Island.

“The Seasonal Tide? But it shouldn’t be coming now…”

“If it could last longer last time, it can come early this time!” Daniel shouted.

That’s right… the last Seasonal Tide had lingered longer than usual.

A raindrop suddenly fell on the silver-haired knight’s exposed arm. She raised her face to the gray sky, and more drops landed on her smooth forehead, cold to the touch.

“We…” Haitie looked around in confusion as the waves began to churn more violently.

Daniel was right. The Seasonal Tide was coming.

Without the protection of those top-tier water-element beasts, even the Magic Academy had to activate its strongest barrier to defend against the Seasonal Tide.