Chapter 148: The Truth of Forest

Han Jin had never felt so famous before. Their group was now attracting the majority of the bystanders’ attention, all of whom looked either amazed or shocked; amazed by the woman’s beauty, and shocked by her wand.

Han Jin also discretely observed the magic crystal on her wand, and the only thought he had about it was that it was very strange. Was it really a magic wand? It looked more like a mace or a club! It was more strange to see a beautiful woman walking around with a hammer in hand.

They marched forward under the gaze of the pedestrians. Even the Mercenary Association’s patrol stepped aside to make way for them. Those guards constantly interacted with people from all walks of life, and their experience told them that anyone who was able to obtain such rare magic crystals would always hide them in space rings. The few who dared to flaunt their wealth like this were either extremely powerful themselves or had powerful backgrounds. In either case, those patrolling dared not provoke them.

“Where are you from?” Reg asked Asa smilingly. “You are not from nearby, are you?” That was quite a stupid question in all honesty, as none of the lords around them controlled a magic academy.

“We are from the Capital of Elements,” Asa replied honestly.

“Capital of Elements?” Being stunned, Reg paused for a while.

“Yes.”

“So you are students from God’s Language Magic Academy?” Reg asked again.

“That is the only magic academy in the city, so yes.” Asa was speechless.

“No wonder…” Reg inhaled a long breath.

Cessacioun suddenly thought of something and exclaimed, “Is she that prodigy…”

The woman in the forefront suddenly turned her head and gave Asa and Cessacioun a cold look.

Asa lowered his head and showed a bitter smile. “Look what you did!” With that, he quickened his step and caught up to his companions. Obviously, he didn’t want to talk with Reg anymore.

They attracted attention on the street and likewise attracted attention in the Mercenary Association square. Even when they had reached the teleportation matrix, they were still the focal point of attention. Being stared at like that was truly not a good feeling, and everyone felt under pressure. However, the woman looked indifferent. Apparently, she was used to this.

“I bought it!” The young man named Irwin ran back and shouted. “We can set out now.”

“How much did it cost?” Asa asked.

“Three thousand and one hundred gold coins.”

Hearing the number, Moxinke raised his eyebrows. A teleportation scroll capable of sending thirty people back to Isolated Cliff City was absurdly expensive, yet those young magicians seemed to care very little.

“Well.” Asa looked at Reg. “Which matrix shall we go through?”

“Number four.”

Led by guards, they moved toward the fourth teleportation matrix. Han Jin looked around curiously. The teleportation matrix looked like a huge plate which was made of corundum and engraved with strange characters. He was very familiar with the material. After all, he had nearly smashed his head into it when he had first arrived in this world!

Around the magic circle was eight stone pillars about two meters in height, all of which were also engraved with strange characters. When they stood on the center of the huge ‘plate’, the magician who was responsible for operating the matrix started to incant in a loud voice. As the pillars lit up one by one, the corundum under their feet turned translucent. Countless characters started to float as if they were alive. Then, a light curtain appeared, enveloping everyone on the plate.

The light curtain became brighter and brighter. A thought suddenly appeared in Han Jin’s head – What would happen if I stretch my leg outside the circle? Will my body arrive at some strange place while my leg remains here? What if Moxinke stretches his giant sword out?

But those were mere thoughts. He dared not to experiment so recklessly now that he had learned how powerful magic could be.

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Suddenly, he felt his body float in the air, and the things around him all disappeared. What he could feel was a heartrending silence. A sense of loneliness beyond description filled his mind. Then, he saw patches of emerald green, as well as Moxinke, Sunier, and the others. All he had felt and seen just a moment ago was like an illusion.

“This is the Tarasha Mountains?” The young magicians looked around curiously. The Capital of Elements was far from here. They had all grown up in the Capital of Elements and never had the chance to travel to the famous Forest of Holy Animals.

A forest was not like a grove. Only those who had been to a forest before could have this sort of experience. Each year, there would be many young professionals full of longing and hope who would choose the mercenary road. But without exception, the rookies all spent their first days in endless grief, suffering, pain, and even fear. Between ideal and reality, there was always a big gap!

Some kept on and became stronger and stronger, some swore not to step into the Tarasha Mountains again after experiencing it once, while others were engulfed by the endless green forever!

When it came to dangers, a forest was by no means inferior to a battlefield. Enemies on a battlefield were visible, while enemies in a forest were hidden in darkness.

Each year, countless leaves fell down from countless tall trees. Leaves wouldn’t decompose easily, and rotting required time. In some places, the leaves had piled up more than one meter in height. The moment one stepped down, his foot would be stuck in the mud, and even if they managed to free themselves, their leg would be covered in disgusting, stinking muck.

Though the Tarasha Mountains was a huge forest filled with holy animals, the most populous inhabitants were not holy animals, but all kinds of insects, such as ants and spiders. It was impossible for ants to harass the travelers, but the spiders and their webs were really annoying. Those young magicians had thought spiders were nothing but fragile insects, but they quickly learned that things were not so simple. Spiders were clever creatures. Their webs were usually hidden between leaves so that the travelers couldn’t see them, but when the travelers pushed aside the leaves to move on, their heads would probably hit the webs.

Screams constantly came from the young magicians. No matter how mentally prepared they were, it was still hard for them to stay calm when a spider the size of a palm crept on their robes.

What’s more, some of the spiders were very aggressive. When their web was hit by a human’s head or arms, they would immediately launch attacks. Fortunately, the spiders they had met were not very toxic, and the team had two deacons who could at least cast healing spells for anyone who was bitten.

Their troubles in the forest didn’t stop at spiders. Some grass or leaves looked soft, but in fact, had very sharp edges. A seemingly gentle piece of grass could leave a bloody scratch. Though the wound might be minor, the burning pain that came with it was hard to bear. The wound would also quickly swell up, creating further inconvenience.

There was also a particular kind of emerald frog that had earned the hatred of many of the young magicians. They would quietly hide, waiting for travelers to come close. They would then eject a large plume of green fluid which was sticky and extremely disgusting.

And then there were the flies as large as golden coins, the snakes that camouflaged in the grass, and many, many more… The young magicians’ original curiosity quickly faded. After less than half a mile into the forest, those young magicians had started to grumble.

Compared to them, Han Jin was much calmer. He had experienced living in a forest before, and the species of the two worlds had many things in common. What’s more, his Spirit Possession Art allowed him to easily deal with the various pests.

Moxinke had traveled around the periphery of the Tarasha Mountains before, but he had never set foot inside the deeper, more dangerous part. After a while, he too couldn’t bear the annoyance of the insects any longer and drew his greatsword. With random slashes, he created a path through raw force. Cessacioun and Reg happily followed behind him. As for Sunier, this forest was like a second home to her. Besides, she wasn’t walking, but was instead leaping among the trees like a free bird.

Gradually, the team turned into a long line as they all followed Moxinke. Doing so not only sped up their travel, but also made everyone more comfortable.

After moving forward around another two miles, Moxinke suddenly stopped and shouted, “I can’t do this anymore… How about we rest a little? This place is awful!”

“Is this your first time here?” Reg asked curiously.

“Yes.”

“How is that possible? You grew up in Isolated Cliff City, didn’t you? How can you call yourself a mercenary without ever stepping into the Tarasha Mountains?” Reg said in a scornful tone.

“Damn it! I was a mere sixth-grade swordsman before I met Raphael. Why would I come here? Find a quick death?” Moxinke jumped to his feet and shouted angrily.

“Then how did I survive.”

“You are a thief, damn it!” Moxinke felt distressed. Warriors truly filled the most dangerous and laborious role in a team. Not only did they have to fight in the forefront in battles, but they also had to do most of the work while traveling.

Neither Moxinke nor Reg realized that they had made a crucial mistake during their banter. Moxine said he was just a sixth-grade swordsman before he met Raphael. Wouldn’t that imply he had become a seventh-grade fighter because of Raphael? Of course, only someone who had paid careful attention would notice that, and even then, only have a suspicion.

“Big guy, rest if you are tired,” a female deacon said in a sympathetic tone.

“I don’t need a reminder,” Moxinke replied unhappily. He now regretted taking on this task. Since the Tarasha Mountains was a dangerous place, he must reserve most of his energy to cope with accidents that could occur at any time. If there were no strangers, he might be able to ask Han Jin for a charm, but with strangers around, it was inconvenient. Overall, Moxinke felt rather depressed.