Chapter 42: Azure Moon Plateau (Please keep reading, please add to favorites, and please recommend!)

Chapter 42

This was not the first time Lynn had consumed a potion, and since he already possessed a foundation in potion studies, he knew exactly how to use his mental strength to guide the potion's power to maximize its effects.

As he swallowed the potion, a wave of warm energy rapidly diffused throughout his body.

Lynn felt a refreshing sensation surge in his heart, much like eating a mint candy; his mind instantly became exceptionally clear.

But unlike ordinary freshness, this sensation was intense and profound, as if it had washed away the dust from his soul.

His mental strength became extraordinarily active. As his mental energy accelerated its circulation, the energy factors of heaven and earth seemed to sense it, pouring into his body in succession.

At this moment, Lynn's entire body felt as if it were wrapped in a layer of weightless power, and his previously exhausted body gradually regained its vitality.

That long-lost sense of exhilaration made his whole body feel comfortable, and his energy was greatly restored.

The night passed in silence. The next day, sunlight spilled into the room through the window, the warm light gently illuminating Lynn's face and waking him from his cultivation.

Lynn opened his eyes, his gaze clear and bright, as if filled by an invisible force.

"The mental strength in my mental domain has become significantly more active. If this can be sustained continuously, breaking through to a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice might no longer be out of reach."

Lynn let out a long breath, his mind filled with clarity.

Although the war was fraught with danger, it was also a redistribution of resources, bringing many opportunities that were usually inaccessible.

If not for this war, Lynn would never have been able to enter the Nightshade Bunker's potion storehouse to obtain those precious resources.

If he had relied solely on the salary from serving the Forge, he likely would have spent an unknown amount of time before being able to promote to a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice.

But now, relying on these potions, he was confident that he could raise his mental strength to 15 points within two months, thereby attempting to break through to the realm of a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice.

However, Lynn soon frowned. He knew well that although he had gained many benefits this time, the place where he currently resided was still not safe enough; he was simply too close to the Nightshade Bunker.

Although Lynn had successfully escaped the control of the Nightshade Bunker and had traveled for a full day and night, if the wizards of the Nightshade Bunker could fly, pursuing them would become extremely easy.

Furthermore, this small town itself was located within the sphere of influence of the Nightshade Bunker and could be discovered at any time.

Therefore, Lynn knew that no matter what, he had to leave this place as soon as possible.

………………………………

Although wizards were the transcendent beings of this world, standing at its pinnacle, they were, after all, a minority.

In this world, most people did not possess wizard aptitude; they were called Muggles, and it was the principalities, kingdoms, and empires established by the Muggles that formed the mainstream of this world.

The relationship between wizards and these ordinary nations was often one of vassalage and control.

Powerful transcendent forces always controlled the surrounding principalities, kingdoms, and empires.

Just like the Church in Lynn's previous life, where a king needed the Pope's recognition upon ascension, the situation in this world was the same: to become an emperor or a king, one had to receive the recognition of the Great Wizards.

As a Level 4 power, the Forge controlled the Kingdom of Eluria, and all affairs of the kingdom were dominated by the Forge.

Meanwhile, the Nightshade Bunker and the Cult of Earnest were located within the Principality of Salam.

The Principality of Salam possessed several Level 3 forces, which collectively controlled the state's political power.

Between the two major nations lay the Principality of Keishila. Originally, Keishila was also jointly controlled by several Level 3 forces.

However, since the Forge's war of aggression, more than half of the forces in the Principality of Keishila had been annihilated. It was likely that after a few more wars with the Forge, it would be merged into the territory of the Kingdom of Eluria.

After all, the so-called Kingdom of Eluria had once been merely a small principality.

It was only after the appearance of the Forge's Level 4 wizards that it began to expand continuously, gradually becoming powerful and evolving into the kingdom it was today.

In general, if Lynn wanted to return to the Forge, he would have to traverse three countries.

While apprentices of the Forge could travel easily using powerful teleportation arrays, Lynn could currently only rely on his own legs, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty of his return.

After all, he was only a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice with limited strength and was not yet able to fly. Attempting to cross three countries to return to the Forge was a significant challenge.

However, fortunately, the Forge had established a second front within the Principality of Salam.

In other words, Lynn did not need to cross three countries; he only needed to reach the other front to transmit news of everything happening here.

This provided a slight turning point for his situation.

"The Emerald Island Great Forest is located to the south of the Principality of Salam, and the Pale Moon Plateau is in the west of the principality, separated by two provinces. If traveling by horse, it would take about a month at the fastest to arrive."

Lynn had prepared himself when he was conscripted by purchasing a map of the Principality of Salam, and it finally came in handy today.

This was a map of the wizarding world, which differed greatly from the maps of the mortal world.

Its most prominent feature was that it marked the distribution of all transcendent forces.

The wizarding forces, wizarding families, and wizarding trading hubs within the Principality of Salam were all clearly marked on the map.

"There is a larger city about dozens of miles from here. I can go there first to get a good horse, and then head straight for the Pale Moon Plateau while avoiding transcendent forces."

Lynn marked a route on the map, bypassing all obvious wizarding powers.

He knew the current situation was complex; the Nightshade Bunker and the Cult of Earnest had already joined forces, and no one could be certain whether other Level 2 wizarding forces or families within the principality had united to oppose the Forge.

Therefore, he did not want to take risks; it was best to avoid all transcendent forces as much as possible.

As for why he didn't just get a horse in this small town, Lynn had his own considerations—he currently didn't have a single cent.

If he robbed money to buy a horse in this small town, it would clearly be too conspicuous and could easily cause trouble or even expose his identity.

Going to a large city to acquire some money and then buy a horse was clearly relatively safer; criminal acts were more common in large cities, and it could avoid causing a major disturbance.

Lynn felt somewhat speechless; as a dignified Level 2 Wizard Apprentice, he had actually fallen into the predicament of lacking gold and silver.

"Who would have thought the Forge would lose so miserably... I always thought that Black Dragon Witch could control the whole situation and plan everything out, but in the end, she was turned around by her opponent."

After all, in the Forge's past wars, they either steamrolled their enemies or stalled for a period before eventually winning through powerful resource attrition.

In a hundred years, the Forge had never suffered such a thorough defeat, especially since this failure had occurred to a student of the Lord of the Forge.

To lose even when having a "Wyvern face-rush" advantage—the reputation of this Black Dragon Witch would likely suffer a heavy blow.

Of course, reputation was secondary; whether the opponent could even survive now was another matter entirely...

(End of Chapter)