Mage Legend

"Alright, we've really run into a big problem now." Morgan kicked up a bit of sand with his foot, squinting at the scene in front of them: "Lynch, take a look, the top layer of sand seems normal, but a bit further down, even the dust gets enormous. There's no way we can walk through this, if we fall in, we'll never climb out."

"Alright, let's just fly over." Lynch took out a scroll: "We've already saved quite a bit of effort earlier, so there's no need to be stingy now. Let's hurry and fly over to find out the situation here, so we can head back quickly."

Thus, the three of them began to soar over the land like birds. For Morgan, it was the first time in the air, and he appeared very clumsy. Like someone learning to swim for the first time, he could only spin in place and couldn't move forward. Lynch and Zilvra had no choice but to push the dwarf as they flew. Fortunately, under the influence of the spell, Morgan wasn't as heavy as usual, so it didn't take too much effort.

Looking from above, they still couldn't see the full view of the area. Darkness shrouded the space, and the mage's glowing staff only allowed them to see a small range. The many layers of buildings here didn't preserve as well as those near the stairs, everything had a dilapidated appearance. From the ruins, it was clear that this place had experienced continued magical and weapon strikes, and not a single piece of intact furniture could be found. Broken weapons and damaged armor lay scattered everywhere, while bones protruding from the dust revealed the immense pain the dead had suffered.

The corpses here were also enormous, and Lynch saw some familiar skull patterns, enabling him to guess their races in life. Much like the giant structures, the dwarves who had died here were as robust as hill giants, while the originally tall demon corpses lay like small mountains before the mages. They quickly flew past these remains, heading straight for the manager's room.

Unlike the desolation outside, the manager's room was obviously untouched by any damage. Inside the golden fence, a meadow greeted them. Pushing open the half-closed door, they realized that while this place hadn't grown enormous, it was suited to objects of a size the three were familiar with. A small golden pavilion emitted a soft white light, perfectly illuminating the grass in the courtyard. A few pale yellow flowers stubbornly grew, exuding a faint fragrance.

Stepping on the grass made the three of them feel particularly relaxed, freeing them from the apocalyptic darkness of moments ago. The mage bent down to touch the grass, confirming at last that they were not an illusion.

"Growing in a place like this is truly not easy," Lynch remarked, "This courtyard seems undisturbed by time, maintaining its vitality. Just think, even if there is plenty of sunlight here, without the addition of new soil, how can the land support the needs of plants for thousands of years?"

"These questions make my head hurt, so I'll leave them to you to ponder," Morgan said, stepping on the grass, "Anyway, since there are no traps here, why stop moving forward?"

As he said this, Zilvra had already reached the pavilion. A transparent, curtain-like barrier separated the pavilion's interior from the exterior. They could see inside the pavilion, there was a pedestal, with a gray crystal ball placed on it. However, when Zilvra tried to reach into the pavilion, the seemingly simple action was blocked by the transparent membrane.

Morgan also couldn't access the pavilion's interior. He made an attempt, only to be bounced back and fall onto the ground. Fortunately, it was soft grass, causing no injury. But seeing the core secret almost within reach, yet persistently out of grasp, left the dwarf very annoyed.

Lynch employed various detection magics, trying to understand the membrane's structure. Unlike common substances, and even unlike the Absolute Curse Stone which absorbs all spells, this thin membrane was impervious as a target for spells. Lynch did not dare use the silver Energy Light Ball to forcibly destroy the structure here, fearing unpredictable consequences. He closed his eyes, pondering possible approaches.

Zilvra jabbed her thin sword at the protective barrier, but regardless of speed, she was unable to trigger an explosive lightning flash. The dwarf had no other recourse, waiting for Lynch to come up with the final idea.

The mage placed his refined gold left arm on the protective layer and pushed firmly. A force pushed Lynch outward, but in that instant, the mage vanished from where he stood, reappearing inside the pavilion. However, he looked evidently exhausted, clutching his chest and panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat, as if he had endured a long journey.