"In that case, shall we all go in together?!"
Bosayin looked at Leilin and the other.
"Of course!" A resolute expression appeared on Jiamen's face.
For him, this expedition would only be a success if they discovered a wizard's inheritance!
"No objections!" Leilin's surface was calm, but inwardly he was far less composed than he appeared.
He knew exactly whose legacy this ruin contained, and what was buried within.
"A fourth-rank wizard, a legendary Sage — the inheritance left by the Great Crimson
All three agreed and entered the rusted metal corridor.
The corridor was spacious enough for three adults to walk abreast. For three young teenagers like Leilin's group, it naturally felt even more free.
Leilin touched the wall, and dust fell away, revealing the silvery-white metal beneath.
First cold, then warm — this metal gave Leilin's fingertips an unusual sensation.
"Unknown metal detected. No record in the database!" After scanning, the Chip provided its answer.
"This is Blood-Weeping Alloy. It seems that during its forging, the blood of fierce beasts or slaves must be added. It's said to have certain spirit-suppressing properties!"
Bosayin's voice came through to Leilin's ear.
If wizards were considered commoners, then Bosayin was among the nobility of wizards — his knowledge and insight in some areas even surpassed Leilin's.
After all, some precious materials could only be passed down through wizard families, which Leilin had no access to whatsoever.
"Blood-Weeping Alloy?!"
Leilin silently gave a mental command: "Chip! Record the composition!"
The Chip's notification sounded in Leilin's ear.
"We're very close to the barrier discovered earlier!"
Jiamen, walking on the right, suddenly spoke: "Since the corridor is made of this metal, that means there might be ahead..."
"Spirits!" Leilin and Bosayin said simultaneously, both looking grim.
For Wizard Apprentices, lacking effective defensive measures against spiritual attacks, there was simply no good countermeasure.
Ordinary apprentices would have retreated long ago.
But Leilin's group was different. Both Bosayin and Jiamen carried Magical Items that could serve as temporary defenses — though certainly not as effective as something purpose-built like the Star-Fall Pendant, they were still not something spirits could breach in a short time.
As for Leilin himself, he had been researching spirits for two full years. With the Chip's assistance, his understanding of spirits surpassed even some academy instructors.
At this moment, a chill ran through Leilin's body.
"Negative energy concentration in the air detected — increased by 3.14% above normal levels!" The Chip's voice sounded.
"This environment matches one of the patterns previously recorded by the Chip — one of the most suitable for spirit survival!"
A deep sense of vigilance rose in Leilin's heart.
"We're here!"
Leilin narrowed his eyes slightly. Ahead, a luminous opening had appeared.
After passing through the opening, the group was briefly dazzled by the bright light and couldn't help closing their eyes.
When they opened them again, they found themselves in a sea of colorful flowers.
Tulips, fire poppies, red Ferghana daisies, green calla lilies — all manner of flowers Leilin had heard of and never heard of bloomed throughout the garden.
It seemed some wizard spell had been cast upon the garden, causing flowers of different blooming seasons and different regions to grow wildly together in the beds.
Mundane flowers were merely decoration. Leilin took a brief sniff and immediately detected many medicinal herbs useful to wizards.
There were ingredients that even Instructor Guofate couldn't obtain — and here they simply sat quietly in the flowerbeds.
"Purple-leaf flowers, nose-root fruit, walking dragonflies, inverted sunflowers — they even have Void Flowers!!!"
Jiamen and Bosayin's exclamations of wonder rang out continuously.
At the very end, there were many species that even Leilin couldn't identify, but judging by where they were planted, their value was clearly even greater than that of Void Flowers.
Now, at last, Leilin understood how Dylan's Garden got its name.
This enormous garden spanned at least several dozen square kilometers. How many rare plants must it contain? How many Magic Stones was it worth?
Leilin felt a brief wave of dizziness just thinking about it.
"Haha… Solar Golden Flame!!! It's actually Solar Golden Flame!"
Jiamen stared with fanatical eyes at a plant in the very center that resembled a flame.
"The power of Solar Golden Flame can even be combined with Greene Water to help fire-attribute Wizard Apprentices break through — increasing the probability by at least twenty percent!"
Jiamen murmured, his hand unconsciously reaching toward the flame-red Solar Golden Flame.
"Don't!" Leilin suddenly called out, as if realizing something.
But it was too late. Bosayin completely ignored Leilin's warning and reached his hand into the flowerbed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of wind chimes rang out — extraordinarily crisp and pleasant.
The air froze! The wind stopped!
Leilin and the others felt their feet go empty, and suddenly they were somewhere else entirely.
It appeared to be the interior of a villa. New furniture lined the surroundings, and on a pale yellow table sat a lamp with an orange-red flame burning inside.
"Where is this?!" Jiamen blurted out.
"Some kind of defense mechanism — we've been transported to another location!" Leilin said with a bitter smile.
Bosayin's gaze toward Jiamen was no longer particularly friendly.
"But there's good news. According to Gulular customs, if we defeat the guardian here, most of this ruin's defense systems will deactivate!"
Bosayin's face was dark. "We originally had many more chances to probe the place, but it's all because of you!"
He pointed at Jiamen. Leilin suspected that if they weren't in a dangerous ruin, Bosayin might well have struck.
"Hee hee! Who will come play with Alice?"
A mechanical girl's voice sounded.
From around the corridor's corner appeared — a doll?
Leilin stared at the enormous puppet emerging from the shadows at the corner.
The doll was the size of an adult. Its eyeballs were sewn on with blue gemstones. It wore a pink dress and had beautiful golden hair. A red bow was tied at its chest.
"A Wraith Doll!" Bosayin cried out.
"A Wraith Doll?" Leilin had never heard the term.
But clearly, this was another type of spirit. Seeing the Wraith Doll's corporeal body, Leilin realized that his research and exploration into spirits had barely scratched the surface.
At least when it came to spirits that had blurred the line between illusion and reality, he knew nothing at all.
"Hee hee! Come play with Alice!"
The golden-haired girl-doll pointed directly at Leilin. Her arm was also made of fabric but had no hand — just a bare stump topped with a smooth hemisphere.
Boom!!
An invisible field of force detonated behind Leilin, launching his body into the air and sending him hurtling toward the doll.
"Come now! Good baby! Let Alice give you a hug!"
The doll spread its arms wide, seemingly about to embrace Leilin.
Jiamen and Bosayin exchanged a glance and immediately shot off to either side of the doll — actually abandoning Leilin and fleeing.
"Damn it!" Leilin flung his hand, and two balls of flame blazed across the doll's body.
But the flames were quickly extinguished, leaving not even a mark on the doll.
Clang!! Countless translucent infant arms materialized from the void, continuously pulling at Leilin. A pair of girl's arms had already reached his waist.
A tingling, itchy sensation spread from his waist.
Leilin gritted his teeth and immediately uncorked a bottle of yellow potion.
A yellow protective barrier materialized on Leilin's body surface, blocking out the countless arms.
Tirlf Swirling Shield Potion!!
The only defensive potion Leilin had encountered in his apothecary studies so far. At this critical moment, it faithfully served its purpose.
"Ow! You're hurting Alice!"
The doll's face cracked open, revealing razor-sharp teeth. "I'm going to eat you!"
A translucent beast's maw materialized before Leilin and bit down.
Crack!! Ripples spread across the surface of the yellow barrier, straining under the pressure.
"This attack is nearly exceeding the potion's defensive limits!"
Leilin touched the base of his neck. "Being forced to use my trump card this early — too passive!"
Immediately after, he hurled out a vial of bright red potion that seemed to burn like flame within.
"Violent Burning Potion! And with this!" Leilin fished a few pink pearls from the leather pouch at his waist and tossed them into the flames.
During his time in Polar Night City, his research on spirits had yielded some results.
Beyond studying the patterns of spirit appearances, he had also attempted to identify materials that spirits loathed or that could even harm them. These pink pearls were the most effective among them.
Pff! The pink pearls quickly burst apart in the flames, releasing a cloud of pink powder.
Affected by this, the entire blaze turned pink, spreading rapidly until it completely engulfed the enormous beast's maw.
The massive jaws let out a tremendous roar before being consumed entirely by the pink flames.
At the same time, the flames seemed to penetrate through the void and spread directly onto the doll's face. The doll clutched its face and let out an anguished roar.
As the last trace of flame died out, the yellow barrier on Leilin's body also finally vanished.
Leilin landed on the ground and looked at two small hand-shaped marks on his waist, frowning deeply. The fabric of his clothing at his lower back had been completely corroded, revealing two small black handprints on the skin beneath.
"Spirit-caused injuries must be treated quickly, or they'll continue to spread!"
Leilin hurriedly pulled several white leaves from his leather pouch and applied them to the wounds. Immediately, a soothing coolness spread from the wounds outward.
Crash! Crash!
The windows beside them shattered, and two figures burst in.
Bosayin and Jiamen looked around, then at Leilin, and let out bitter laughs: "No matter which direction we walk, we always seem to end up back here!"