Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 309 Time and Change

Entering the wizards' world is a success, Luger reminded himself as he ended his walk in the rain.

Despite numerous changes and setbacks, he ultimately didn't deviate too much from his original goal. After all, his starting point was simple, his destination was far away, and the space he was in was incredibly vast.

His initial goal was simply to stop being so hungry that his heart raced and his stomach ached. Then he thought about saying goodbye to the slimy worms and eating something edible like a human. After that, he wanted to become a real wizard apprentice. Even when he first became a wizard apprentice, he was still naively thinking that hunting would be much easier in the future, and that he could maintain his foul-smelling skin while sleeping in the cave without being afraid of anything biting his toes.

But when he arrived in Star City, where he could bask in the false sunlight, eat exquisite food, and experience a great deal of enjoyment, it wasn't as interesting as he had imagined. Because he wasn't satisfied, his goal had changed. It had shifted from the exquisite food to a more illusory goal, so distant that it was hard to see clearly. For example, becoming a powerful wizard, whose very nature he didn't know, a wizard embodying immense power. And because that goal was so far away and so vast, there was no question of deviation. From the starting point to the destination, because there was no clear path, the destination was difficult to reach. And because there was no clear path that had to be followed, it was incredibly wide.

He looked around at the boundless darkness and recalled the words of advice he had given that person the last time he saw him.

There was only darkness, nothing at all, not even a shadow of his dog-headed eyes.

This doesn't seem to be the way it was agreed, he thought.

Ruger looked down at the round token in his hand, then put it away again.

It can be used on any teleportation array approved by the Supreme Council, and you will receive guidance to reach his location. He will sense your arrival, and all that's left is to wait.

This is why Ruger is standing here in a daze.

Looking at the teleportation array beneath his feet and then at the darkness around him, Ruger realized that he had indeed left the City of Burning Blood.

In fact, after successfully leaving the drizzling, blood-red rain, he did feel a sense of relief.

That guy was a wizard apprentice before, and although he's now a second-circle wizard, he probably doesn't have any students yet. Ruger has already planned out the treatment he'll receive as the chief wizard.

But now, it seems there are some minor problems.

A fully activated light spell lit up his hand, but it could only illuminate his surroundings; the light seemed unable to penetrate the thick blackness.

Ruger blinked, wondering if he should try to go out and walk into the darkness.

Suddenly, Luger turned his head to look to his left front.

A hint of malice flashed there.

Pfft!
With a strange sound, the malice vanished.

How much longer are you going to stay there?

An unexpected voice rang out in the darkness, and then the boundless blackness gradually dissipated.

Ruger's expression changed several times, from sensing malice to hearing the sound and the malice disappear, and then to hearing this voice, but there was not a trace of surprise, or rather, only shock.

As the darkness dissipated, two figures, one tall and one short, stood not far away. Although one was tall and the other short, neither of them was actually very tall; the taller one only reached Luger's shoulder.

The fair-skinned girl in the old wizard's robe looked at him and smiled slightly, but her expression was very restrained, with only the corners of her mouth slightly upturned.

A slightly taller girl, an unfamiliar face, was standing to the side wearing a more tattered dress instead of a wizard's robe. She was hurriedly bowing to Ruger.

Ruger blinked, as if trying to make a random gesture to defuse the awkwardness.

At the same time, he also noticed the figure lying not far away. It was a young wizard apprentice convulsing on the ground. Occasionally, there were fluctuations of mental energy emitted during the convulsions, but it did not seem to be very strong.

"Miss Nana Erz?" Ruger himself didn't expect to utter that name again.

“I remember… you said you wanted to find a beautiful place, a place with… prophetic magic, and many wizards exploring that extraordinary path, um, a place with that kind of atmosphere…”

Ruger organized his thoughts and, before the petite girl could reply, asked first.

Even standing here, he could sense a faint, almost imperceptible, demonic aura—a strange and extraordinary demonic aura.

After he finished speaking, he looked at the wizard apprentice who was lying convulsing to the side.

“A pre-arranged concealment array, a wizard apprentice in Blackhorn,” Nana Erz said, following his gaze. “There’s a risk in doing this. If a full-fledged wizard uses this teleportation array, the person responsible for activating the concealment array will be in danger. So these weak and poor wizard apprentice gangs will choose an unlucky guy every few days. When they’ve determined that you’re a wizard apprentice, they’ll give the signal… to gather their companions, and then rob you of everything.”

As the darkness that had obscured his vision completely dissipated, Luger was able to see a dimly lit underground city in the distance.

In such places, there's no need to conceal one's vision, and it has nothing to do with light.

But this dimness, combined with his kobold eyes, was sufficient.

“This is the place I’m looking for,” the petite girl said, seemingly troubled. “I went through so much trouble to get here, but what I’m looking for is no longer here.”

"That Blackhorn City?"

Ruger looked around and tentatively spoke.

The girl shook her head and pointed to the direction on her left.

Following the direction, Luger strained his eyes to see. The gray earth stretched out along his line of sight, abruptly connecting to a distinct expanse of darkness in the distance.

Luger used his lightness technique to propel himself forward, striding to the dusty end.

This is a cliff.

The strange and unique demonic aura I had sensed earlier seemed to be even more pronounced at this cliff edge.

“This place is now called Black Valley Domain. You probably can’t see it, but there are underground cities below.” The petite girl came to the edge of the cliff. “A powerful demon died here, creating this bottomless, pitch-black valley. Around the huge valley, several underground cities were built on each of the protrusions. It is said that there are more than seventy underground cities in total, all the way to the depths.”

Luger suddenly realized that this was a huge pit that had existed for countless years.

Could it be that her original destination was this pit, or perhaps a city that originally existed on the pit?

The fact that such a vast, seemingly endless crater could be left behind, with over seventy enormous underground cities built in concentric circles along its edge, suggests that the demon was incredibly powerful. Its death was certainly not silent; perhaps the place Nanarz longed for was buried with this demon, perhaps in a battle of epic proportions.

Luger looked up again.

It was pitch black and the dome was nowhere to be seen, which meant he was probably already in the middle of the pit.

Black Valley Region.

This kind of place is indeed suitable for wizards who love demonic power to gather.

(End of this chapter)