Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 105 Ella's Decision

Time flies, and fifty days and nights have quietly passed in the peaceful and vibrant atmosphere of Evergreen Fortress.

In the first intensive care unit, Ella slowly opened her eyes.

This time, her eyes no longer held confusion and weakness, but were clear, firm, and even carried a hint of wisdom that had settled after experiencing hardships.

She sat up gently and stretched her arms and legs.

Feeling the stable flow of spiritual power within his body, belonging to the peak of a third-level wizard apprentice, although it was far less vast and boundless than Kate's, it was exceptionally pure and refined, like fine steel that had been forged through countless trials, with a foundation far more solid than others of the same level.

This experience of teetering on the brink of life and death, and then slowly recovering through the nourishment of divine objects like the Life Source Crystal and the Root of Immortality, gave her soul and spirit an ultimate tempering.

Kate stood by the bed, feeling her steady and resilient breathing, and a genuine smile of relief spread across her face: "Congratulations, Ella, you've fully recovered."

Ella looked up at Kate, her eyes filled with complex emotions—gratitude, yet also a clear sense of resolve.

"Kate," her voice was steady and clear, "thank you. Without you, I would have long since decayed. Ella will never forget this kindness."

She paused, her gaze fixed on the boundless green world outside the window, her tone becoming firm: "But I know I can no longer keep up with you. Even with a solid foundation, a third-level apprentice is still as insurmountable as a chasm as you."

I originally pursued a path of sorcery research within the Evergreen Stronghold, focusing on the principles of wood-based life forms. However, my experiences in the Thorn Garden led me to become a cyborg apprentice specializing in mechanical life. The time spent in the Thorn Garden, and the experience of waiting for rescue at the Stronghold, while immobile, kept my soul active, constantly contemplating the path I truly desired. Staying in the Evergreen Stronghold might have allowed me a peaceful life, but that's not what I want.

Kate nodded silently; he had already anticipated this outcome.

Ella has her own pride and pursuits; she will not be content to live under his protection forever.

Ella continued, "Before being transformed by Dean Vivian, my mentor Lina privately told me that her family had some connection with the Mechanical Life Research Society of the Northern Wizarding World. That organization rose to prominence a hundred years ago while exploring a plane left behind by an extraterrestrial civilization. They focus on the fusion of machinery, soul, and life in their sorcery, and it's said that one of their wizards has already successfully broken through to the Saintly Realm."

"Sanctuary?" Kate suddenly raised his eyebrows; this was a wizarding realm he had never heard of before.

Ella smiled. "That's right, Kate. You were a low-level apprentice at the Thorn Garden before, and even after coming to the Fortress, you were too short-lived to reach the realm of a formal wizard. I, on the other hand, grew up in the Fortress, and my mentor Lina had already told me about it in casual conversations. Wizards at the Saint Realm have already created their own plane, and their lifespan is the same as that of their plane. For us apprentices, they are practically immortal. And Dean Vivian of the Thorn Garden is a peak third-ring wizard. Her goal is to use her innate magical plant to create her own plane and advance to the Saint Realm."

Kate nodded slightly. "So many paths have been opened up beyond the formal wizarding profession. The path to becoming a wizard is still very long."

A burning flame ignited in Ella's eyes: "Yes, I've thought it through. The path there is more suitable for me now. My body, eroded and reshaped by the Abyssal Iron-Eroding Fungus, and this unique soul experience, might find a new direction there. I want to go to the Northern Region and join the Mechanical Life Research Society."

Seeing the renewed fighting spirit and anticipation for the future in Ella's eyes, Kate felt relieved of her last worry.

He respects and supports her choice.

"Okay." Kate nodded and took out a storage bracelet that she had prepared beforehand from her dimensional bag. "Inside are some magic stones, commonly used potions, a few protective magical artifacts that I crafted, and a token of the Evergreen Barrier. Perhaps it can provide you with some convenience in the Northern Region. The Northern Region is a long journey, so please be careful."

Ella accepted the bracelet without hesitation and solemnly put it on her wrist. "Take care, Kate. I hope that when we meet again in the future, we will both be at the pinnacle of our respective fields."

Without much sentimentality, the two partners who had gone through thick and thin together bid each other farewell in a calm and resolute atmosphere.

Ella turned around and left the convalescent room with steady steps, embarking on her own journey to the North, a journey full of unknowns and challenges.

After bidding farewell to Ella, Kate's mind became clearer and more transparent. With the last lingering bond resolved, his will became purer, and he devoted all his energy to welcoming the incarnation of the Sage of Life and preparing to build the "Heart of Reincarnation".

One morning a week later.

Kate was meditating on the roof of the treetop, the surrounding space and life energy flowing gently like a tranquil tide.

Suddenly, he sensed something and opened his eyes.

Inside the room, countless emerald green lights appeared out of thin air, dancing merrily like fireflies in midsummer.

To converge.

An intensely rich life force permeated the air, causing all the magical plants in the room to grow, flower, and bear fruit at a visible speed.

The points of light eventually coalesced into a blurry female human figure.

She was enveloped in a soft and vast green halo, obscuring her face; one could only sense an ancient, benevolent, and incomparably majestic will to life that seemed to originate from the beginning of the world.

The mere descent of the avatar, with its unconsciously emanating fluctuations of rules, caused the "Reincarnation Nursery" in Kate's mental sea to spontaneously accelerate its operation, the fragments of the Immortal Root to emit a pleasant hum, and the entire mental sea to become more active and stable.

"Teacher." Kate immediately stood up and bowed respectfully. He knew that the avatar of Elune Greenleaf, the Sage of Life, had descended.

"Hmm." The avatar spoke in a gentle voice, like a spring breeze rustling through a sea of ​​trees. "Not bad. Your foundation is extremely solid, and your understanding of the rules of life and space has reached a high level, far surpassing that of ordinary level four apprentices. It seems you have thoroughly digested what you learned in the trial."

Her gaze swept over Kate, as if she could see right through him inside and out in an instant, and a look of satisfaction appeared in her eyes.

"Now that you are ready, I will keep my promise."

With a gentle wave of his hand, the avatar conjured three items that floated in front of Kate.

The first item is a complex three-dimensional rune that appears to be composed of countless tiny green dots, radiating vast information about the rules of life—the complete chapter of the "Life Origin Star Chart" meditation method.

This is a higher-level meditation method than the basic meditation method Kate is currently practicing. It is a meditation method focused on the laws of life. Apprentices can only learn the first level, the most basic application of meditation. It is the most advanced meditation method Kate has ever encountered. After mastering it, one can attempt to break through to become a formal wizard. It is one of the best meditation methods for apprentices studying the direction of life magic to make a breakthrough.

The second item was a piece of emerald green wood, about the size of a little finger, smooth and warm like jade, radiating an aura that caused the fragments of the Immortal Root within Kate to resonate intensely with excitement—a fragment of the World Tree Core.

The third item was a fist-sized, transparent crystal with countless silver spatial rifts inside that seemed to appear and disappear unpredictably—the Void Crystal Core.

"The Star Chart of the Origin of Life can guide you on your path to becoming a high-level wizard; the fragment of the World Tree Core can accelerate the growth and transformation of your Immortal Root; the Void Crystal Core is enough to stabilize and expand your spatial nursery framework to its current limit. According to my estimation, it should also play a significant role in your growth after advancement, accelerating your passage through the initial stage of a first-ring wizard."

Then, several more storage bags fell down. "These are various rare materials, potions, and secret treasures prepared for you, enough to support you until you advance to the second-circle wizard level."

Kate suppressed her excitement and carefully put all the items away, saying, "Thank you, teacher!"

"Now, relax your mind, and I will guide you through your understanding of the laws and answer all your questions."

For the next month, Kate was completely immersed in the personal guidance of the incarnation of the Sage of Life.

His understanding of the laws of life and space has reached an incredible level. Often, with just a few words, he can directly address the deepest confusion in Kate's cultivation, making him suddenly enlightened and clear-headed.

Regarding the construction of the "Heart of Reincarnation," the incarnation provided extremely detailed and valuable advice.

The concept of "Your Heart of Reincarnation," based on life and space and incorporating the cycle of birth and death, is extremely ambitious, and its potential, if successful, is immeasurable. However, the energy surges and rule conflicts triggered during its ascension will undoubtedly be terrifying.

"The World Tree Core Fragment and the Void Crystal Core are key to stabilizing the two cores. You must thoroughly integrate them into the Nursery before your advancement—"

"The balance between life and death is of paramount importance; the slightest misstep can lead to utter destruction. I can teach you a dual-enhancing rune of 'Life Drain' and 'Death Resistance,' which will help you better control this balance—"

"For your ascension, I suggest choosing the vicinity of the Corridor of Boundaries. The space there is thin, and the life and death energies are exceptionally active due to the convergence of planes, making it perfect for you—"

With the incarnation's complete guidance, Kate's understanding of the "Heart of Reincarnation" deepened rapidly, her construction plan was continuously improved, the details were optimized, and her confidence grew stronger.

During a break in instruction, Kate felt the time was right and revealed another knot in her heart.

"Teacher, there's one more thing I need your help with."

Kate briefly recounted how she and Ella escaped from the Thorn Garden, and how Dean Vivian might have taken a "trigger" for him as a result.

The Sage of Life listened quietly, his aura remaining completely still.

"Vivian—that little one obsessed with the fusion of abyssal plants." The avatar's tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "The path she walks is extreme and dangerous, but it is also unique. I am already aware of this."

She hesitated for a moment, then a beam of emerald light shot from her fingertips, instantly traversing endless space and disappearing.

A moment later, the avatar spoke, "I have already communicated with the Night King behind the Thorn Garden, Amon Shadowsong Sanctuary. Out of respect for me, Vivian won't bother you until you advance to the third circle wizard level, that is, until you are on par with her. However, according to the rules of the Thorn Garden, 'experimental subjects' who have been taken away ultimately need an explanation."

"After you advance to the third-ring wizard level, you will need to personally go to the Thorn Garden and fight Vivian Thorn, who is of the same rank. Regardless of victory or defeat, this matter will be settled. If you win, she will not pursue the matter further; if you lose, you will need to promise to do something for her. This matter will be witnessed and agreed upon by the Night King before your battle. It will not endanger your life or your core path, but there will certainly be some risks. After all, Vivian has already touched the edge of the Saintly Realm. If she hadn't been seriously injured in the last war in the Undead Plane, she might have already advanced to the Saintly Realm. And you, at that time, will only be a wizard who has just entered the third ring. Are you willing to accept this condition?"

Upon hearing this, Kate felt a sense of relief. This outcome was much better than he had anticipated.

He had absolute confidence in himself in a battle against someone of equal rank. As for the conditions for defeat, with a legendary wizard as witness, they were unlikely to be impossible to fulfill. This was undoubtedly the most appropriate solution.

"I'm willing!" Kate replied respectfully. "Thank you for helping me, teacher."

"It's alright." The avatar nodded slightly. "Now you have no more worries in your heart, and you can focus entirely on your attempt to become a formal wizard. Remember, condensing the Heart of Reincarnation is no small matter; you must be fully prepared. As agreed before, I will stay by your side to teach you until you successfully advance."

Kate took a deep breath, her eyes becoming incredibly sharp and determined.

All external disturbances have temporarily subsided, and the challenges ahead have become clear.

At this moment, all he could see was the arduous yet infinitely bright path of a wizard, leading to a higher realm!

For Kate, the source of magic stones was no longer a concern. The Green Vine Workshop already earned as much as 5000 magic stones per month. Moreover, the Concentration Vine Potion, which he improved and produced, had amazing effects because it contained the tender tendrils of the Void Vine that were induced by his symbiote.

Aiven and the others were very satisfied with the results after using it. They all said that the purified mental energy was more stable and refined, which could effectively help them with some of the finer operations when building their own Wizard Heart, and also had the effect of accelerating the recovery of mental energy.

Because the Void Vine has long been extinct in the outside world, this is a potion exclusively for Kate. Only he can produce it, and each one can sell for a high price of 500 magic stones. After deducting the cost, each one has a net profit of 300 magic stones.

Unfortunately, this medicine didn't have much effect on him. After taking it, it only slightly increased his mental recovery speed, which was not as fast as when he relied on the Seed of Origin to absorb evil energy.

Kate can produce one potion in just half an hour at the Green Vine Workshop, which is practically a potion that steals magic stones. If Kate hadn't focused on his advancement and didn't want to delay his cultivation, and only made two potions a day, he could have become a master potion maker with a monthly income of 100,000 magic stones at this level, a figure comparable to the potion master Liria!

The core sorcery, meditation method, advancement method, treasures and resources are all ready. All that's left is to complete the first level of meditation, and for the Garden of Reincarnation to fully absorb and integrate the World Tree Core and the Void Crystal Core, so that I can break through to become a first-ring wizard and become a formal wizard.