Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

Deep within the tranquil Emerald Forest, bare branches outline a sparse silhouette against the greyish-white sky.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by, and a figure was seen standing in front of a pile of earthen mounds.

A wooden stele stands in front of the mound, inscribed with the words "Tomb of Chodes, Headmaster of the Academy of Wizards of Aynak".

Dago solemnly bowed three times to the mound. His entire estate had been inherited by Dago, and this was the last thing he could do for Jodes.

As for the others remaining in the academy, Dago could only apologize. In any case, the people from the other world had nothing to do with him, since they weren't from the previous generation.

He couldn't bring himself to give his life for the academy.

Next, he needed to consider his future path.

He retrieved the note Serena had left him from his storage ring, which clearly indicated an address in Cletam City, the City of Thorn Ring.

Unfolding the parchment map he had obtained from Dean Jodes, he searched around and found the Thorn Ring in the middle between the Academy of Wizarding Arts and the Emerald Life.

Its sphere of influence, marked on the parchment map, was several times larger than that of the academy, encompassing five or six cities.

With a goal in mind, Dago set off towards the sky, embarking on his fourth move in this world.

......

The sun hangs high in the sky, melting away the tail end of winter, and the breath of spring is slowly approaching.

A sudden gust of wind rose in the sky, blowing away the thick fog that had been looming over the traveler.

The outline of a massive floating fortress emerged from behind the thick fog.

From a distance, the floating fortress seemed to gleam with a green glow under the sunlight.

The traveler stopped, facing the direction of the floating city, and pulled down his hood, revealing a head of long hair that was a mixture of black and white, and a handsome yet heroic young face.

"We've finally arrived at Cletam, the city of the Thorn Ring."

Dago squinted at the strange and hazy spectacle in the distance and murmured to himself.

Although the two places look very close on the map, it actually took Dago more than a month to actually get there.

During this time, Dago did not keep flying. He had to keep deciphering the legacy left by Dean Jodes every day on his journey, and also gain skill improvement points.

Although the massive complex of buildings below the floating city is already visible, if we continue at this pace, it will probably take another two days.

Dago thought for a moment, then deployed his mental energy field and flew straight toward Cletam City.

Looking down from the air, he discovered that below the floating city was a huge rift valley, with countless thick, root-like passages connecting the two sides of the rift valley.

Countless rays of light belonging to the runic array filled the tree root passage, appearing and disappearing like rainbows.

This enormous rift valley is home to a vast, uncharted primeval forest, and beneath the floating city lies a base woven from countless thorns.

The branches of those thorns were as thick as steel, and their sharp thorns seemed to draw magical energy from the air.

In the distance, faint roars of beasts could be heard, echoing eerily within the rift valley; they were the howls of magical beasts.

As Dago's body continued to ascend, the entire city of Cletam above him gradually came into view as he gazed upon the rift valley and forest below.

Within the vast city skyline, four wizard towers are distributed in the southeast, northwest, and southwest directions.

Each tower shimmers with different energy bands, and under the reflection of countless flowing runes, it exudes a mysterious aura that inspires awe.

Countless wispy clouds flowed through the floating city, and in Dago's eyes, they combined to form an incredibly breathtaking, magnificent, and fantastical picture that inspired endless imagination.

Finally, Dago slowly floated down like an ant in front of the huge floating city.

—Thorn Ring, the passageway to the eastern part of Claytam Floating City.

Dago carefully examined the round badge made of wood in his hand, which was printed with the iconic pattern of the Thorn Ring. He could feel the faint energy fluctuations emanating from it when he held it in his hand.

It has runes engraved inside and a small piece of low-grade magic stone embedded in it to power it, but its only function is to provide a passage for free passage through the outer perimeter of the floating city.

This is a "key" for entering and exiting the floating city. It is valid for one month, but it cost Dago an entire intermediate magic stone.

"After the one-month period expires, you still have to spend money. It's even more unscrupulous than the academy back then."

Dago muttered a complaint and looked up to survey the scene before him.

The blue tower blocked the sun's outline, with numerous buildings below it forming a protective barrier, completely enveloped by a huge, semi-transparent runic array of light.

The surrounding area consists of cold, hard-style brick and stone buildings, and the floor tiles underfoot seem to be some kind of alchemical product.

The light of runes and magic circles can be seen everywhere.

Rune-inscribed airships occasionally flew overhead; they were exquisitely designed and smaller and more agile than the airships Dago had seen at the academy.

He even saw a giant rune ship slowly sailing across the sky, blocking the sunlight and casting large shadows.

Two people could be vaguely seen standing on the boat, and the spiritual energy emanating from them could be clearly sensed even by Dago standing below.

"At this moment, I feel like a country bumpkin who has entered a big city, surrounded by a chorus of exclamations!"

Dago's eyes flickered. He didn't know how the formal wizard class was divided, but those two were definitely powerful wizards who were at least several times stronger than him.

The rune ship sailed away toward the blue tower, but Dago's heart remained unsettled for a long time.

My gaze returned to the street, where there were many people coming and going, but only a few were wearing wizard robes.

Most of them are still ordinary mortals, but they all have low-level rune energy fluctuations on their bodies.

Strangely, many people were wearing thorn headbands, and Dago wondered if their heads hurt.

However, this is more like a proper wizarding civilization.

As Dago looked around like a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden.

A young man wearing a brown coarse cloth vest and black cotton trousers jogged straight toward him.

"Honorable Wizard, is this your first time visiting Cletam City?"

The young man cautiously asked.

Dago smiled and nodded. "Yes."

The smile seemed to make him think the Dago people were alright; the young man breathed a sigh of relief and pulled up his trousers.

"My lord wizard, if you need a city guide, I would be happy to serve you."

"With just two low-level magic stones, I can serve you for a whole day."

The young man bowed respectfully to Dago and then bombarded him with a string of words.

"Oh? Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Dago said with a slightly teasing tone.

"Your Excellency Wizard, my name is Stuart Jeanbeck. You may simply call me Stuart."

The young man scratched his head sheepishly and said.

"Alright, Stuart, could you please find me a place to stay?"