Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

Soon, Dago returned to the Rose Inn, only to find Stuart waiting for him at the door.

"Lord Dago, it's been a while. The matter you entrusted to me is making progress!"

When Stuo saw Dago return, he immediately went to greet him and said excitedly.

"At number sixty Oak Street in Cletam, there is a down-on-his-luck noble family that perfectly fits the description given by Lord Dago."

Stuart continued, explaining that he had been gathering information about the Serena family for Dago these past few days.

Dago casually took out a small black cloth bag from his storage ring and handed it to him. The bag made a rustling sound and seemed to be filled with many small gems, looking quite heavy.

"Okay, I understand. This is your reward for working hard these past few days."

Stuart took the black cloth bag, respectfully performed a wizard's salute to Dargo, and said, "Thank you for your generosity, Lord Dargo. With these magic stones, I can now pursue my wizarding dream."

"Yes, everyone has the right to pursue their dreams. I wish you all the best on your journey, Stuio."

"Thank you for your kind words, Lord Dago."

.........

Dago stopped in front of a dilapidated manor at the address given to him by Stuio.

The low wall, made of gray stone, is covered with ivy, and in some places it has cracked and fallen off.

Through the gaps in the patterns on the rusted, heavy iron gate, one could vaguely see the nearly abandoned flowerbeds and collapsed statues inside, and there seemed to be a small pond, but it was covered with a dark green color.

"Is this where the Serena family lives? It looks very dilapidated."

Dago stood at the entrance of the manor, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Is anyone in the manor?" he tried calling out a few times.

But after waiting for about ten minutes, no one answered.

Dago thought for a moment, then pushed the door open and went inside.

"Crunch~~"

The heavy iron gate emitted a dull, grating sound.

He had barely stepped into the manor, before the desolate scene was fully revealed to him, when he immediately heard the sound of tiny things growing and breaking through the air, and intense energy particle fluctuations arrived in an instant.

A sudden sense of alarm rose in Dago's heart. His eyes caught sight of the thorny vines that had sprung up from the ground, and he instinctively fired an air blast.

"boom!"

The air bomb took shape and then collided directly with the dense vines, which exploded abruptly upon impact, shattering into countless fragments.

As soon as the aftershocks subsided, Dago saw a huge log burst out from the flying debris, heading straight for Dago's face.

Dago remained expressionless, pointing his finger at the log. An ice-type energy ball gathered at his fingertip and flew towards the log.

"Click, click!!"

The energy ball struck the log and quickly froze into an icicle, eventually disintegrating into countless ice crystals scattered all over the ground.

The successive battles made the already desolate courtyard even more chaotic, with traces of frost splattered everywhere.

At that moment, a hoarse, cold voice came from inside the manor, "This wizard, barging in without permission, do you intend to make an enemy of the Krogg family?"

A first-stage late-stage wizard.

Dago sensed the mental energy fluctuations that were much stronger than his own, which were transmitted through the sound, and made a judgment in his mind.

He stood motionless at the doorway, yet a large number of ice-type energy particles continued to converge towards him, and fine snowflakes and ice particles began to fall around him.

"Alright, come in!"

Just as Dago's momentum reached a certain point, that hoarse voice rang out again.

The gate to the gray castle directly opposite the manor suddenly swung open, revealing a completely dark interior.

Dago squinted at the dark castle gate for a while, then finally raised his hand to dispel the chill around him and stepped forward.

Walking along the road lined with oak trees, as soon as you step into the castle, you are greeted by an unusually strong and strange smell.

The smell was like damp, rotten wood mixed with the pungent odor of medicine.

Dago frowned slightly, then looked around.

The main hall of the castle comes into view. The three-zhang-high dome is supported by carved stone pillars, the pillars of which are wrapped with vine reliefs symbolizing the family's glory, and the floor is paved with bluish-gray stone slabs.

On the west side is a spiral staircase leading to the upper level, with oak handrails polished to a shine and family crests engraved on each step.

Almost no light penetrated the entire castle, and there were no lighting tools available. Only the outlines of some furniture and furnishings in the core area of ​​the main castle could be barely made out.

The place was filled with an atmosphere of decay and ruin, and it hardly looked like a place where anyone lived.

Just then, a hoarse, cold voice came from somewhere on the east side, "Come here. Don't touch anything."

"In the basement?" Dago's eyes flickered, and he slowly walked over.

Following the sound, he slowly descended the creaking old wooden staircase into a dark and cold basement.

The basement wasn't large, but it was brighter than the upper floors, with running rune arrays visible everywhere.

The entire basement was a mess, and the smell was pungent and unpleasant, like the smell of a lot of potions that had been spilled on the ground.

Even as an ice wizard, Dargo felt a chill creeping into his bones while he was in this basement.

The coldness came from the runic array directly in front of him, where a person sat. Only by the light of the runic array could Dago barely make out the person's appearance.

The man sitting in the chair was robust, dressed in aristocratic attire, with gray hair, his temples almost entirely gray.

The man was around thirty years old, with strong and deep features, like a marble sculpture.

His thick stubble was clearly unkempt for a long time, but you could still tell that he was handsome, or rather, he used to be very handsome.

The man's eyes were pale green, and he was staring coldly at Dago with a scrutinizing gaze, not at all like someone who wanted to entertain a guest.

Of course, after the "welcome ceremony" he had just received, he knew that Dagger was not someone to be trifled with.

"I wonder what brings you to my castle? If it's to buy the estate, then go back to where you came from," the man said coldly.

"Sir, I apologize for my rudeness. I've come simply to inquire whether you know Ms. Serena?"

"Oh? What brings you here to see my sister?"

"Damn, Serena didn't tell me she had such a big brother! What a blunder," Dago thought with a bit of panic.

"I was her former partner and wanted to come and pay a visit. I didn't mean to bother you. I'm so sorry," Dago said, scratching his head with an apologetic expression.

"I never imagined that my introverted sister could make a friend like you, and I never imagined that a small place like the Enark Wizarding Academy could produce a formal wizard like you."

"Back then, sending her there was just to escape the family's misfortune."

The man's tone softened slightly, no longer carrying intense hostility.

"Bernal Krogh, a full member of the Thorn Ring."

At this moment, the man stood up from the bar stool, walked up to Dago, and extended his right hand to introduce himself. He was tall, almost half a head taller than Dago.

Dago clasped his right hand together and replied defiantly, "Dago Heca."

He glanced briefly into the depths of the basement and vaguely saw what appeared to be a huge crystal coffin there.