Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Ralf concluded for the mayor, his eyes suddenly darkening considerably; clearly, the giant wolf was no longer within his jurisdiction. "Should we consult the church?" The first thought that came to people regarding this supernatural event was always the church.

"No rush, I need to check the situation first. I need a guide to take me to the original site of Rafilin."

"Isn't this too dangerous? The sheriff wants to take the risk himself."

“I know what I'm doing. Help me find a quick and agile guide, Mayor.”

"If you insist on doing so..."

"Yes."

"Lyle, you and William stay in town. I'm going to check things out, so I won't take you with me and avoid slowing you down." Ralph had no intention of telling them that he was going wolf hunting.

"Ok."

"Understood, sir."

Lyle didn't try to persuade him to stay. It was only past noon, and Shiba Inu wouldn't come out anyway, so there was no need to worry about Ralph's safety.

Ralph nodded, took the iron box, and left with his men.

Lyle approached the mayor. “Sir, if possible, my colleagues and I would like to continue the examination of the body.”

"Okay, sir, please be careful. My house is in the center of Lavren, the one with the weather vane on the roof. Hot water and food are always available for you two."

"Thank you, sir."

The mayor left without leaving any staff behind.

As the others disappeared from sight, Lyle turned to look at William.

"William, are you ready for an adventure?"

Chapter Thirty-One: Foolish Humans

William was unaware of Lyle's kinship with Ralph.

But he was also surprised by Lyle's audacity. In the few hours he had known him, Lyle was an ordinary, law-abiding man who obeyed Ralf without question. And now, as soon as the demon left, his true form was revealed? Of course, this was exactly what William wanted.

Staying put and waiting for instructions is not his preference. Can fifty jules make up for the humiliation he has suffered? Being respectful to Ralph is just bowing to life, but he is a wizard after all. How can he be bound by reality? Just as he was thinking about how to get rid of Ralph, a godsend came to him.

Of course, I have to put on a show myself.

"Is it alright, Lyle? Mr. Ralph's orders are not for free action."

"You want to just go back without doing anything?" Lyle replied to William while surveying the surrounding terrain.

"Of course not, exploring the mysterious is a never-ending journey."

"Of course, yes. So, we just found some additional clues. One must be flexible. I also plan to go to Rafilin and form a team. Future great wizard?"

"Ok."

The two scheming boys secretly planned their route.

"But how can we avoid evil... Mr. Ralph?"

“Let’s go this way.” Lyle pushed aside the reeds and pointed to the bubbling black mud swamp.

"Are you crazy? That's a swamp, you can't walk in it. If a person goes in, they'll sink in within ten seconds and become fertilizer for nature."

A smile appeared on Lyle's lips.

Ha, you foolish natives, it's time to show your true skills.

“William, the road is made by walking; you just need to use some tools.”

Lyle collected reeds from the surrounding area, choosing the hollow and thick ones, and tied them together. Fortunately, he had read the corresponding knotting guide and had years of experience in mending his own clothes, plus a pair of skillful hands, so the reed footboard he made was barely passable.

With sturdy straw sandals tied to his boots, as if he had been given giant flippers, Lyle, with William's help, stood on the black mud of the swamp, wearing these strange shoes.

After sinking about two or three centimeters, Lyle successfully stood on the mud, using surface tension, thankfully not exceeding his expectations.

Enjoying William's surprise, Lyle moved slowly across the swamp, eventually returning to solid ground.

"Alright, next I'll make you a pair of pedals, and then we'll set off." Making pedals is a delicate job, and William might not be able to do it.

"Lyle, you're a genius, but I've also come up with a good idea."

"what?"

William Dorgitt smiled.

Ha, you foolish Muggles, now it's time to show your true skills.

William pulled something out of his pocket—a larger triangular talisman with a barely noticeable magic circle drawn in the center with a white, resin-like liquid.

"Feather Fall Technique, Level 1 Modification".

William lit the talisman and, without any restraint, stepped directly into the swamp. The black mud soaked a shallow layer on the soles of his shoes before stopping, as if an invisible wall was preventing him from going up.

Without the constraints of the reed treads, William walked across the mud as if his feet were on the ground, appearing much more agile and swift than Lyle.

To Lyle's surprise, William smiled, expecting him to offer some words of praise.

"What kind of talisman is this?"

"A talisman that can eliminate body weight, making the body as light as a feather, wouldn't that allow you to move freely? Aren't you surprised?"

"Yes, what's even more surprising is that you rascal, I spent more than twenty minutes weaving grass before I could finally bring out such a useful talisman."

Enraged, Lyle went up to the swamp, his face contorted with rage, intending to seize the foolish apprentice, strangle him in the swamp, and steal his treasure.

The two wrestled for less than five minutes before William surrendered and returned to the ground, though Lyle hadn't touched a single detail of his clothes.

“Lyle, I was wrong. I only just realized it myself. Besides, this spell has a major drawback. Your reed board is necessary. Stop chasing. We're running out of time.”

“Drawbacks?” Lyle stopped the chase and returned to the ground.

"Yes, this spell only lasts for five minutes, and the original Featherfall Spell wasn't this powerful. We paid a price to improve it."

As William spoke, he threw the nearly disintegrating talisman in his hand into the swamp.

Just as the light little paper package was about to touch the surface of the swamp.

Bang!

The small talisman struck the pond like a solid cannonball, stirring up mud that was about to fly towards Lyle. In an instant, a one-meter-deep pit appeared, and the surrounding black mud, writhing, swallowed the talisman fragments that were trapped inside.

"The reduced weight did not disappear, but was transferred to the end of time's expiration. Five minutes of lightness were exchanged for a moment of heaviness. The accumulated weight was basically unbearable. In this swamp, for us, the price was death in a second."

"So, you have to drop the talisman after five minutes and use a new Featherfall Talisman immediately in between. It's very troublesome, and there aren't many of them to begin with."

"The size of the swamp is still uncertain. If you use it rashly and run out of space, you will only have two choices: sink to your death in one second or struggle to sink to your death in one minute. So this can only be used to deal with emergency situations."

“I see,” Lyle said, now somewhat wary of such spells, “They’re like drinking poison to quench thirst.”

"So, Lyle, could you please make me a pair of pedals?"

"Ok."

……

A pair of peering eyes appeared from the reeds. After confirming their location, Lyle and William stepped out, mainly to confirm Ralph's position.

Following their general direction, the two stealthily made their way north of Laffron, hoping to find Rafirin. With the sun directly overhead, their location wasn't difficult to pinpoint for the time being. Lyle had marked the reeds along the way so that they could easily find their way back even if they went astray.

Walking on a short stretch of swamp, the stickiness from the footboard made the two of them expend extra energy, but they had gotten used to it over time.

"William, does that feedback gravity only affect the talisman?"

"It should actually work on the caster, but considering the danger, it has been modified so that if there is no object in contact with the talisman, it will work on the talisman."

"So, if I use the talisman and hand it over to you when the time is up, will you also sink?"

"What are you trying to do? Murder? No, you can't use spells, so that assumption doesn't hold. Hmm... your idea is right, this might be a new way to fight, but what's the point of making the enemy feel gravity? Not to mention that the enemy will dodge, a fireball-like spell is much more effective than weight binding. This kind of application has no practical value."

is it?

Chapter Thirty-Two: A dog doesn't eat the grass near its burrow.

The air in the swamp was thick with a putrid stench, which was amplified under the scorching sun. Lyle wore his bird-beak mask, but William had a better way. A swirling breeze enveloped him, making him feel lighter and purifying the surrounding air.

The swamp is not a dead land; countless microorganisms decompose decaying matter beneath the black mud, and the chirping of insects in the reeds indicates how popular this place is with insects.

As you go deeper, the swamp becomes like a boiling pot of soup, with bubbles bursting and releasing a pungent odor into the surrounding air.

Just as the two were wondering if they had lost their way, a small clump of reeds in the distance caught their attention.

A thin mist lingered and did not dissipate, a strange and unusual phenomenon. Lyle glanced at the sun overhead; as time passed, it had begun to set in the west, but its heat remained undiminished.

High temperatures will not form clouds and fog because the heat will evaporate the misty water vapor.

Seeing this unusual sight, the two exchanged a glance and headed towards the reeds shrouded in mist.

After passing through a thicket of reeds as tall as a person, there was a vast swamp shrouded in mist. At the edge of the visible range, there was a huge shadow in the mist that could not be seen clearly.

Lyle guessed that it was the shadow of the house, which was wider than the trees.

“Raphirin has arrived.” William’s voice came from behind while Lyle was still in a daze.

How did he determine that it was Rafilin?

Lyle turned his head, and his doubts were answered. Following the direction William was pointing, Lyle saw an object that he recognized but had never actually seen before.

A human arm that has been severed.

The skin on his palms was torn and rotten, the knuckles of his thumb and forefinger were missing, and the rotten flesh attached to the bones attracted mosquitoes and flies. The other end of his arm was stuck in the mud.

The surrounding area consisted of fallen reeds, crushed and forming a huge area of ​​about three square meters. In the center was the severed hand, squeezed into the mud by the pressure.

"It's probably the farmer's severed hand." The only human settlement in the vicinity is the small town of Lavren. If this happened a long time ago, the bones would probably have decomposed by now.

"Take it back?" Lyle suggested, but then felt it was unrealistic. The severed hand would hinder their movement, and the chimera bag given to them by Mr. Dragon couldn't be exposed. If Lyle wanted to bring back Mr. Millen's body, he could only ask the amazing William for help.

"No, our target is Rafilin. Bringing this severed hand will only get in the way. Are you planning to give that giant wolf some extra food? Buy one get one free."

William, unsurprisingly, refused.

Lyle didn't bring it up again.