Eye of Death

The "advanced" political system of the Land of Wizards left Lynn clicking his tongue in amazement. They had actually moved so quickly into a democratic parliamentary system.

But after thinking it over, he found it only natural. A high-ranking wizard was an army unto himself; denying such people corresponding rights would be nothing more than courting unrest.

Thus, a wizard's status there was practically equivalent to that of a noble!

"Once we reach the port, you'll definitely be stunned by what you see there," Laud said with deep feeling.

Over the years, he had visited the Land of Wizards several times. It was like a farmer who had lived in a village his entire life suddenly arriving in Victnil—the shock was simply beyond words.

"Then I'm certainly looking forward to seeing it," Lynn said with a smile.

As the two chatted, a sailor suddenly approached and whispered a few words into Laud's ear.

Laud waved the sailor away and respectfully asked, "That witch has awakened. Do you plan to go see her?"

Lynn nodded. He happened to have many questions for Joanne, so he quickly headed toward the cabin.

Watching Lynn's departing figure, Laud had no intention of following. Instead, he raised his head toward the foggy sky, where droplets of rain fell through the white mist onto the deck.

This bit of wind and rain would not affect their voyage, but Laud felt faintly uneasy. To evade the Church's pursuit, they had departed far too late this year.

He could only hope it would quiet down a little before they crossed this stretch of sea...

Lynn followed the sailor deep into the ship's interior. The wooden vessel swayed constantly, and a faint stench of decay hung in the air.

Fortunately, he had long grown accustomed to the terrible sanitation of this medieval era. Besides, this was already considered good—at least Laud had arranged separate cabins for them, so they did not have to squeeze in with the other sailors.

"Wizard, it's here!" The sailor leading the way stopped before a cabin door. Looking at Lynn, he could not help recalling the horrific scene in Harbor Town, and a trace of fear showed in his eyes.

Lynn paid it no mind and pushed the door open.

It was a cabin only a few square meters wide. The silver-gray-haired witch leaned against the wooden bedframe, gazing at the ocean obscured by mist beyond the window. Faint light spilled through the opening onto the girl's pale cheeks, lending her a sickly sort of beauty.

Perhaps having heard the door open, Joanne turned her head. Half her delicate profile was hidden in shadow. Looking at Lynn as he entered and walked to the bedside, the girl remained silent for a long while before suddenly speaking.

"White Dove is dead!"

Lynn paused, then replied softly, "I froze her body. Perhaps the important figures in the Land of Wizards might have some way to help."

Though he said so, Lynn knew the hope was exceedingly slim. Leaving aside whether those powerful wizards possessed such an ability, even if they did, they were unlikely to save a mere Wizard Apprentice.

He had done it partly because White Dove, who was usually terrified of death, had actually dared to enter Harbor Town to "rescue" him despite facing what was practically certain death. That had moved Lynn somewhat.

Secondly, the unknown energy absorbed by the intelligent brain last night had also greatly concerned him.

Joanne seemed not to hear him and continued repeating the words in a low voice.

Lynn sighed inwardly. In the girl's current state, he feared he would not be able to learn anything from her. Just as he was about to tell Joanne to get some rest, a soft, faintly warm body crashed into his arms.

Lynn froze. Before he could react, the sound of the girl sobbing reached his ears.

"White Dove is dead... Teacher is dead too... and Kent, Will, Buck, Barton..."

With every name she called, Joanne's voice caught a little more. Her shoulders trembled without stop, crystal tears streaked down her cheeks and soaked Lynn's robe, while she spoke in broken, choked fragments about everything that had happened in the Nordland Territory.

After their whereabouts had been discovered by the Church, Coru had originally had a chance to escape. But for her sake, he had chosen to stay behind and cover their retreat.

That was why she had survived. Before leaving, she had promised her teacher that she would bring every apprentice safely back to the Land of Wizards. Yet apart from the two of them, everyone else had died...

Lynn stood quietly without interrupting her outpouring. He understood that what Joanne needed now was simply an outlet, a way to release all the fear, grief, and despair she had accumulated over more than ten days and could not speak of to others.

The intermittent sobbing continued for over ten minutes before Joanne gradually calmed down. Only then did she realize that she was holding Lynn, and that his clothes had already been soaked through with tears.

Embarrassed, the girl released her arms. The atmosphere in the cabin immediately became somewhat awkward. Joanne hurriedly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said softly,

"If Teacher had chosen to take you to the main city of the Nordland Territory back then, perhaps everything would have been different."

"You think too highly of me, Joanne." Lynn shook his head. At that time, he had not yet transmigrated. With the original Carl's abilities, he would most likely have been captured along with them.

"Besides, you already did enough. You did well enough," Lynn said earnestly. Joanne was no tactical master, nor was she a crafty old hand like Laud.

In Carl's memories, she had merely been a girl with some talent for magic who liked to sit beneath shady trees and read.

It had been unrealistic from the start for Coru to place the lives of all those Wizard Apprentices in Joanne's hands.

Joanne did not respond to Lynn's comfort. Instead, she pressed her lips together and asked, "Back in Ur Town, why did you choose to stay behind alone and face that Archbishop?"

This question had been haunting her mind. Though they were both Coru's apprentices, they had not been particularly close in daily life. Yet in Ur Town, Lynn had been willing to face danger alone and leave the path to survival to them.

Of course it was because you standing there would have seriously gotten in the way...

The words reached Lynn's lips, but he forcibly swallowed them and instead said more tactfully, "I wasn't completely confident against Antioch, and I couldn't possibly divide my attention to protect you."

Joanne stared blankly at Lynn and opened her mouth to say something. Suddenly, the previously steady cabin lurched violently, and the unprepared pair nearly slammed headfirst into the wooden wall.

Before Lynn could steady himself, waves of terrified screams came from the deck above.

"Eye of Death... it's the Eye of Death!"

(PS: I originally wanted to split this into a new volume, but I clicked the wrong button. I'll split it next chapter instead. Also, it's a new month—please vote, recommend, bookmark, and keep reading! Tips would be even better...)

Thanks to reader Ye Ge for the 2,000 Qidian Coin tip; Bookworm Loves Library and dsf23dd for the 1,500 Qidian Coin tips; reader 20190917071457184 and Mumu Is a Monster for the 500 Qidian Coin tips; and Xixixi Xi for the 100 Qidian Coin tip.