The Malicious Ley Line Guardian

"...Lanlos, can you hear me? You rascal? You jerk?" Seeing no response, Vereesa's voice grew increasingly anxious.

"Ah, I can hear you." A flash of clarity crossed his vacant eyes. Lanlos's voice sounded raspy, like a patient paralyzed for years, taking quite a while to recover.

Standing up, the High Elf mage never took his eyes off the crystal in his hand: "How long have I been like this?"

"A few minutes. No matter how I called you, you didn't respond. What happened?" Relieved, Vereesa showed a rare moment of concern.

Under normal circumstances, Lanlos wouldn't have minded teasing her, but now...

Narrowing his eyes, the young elf frowned deeply. Countless questions plagued his mind—this was no good omen.

"We must head back to the Western Temple." Lanlos tore a strip from his robe, wrapped the crystal, and hung it at his waist. "I feel like something is about to happen."

"But it's already late..." She pointed at the sun, which was nearly sinking into the sea, but her words were cut short.

"We travel through the night. We must return as soon as possible." The doubt and unease in his heart urged Lanlos forward; he didn't even have the mind to sit and tend to his wounds.

Thinking of his injuries, his gaze subconsciously drifted to Vereesa's foot: "How is your leg?"

"Thankfully, no broken bones."

"Do you want me to carry you?"

"Get lost!"

Traveling through the night was not a wise choice. Even with the White Lady casting her bright moonlight, the canopy obscured most of it, leaving the path ahead for the two elves in near-total darkness.

"I'm telling you, wouldn't it be better to take the main road?" With the chirping of insects in his ears, the near-impenetrable darkness made Vereesa feel inexplicably panicked.

The Eversong Woods were not safe at night. Setting aside the risk of disturbing resting beasts, Vereesa had heard countless rumors of ghost sightings.

When the High Elf first landed on this land, they fought their way from Silvermoon City all the way to Zul'Aman. While this forest looked resplendent, the soil deep beneath buried the remains of countless High Elf martyrs and Forest Trolls.

This was the other side of this golden forest, and the side that made Vereesa timid.

Today's emotional roller coaster had left her feeling neurotic. The young elf felt as if countless eyes were watching her from the surrounding darkness, as if at any moment some creature might tap her on the shoulder from behind, only for her to turn around and...

Still just a child. Watching the girl draw closer to him, Lanlos couldn't help but reveal a faint smile.

The past two days had shown him the strong and brave side of this girl, but also her immaturity and timidity. At the same time, the memory of her sobbing against his chest was etched into his mind forever.

Stopping abruptly, Lanlos narrowed his eyes, his smile vanishing instantly, replaced by gravity and solemnity.

"Why did you stop?" Because of her leg injury, Vereesa was trailing behind and nearly bumped into his back.

"There's something ahead." The soft whisper sounded like he was talking to himself. Leaving Vereesa with goosebumps, Lanlos immediately began to sneak forward cautiously.

"Are you serious?" She really didn't want to follow, but compared to staying here alone, Vereesa gritted her teeth and summoned the courage to move forward.

As it turned out, Lanlos wasn't imagining things.

"Awoo!" The ethereal, lingering sound was stifling—familiar and piercing.

Lanlos peeked out from the bushes, his brow furrowing. Sure enough, a Mana Wraith had appeared ahead, and it wasn't alone—there was a whole pack!

This was a rare hollow in the woods without maple trees, overgrown with weeds and moss clinging to buildings that had been abandoned for years. By the moonlight, one could barely make out the Phoenix Emblem in the cracks of the ivy.

Without dwelling on the origin of the ruins, Lanlos's attention was completely drawn to what was inside the circle of Mana Wraith.

Even rusted and covered in moss, the complex inscriptions on its body were still visible, though worn thin by the passage of time. It had a tall, humanoid frame, a flat, round steel head, and its heavily dulled arm blades were covered in runes. Yet, this enchantment, which should have lost its energy long ago, was once again emitting a brilliant glow.

An Arcane Construct—the crystallization of High Elf wisdom, a powerful construct created by combining arcane and engineering alchemy. Even the lowest-grade Arcane Construct possessed strength comparable to a mid-level professional, and its steel body offered high resistance to both physical and magical attacks. If not for their high cost, they might have replaced the Dawnblade Knights as the strongest ground force of the High Elf.

Although this construct looked horrific on the outside, and years of neglect made its every movement emit a heart-wrenching screech of metal, in the moment of slaughter, it was like a new being!

Beep! Beep!

The light on its head, which provided vision, flickered constantly, turning a vivid crimson as it faced the Mana Wraith.

"...Enemy... Eradicate..."

Raising its arms, the glowing runes became dazzling. A brilliant, pale purple light erupted, and a spherical wave of arcane energy expanded rapidly, swallowing all the Mana Wraith in the blink of an eye.

It was a familiar sight, but compared to the mana explosion after an Arcane Aberration died, the energy of this spell was more controlled and solid.

A third-tier spell, Arcane Explosion Spell. While its damage was inferior to a Pyroblast, its range was significantly larger. Moreover, the stable arcane energy was very safe; not only was it difficult to counter or interrupt, but the release of an Arcane Explosion Spell also created a shield-like effect, providing resistance against most energy and ranged attacks.

But none of that was the most important part—what made it so desirable was its powerful crowd-clearing ability.

The strong wind made his gray-white hair flutter. Lanlos watched the group of Mana Wraith dissipate into the air and silently retreated.

The two of them were not strong enough to fight an Arcane Construct, especially since this thing also carried the scent of a Conduit Crystal. Lanlos had no desire to court death.

He glanced at Vereesa, and the two of them moved away in silent, tacit agreement. At the same time, that feeling of doubt and unease grew stronger in Lanlos's heart. The Arcane Aberration was one thing, but how did a broken-down construct manage to find and utilize a Conduit Crystal?

"Very good. Your efficiency is much higher than I imagined." At this moment, Velania put away her usual playful demeanor. Her serious face made Lanlos waver in his own judgment.

"I have a question I don't quite understand. You said the Conduit Crystal was ejected—is this the first time this has happened?" Cutting straight to the point, Lanlos opened the cloth wrapping the crystal, its deep blue surface constantly radiating a rich magical aura. "Why hasn't this been an issue before?"

"That's right, it's the first time." Giving the crystal in his hand a meaningful look, Velania said solemnly: "I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or... man-made..."

Seeing Velania take out an identical crystal, Lanlos wasn't overly surprised, but for some reason, he didn't mention the Arcane Construct.

"Before you returned here, I found this on the other side of the coast." Without the joy of recovering a Conduit Crystal, the Ley Line guardian's face was full of worry. "I discovered that some of its internal structures have changed, but I've only been in this position for a few years and have no way to fully understand the reason."

"The issue behind this is likely far from simple... We must uncover exactly what has gone wrong with the crystal. The guardians of the other temples might be able to help us find the answer."

"But at a time like this, I must hold my post. I need your help."

"What do you mean?" Brows knitting together, Lanlos stared straight into her eyes.

"You must take the crystal to the Eastern Temple. Landra Sunstrider should be able to uncover the clues with the local scholars. As for your students," Velania noted his concern and shifted her gaze to the crystal in her hand, "I have already sent word. They will return here soon, and I will have them head north back to the academy. At the same time, this crystal also needs someone to bring it to the Northern Temple."

"Understood. I will set out at once." Stowing the crystal away, Lanlos nodded and prepared to turn away.

"Hey, young man, have you forgotten something?"

Turning back to see Velania playfully eyeing his attire, Lanlos realized immediately. Although he had bandaged his wounds, his robes were tattered, revealing large patches of his sturdy, wheat-colored skin.

"Your build is not much different from my apprentice's; I trust his robes will fit you well." Glancing at the silver-haired ranger beside Lanlos, Velania paused. "At the same time, I will prepare transport for your journey."

You? Lanlos looked back to see Vereesa watching him with a provocative smile.

Watching the Strider carry the two elves away in a cloud of dust, the corners of Velania's mouth curled slowly upward, and a flash of emerald light darted through her eyes.

Had Lanlos seen it, he would have been utterly astonished; that aura was one he knew all too well!