A night of silence.
Old Matt had already come back from outside at dawn.
But I saw that he was carrying a bulging linen bag, which contained a dozen pieces of thick bread, a small jar of pickles, two pieces of bacon wrapped in oil paper, and an old water bag.
"That's all. There isn't much leftover food in the village."
Old Matt put the sack on the table and took out a pair of old leather boots from the bottom of the bag and handed it to Saira, "There are many leeches in the swamp, so wear long boots."
Saira took the boots and looked through them. The soles of the boots were worn down to a thin layer, but the advantage was that the shafts were long enough to protect the knees and above.
She put on her boots and tried a few steps before smacking her lips. "It's okay."
Lin Ze took out a pair of long Dragon Hide boots from his Undetectable Extension Box and changed them, then checked the wand and antidote again.
Old Matt watched him playing with the wooden stick. He moved his lips twice and couldn't help but asked, "Can that thing deal with monsters?"
"Of course." Lin Ze inserted the wand back into his waist.
Old Matt shook his head, took down a bundle of dried reed sticks from the wall, and handed it to Saira: "After entering the swamp, find a place to stick it every time you walk. It will be easier to recognize when you come back. If you find that the water has changed color, just go back quickly, no matter how far you have walked."
"What does it mean when water changes color?"
"There are poisonous gases emitting from some places deep in the swamp. The water will turn green and muddy. If you take two puffs, you will faint. If you lose consciousness in the swamp, the consequences are likely to be serious. Elphias Doge."
Saira nodded and took note, then tied the reed poles to the side of the backpack.
Although Lin Ze thinks this thing is of little use, he still respects some of Muggle's strategies for dealing with dangers. If it really doesn't work, he might as well take action himself when the time comes.
The two left the cabin and walked a short distance north to the edge of the swamp.
The pony is tied up in the shed behind Old Matt's house.
Saira patted the horse's neck, and the horse nuzzled her shoulders with its nose and drooped its ears, as if it knew it couldn't follow this section.
A thin layer of white mist evaporates from the water surface of the swamp, slowly drifting eastward against the water surface.
The two followed the route on the Old Matt map and first walked west along the edge of the swamp before finding the entrance.
Both sides of the waterway are covered with reeds that are taller than a person.
Lin Ze walked in front, used his wand to push aside the reed leaves blocking the road, and stepped on the water. The mud under his feet suddenly became extremely hard as Lin Ze stepped in. Lin Ze walked on it as if walking on flat ground.
Sela who was following behind looked at Lin Ze who had already walked a distance in surprise. No, no one told me that witchcraft is so easy to use and so convenient?
"Who taught you wizards the witchcraft? You can't be born with it, right?" Sela asked curiously.
"Of course not. Although some wizards are extremely talented, most of them require systematic study to master some daily Charms uses. We have special schools for learning."
Saira seemed to have discovered a new world. As he walked, he asked curiously, "Then what do you wizards learn? Is your school in a remote forest?"
"Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Astronomy, History of Magic, and Defence Against Dark Magic."
"Our school is located on an open highland and is very majestic."
"Impossible! If there is such a magic school, it's impossible that we haven't heard of it! You must be lying to me!" Sela said angrily. She felt that Lin Ze was talking nonsense and bullied her because she didn't know anything.
"Really, what I said is true. If our school could be seen by ordinary people casually, it wouldn't be called a magic academy." Lin Ze said a little funny.
He knows that the current Hogwarts has not been established yet, but this does not prevent him from showing off in front of Saira.
Of course, everything he said was true, but in Sela's opinion, it was just bragging.
"It sounds much more complicated than patrol training." Sela said.
"Then what kind of training does your patrol team usually do?"
"Running, practicing swordsmanship, mountain climbing, running with weights, occasionally engaging in confrontation drills, patrolling the the North border every year, and fighting a few small battles with the remaining barbarian tribes."
Lin Ze looked back at her, Saira's expression was very dull, this was their daily life.
After walking for about half an hour, the water channel gradually widened, and the water in front opened up, revealing several small mounds covered with moss.
The two of them followed Old Matt's instructions and took the narrowest turn.
Lin Ze walked in front and kept solidifying the ground with his wand. Saira watched his movements from behind and suddenly asked, "What kind of wood is your stick made of?"
"Yew."
"Yew? Are all your wizards' wands made of this tree?"
"No, wizards also have their own temperaments and talents. The wand I use was made by a wand-making master and sold to me after being pawned for a long time. There is a saying in our wizarding world that the wand chooses its master."
"You mean, it has its own consciousness?"
"Probably... the most spiritual time I have seen it so far was actually the moment it chose me." Lin Ze shrugged.
Yew, Dragon Heartstring, this is his wand configuration.
Saira didn't ask any more questions, but there was something more in Lin Ze's eyes.
At noon, the two found a larger mound to rest.
There is a willow tree with a crooked neck growing on the mound. The trunk is thick and the branches hang down almost to the water.
Saira took out the thick flour pancake from his backpack, broke it in half, and handed half to Lin Ze.
Lin Ze took two bites. The cake was very cold. After biting my lips and teeth, I felt my teeth were sore.
"Incendio"
Lin Ze controlled the tip of the staff to emit a small flame.
He raised the dough over the fire and toasted it. The dough quickly turned brown and the originally dry and hard dough became softer.
Saira looked at his operation, his eyes lit up. "Wow, that's amazing."
"You haven't seen wizards here using fire magic?"
"I've seen them before, but they usually use flames to burn houses or light fires in the woods. This is the first time I've seen wizards use such a small flame to bake cakes."
Lin Ze handed her the baked cake and picked up another piece to continue baking.
"If you bake it like this, won't this stick be burned by the fire?" Sela still asked the question in his heart.
"No, the wood used to make wands has been treated with magic. As long as there is magic flowing inside, they are generally not afraid of water and fire."
"Oh~"Sela nodded in understanding.
Then the two of them just leaned against the willow tree and ate the baked bread in their hands.
In front of us is an endless gray-green swamp, with occasional egrets flying low over the water.
"Why did you agree to help me?" Saira suddenly asked.
"Didn't you give me a bone?"
"That bone is important to you?"
Lin Ze swallowed the cake in his mouth and thought for a moment, "Of course it's important."
Saira tilted his head and looked at him, with the corner of his mouth slightly raised. "I thought wizards were all aloof and looked down upon ordinary people."
"What kind of wizards have you met before?"
Saira's smile faded a little, "My father was a lord. When I was very young, a wizard came to the castle. He was dressed in black, with rings on his fingers. When he walked, he raised his chin so that his nostrils could be seen."
"My father invited him to drink, but he threw the glass on the ground, saying that this bad wine was not worthy of his status."
"Didn't your father kick him out?"
"No, the wizard recited a spell and froze the entire wine table into ice. Father did not dare to make any move anymore."