Passing through the Twisted Forest, Richard arrived at a valley. The valley floor was surrounded by black rocks, with sparse shrubs and wild grass growing from the cracks between them. Yet deep within the valley, dense clusters of black crystals covered the ground.
Richard took a closer look and sucked in a sharp breath.
Weren't those black crystal clusters the Magic Stones he used every day?
Magic Stones growing straight from the ground—if anyone said such a thing in today's Wizard World, they would absolutely be taken for a madman.
"Unbelievable, unbelievable. There must be at least a million Magic Stones in a valley like this." Richard marveled, then entered the valley floor, intending to inspect the Magic Stone vein more closely.
And take a few Magic Stones while he was at it.
In the current Wizard World, no mineable Magic Stone veins remained. All Magic Stones in circulation came from other worlds.
As he ventured deeper into the valley, Richard studied every crystal cluster with extreme care.
Observe, learn—this was how a wizard's knowledge accumulated, bit by bit.
Perhaps some tiny detail would become the breakthrough he needed when he faced difficulties in the future.
As Richard went farther in, he suddenly spotted a heap of bones. The bones were buried beneath fallen Magic Stones; one would never notice them without walking close.
"Something's wrong. Why are these Magic Stones..."
Suddenly, Richard's hairs stood on end. His body instinctively tipped backward, and the Bloodline Seed in his heart awakened in an instant.
Clang!
A long worm pinned itself into the spot where Richard had just stood.
The worm was covered from head to tail in crystalline scales resembling Magic Stones. Blended into this Magic Stone mine, it was utterly inconspicuous.
"Not good."
Richard saw the Magic Stones atop the