In the basement, several wizards held their staffs, their gazes firmly locked on the suddenly appearing black crow.
It wasn't that they didn't want to use their mental powers to lock onto it; rather, their mental probes found no trace of this crow. Neither magical detection nor sound wave detection revealed any sign of the black crow.
If it weren't for the fact that they could see the crow with their own eyes and feel the pressure it exerted on them, they would have almost thought it was an illusion.
"Caw, why is there a group of wizards?" the black crow exclaimed, looking somewhat astonished at the wizards in the basement.
Upon hearing the crow speak in the language of wizards, several of them were left puzzled.
How could this crow speak the language of wizards, and it didn't seem like a species from the Crimson Sun World either.
"Could this imposing black crow be a magic pet of some wizard?"
An astonishing guess flashed through the minds of the wizards.
However, the third-ring wizards from Luxor Province and the surrounding areas were all present in this basement, so logically, there shouldn't be any third-ring wizards passing through this place.
"What are you, and how did you end up underground?" the old wizard Theodore was the first to speak.
"Caw, who are you calling 'what'? Old fossil," the black crow replied angrily, "Can't you see that I am... a crow?!"
Theodore was taken aback by the crow's tone; what kind of creature was this crow, to be so audacious in front of so many wizards?
"Master, there's no need to waste words with this aberration."
A wizard radiating a life force like the sun interjected.
This wizard stared at the black crow, a hint of greedy drool appearing at the corner of his mouth. Wizards specializing in physical evolution had an instinctive craving for the flesh and blood of high-level creatures; a third-ring creature was a rare delicacy for them.
This was a primal reaction from deep within their bloodlines; some wizards chose to overcome it, like Richard, while others chose to indulge.
Saying this, the wizard reached out a large hand, intending to capture the black crow.
In his hand, numerous mysterious runes emerged from his flesh, forming a net of runes that aimed to ensnare the crow.
"Caw, you want to eat me!"
Seeing a wizard making a move and drooling at him, the black crow instantly flared up.
"I'm really giving you face!"
With that, the black crow did not dodge or evade; one of its claws rapidly expanded and clasped the wizard's large hand.
In the next moment, a scream erupted from the wizard as black-blue flames ignited on his palm. Beneath the flames, the hand of this third-ring wizard, who followed the path of physical evolution, instantly turned into a puddle of rotting flesh, and his recovery ability had no effect on this injury.
The physical wizard tried to retract his hand, but it was firmly locked by the crow's claw.
The other wizards watched this scene in silence, none daring to intervene.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the black crow had not used lethal force; it was merely teaching the attacking wizard a lesson.
Before long, the entire hand of the physical wizard was reduced to nothing but white bones.
Seeing that the lesson had been sufficiently imparted, Theodore, who had been watching the spectacle, finally spoke up: "Crow, please bring your master out."
The black crow glanced at Theodore, then released its claw and returned to the ground.
Soon, a wizard in a black robe flew out from the ground.
The wizard's robe had a shading aura, making it difficult for the other wizards to discern his true nature, but his face was quite unfamiliar. Third-ring wizards were a small circle; apart from a few, most third-ring wizards from a Floating City knew each other.
But one thing was certain: that black crow had indeed belonged to this wizard.
Because the crow was now perched on the left shoulder of the black-robed wizard.
This plane war had mobilized two Floating Cities, both sides infiltrating the Linksa Empire; this wizard might be from the other Floating City.
Richard looked at the several wizards in the basement, suppressing the panic in his heart, and spoke in a calm tone: "Masters, I happened to arrive here by chance. If I have offended you, please forgive me. May I ask what this place is?"
...
Looking at this mysterious black-robed wizard, the many wizards exchanged glances, and ultimately, it was Theodore who spoke up.
"My friend, this is the Luxor Province of the Linksa Empire, in the city of Luxor. Although this place is not considered the core of the Linksa Empire, if you are lost, it would be quite difficult to end up here."
Richard was taken aback; he hadn't expected to have wandered into the territory of the Linksa Empire. But upon reflection, it seemed quite reasonable.
The Red Earth Plain was not far from the Linksa Empire, and he had been swimming in the sea of magma for so long that it was quite normal to end up in the area of the Linksa Empire.
"So I have wandered into the Linksa Empire. Thank you for your explanation, Master." Richard politely performed a wizard's salute to Theodore.
This old wizard, nearing the end of his life, was generally respected by wizards below the rank of Great Wizard.
Richard's politeness pleased Theodore; although he was somewhat unsure of Richard's strength, the impressive crow indicated that this black-robed wizard was likely not weak.
After all, in the wizarding world, it was common for magic pets to be weaker than their wizards.
The respect of the strong was always gratifying.
Theodore smiled and humorously said, "My friend, it seems you need a compass."
The other wizards chuckled along with him.
The atmosphere in the basement lightened considerably.
"A compass probably won't help me," Richard shrugged helplessly, "the sea of magma has magnetic interference."
"The sea of magma?" the wizard, whose body was almost composed of flames, suddenly spoke up, "Did you come from the underground sea of magma?"
Richard nodded, "Indeed."
Upon Richard's admission, the expressions of the wizards in the basement shifted slightly.
This black-robed wizard didn't seem like a wizard specializing in fire elements, but who else would venture into the sea of magma besides those who studied fire elements?
Moreover, from Richard's words, it seemed he had spent some time in that sea of magma; otherwise, he wouldn't be so disoriented.
"Doesn't sound like the truth."
A thought flashed through the minds of several wizards simultaneously.
But since they were all Black Wizards, they were discreet about each other's secrets.
Regardless of why Richard had come to this underground basement, he was still a wizard.
They were currently in a foreign realm, and even more so, behind enemy lines. At this moment, any wizard was a friend, a comrade; a suddenly appearing wizard only brought benefits, not drawbacks.
"Since our friend is unwilling to share, we won't pry. But since you have inadvertently arrived in our basement, why not listen to our plan and see if you would like to join us?" Theodore said with a smile.
"Join the plan?"
Richard looked at the table in the center of the basement, where a very detailed map was laid out.
Without a doubt, these third-ring wizards were plotting something significant.
But given his current situation... it seemed he had no way to refuse.
Not to mention the physical wizard beside him, who was eyeing him like a hawk; just considering his position made it difficult to stay uninvolved.
He was now in the heart of Luxor Province, in the city of Luxor, which he had heard Iyad mention was an important province of the Linksa Empire, where the Dragon Beast Knight Order of the Linksa Empire was stationed.
In such a militarily significant province, it would be very difficult for him to return to the wizarding domain quietly without the help of these third-ring wizards.
He was currently behind enemy lines, and if discovered, he would surely face the pursuit of the Linksa Empire's Fire Lizards.
Although he had Ulysses as a helper, the fact that this helper occasionally needed to sleep made him somewhat unreliable.
After a moment of contemplation, Richard made his decision.
"Masters, what significant matter are you planning? Could you share it with me?"
Seeing that Richard did not outright refuse, Theodore knew the matter was settled.
He smiled and said, "We are planning to attack the Dragon Beast Breeding Base of the Dragon Beast Knight Order. This base is of utmost importance to the Dragon Beast Knight Order; if we succeed, our future war against the Linksa Empire will be much easier.
We were just about to hold a vote."
With that, Theodore scanned the entire basement.
"Everyone, let's raise our hands to vote."
After a moment of consideration, four of the third-ring wizards raised their hands, bringing the count to five in favor, including Theodore, against three.
"The result is clear," Theodore smiled, turning to Richard, "Friend, would you like to join us?"
"Ahem, I knew you were plotting something significant; I just didn't know what the benefits would be..."
Although Richard had already decided to participate in this operation, he felt it necessary to play along.
Wizards would not engage in activities where the risks did not match the rewards.
"As for the benefits... I wonder if you have heard of [The Lost Ones]." Theodore's voice lowered, as if he were revealing some significant secret.
[The Lost Ones]? Richard searched his memory and confirmed that he had never heard of this name.
"I would like to hear more."
A hint of confusion flashed in Theodore's eyes; logically, a third-ring wizard should have some knowledge of [The Lost Ones]. How could this wizard not know?
However, Theodore did not dwell on it, thinking Richard might have just recently advanced to third-ring wizard status and participated in the plane war, or perhaps he had not sought a nominal teaching position at an academy after becoming a third-ring wizard.
The impression left by Ulysses was too profound; how could the master of such a creature be weak?
Theodore briefly explained, "Explaining [The Lost Ones] is quite complex; you can find an academy to learn about it later. To summarize, [The Lost Ones] were creatures that dominated this world long before we were born. This group of beings mysteriously disappeared in ancient times for some unknown reason, but the things they created did not vanish.
The Dragon Beast Breeding Base we are planning to attack may possess treasures left behind by [The Lost Ones].
These treasures would be immensely beneficial whether studied by ourselves or offered to a Great Wizard."
Upon hearing Theodore's explanation, Richard immediately understood what this so-called [The Lost Ones] was.
Wasn't it the Precursors? He was very familiar with them.
He hadn't expected that these Fire Lizards would retain instruments from the Precursors; this was truly an unexpected delight.
"I see, I will join this plan."
(End of Chapter)