Read Novel Full Chapter 788 - 4: Long Time No See
Chapter 788: Chapter 4: Long Time No See
A few days later, deep within a dense and remote forest to the west of the Saladin Kingdom.
The sunlight was fragmented by layer upon layer of heavy foliage, casting mottled spots of light underneath. The air was filled with the scent of earth and decaying leaves, but at this moment, the tranquility was completely shattered.
Squads of Knights clad in silver armor, emblazoned with the Libra emblem on their chests, and clergy dressed in various colored priest robes, were cautiously threading through the woods in a battle formation, searching carefully.
The "crack" of metal boots snapping twigs, the "rustle" of leather armor rubbing, and the low utterances of orders echoed intermittently.
"Third squad, report! Have you completed the search of your designated sector?" A Knight Captain whispered into the communication crystal.
"There are fresh trample marks on the thicket to the east! Two people, come and inspect carefully!"
"Pay attention to the residue of sensing energy! Lord Priest, please investigate any unusual spiritual disturbances in this area."
"Has this area been searched? Is there any chance of missing anything?" A High-Level Priest sharply inquired of the subordinate nearby, eyes sharply scanning every potential hiding spot.
The tense atmosphere permeated the forest.
After a while, a Libra Knight quickly traversed the forest, arriving at a relatively open clearing in the center. There, a priestess wearing a white High-Level Priest robe with elaborate gold trim stood silently, her posture upright, gazing serenely at a hovering map formed by luminous patterns before her.
The knight stopped before her, clenched his right fist against his left chest, and respectfully reported: "Lady Lanice, the seventh search squad has sent word from the northeast, about three kilometers away at the valley’s edge. Their ’True Knowledge Orb’ detected faint, unnatural spiritual power fluctuations, similar to those disturbances that appeared in Glory City, only more elusive."
The person before them, Lanice, was the shy girl who had once expressed affection for Lynch, her peer who entered the Shadow Tower as an apprentice in the same year.
One or two hundred years have passed, yet astonishingly, time seemed to scarcely leave any marks on her face; she maintained her youthful appearance. Only the occasional depth in her serene eyes spoke of the passage of time with a hint of worldly maturity.
Upon hearing the knight’s report, Lanice’s slim eyebrow moved imperceptibly, but her expression remained calm and undisturbed. She slightly nodded, her voice clear and penetrating, transmitted to the ears of knights and priests responsible for the command nearby:
"Relay the order; all units follow the predetermined Plan Two actions. All clergy units, immediately deploy the ’Silence Barrier’ on the outskirts, isolating energy and information transmission inside and out. Once formed, gradually tighten towards the valley detected with fluctuations."
"All knight units, coordinate with the pace of the barrier’s contraction, moving towards the central region to form a siege."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over them, her tone laden with unmistakable authority:
"Emphasize to everyone, this enemy is extraordinarily powerful. No one should venture recklessly, leave the cover of the barrier or act on their own! Strictly cooperate with the clergy’s pace, advance steadily, ensuring utmost security! Any anomalies, report immediately, not a single delay!"
"Yes!" The knight solemnly accepted the order and immediately turned to convey the instructions.
The combat deployment swiftly commenced. The priests on the outskirts raised their magic wands or holy emblems, chanting lowly, streams of holy light emanating from them, rippling outwards, ultimately weaving into a semi-transparent, faintly suppressive large light shield at the forest’s edge— the ’Silence Barrier’ had taken shape.
As the barrier was established, priests began advancing steadily towards the forest interior, maintaining the barrier’s stability, tightening it inward like drawing a net.
Knights in silver armor followed closely within the barrier’s perimeter, swords drawn and shields ready, sharp eyes scanning the dimly lit forest, synchronized with the barrier’s tightening pace, compressing step by step towards the center area.
During the march, the Knight Captain who had reported to Lanice couldn’t help but quietly inquire again: "Lady Lanice, what level of existence is this enemy...liable to require such an array?"
Lanice’s gaze remained fixed on the deep forest ahead, her voice steady yet with a subtle, unnoticeable weight: "It’s unclear for now. But judging by the intensity of the spiritual disturbance left at Glory City and the ease with which it avoids early detection, it’s at least a Mid-level Wizard, if not... possibly a High-Level Wizard."
Upon hearing this, the knight captain didn’t show fear; instead, he flashed a bloodthirsty grin: "A High-Level Wizard? Ha! It’s rare to hook a big fish! Now these remnants of wizard families have grown clever, hiding in shadows and sewers, like true mice making themselves scarce, it’s truly vexing!"
Lanice glanced at him, her eyes chilly: "Do not take this lightly. Any wizard reaching this level is anything but simple. Any slack can result in the cost of life."
However, just as her words fell—
"Buzz!"
The communication stone on the chest of the Knight Captain suddenly vibrated violently, and the urgent shout of excitement, tinged with the discovery of a target, came from the reconnaissance squad ahead:
"Lord Lanice! Third Squad reporting! We’ve found him! Right in the valley ahead... Ah?! What’s happening... my body... I... I can’t move?! What the hell is this... Ah—!!!"
The excited voice abruptly transformed into extreme astonishment, then turned into inescapable fear, and finally, it was completely replaced by a heartrending scream filled with agony!
The communication abruptly ceased, leaving only the monotone buzz from the communication stone, signaling a lost connection.
Lanice’s expression changed abruptly, her long-maintained calm instantly shattered. A flash of fierce determination appeared in her eyes, and without a moment of hesitation, she shouted, "Quick! Follow me!"
Before her voice had even faded, a powerful spiritual force field had already rippled around her, and she shot towards the source of the scream like an arrow leaving the bowstring. The Knight Captain and elite guards behind her also felt a chill in their hearts, immediately bursting forth at their fastest speed to follow Lanice, charging towards the area suddenly shrouded by the shadow of death.
Lanice led the knights just to the entrance of the valley, not even having time to see the situation inside, when an immense spiritual force field, as vast as if originating from the world’s core, erupted from the depths of the valley like the breath of an ancient sleeping deity!
This power was not a violent impact but carried an absolute, indisputable majesty. Lanice felt as though all colors in her vision were mercilessly stripped away in an instant—the evergreen of the trees, the ochre of the soil, the silver of armor.
The entire world plunged into a deathly silent gray and white. The knights around her, maintaining their charging postures, and the priests chanting to sustain the barrier, were all frozen in place as if insects sealed in invisible amber, even the ripples of their robes clear to see.
Time had been forcibly paused!
"This... what is this?!" Lanice’s heart shook violently, her soul trembling at this moment. She instantly realized this was a power far beyond what any ordinary wizard could possess, coming from a higher realm.
A secret skill... no, more than that!
A domain! This was an absolute power that only a supreme being who had stepped into the domain level could wield, to rewrite local reality with their will!
The shock was like icy water poured over her, leaving her whole body cold. A Domain Wizard? How could one appear here? To her knowledge, within the remaining forces of the Wizard Family, there shouldn’t exist anyone of domain-level strength! This completely exceeded the Church’s estimations and overturned her understanding.
However, what puzzled her even more was that in this gray and frozen world, she found herself still able to think and move! It was as if this power had deliberately let her off.
Moreover, under her feet, a path about two people wide, bizarrely retained vibrant colors—the deep brown of the earth, the tender green of the grass, and even the slight colors of the wildflowers scattered within were vividly clear.
This vividly colored path, like a luxurious carpet laid by an invisible force, extended straight and unequivocally into the depths of the valley, as if an unspoken invitation or, perhaps, a guide.
Lanice’s heart beat like a drum. She hesitated for a moment, knowing well that in the presence of a domain-level being, any resistance or escape might be pointless. She took a deep breath and finally decided to follow this only path of color, stepping towards the interior of the valley.
Passing through an area seemingly divided by an invisible boundary, the scene before her suddenly opened up. Inside the valley, unaffected by the external gray and lifelessness, it remained vibrantly colorful! The sunlight was warm, the birds chirped crisply, and the air was filled with the refreshing scent of flowers and fresh grass. A clear lake, like a sapphire, lay in the center of the valley, sparkling in the light.
And by the lakeside, a young man in a simple wizard robe was squatting, his back to her, gently playing with a naive fawn, seeming so relaxed as if merely strolling in his backyard.
Seemingly sensing her presence, the man slowly stood up and turned around.
When that familiar face with a calm smile and gray eyes profound as the starry sky unexpectedly appeared in Lanice’s view—
Lanice was shaken to her core.
Even if it was just a momentary glimpse, even across nearly two centuries, Lanice recognized him immediately.
Memories buried for nearly a hundred years surged like a flood breaking the dam, overwhelming all her psychological defenses. The first meeting at the Shadow Tower, awkward confessions under the moonlight, the camaraderie at the Fairy Tavern, and his quiet departure followed by her long years of loss and searching... countless images and emotions deep-buried by time surged wildly in this instant.
Her pupils suddenly contracted, her breath seeming to halt at that moment. That
Meanwhile, Lynch, observing the unmistakable shock and disbelief on his old classmate’s face, smiled faintly and greeted her with ordinary ease, as if they had parted just yesterday:
"Long time no see, Lanice."