Chapter 232: Ignorance is Truly Terrifying

Chapter 232: Ignorance is Truly Terrifying

October 14, 2024

The city of Falling Dusk in the Sleeping Moon already had a touch of desolation.

From the narrow paths of the countryside to the wide, flat roads, everything was blanketed in thick snow. A white expanse stretched as far as the eye could see, devoid of any human presence.

Huff!

A massive wolf raced across the snow, sending up a flurry of snowflakes.

Standing nearly as tall as an adult man's chest, the wolf had a sleek gray coat, powerful limbs, and occasionally bared its fangs, exhaling a plume of white breath. The sharp fangs, stained with blood, were clearly visible.

Most startling, however, was the single horn atop its head.

Fenor, riding atop the wolf, tightened his fur-lined cloak and glared at the falling snow, inwardly cursing the weather.

"Damn this cold!"

Even for a second-tier wizard apprentice, such frigid temperatures were nearly unbearable.

Yet, his mood lifted when he glanced at the bulging leather pouch in front of him.

"With these Silver Moon Flowers, I'll soon be able to construct my fourth Star Ring!"

"Knowing there were so many valuable resources in the city, I should have left the village much sooner and scoured for supplies!"

Fenor clicked his tongue.

If he had realized this earlier, he wouldn't have spent decades to advance to a second-tier wizard apprentice.

"But according to the people in that shop, those resources belong to the Star Alliance."

Though he had lived in the countryside, Fenor knew of the Star Alliance.

It was a colossal entity that ruled the entire continent!

Stealing from the Star Alliance would undoubtedly result in a manhunt.

But Fenor wasn't too concerned. He could always find a place to hide.

The Starlight Continent was vast; hiding in some remote corner would make it nearly impossible for the Star Alliance to find him.

"Should I go to the Underworld or the Rainbow Sea?"

Fenor had read about these places in wizard tomes. Neither was under the Star Alliance's control, offering boundless freedom.

Just as he was lost in thought, a gust of wind whistled past his ear.

In an instant, his instincts kicked in, and he instinctively leaned to the side. A second later, a dull thud echoed, followed by a flash of blood.

"Auuu!"

The giant wolf, his magical pet, let out a mournful howl, its legs buckling as it fell forward, dragging Fenor to the ground with it.

Fortunately, his physical prowess saved him from injury. He quickly recovered, rolled away, and sprang to his feet, eyes wide with alarm as he scanned the direction of the attack.

Two men, cloaked in long robes, stood before him.

Calling them men was a stretch; they appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, mere youths.

Beside them stood two black leopards, their cold, emotionless eyes fixed on him.

"What are those? Magical pets?"

Fenor sensed that the black leopards were not ordinary creatures. They seemed more dangerous than his own pet.

"Who are you? Why did you ambush me?"

Fenor glanced at the fallen wolf, which was now barely breathing. The attack had pierced its back and exited through its chest, leaving a gaping wound that stained the snow crimson. It was on the brink of death.

Seeing his precious pet gravely injured, Fenor felt a mix of heartache and anger.

If it weren't for the clear signs that these two were wizard apprentices and the formidable black leopards, he would have already lashed out in fury.

The two youths exchanged a look, both displaying a helpless smile.

The youth on the right lifted his hood, revealing a handsome face.

He pointed to the star-shaped badge on his chest and sneered,, "You's your first time. "Just come from the countryside, Haven you the guts to steal from the Star Alliance, yet you recognize their emblem?"

The taller, thinner youth sighed and shook his head. "There are quite a few like you these days. You've been hiding in remote countryside, training until you advanced to a second-tier wizard apprentice, only to come out and find you know nothing. Greed blinds you when you see valuable resources, and you even dare to target the Star Alliance?"

"Most likely, you're thinking of escaping to the Underworld or the Rainbow Sea, believing the Star Alliance won't be able to find you."

Fenor's face paled, nearly blurting out, "How did you know?"

Seeing his reaction, the tall, thin youth knew he was right and sighed, shaking his head.

It wasn't that he could read minds, but most captured wizard apprentices had the same thoughts.

"Ignorance is truly terrifying. The Underworld and the Rainbow Sea are both territories of the Star Alliance. Where do you think you can run to?"

Farnor's face paled, and he was taken aback.

The Underworld and the Rainbow Sea are territories of the Star Alliance?

How is that possible?

The wizard tomes clearly state that these two places are vast and extremely dangerous. How could the Star Alliance have conquered them?

Seeming to read Farnor's thoughts, the tall, thin youth sneered, "You have no idea just how powerful the Star Alliance is."

"Enough." The handsome youth interrupted his companion. "Enough talk. Let's quickly capture him and report back. We still need to head to Flash City."

The tall, thin youth seemed to obey the handsome youth. As soon as the latter spoke, he fell silent, his expression turning serious, and his gaze toward Farnor grew cold.

Farnor's heart raced, and he moved first, quickly uttering a series of syllables and firing a beam of icy blue light at the handsome youth.

Frost Beam!

Facing the incoming beam, the handsome youth remained still, letting the beam hit him before it was deflected by an invisible shield.

"Shield spell? No, that's not right. It's a defensive magic item!"

Farnor was both shocked and envious.

But he didn't have time to dwell on it. Six magic missiles whizzed toward him with a piercing whistle, instantly shattering his shield.

A torrent of flames followed, forcing him to dodge clumsily.

From the moment the battle began, Farnor realized in horror that the two youths not only knew more and more versatile spells but also cast them faster than he could.

Their spells were also more powerful, easily overpowering his.

And they had rare and valuable magic items for protection.

Either one of them could have easily beaten him, let alone both working together.

In just a few breaths, Farnor was on the run, completely overmatched.

"Are the Star Alliance's wizard apprentices all this formidable?" Farnor thought in horror.

It was then that he realized he had vastly underestimated the power of the Star Alliance.

Before long, a weakening ray hit Farnor, and he collapsed, limp and unable to recover. Before he could catch his breath, a rock-like fist smashed into his head.

Thud!

Farnor didn't even groan, his eyes rolling back as he passed out.

The tall, thin youth retracted his fist and smirked.

"Still, the Rock Fist spell is quite useful."

"Of course, it's only good for bullying enemies who have lost their protective spells," the handsome youth quipped as he took out a magic suppression collar and placed it around Farnor's neck. He then clapped his hands.

The black rock leopard, which had been watching the fight, leaped over and picked up Farnor, tossing him effortlessly onto its back.

"Done. Let's report back."

The two youths remounted the black rock leopard and headed back to Sunset City.

"Speaking of which, the Eye of the Stars is really something," the tall, thin youth marveled as they rode.

"That guy barely made a move, and the Eye of the Stars already recorded his life force, locking onto his location. If not for that, we wouldn't have found him so quickly."

The handsome youth smiled lightly. "After all, it's a massive magical construct created by those two great adults. Now, the entire Starlight Continent, including the Underworld and the Rainbow Sea, is within the Eye of the Stars' range. No one can escape its detection."

The tall, thin youth nodded in agreement. "Lord Su Nan and Lord Starfall are truly amazing!"

They sped along and soon returned to Sunset City.

The tall, thin youth took on the task of reporting, and the handsome youth thanked him before heading to the central square of Sunset City.

The teleportation array was located there.

By the time he arrived, a considerable queue had formed in front of the array, and merchant caravans were with, pulling goods.

People of all sorts were present, but the one thing they all had in common was that they were all well-dressed, clearly from affluent backgrounds.

Despite the teleportation array no longer being a rarity, with almost every city having one, the high usage fees still made it unaffordable for commoners.

Those who used the teleportation array were mostly nobles, wealthy merchants, middle-class citizens, and wizard apprentices and knights.

When the handsome youth entered the square, he immediately attracted a lot of attention.

The crowd, seeing his long robe and the star-shaped emblem on his chest, looked at him with a mix of awe and respect.

The knight guarding the teleportation array's eyes lit up, and he hurried over with a flattering smile. "Ah, it's Lord Hailin. Are you here to use the teleportation array?"

The handsome youth nodded, glancing at the long queue and frowning slightly.

The knight immediately said, "If Lord Hailin has urgent matters, he can use the teleportation array first."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

The handsome young man didn't hesitate, walking straight into the teleportation array and inserting a secondary magic stone into the slot.

As the light flared up, the figure within the array vanished instantly.

Seeing this, the two knights at the front of the queue couldn't help but show envious expressions.

"Being a wizard's apprentice sure has its perks. They get special treatment everywhere."

"Yeah, you saw that guard. He usually wouldn't give us the time of day, but he was all smiles and nods for the apprentice. It's all too real."

Hearing their conversation, the man in front turned around, looking at them with a peculiar expression. He chuckled and said, "The guard's behavior isn't just because he's a wizard's apprentice. You don't recognize him?"

One knight asked curiously, "Is that person of considerable importance?"

"More than considerable!" The man paused, building suspense before continuing slowly, "His full name is Hailin Yanest, the emperor's own grandson. What do you think about that?"

"Ah!"

The two knights gasped, their faces filled with shock.

They finally understood why the guard had been so obsequious.

Just being the emperor's grandson was a significant status, placing him among the elite of the Starlight Empire.

And he was a wizard's apprentice, too!

Everyone knew that Lord Su Nan, the ruler of the Star Alliance, was the emperor's brother.

In other words, Hailin Yanest was Lord Su Nan's great-nephew.

Being both the great-nephew and a wizard's apprentice, Hailin Yanest's prospects in the Star Alliance were undoubtedly vast.

Realizing this, the two knights felt a bit regretful.

Had they known his importance, they would have mustered the courage to greet him and perhaps make a connection.

If they could become his followers, it would be a leap to the top!

After a brief flash, Hailin found himself in the central square of Flashing City.

Looking at the familiar scenery, a touch of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

No matter how many times he used it, the teleportation array's wonder never ceased to amaze him.

Covering a distance of seven to eight hundred kilometers in an instant was truly miraculous.

"I've heard that the underground world is also fully equipped with teleportation arrays. As long as you're willing to use secondary magic stones, you can travel the entire continent in a day."

After a moment of reflection, Hailin set off for the palace.

Before this mission, he had received a message that his grandfather wanted to see him.

Kye Yanest, the founder of the Starlight Empire and the brother of the Star Alliance's ruler, enjoyed immense prestige across the entire Starlight Continent.

Though he wasn't a wizard, even the deans of the academy wouldn't dare to be disrespectful to the emperor.

Hailin held a deep respect and affection for his grandfather.

Thus, as soon as his mission was over, he hurried over without delay.

About half an hour later, Hailin met his grandfather in the study.

Compared to the New Year's celebration at the beginning of the year, his grandfather's white hair seemed to have increased slightly.

Even a Bloodline Knight couldn't resist the passage of time.

At 191 years old, the emperor was undoubtedly in the twilight of his life.

"Grandfather, Hailin greets you."

"Sit down, we don't need formalities between us."

Kye smiled warmly, his gaze full of appreciation and affection.

The royal family had grown, with over a hundred members, but only one possessed the potential to become a wizard.

This was the hope for the revival of the royal family, and he valued it greatly.

"How have you been recently?"

"Pretty good," Hailin knew what his grandfather wanted to hear. "Last month, I successfully constructed the fifth star ring. Additionally, I've made a breakthrough in puppet crafting, and this month I plan to take the second-level exam."

Sure enough, Kye's face lit up with satisfaction.

"Excellent, keep it up. If you need any resources, just let me know. Anything in the royal treasury is at your disposal."

"Thank you, Grandfather!" Hailin's heart leaped with joy.

The empire and the Star Alliance had many trade exchanges, and a vast amount of resources. Though low-grade, they were numerous, which would save him a lot of contribution points.

Kye then asked, "Among the younger generation at the academy, you are one of the more outstanding. You should qualify for the Morning Star examination. Do you have any plans to apply?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end