Chapter 285: Grass Sea
Chapter 285: Grass Sea (Request for Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
"Mr. Crouch has been working at the Ministry of Magic for two consecutive weeks. Due to overwork, he fainted in his office and was sent to St. Mungo's Hospital, where he is now being personally cared for by his house-elf. Minister Fudge personally visited St. Mungo's Hospital to offer his condolences." The next morning, this news was reported in a small box at the bottom of the fourth page of the Daily Prophet.
"From this, it seems unlikely that Mr. Crouch was under Imperius Control", Liam said, pouring milk into his mouth as he read the newspaper. "After all, as an official of the Ministry of Magic, he would have undergone numerous examinations in the Hospital Wing. The Imperius Curse wouldn't go unnoticed by St. Mungo's healers."
"However, having a house-elf by his side also suggests that his son, Barty Crouch Jr., has escaped. Only in such a situation would he not need the house-elf to stay at home. But the question is, where is Barty Crouch Jr. now?"
This thought occupied Liam's mind throughout the day, until he finally put it aside when he headed to the Multiverse General Store that evening. After all, thinking about other things while adventuring isn't conducive to safety.
Given that the first Tournament had concluded and there was a long gap before the second one, Liam decided to seize this opportunity to explore a new world.
"Big Brother, where are we going this time?" Rose Crystal asked happily, sitting on Liam's shoulder after he had finished exchanging resources with a few worlds. After all, with her childlike nature, she was eager to see more interesting places.
"I'm not sure, but I think the world we're going to will be very interesting", Liam said, then injected 32 Deviation Points into the Portal, opening a gateway to a Level 6 world. He had recently organized all his knowledge and now wanted to find a similar world to test his skills.
Half an hour later, Liam sat cross-legged on a small hill, surrounded by the vast Grass Sea. The grass, taller than a person, swayed like waves under the wind. Rose Crystal, leaning against Liam, asked in a flat tone, "Is this the interesting world Big Brother talked about? I don't really see what's so interesting about this grassland."
"Sorry, I don't know where we are either, let alone find anything interesting. I think we need more time to explore", Liam replied, his face showing his frustration. They had walked for half an hour and seen nothing but grass. If it weren't for the insect repellent they had prepared, they would probably be covered in bug bites by now. He still hadn't figured out which world they were in, as all he had seen in the past half hour was grass.
"How could I forget this?" Liam reached into his Spatial Bag to get water and suddenly felt something. When he pulled it out, he realized what it was.
In his hand was a Silver Mechanical Dove, a device for reconnaissance. He had been so excited upon arriving in the new world that he had forgotten about this useful item.
After inputting magic power, Liam directed the dove to fly in a spiral pattern around their current location. Soon, it discovered a large river in the distance, which looked like a silver ribbon. Upstream, there seemed to be signs of human habitation. Most importantly, the mechanical dove hadn't encountered any flying creatures or magical beings that could pose a threat to humans during its flight.
Soon, Liam took off on his Broomstick with Rose Crystal. The broom was ordered by mail at the beginning of the semester. Given his poor riding skills, he opted for a Centaurea Broom, which wasn't very fast or agile but was cheap and sufficient for travel, especially for a novice like Liam.
Although Rose Crystal could fly on her own, she enjoyed the feeling of sitting behind Big Brother and holding onto him. The broom, carrying two people, skimmed over the Grass Sea at a low altitude, leaving behind Rose Crystal's joyful laughter.
After flying upstream along the river for about half an hour, Liam could see the town in the distance. However, the town was embroiled in a battle. A group of people, some wearing leather and others bare-chested, were charging the town on horseback, while the townspeople could only defend themselves with a thin, low wooden wall. If nothing intervened, the town would fall within an hour.
"Hm, I need to find someone to ask what's going on. Jumping into the battle blindly would be foolish", Liam thought to himself. He began circling the battlefield, looking for someone isolated. Soon, he spotted three horsemen chasing a child. The child soon fell, and the pursuers dismounted, lashing at the child with whips.
"I'll handle this, Big Brother", Rose Crystal, who shared a deep connection with Liam, knew what he intended to do and took the initiative. She floated off the broom and waved her hand, sending a barrage of Crystal spikes that pierced the limbs of the three pursuers, pinning them to the ground.
When Liam landed, he found that the child being chased was a girl, no more than eleven or twelve years old. Exhausted from the chase and the beating, she had passed out. Upon inspection, he noticed her feet were bloody, indicating she had run here with all her might.
Liam pulled out a healing Elixir and administered it to her. Once the medicine took effect, he drew his wand and cast "Recovery." The girl's eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Can you tell me what happened? Why were you running?" Although it was cruel to ask such a question to a girl who had just escaped death, Liam needed the information.
Fortunately, the girl, though speaking broken English, could understand him. Through her tearful narration, Liam learned the truth.
The horsemen were called Dothraki, a people known for raiding neighboring tribes. The girl was a Lazareen, a peaceful people who lived by farming and herding, sharing a similar lineage to the Dothraki. However, they were frequently attacked by the Dothraki from the north and the slavers from the west.
The girl was the daughter of a Lazareen town mayor, which is why she spoke English, the common language here. The Dothraki had killed her parents and were about to assault her when she stabbed one of them with a hidden dagger and fled. The three men chasing her were merely toying with her, but she had been lucky enough to be saved by Liam and Rose Crystal at the last moment.
Liam could sense that she was telling the truth through his Magic. He gave her some food and water and asked, "What's your name?"
"Lata", the girl replied.
"Good, Lata", Liam said, "We're going to save the town ahead. Can you wait here?"
"Sir, there are three or four hundred bandits. You are only two people; you can't fight them", Lata stood up, worried, and tried to advise him.
"Don't worry, we'll be back soon", Liam reassured her. He then killed the three men pinned to the ground and mounted the broom with Rose Crystal, flying toward the besieged town.
(End of Chapter)
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