https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-46-You-Can-Kneel-and-Bark-Like-a-Dog-Now/12808327/
Chapter 45: The Blood Mandrake
Chapter 45: The Blood Mandrake
The night faded away, and dawn arrived.
As the first light of morning appeared, Su Nan left the tavern with Amy.
Amy's master, the mysterious wizard, lived in the Sharpstone Valley to the east of Stone Bell City.
About ten kilometers outside the city was a pine forest. Following the dense trees eastward, they crossed two mountain peaks and entered the range of the Sharpstone Valley.
The further they ventured into the valley, the more desolate the environment became, and the terrain grew increasingly rugged.
The ground was almost devoid of vegetation, with jagged rocks jutting out everywhere. Sparse patches of withered grass and thorns sprouted from the cracks in the rock walls, rustling in the cold mountain breeze.
Su Nan was puzzled as to why the wizard would choose such a desolate place to live.
But then he remembered that it had been a thousand years since the wizards had left. Perhaps the Sharpstone Valley looked very different a thousand years ago.
Amy calmly rested on Su Nan's shoulder, idly licking her paws.
It wasn't until the sun rose behind the distant mountains that they finally reached a riverbank.
"Meow, follow the river upstream, and we'll be there," Amy said, pointing ahead.
Su Nan didn't move immediately. Instead, he ordered the Hidden Dragon, which was concealed nearby, to scout ahead.
The location had long been known to the Starfire Cult. If they wanted to capture them, there was a high chance they would have sent people to lie in wait. It was better to be cautious.
However, the search turned up no signs of anyone hiding nearby.
"Looks like those guys haven't recovered from last night's battle yet."
Reassured, Su Nan strode confidently upstream along the river.
Following Amy's directions, he soon found a cave between two rock walls.
With the aid of wind energy particles, Su Nan easily climbed up the rock wall and entered the cave.
The cave was pitch black, but the passage was smooth and wide, clearly showing signs of artificial construction.
Su Nan casually took out a night pearl to serve as a light source and stepped inside.
At the end of the passage was a vast, circular hall. The floor was paved with square granite slabs, intricately carved with dense, strange patterns, resembling a large magical array.
However, many of the patterns had faded and become blurred, and the array was no longer functional.
There were over a dozen doors on the surrounding walls.
"That door leads to the apprentice quarters, where the wizard's apprentices usually rested."
"That one goes to the plantation, which used to be filled with all sorts of magical plants and many small fairies, but they're all gone now."
"That one is the storage room, and this one is the spell experimentation square."
Amy introduced each door to Su Nan, as if reciting a well-known list.
The entire structure was extraordinarily large, with numerous passages and countless rooms, essentially a castle built within the mountain.
From the crystal-like traces left on the walls, it appeared that this place was once a tower similar to a wizard's tower.
But now, it was in ruins.
Su Nan had hoped to find something valuable, but his search was fruitless.
The Starfire Cult's efficiency exceeded his expectations; they had completely stripped the place, leaving nothing of value behind.
"It's a shame this place is so remote and the surroundings are so barren. Otherwise, it would be a perfect spot to build a laboratory and a magical plant garden," Su Nan thought, somewhat regretfully.
Since there was nothing of value to be found, he decided not to stay any longer and left with Amy.
Exiting the cave, Su Nan suddenly remembered something and asked Amy, "The Starfire Cult people said you were hanging around in the northern part of the city. Why was that?"
Amy was taken aback for a moment before she yowled, "Meow, I almost forgot! There's something I haven't retrieved yet!"
Su Nan was surprised. "What is it?"
"It's the Blood Mandrake. The bad guys took this magical plant, but for some reason, they left it in a large house. I wanted to retrieve it, but there was a powerful wraith guarding it, and I couldn't defeat it!"
The Blood Mandrake! Su Nan was taken aback.
From what he knew, the Blood Mandrake was an extremely sinister magical plant that thrived on the blood of living beings. Its roots turned increasingly red as it matured, eventually becoming as vivid as fresh blood.
Once fully mature, the Blood Mandrake emitted a subtle mental wave, creating illusions to lure nearby creatures and devour their souls.
After consuming enough souls, a terrifying wraith would be born within the Blood Mandrake, which would then begin to kill and devour the souls of nearby living beings to grow stronger.
Because of this, places where Blood Mandrakes were cultivated usually had corresponding restraining arrays to prevent wraith disasters.
Recalling the ghostly rumors he heard at the tavern, Su Nan immediately understood.
The large house Amy mentioned was most likely the estate of Lord Coubert.
"Looks like the Starfire Cult must have planned to bring the Blood Mandrake into that estate, but what was their purpose?"
After a moment's thought, Su Nan quickly figured out the connection.
Stone Bell City was the central city of the Silver Moon Fief, and the Silver Moon Viscount was one of the nobles who did not get along with the Golden Rock Marquess.
If a wraith appeared in the Silver Moon Viscount's territory, he would have to find a way to deal with it. Otherwise, the wraith's threat would soon expand, eventually endangering the entire city.
Eliminating a wraith with just the strength of knights would require a significant loss of lives.
Even if they succeeded in removing the wraith, the Silver Moon Fief would be severely weakened.
At that point, the Golden Rock Marquess and the Starfire Cult could take advantage of the situation.
This wraith incident was most likely another part of the Golden Rock Marquess's plot to control the Golden Rock Province!
"This guy really doesn't know when to stop," Su Nan muttered to himself, but his thoughts quickly shifted.
Despite its dangerous nature, the Blood Mandrake was an extremely rare magical plant with a wide range of uses.
For example, the formula for the Mind Enhancing Elixir, which he had seen in Ang McClain's diary, required the sap of the Blood Mandrake as the main ingredient.
Ang McClain had searched for decades to find a Blood Mandrake, and now, in this situation, Su Nan had found one. Fate sure was ironic.
"The Blood Mandrake is the rarest ingredient for the Mind Enhancing Elixir. The other materials can be synthesized using the Cube. If I can get this Blood Mandrake, I can produce the elixir continuously."
Su Nan felt a surge of excitement but quickly regained his composure.
"Wraiths are not easy to deal with. I should prepare more backup before going."
Su Nan remembered the two partially damaged magical items he had acquired last night.
If he could repair these items, he would have a better chance against the wraith.
Additionally, he couldn't solve the Silver Moon Fief's problem for free. He needed to ensure he received the appropriate compensation.
(End of Chapter)
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