Chapter 615: New Worlds
Chapter 615: New Worlds (Additional Chapter for Nemofoxx)
After finishing dinner, Liam and Hermione politely declined the Weasley Family's warm invitation to stay and returned to their Manor. The past month had been incredibly busy for the two of them, so they took a well-deserved break for a couple of days to fully relax and rejuvenate their spirits before planning their next move.
"I think we should explore a new world", Hermione suggested. "Relying solely on our own growth won't be enough. We need to gain more knowledge from different worlds to strengthen our power from another angle."
"That's a good idea", Liam nodded in agreement. As one of his mentors once said, quantity can also be a form of quality. If he could master a sufficient number of abilities, Liam believed it would give them a significant advantage in the upcoming war.
After the battle at the end of the last semester, Liam earned 50 Deviation Points, bringing his total to 258. This meant he could now travel to any world. After careful consideration, Liam decided to visit one of the highest-level worlds to see if he could acquire even more powerful abilities.
Liam actually had the coordinates for a ninth-level world, the one where Gill had previously resided. However, considering that nothing significant seemed to be happening there when Gill was born, and that the magic in that world largely overlapped with what Liam already knew, he decided it wasn't worth the trip. Instead, he thought it might be better to open a new world and see if there were any unexpected benefits.
So, after making all the necessary preparations, Liam, Hermione, Rose Crystal, and Gill traveled to a new world through the Multiverse General Store.
"Forest, forest, and more forest", Rose Crystal grumbled. "Big Brother, are you a Child of the Jungle? Every time we arrive in a new world, we end up in the woods."
"I have no idea why this keeps happening", Liam replied, looking equally puzzled. Despite the ongoing complaints about their strange arrival, they quickly got to work. Rose Crystal ascended into the air to scout the surroundings.
"There seems to be a battle going on to our left. I heard the sound of metal clashing and cries of pain, but the branches blocked my view", Rose Crystal reported as she landed back on the ground.
"I also sensed the loss of life in that direction", Hermione confirmed after focusing her senses. "And it's not just one life."
With the reconnaissance results clear, the three of them followed the path through the forest, heading toward the source of the commotion. A few minutes later, they heard various shouts. Bursting through a thicket, they saw what was happening on the dirt road ahead.
About 30 meters away, several carriages were parked, and around 20 people were desperately defending themselves. Most of the defenders looked human, though not all. The attackers, on the other hand, were a group of creatures about half the height of a human. They had flat faces, large nostrils, pointed ears, and huge mouths. Their bodies were an unappealing yellowish-brown.
There were about 150 of these creatures, most of whom were poorly equipped. However, 12 of them rode wolves and were fully armored, though their weapons and armor looked mismatched. The leaders were two monsters nearly as tall as humans, covered in thick fur and fully armed. These two stood on a high point, directing the attack.
The human caravan seemed to be at the end of its rope. Five or six people lay on the ground, either dead or injured, and the others moved more slowly. Without intervention, the ambush would likely end in a disastrous defeat for the caravan.
"Let's move", Liam said, easily identifying the enemies. He used his soul to communicate with the others and immediately summoned a bolt of lightning, striking one of the commanders on the high ground. At the same time, Hermione fired a red and black beam at the other commander.
Both commanders were instantly killed. Rose Crystal then flew overhead, raining down a barrage of crystal shards before diving into the fray, sword in hand, cutting through the monsters with ease. For her, these creatures, roughly her height, were a new challenge, and she was eager to test her sword skills.
These monsters, though numerous, had rather mediocre combat abilities. Especially after Commander's first round of attacks and Rose Crystal's aerial bombardment, which focused on the wolf riders and nearly wiped them out, the monsters' morale plummeted to rock bottom. Rose Crystal and the convoy's guards only needed to take down a dozen or so monsters before the rest scattered and fled into the jungle.
However, these monsters couldn't escape Hermione's Shadow Magic. In particular, when facing a large number of weak enemies, Hermione maximized the lethality of her Shadow Magic. The convoy members standing on the dirt road watched as the small monsters running through the forest began to collapse one by one, silently.
Soon, the last monster was killed as its throat was slit by its own shadow. Liam and Hermione arrived at the battlefield just as this happened. By this point, they had already learned the local language from the souls of the dead monsters.
A middle-aged, portly man wearing a robe made of fine red linen and fur emerged from the shop. He had black eyes and hair, and a neatly trimmed mustache, giving him an Italian-like appearance. However, the sweat on his forehead and the dust on his clothes made him look somewhat disheveled.
"Thank you, you two casters. We are a merchant caravan heading to Silvermoon City to conduct business. If you hadn't lent us a hand, we would have surely become dinner for those damned Goblins tonight."
For Liam and Hermione, who had previously run a few campaigns together, they immediately understood where they were. Thinking about this, Liam spoke up. "We are mages seeking knowledge of Magic. We've heard that Silvermoon City has places willing to teach Magic, so we're hoping to study there. Since you're heading that way, we can travel with you. We're outsiders and aren't very familiar with the roads in the Northern Lands."
The shop's representative easily believed Liam's words, as their actions had already revealed their identities as mages. Moreover, Silvermoon City, the jewel of the Northern Lands, indeed attracted many professionals, and mages like Liam seeking knowledge were not uncommon. The caravan members had seen many such people in Silvermoon City before.
"It is an honor to have two esteemed mages join us. If we head north for another half day, we will reach Silvermoon City. Those despicable Goblins only dare to act outside the patrol range of Silvermoon City."
For the caravan, the addition of two casters was undoubtedly a positive development. Whether it reduced risks or fostered good relations with the casters, it was beneficial.
"From what I know, Silvermoon City usually deploys sufficient patrols to protect the safety of their territories", Hermione asked, recalling information from the game manual.
"Unfortunately, the winters in the Northern Lands are much longer than in other regions", the caravan leader's expression darkened. "As winter approaches, monsters from the north move south and raid. Silvermoon City can't spare enough manpower and can only focus on blocking major threats."
"Why didn't you come earlier?" Hermione continued.
"Miss, some goods sell better as winter approaches, so we take this risk to make more money by coming to Silvermoon City at this time. Not every trip encounters these detestable creatures", the caravan leader was now more certain of Liam and Hermione's identities. Hermione's question sounded like something a sheltered noble lady from another place might ask.
Hermione blushed slightly and stuck out her tongue. Then, she turned her head and looked seriously at the caravan members cleaning up the battlefield. Fortunately, out of the five or six people who had fallen, only two had perished. The others were saved with Liam and Hermione's help. However, in this world, due to the extreme activity of Magic, the bodies of the deceased must be taken to a city where a cleric can perform a Resting Ritual before they can be buried, otherwise, they might rise as undead and harass the living.
Seeing that it would take some time to handle everything, Liam and the others began chatting with the caravan leader, trying to gather more information.
(End of Chapter)
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