Chapter 92: The Cottage in the Forest

Chapter 92: The Cottage in the Forest

The war took an unexpected turn once again.

Before the month of Xia Long was even halfway over, news spread that the Marquis of Goldrock had disappeared from Goldrock City.

This news dealt a severe blow to the morale of the Goldrock army on the front lines. The already precarious defenses crumbled almost instantly.

The Flashlands army advanced with relentless momentum, quickly reaching the walls of Goldrock City. They successfully captured the city in just two days.

When the news broke, it sent shockwaves throughout the entire Starlight Principality! No one had expected the war to end so swiftly.

But even more shocking news followed.

Three days after Goldrock City fell, a message came from Starlight City. A cult known as the Star Deity Church had presented the Marquis of Goldrock's corpse to the royal family, along with the weakness of the beast-infected.

The Grand Duke of Starlight was overjoyed and declared the Star Deity Church the state religion, allowing its envoys to spread their faith throughout the provinces.

As expected, this news stirred up a storm among the nobility of the principality. Some supported the decision, others opposed it, while most chose to wait and see what the so-called Star Deity Church truly intended.

In the Goldrock Province, at Flash City.

The Council Hall.

Su Nan finished reading the battle report and wore an expression of bewilderment.

Clearly, this so-called Star Deity Church was none other than the Starfire Cult, just under a different guise.

"I didn't expect the Starfire Cult to kill the Marquis of Goldrock, helping us out in the process. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to capture Goldrock City so quickly," Kiyi mused, rubbing his chin with a sigh.

"The Starfire Cult is ruthless. They turned their back on the Marquis the moment he lost his usefulness, using his death to gain favor," Kiyi added, his tone tinged with disdain.

Both Kiyi and Su Nan, being sharp-minded, quickly pieced together the events behind the scenes.

They had a deeper understanding of the Starfire Cult's cold and brutal nature.

"But how can the Grand Duke trust the Starfire Cult? I doubt he's unaware of what they've done in Goldrock Province. Establishing such a cult as the state religion seems too reckless," Kiyi remarked, frowning.

Su Nan replied calmly, "Perhaps they've reached some sort of agreement behind the scenes."

"Regardless of their agreements, I won't allow the Starfire Cult to enter Goldrock Province. They want to spread their faith here? Dream on!" Kiyi sneered.

After quelling the rebellion, the royal family honored their promise and bestowed the title of Marquis of Flash upon Kiyi, granting him control over Goldrock Province.

Unlike other provinces, the original noble lords of Goldrock Province were either killed by the Goldrock Coalition or wiped out after rebelling with the Marquis of Goldrock. They were almost entirely eradicated.

Now, in the entire Goldrock Province, all the nobles were newly appointed by Kiyi.

As the lord, Kiyi's control over these military nobles was far stronger than that of any other marquis.

One could say that the entire Goldrock Province was under Kiyi's command, and they followed his orders without question.

Thus, as one of the few marquises among the six who could fully control an entire province (the Maple Leaf Province was under royal control and did not have a separate marquis title), Kiyi could find a way to prevent the Star Deity Church from spreading its faith in Goldrock Province, and even the royal family would be powerless to stop him.

Su Nan naturally agreed with Kiyi's decision.

In fact, he suspected that, aside from the Maple Leaf Province, the other marquises would not easily allow the Starfire Cult to spread its faith in their territories.

There would undoubtedly be a struggle.

Let's wait and see.

Shifting his attention back to the battle report, Su Nan's gaze fell on the line about the Star Deity Church presenting the weakness of the beast-infected. He pondered for a moment.

Based on his analysis, the Starfire Cult was likely unaware of the beast plague.

Otherwise, they would have been involved in the war between the Marquis of Goldrock and the Flashlands from the beginning.

So, they must have learned about the weakness of the beast-infected either from the Marquis of Goldrock or by discovering Herb's laboratory.

Su Nan suspected the latter was more likely.

Herb, if he was in his right mind, would never reveal such crucial information to the Marquis of Goldrock.

"Looks like whatever Herb left behind has fallen into the hands of the Starfire Cult," Su Nan mused, feeling a slight pang of regret but quickly recovering.

After all, he hadn't really expected to find what Herb left behind.

The chances were high that Herb's residence was in the Froststain Province, and going there alone to search for a wizard's apprentice's home without any information would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Moreover, he had just advanced to the rank of a third-level wizard's apprentice, a stage where his power was rapidly growing. He couldn't afford to waste time and energy on a slim hope.

Putting down the battle report, Su Nan looked at Kiyi and asked, "What do you plan to do next?"

Kiyi had already planned out his next steps and said without hesitation, "Although the war didn't last long, the Goldrock Province has suffered significant damage. I plan to focus on recuperation and economic development for a while, and at the same time, build up our strength."

"Indeed," Su Nan nodded in agreement.

Though neither of them said it outright, both knew that this was far from the end.

The Starfire Cult’s vendetta must be avenged!

For now, they needed to quietly accumulate strength, waiting for the day they were powerful enough to uproot the cult once and for all.

"I've already arranged for the aptitude tests. All the towns that haven't held them yet will do so in the coming days, and the children who pass will be sent to your base."

"Additionally, the materials you asked the Firefox Guild to purchase have arrived, and I've arranged for them to be delivered to your base."

The materials included rare metals needed for crafting magical core patterns and the consumables required for mass-producing magical items.

The purchase cost a significant amount of money, but Kiyi, having just made a fortune from the war, was generous in his spending.

"I plan to establish one or two more magical plant gardens. I'll need you to dispatch troops to guard them," Su Nan said.

"Of course."

Kiyi agreed without hesitation. He was eager to persuade Su Nan to expand the cultivation of Dragon Blood Fruits, as the growing territory and army size increased the demand for them.

He couldn’t wait for Su Nan to open more magical plant gardens.

Leaving the lord's mansion, Su Nan headed straight back to his base.

With the war over, he could now focus on his training, studies, and cultivation.

During this time, Su Nan had successfully mastered his first second-level spell, Elemental Shield.

He had also started learning the second second-level spell, Levitation.

Additionally, his training in sentence-breaking casting was halfway complete, progressing faster than expected.

Su Nan estimated that he would master sentence-breaking casting in no more than two months.

"Next, I'll focus on manufacturing magical items, aiming to upgrade Magical Item Crafting to level 4."

"I also need to research and find substitutes for the twenty-nine rare metals required for the magical core patterns."

As he thought, Su Nan arrived at his base.

Suddenly, his gaze paused, and he looked at an owl perched on a nearby tree.

It had a terrifying face with six pairs of eyes densely packed on its head, a beak filled with tiny sharp teeth, and dark red, sharp claws.

Meeting Su Nan's gaze, the owl suddenly spoke, its voice deep and masculine.

"Nice to meet you, Sir Su Nan."

"My name is Nightowl. It's an honor to meet you."

Su Nan's lips twitched slightly.

Another wizard's apprentice.

Seeing Su Nan's lack of reaction, his gaze calm and steady, the owl gave a human-like cough and continued, "Sir Su Nan, there's no need to be too wary. I come with no ill intent. I simply want to invite you to join our Cottage in the Forest."

"Cottage in the Forest?" Su Nan's expression changed.

"Exactly. The Cottage in the Forest is a secret organization, and all its members are third-level wizard's apprentices."

Su Nan suddenly interrupted, "Herb Gild is a member of the Cottage in the Forest?"

"Yes, but please don't misunderstand."

Seeing Su Nan's eyes narrow, the owl spread its wings in a human-like gesture and explained, "The Cottage in the Forest is a loose organization. It was established to facilitate the exchange of information and resources among members. Beyond these transactions, members have no closer ties and do not interfere with each other's actions. So, you don't need to worry about anyone seeking revenge for Herb."

"In fact, many members of the Cottage in the Forest disapprove of Herb's methods."

Su Nan didn't respond, but he was already mostly convinced.

After all, according to Nightowl, the Cottage in the Forest had multiple wizard's apprentices. If they truly wanted revenge, they wouldn’t need to play games; they could simply surround and kill him.

Of course, this wasn't a certainty.

Su Nan didn’t lower his guard. In addition to his already activated Ring of Supreme Protection, he discreetly held a high-level rune gem in his palm.

"I'm curious. Why do you want to invite me to join the Cottage in the Forest?"

Nightowl seemed to smile and then continued, "We've been keeping an eye on you for a long time. Your reputation from the Battle of Flash City has spread throughout the Starlight Principality, and we naturally heard about it."

"However, at that time, you were still a second-level wizard's apprentice. According to the Cottage in the Forest's rules, we only accept third-level wizard's apprentices, so we didn't approach you until now.

Chapter 93: The Forest Cottage

"It wasn't until you killed Herb and displayed the power of a third-level wizard's apprentice that we decided to make an exception and invite you to join the Forest Cottage."

"Of course, it seems we don't need to make an exception now."

Nightowl gazed at Su Nan, his eyes filled with deep meaning.

A third-level wizard's apprentice's body can store a small amount of energy particles. At this level, it's easy to distinguish one from another with a close observation.

"Su Nan, would you consider joining our Forest Cottage?"

"Please believe me, it will greatly benefit your future development!"

Su Nan feigned a thoughtful expression, but he had already made up his mind.

For a long time, he had been searching for traces of a wizard's apprentice organization.

Now that he had finally found one, he wouldn't let it slip away.

Especially since the Forest Cottage was a loose organization built on the exchange of resources and information.

Joining it would not only provide him with fewer restrictions but also allow him to trade resources and intelligence with other wizard's apprentices, offering numerous benefits.

As his power increased, the resources he needed became rarer and more valuable.

Relying solely on the Firefox Guild was no longer sufficient to gather everything he needed.

Even with the Synthesis Cube, many materials were still out of reach, forcing him to spend time and energy researching substitutes, a process that was both time-consuming and exhausting.

However, this secret organization of third-level wizard's apprentices might offer some pleasant surprises.

"Alright, I'll join you!"

After a brief moment of feigned contemplation, Su Nan agreed.

"Then, welcome to the Forest Cottage, Sir Su Nan. From today onward, you are one of us."

Nightowl's wings gently touched each other, as if clapping.

He then flapped his wings and flew down from the tree. Landing, his body leaned forward, his belly bulging and rapidly extending toward his mouth, and with a loud "vomit," he spat out an object.

It was a palm-sized, intricately crafted wooden toy house.

The toy house had no roof, allowing a clear view of its interior, which contained only a long table and over a dozen chairs. The floor, walls, table, and chairs were all engraved with dense enchantment symbols.

"A Trading Hut!"

Su Nan's eyes widened in surprise.

Nightowl was even more astonished: "Sir Su Nan, you recognize this?"

"More or less," Su Nan nodded slightly.

A Trading Hut is a highly specialized minor magical item.

Though it looks like a toy house, it serves as a key, connecting to a dimensional space known as the Trading Hut.

In this dimensional space, all entrants are bound by a vow contract, restricting them from any actions that could disrupt the transaction, such as harming other traders or stealing their items. Violating these terms would result in the annihilation of their soul.

In essence, it is a magical item designed for secure and guaranteed transactions.

Whether during the golden age of wizards a thousand years ago or in the future wizard era, Trading Huts were quite common.

Many wizards (apprentices) preferred to use Trading Huts for remote transactions, as they were both safe and convenient.

Seeing that Su Nan seemed to recognize the Trading Hut, Nightowl was genuinely surprised.

He had found the Trading Hut by chance from a wizard's apprentice legacy and had never encountered anyone who recognized it before.

Initially, he had to work hard to convince other wizard's apprentices of its value in ensuring safe transactions, which eventually led to the formation of the Forest Cottage.

He never expected that this newly minted third-level wizard's apprentice, Su Nan, would recognize it at first glance.

"Did you read about it in some wizard's compendium?"

Nightowl wondered but didn't press the issue, instead pointing at the Trading Hut with his wing.

"Since you recognize it, things will be easier."

"The Forest Cottage gathers every three months to trade resources and information. The next gathering is in sixteen days, in the evening. You can prepare the items you wish to trade and enter the Trading Hut at that time."

Su Nan nodded, using energy particles to clean the Trading Hut, removing the slime before picking it up.

A Trading Hut can generate multiple 'keys.' The one in his hand was just one of them, granting him access to enter and exit the Trading Hut.

"By the way, each member of the Forest Cottage uses a codename to maintain anonymity. You can decide on your codename in advance."

After giving Su Nan this reminder, Nightowl flapped his wings and flew away.

Watching him depart, Su Nan retracted his gaze, playing with the 'key' in his hand and smiling wryly. He then turned and walked into his base.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end