Chapter 38: Chapter 38 No Idle People in the Tree House District Chapter 38: Chapter 38 No Idle People in the Tree House District Everywhere, trees had collapsed and caught fire, lawns were blasted into ruins by spells, thick smoke billowed from all around, and occasionally, one could see bodies charred or frozen by frost, clearly the work of fellow wizards…
“Fear can also breed sin…”
Faint cries of agony could be heard nearby, and everyone tacitly avoided suggesting going to check it out.
Old Wells leaned on his cane, murmuring lowly with a complex expression.
It seemed that the scene before him had triggered some unpleasant memories.
Ronan saw a bombed, collapsed tree house ahead, and his eyes flickered slightly.
He wanted to go home.
The Magic Stones he had saved over the past two months, along with the unsold finished Rune Stones, nearly all his possessions, were hidden under an oak tree near his home, covered with layer upon layer of thick fallen leaves, dead branches, and stones.
He definitely needed to retrieve this wealth.
However, the route they were currently following to the town was quite far from where Ronan lived.
To get there, they would have to make a significant detour.
If it were just Ronan, it wouldn’t matter since he was fast.
But he couldn’t just abandon these three elderly and infirm companions and go by himself.
As Ronan was contemplating, suddenly, two figures burst out from the woods ahead.
Everyone instantly became alert, Ronan was even ready to throw an [Energy Missile] at any moment.
The two people opposite were equally startled by them, nervously retreating several steps back.
However, seconds later, the lead person, a middle-aged male wizard with brown and gray hair and a short beard, unexpectedly burst out in surprise and pleasure: “Wales!
Ronan was startled and turned to look at Old Wells beside him.
Old Wells nodded, “An old friend.”
He then proceeded with his cane to quickly chat with that middle-aged wizard.
Ronan stood about ten meters away, squinting and closely watching every move of the two men opposite.
Although he was a friend of Old Wells, in the current chaotic environment where friend and foe were indistinguishable, it was not uncommon for a good friend of many years to suddenly turn and stab you.
His senses were sharp, faintly hearing the conversation between Old Wells and the middle-aged wizard, which seemed to involve himself.
The middle-aged wizard frequently glanced at him.
After about a dozen seconds, Old Wells quickly walked back to Ronan and said, “Barry Fania, with his son, wants to join us, to head to the town together.
If you’re not willing, I’ll refuse him immediately.”
Ronan’s eyes flashed.
He now understood that the two wizards they encountered were attracted by his own Intermediate Apprentice level strength and sought protection for the journey ahead.
Ronan saw the expectation in Old Wells’ eyes for him to refuse, but after thinking, he agreed instead.
“Alright, let them follow.”
Old Wells’ expression immediately became complex, and he quietly said thanks, nodded, and turned back to respond.
Ronan remained calm and composed standing there.
Accepting the two wasn’t solely for not wanting to make things difficult for Old Wells.
He thought that in case of any dire emergencies ahead, at a critical moment…
these two outsiders might prove useful.
“When did I also become so cunning and ruthless?”
Realizing his own changes, Ronan was startled.
Thinking about the dark sides of human nature he had seen along the journey since the chaos erupted…
he then reconciled with it.
“It’s all changes forced out by circumstances…”
Old Wells led two wizards, a father and son duo, who showed great respect for Ronan.
Although Ronan looked young, he was genuinely an Intermediate Apprentice in strength and also practiced Body Forging, giving him a strong physique.
Moreover, having personally killed two Intermediate Apprentice Black Robes, his powerful physique blended with a faint bloody scent created an oppressive aura that was enough to make ordinary Low-level Apprentice Wizards unable to even lift their heads in his presence.
The middle-aged wizard Barry’s son was a prime example.
A young man with the strength of a Level 2 Apprentice stumbled through his self-introduction to Ronan, causing his father Barry to lose face greatly, wearing a look of deep frustration.
With two additional members in the party, Ronan felt that his plan to return home to retrieve his belongings had become even more distant.
However, with the group having grown to six people, including two fresh forces, they became a considerable power in the chaotic forest, invisibly blocking many ill-intentioned gazes.
Gradually, Ronan noticed someone following behind the group.
Initially, he thought it was a bold troublemaker, but later realized they were pitiful wizards who were fleeing alone, worried about being robbed and killed, and wanted to borrow their group’s might for protection.
Ronan tried driving them away several times, but when these people saw that he wouldn’t actually harm anyone, their courage grew, and the number of followers behind them increased.
Ronan counted, and there were actually more than a dozen!
He was almost exasperated.
While he was troubled not knowing how to deal with them, Barry, the middle-aged wizard they had first accommodated, took the initiative and volunteered to help Ronan solve the problem of these “sticky plasters” tailing them.
Curious about his methods, Ronan let him handle it.
The size of their group directly ballooned to twenty-two people!
“So your so-called solution is to turn those tailing us into companions?”
Ronan’s eyes twitched slightly as he looked at Barry in front of him, speechless.
Barry seemed a bit guilty, but soon said: “Not just mindlessly allowing them to join.
I’ve negotiated with them, once we safely arrive at the town, each one must pay you a protection fee of four Low-level Magic Stones…”
Ronan really wanted to give Barry a thumbs-up.
The Tree House District truly didn’t harbor the idle.
The last person who received such praise from him was the Innate Trigram Holy Body golden-haired chubby boy, Jacob.
Since they couldn’t shake them off, might as well charge them to follow; this way, there was no loss.
Thinking it over, there really seemed no better way to handle it.
Ronan began leading the grand group towards the town, thoroughly discarding the idea of making a trip back home.
After all, the valuables hidden under the tree wouldn’t vanish; he could always come back for them later.
“It would be best to replenish the spiritual power that’s been used up…”
Along the way, Ronan thought quietly.
After the Proficiency of the [Energy Missile] spells reached just shy of being Complete at the Expert Level, casting it once required more spiritual power.
In a perfect state, Ronan, as a Level 5 Apprentice, could cast [Energy Missile] eight times total; after that, he would need to meditate to replenish.
He had been through two battles, launching four [Energy Missile] spells, with his spiritual power roughly halfway depleted.
Furthermore, after fighting two Black Robes, Ronan realized that each time he cast a spell, the spiritual power it drew became more demanding, and the remaining half might not even be enough for the expected four times.
might need to be upgraded.”
Ronan had an inkling of a feeling, at that moment, his heart was filled with both anticipation and some worries.