Chapter 153: The World-Incinerating Serpent

"What should we do next?" Lin Wei asked Noritz.

Noritz's expression turned solemn. "We must harness the purest flame in the Star-Crossing Continent to thoroughly ignite Lord Retula's life force."

"The purest flame in the Star-Crossing Continent?" Lin Wei frowned. "You mean..."

"The magma flowers within the Lovas Volcanic Cluster," Noritz said, pronouncing each word with deliberate weight. "Magma flowers condensed from the purest fire in this world!"

"The Lovas Volcanic Cluster?!" Lin Wei was instantly startled. "One of the three forbidden zones of the Star-Crossing Continent?!"

"Yes, that is the place." Noritz nodded, a deep sense of reverence filling his eyes. "Shrouded and permeated by boundless, bizarre forces, not a single official wizard has ever been able to walk into the Lovas Volcanic Cluster... Even among the wizard apprentices permitted entry, very few have ever returned alive."

"Therefore... this mission is fraught with extreme danger."

Noritz looked at Lin Wei. "Actually, I do not advise you to go to the Lovas Volcanic Cluster. With a survival rate of less than one percent, you are very likely to die there. However... this is Lord Norenshu's will..."

"Lord Norenshu wants me to go to the Lovas Volcanic Cluster?" Lin Wei was somewhat baffled.

"Yes..." A contemplative look crossed Noritz's eyes. "I, too, fail to understand the Lord's intentions. For you, this is far too dangerous. If you are truly unwilling, I can go with you to persuade Lord Norenshu."

Lin Wei fell silent for a moment, his mind racing as he tried to decipher Norenshu's intentions.

"Ball Core, search the database for information regarding the Lovas Volcanic Cluster."

In an instant, unfamiliar knowledge was transmitted into Lin Wei's mind.

"The flame serpent that burns the world... The giant serpent Lovas... The birthplace of the miracle of life..."

Lin Wei felt a sudden sense of frustration. "Almost all of this is mere legend..."

"To go... or not to go..." Lin Wei weighed the options in his heart.

"Huh?!"

As Lin Wei was still sorting through the information in his mind, a fragment of knowledge suddenly cleared.

"The devoured souls shall be reborn here..."

This piece of knowledge appeared out of nowhere, seemingly existing in isolation.

"Ball Core, where did this phrase originate?!"

Lin Wei instantly commanded the Ball Core, a premonition telling him that this might well be the reason Norenshu had sent him there.

"It originates from an ancient, nameless tattered manuscript fragment from the Shadow Forest."

The voice of the intelligent Ball Core echoed in Lin Wei's ear, and an image of the manuscript was projected onto his retina.

Rather than a tattered book, it was more like a ruined scrap of paper. On the front of the paper was half a line of torn text; from the remaining traces, one could deduce that the words were "Lovas Volcanic Cluster." On the back of the manuscript was carved: "...The mysterious giant serpent of Lovas will burn this world to ashes... The devoured lives... shall be reborn here..."

"Devoured... reborn?" Lin Wei suddenly thought of that sacred bead, the so-called Soul-Devouring Bead.

Devoured... reborn...

Lin Wei pondered this carefully.

"Could the fact that Great Wizard Wegaler of the Wizard Continent left the Soul-Devouring Bead here be mere coincidence?" A sudden wave of intuition struck Lin Wei's heart. "Could this world... this Star-Crossing Continent... hold yet other secrets?"

In an instant, the world felt profoundly unreal to Lin Wei.

His gaze grew somewhat dazed.

Watching Lin Wei in a trance, Noritz did not interrupt him, assuming the young man was weighing the pros and cons.

Suddenly, Lin Wei raised his head and looked at Noritz. "My Lord, I am willing to go."

"Have you thought it through?" Noritz's expression was dead serious.

"Yes, My Lord." Lin Wei nodded.

Noritz sighed softly. "Since you have made your decision, I will not stop you... Well, I will have my student accompany you."

"You mean Xuelis?" Lin Wei asked in return.

Lin Wei had learned a year and a half ago that Engmor's younger sister, Xuelis, was Noritz's sole student.

"Yes." Noritz smiled. "Rest assured, although she is a level-two wizard apprentice, the spells she cultivates will be of great assistance to you in that environment."

Lin Wei pondered for a moment and said, "Thank you, Lord Noritz."

"Think nothing of it." Noritz cautioned, staring directly into Lin Wei's eyes. "Since you have made your choice, go and make your preparations in advance. Within three days, you must depart."

Lin Wei nodded in agreement. "Understood, My Lord. In that case, I will take my leave."

"Mm..." Noritz nodded. "Go..."

"Wait..." Just as Lin Wei was about to step out the door, Noritz suddenly called out to him, a complex expression in his eyes. "Good luck."

Lin Wei was momentarily stunned, then bowed slightly and backed out of the room.

Noritz leaned back heavily into his wide armchair, a deep sense of bafflement rising in his eyes. "Ever since a year and a half ago, Lord Norenshu seems to have undergone some kind of change... His attitude, many of his ideas—I can no longer fathom them... Could someone be influencing Lord Norenshu's will?"

A heavy feeling pressed upon Noritz's heart. It had been a long time since he had felt this way; even among the veteran prodigies of the Shadow Forest, he felt as insignificant as a grain of sand in the vast ocean.

"I only hope the situation in the Star-Crossing Continent does not descend into further chaos..."

Noritz let out a long sigh.

...

Twenty days later.

In the southwestern region of the Star-Crossing Continent.

A massive gale-bird swept down toward the ground, and two figures leaped from its back.

"Let it circle here. When we return from the Lovas Volcanic Cluster, we will ride it back to the academy."

Lin Wei said to Xuelis.

"Mm." Xuelis nodded and closed her eyes. A strange fluctuation radiated from her body, flowing toward the gale-bird, as if a transparent bridge had been established between the human and the beast.

Upon receiving Xuelis's peculiar wave, the gale-bird's eyes took on an almost human-like intelligence. It let out an affectionate call near Xuelis's ear, then spread its wings and quickly vanished into the horizon.

"The language of the heart can transcend the boundaries of race..."

A trace of curiosity appeared in Lin Wei's eyes.

"Let's go, Lin Wei."

Xuelis turned her head to look at Lin Wei, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Alright."

Without hesitation, Lin Wei walked toward the Lovas Volcanic Cluster.

Xuelis walked behind Lin Wei, gazing at his back, the smile still lingering at the corner of her mouth.

"With so many dazzling halos around him... it really makes one admire him... And strictly speaking, he is still my junior apprentice..."

Xuelis revealed her sharp little canine teeth, a tender, watery light flashing in her eyes.