CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 58: NEWS OF DEATH

The fat wizard nodded, "Mm, no problem. You can go now."

"Did something happen?" Herag asked curiously.

"Recently, the Green Cottage launched multiple attacks on us. To ensure safety, all wizards entering the forest must undergo identity checks," the fat wizard explained.

"Is the situation this serious?" Herag felt that only a few days had passed, yet the situation had become more complex than he imagined.

After putting away the Faceless Bamboo Section, the fat wizard said, "You don’t need to worry too much. Just try not to leave the forest during this period. It’s still safe inside. Even if you need to go out, don’t go alone."

"Mm, your duty at the post station must also be quite risky," Herag felt that the defensive power at the post station was still somewhat lacking.

The fat wizard smiled bitterly, "There’s no choice. The tasks assigned by the forest must be carried out; there’s no escaping them."

In dangerous encounters, at least the official wizards can retreat unharmed, but it’s much harder for those of us who are wizard apprentices.

If the Green Cottage wanted to attack a post station, they certainly wouldn’t just send a few wizard apprentices.

"Are there any mandatory tasks?" Herag asked.

"Of course! As long as there is an emergency, everyone might be mobilized. You’re just a first-class wizard apprentice; your power isn’t enough yet, so there’s no task for you at the moment. Once your power increases, you’ll be assigned tasks too," the fat wizard explained.

After chatting for a while, the Hellfoot arrived. After boarding, Herag took out his Talisman Stone and started browsing Gossip Tavern, and sure enough, he saw many discussions about the Green Cottage attacks.

"Three first-class wizard apprentices picking Sleeping Mushrooms in the Moonlight Forest were killed!"

"I saw the scene; their bodies were hung on trees, the people from Green Cottage are too arrogant!"

"Calculating over the past few days, there have been over twenty casualties."

"Why have the people from Green Cottage suddenly gone mad?"

"It’s said they have a bounty; killing one of our third-class wizard apprentices is worth fifty magic stones."

"Am I worth that much? I almost want to kill myself to claim the bounty."

...

Herag continued to browse other posts. Many wizard apprentices who went out on missions had encountered attacks from the Green Cottage.

"It seems we’re not an isolated case. They must have some source of intelligence, an insider?"

Herag realized that the Green Cottage must have some special means of obtaining internal intelligence from the Moonlight Forest; otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible for so many wizard apprentices on missions to encounter danger.

He glanced at Bessie’s chat box but there was still no message.

After Herag escaped, he sent a message to Bessie asking about their situation, but still no reply after three days.

He had a vague sense of unease and wondered if Bessie’s group could escape.

Three days later.

While meditating, Herag suddenly opened his eyes. His Talisman Stone flashed. He opened it to see a message from Bessie.

"Emma is dead."

Seeing the message from Bessie, Herag thought the three of them were safe, but unexpectedly, the third-class wizard apprentice Emma had died.

"Emma didn’t manage to escape to save me..." Bessie quickly sent another message.

Bessie had a good relationship with Emma, and Herag could imagine how sad she must be. After all, it’s extremely difficult for wizards to have a friend.

"Herag, can you take me to see Mr. Larry? I want to commission him to help me concoct the Dawn and Dusk Potion. I must become a third-class wizard apprentice, I must become a wizard!" Bessie continued.

"No problem, I can take you there tomorrow." Herag had already arranged to meet Larry to discuss some precautions about the Dawn Potion the next day.

"Thank you, Herag." Bessie sent this message and then said no more.

Herag then opened Larry’s chat box, explained the situation, and Larry readily agreed. After all, business was coming to his door, and there was no reason to turn it away.

"Shenlan, calculate how much longer it will take to complete the last star of meditation?"

Recent events had made Herag increasingly anxious, eager to enhance his power, as only with power could he control his own destiny.

"Estimated to take another thirty-five days."

"Thirty-five days." Herag murmured this time as he entered meditation.

...

The next day, Herag met with Bessie at the Lion Cafe, where Rock was also present. They were still at the same table, but four people had become three.

"My condolences," Herag saw that Bessie’s eyes were still red.

"I’ll also offer my condolences to those people," Bessie’s eyes glinted with ferocity, filled with murderous intent.

"Bessie, you shouldn’t rush into revenge..." Herag noticed her unstable state and tried to advise her.

Bessie calmed down and said, "I understand."

Rock spoke up, "It’s my fault. I couldn’t protect her."

Bessie shook her head, "No, you did your best. If it weren’t for you and for that place in the Thousand Needle Stone Forest full of earth elements, we might have all been unable to escape. Rock, you’ve done enough."

"Let’s go, Herag." Bessie stood up and said.

Herag brought her to Larry, who surprisingly came to the door to welcome them himself.

"I heard about Miss Emma. It’s truly regrettable. I still remember her youthful and lively demeanor in my classes," Larry said with deep regret.

"Thank you, Mr. Larry, for remembering her." Bessie’s mood again sank a bit.

"Back to business, the commission fee for the Dawn and Dusk Potion is one hundred magic stones. Miss Bessie should be aware of this, right?" Larry said, pouring coffee for both of them.

"I have it all ready," Bessie appeared unfazed by the cost.

"One hundred magic stones..." Herag thought to himself, the magic potion crafting business is truly lucrative, a career with high upfront investment and returns.

Larry leaned against the table and looked down at Bessie, saying, "One more thing I must emphasize to Miss Bessie: the promotion should only begin once your spirit and emotions have completely stabilized, otherwise, recklessly drinking the potion to advance can have terrifying consequences."

"Thank you, Mr. Larry, for the warning. I understand." Bessie nodded.

"Alright, you only have one set of magic potion materials. To ensure everything goes smoothly, I’ll prepare extra time. Usually, you need two sets of materials, but let’s skip that this time. In about seven days, I will start the preparation. The Dawn and Dusk Potion, once crafted, will be effective for a month. Miss Bessie will need to consume it and complete the advancement within that month," Larry explained.

"Thank you for your efforts, Mr. Larry!" Bessie bowed.

Larry smiled, "Wish me luck, and I also wish you success."

After Bessie left, Herag stayed to inquire about details regarding the Dawn Potion. Larry answered each question without reservation, offering some insights from his own experiences.

He had high hopes for Herag, especially in the field of magic potion, as Herag always managed to grasp every detail excellently, to Larry’s great satisfaction.