67 halfway

  If the "Meteor" of the North is wild, then the "Midnight" in the Grand Canyon of Mount Sel is almost eternal silence. The death spirit with a red cloak and a dark veil outside walks back and forth in the wide corridor, occasionally passing out a ghostly wind sound.

  For over two hundred years, most of the orders related to Seri have come in and out of this valley. Although the master here rarely shows up now, his opinions still carry significant weight in Seri.

  Paras Otorrian is one of the few ordinary people in this canyon - ordinary here means that he himself does not cast spells, but his identity is by no means ordinary. In the recent thirty years or so, he has been the nominal manager of the Serel mountain range, in other words, he is the regional governor of the Serel mountain range.

  His noble bloodline came from his maternal side, but that was not enough to put him in this position. In fact, all members of the Council of Mages knew that this middle-aged man was the official spokesperson for the Chief of the Death Spirit Division. He himself had also acknowledged it with a sarcastic tone at the Governor's meeting, saying he was a puppet of Xazastan. However, as a politician, Paros Otterian undoubtedly had certain abilities, such as being able to keenly sense valuable information from messages coming in from all over.

  "The uprising in southern Sazahannah's Hiren region has been put down, with the loss of hundreds of soldiers for the Federation."

  "Oh, this matter was only resolved today? I remember it's been a long time since the incident." A cane emerged from the shadows and tapped on the floor, producing a clear sound. The candlelight gradually spread from the cane to reveal a withered hand that was nothing but skin and bones.

  Or it can be said that there is a thin layer of skin and flesh on the outside of the metacarpal bone, which is as wrinkled and pale as dried tangerine peel.

  And above the darkness behind this hand, two points of emerald green light flickered, like a deep dark phosphorus.

  "This is the twelfth incident of its kind in two hundred years, and to be frank, since our country was founded, there has never been a stable governing force in that place." The not-so-old governor said: "It seems that an independent power circle has already formed there. With the large group of mountain bandits colluding with local landlords, our army finds it difficult to penetrate deep into the mountains. Once we invest too much energy, there is a risk of being taken advantage of by the Mulan people."

  "Oh, is it? You seem to have something else to say?" The two clusters of phosphorus fire flickered twice.

  "It wasn't me... but rather Governor Muelos Daramos who proposed abandoning that area and establishing a military fortress in the more northern Satoka. "Paras said with a very serious expression: "Sir, Governor Daramos says that this way can quickly resolve the issue, and if there are any losses as a result, he is willing to take full responsibility."

  "Ah, Muelstanthus, he's almost ninety years old now, and yet still as selfless as ever." The owner of the cane let out a sigh with his hoarse voice.

  "Sir, I also think it's not a bad idea to abandon the Hillsbrad area. After all, it brings limited benefits to Lordaeron and has consumed a lot of our energy. Now that our trade caravans have many roads to travel to Mulgore, compared to the numerous sea routes, this road is too dangerous. And if we were to give this place to the orcs of Mulgore, they would also be left with a big headache..."

  Paras frowned: "Actually, all the governors have had this idea, but for various reasons, they haven't implemented it."

  "Because once the land is abandoned, it will become a target for malicious attacks." The owner of the cane laughed in a low, husky voice, like an owl hooting at midnight: "This is really an interesting situation."

  "Mr. Dalamos said he wanted to retire, regarding fame..."

  "It's hard on him, but the Administrative Center has just assigned a Magistrate to take charge of government affairs there..."

  "Huh...?" The middle-aged governor's words suddenly stuttered, and he sat still for a while before saying: "...This doesn't seem to be an appointment from the Administrative Council. Could it be a direct order from one of the Chiefs?"

  "It was me who posted it." The voice said faintly.

  "What?!" Parros Otorian stood up, staring at the two balls of phosphorus fire in shock and amazement.

  "Oh, you know, I don't bother with much anymore. I just like to wander around in the mountains and occasionally help out some lazy good-for-nothings with their tasks. Like that Morovis at the guide station, you should know he loves drinking and sleeping." A faint laugh echoed from under the phosphorescent fire: "The other day, I substituted for him to receive a new wizard, that kid was interesting, it's been a long time since I've seen such a new red robe, so I couldn't help but give him some special treatment."

  "...adult." Paracus fell silent for a moment and sat back in his chair: "This doesn't seem like much of a privilege."

  "Is that so? But I've already given the order, and going back on my word isn't my style." The voice was followed by a low, muffled laugh, and the two points of phosphorus slowly disappeared into the darkness: "Tell Muelstadt to hold on for a few more years, none of our people can replace him yet, ah... I hope his body remains as robust as ever."

  "I shall comply with your will." Parros Otorreian bowed respectfully in the direction where Phosphor had disappeared, and as he stood up, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if filled with doubts. He returned to his seat, rummaging through a stack of documents sent from various places, and pulled out an unassuming letter of appointment.

  He carefully browsed through the content above, his eyes finally stopping at an ordinary name, lost in thought.

  ……

  At this time, in southern Serbia, a middle-aged governor also fell into trouble.

  His name is Dimitri Arryn, the ruler of Saban County in southern Sazahana. He controls several large and small areas such as Satoka, Shirin, Rosku, etc. As a politician, he has exceptional abilities and can handle all matters at the South Gate of Ser with ease. However, he has one well-known shortcoming: greed.

  Perhaps due to his humble origins, this red-robed monk is extremely enthusiastic about wealth and has a much greater extortionate power within the territory than other counties in the Sazaha Province, not letting go of any opportunity to make money.

  If someone were to snatch such an opportunity from before his eyes, then that person would undoubtedly become the object of his hatred. In his heart, he had drawn up a list of these people in order of hatred, from high to low.

  Now, at the bottom of this list, there is a new name. A young Red Cloak named Penny Sien has just passed through his territory on his way to take up an appointment in the Shiren region.

  That's the reason for his hatred, you see. He has wanted to get rid of this hellhole of a place for a long time now. The constant riots in that area always keep him on his toes as a direct superior, and if he doesn't handle them carefully, it will damage his political prospects.

  He was a strong supporter of the proposal to 'abandon Hainan Island'.

  His attitude is even more rooted in the fact that if the Hiron region is lost, a military fortress will have to be established within the Sartoka border to build new checkpoints. This project related to national policy will receive a large allocation of funds from the central government of Serl, and according to the proportion of corruption prevalent in Serl, he will undoubtedly gain a great deal of benefit.

  So a newly appointed red-robed official inadvertently offended his superior.

  If possible, Dimitri Antrenz would certainly like to send some killers to secretly do away with Panni, which could further prompt the Mages' Association to lean towards the 'Abandon the Hiren Region' proposal, but when he saw the name of another person traveling with this red robe, he gave up.

  "...Hustrophedi..." The middle-aged official's eyes flickered as he sat on a stool in contemplation.

  He wasn't lonely, although he didn't mind killing a new red robe with shallow roots, but if he encountered key figures from the six major families, he wouldn't have that much courage.

  After thinking for a long time, he gradually started to sneer, letting that ignorant little brat go there to enjoy himself. In his opinion, with the situation over there, it was absolutely impossible to stand firm.

  The ruling official has already decided not to give any assistance to the red-robed officials who are about to take office.

  ……

  "Your boss seems to dislike you, Xian."

  The weather in the south of Serra is undoubtedly much better than in the north, especially in areas near the bay, which has a pleasant climate. However, the people walking on it did not have a good mood because of this, but instead had a gloomy atmosphere.

  A few large carts were making their way up the mountain path, accompanied by a group of people consisting of three Red Robes, Lijieta and Hughes' four apprentices, and four guard knights. Unfortunately, due to not having spent many years in the Red Robe Master's education system, coupled with the mentor's lack of responsibility, Penny Xien as a Red Robed Master had a shallow foundation and never had the consciousness of owning these things, being a typical empty commander.

  It wasn't until he left Elta Park that day that he discovered his own oversight, but at the time he didn't think it was a big deal, so he didn't delay because of it.

  But he was ridiculed by Trophidi: "Dear Xian, you, a red-robed mage, are even more incompetent than me."

  "If I were to assassinate you, it would be very easy." That's what Lijit said.

  "Alright, actually I've already regretted it." On the road, hearing Lijitana's question about her superior, Xien who had just left the Satoka area let out a sigh: "I never thought that the situation in this area would be so bad."

  "It's obvious that the Governor is eager to get rid of this hot potato, tsk, Xien, you should be grateful that Hughes is willing to go with you, otherwise you should have expected something to happen. "You really shouldn't have taken on this appointment," Lijia said in her usual sarcastic tone, "now it's too late to back out unless you're willing to hide in the Institute."

  "It's actually not that bad here." Hughes looked around and furrowed his brow: "Xien, I feel like coming to this place is asking for trouble. The geography here really isn't great."

  Pan Ni's expression was serious and he nodded solemnly.

  The southernmost part of the Sunrise Mountains plunges directly into the eastern coast of the Fallen Star Sea, and two rivers originating from the Sunrise Mountains converge here to form a river valley. Coupled with the sudden drop in terrain at Serre Highlands, it forms a complex terrain that makes travelers tremble at a glance.

  Gullies and canyons everywhere, cliffs, swamps, wild forests, winding roads, uneven terrain with no flat land in sight.

  Xiren is right in the central part of this area.

  Rumors had reached Penny on the road, and he had already imagined what he would face: "In short, since I have accepted the appointment, I should go to the place first; if I don't see clearly because of fear and retreat, it doesn't sound like a good idea."

  "Not bad, not bad, Xien, I agree with you on this." Hughes nodded: "It's good to keep some caution, but if you're overly cautious, it becomes cowardice."

  "Hmm... I didn't expect you two to still have some guts. Lijitai sneered twice: "However, I must make it clear that if we find out at the destination that this appointment is not something we can handle, I absolutely will not waste time on it."

  Hues frowned, apparently somewhat dissatisfied with Lijita's idea.

  "Alright, your idea is practical and reasonable." Penny nodded: "I won't force anyone to accompany me to death either, but I still want to go take a look at the situation first."

  "Alright." Regita closed her eyes and stopped talking.

  Pan Ni rubbed his temples, and suddenly the magic bag sank, as if something had been added to it. It seemed like a living creature. He quietly took a peek, and saw a large-eared Holland pig appear in the magic bag. Although its appearance had changed greatly, Xian still recognized the creature's identity at a glance. He was secretly shocked.

  Because he noticed that Bairen's fur was dull and lusterless, his half-closed eyes revealed a listless expression, the information transmitted through the soul link made him immediately understand that this old mouse had suffered very serious injuries.

  He hadn't gone further when he heard Hewes' hail.

  "Xien, we still have time, let's study the spell we discussed last time again."

  "Oh... okay."

  Penny nodded and set aside the matter of Beren, beginning to discuss magic with Hughes once more.

  In his opinion, mice with a mind of their own didn't need him to interfere, and profound matters were not something he could interfere with, so it was better to ignore them.

  Discussing magic with Hughes was apparently more meaningful. During this period, he had learned over a dozen third-level spells and was no longer an empty-headed mage in name only.

  "Three lords." Just then, the carriage stopped and a hand wearing scale armor gloves pushed open the curtain of the carriage. A middle-aged woman's face appeared outside the window, Penny recognized her as Rosanna, the guardian of Lijita: "The road ahead is blocked again, it will take some time to clear the way."

  "Let's stop and rest for a while then." Penny waved her hand, remembering that this kind of thing had been happening continuously on this road, and added: "If you think it's troublesome, we can consider walking for the next part of the road. Anyway, it's not far now."

  As soon as Penny said this, Lijit and Hughes' expressions changed slightly at the same time.

  "Sir, you must be joking. As a guardian and servant, such things are not allowed to happen." Rosanna shook her head, put down the curtain, turned around and left the carriage.

  "Great idea walking in this godforsaken place, Sean." Lizzie let out a sigh and began to complain to Penny.

  "We're just ordinary Red Robe Mages, we shouldn't be so pampered." Pani helplessly spread out his hands.

  "Mages should try to avoid physical labor as much as possible." Hughes shook his head, clearly disagreeing with Penny's view.

  "Alright, I'll go take a look." Having seen the difference in ideas, Penny shrugged and stopped arguing, getting down from the carriage.

  Before me lies a valley covered with dense forest, aside from the difficult-to-traverse road, the scenery is quite good.

  Pang Ni took a deep breath of fresh air, and suddenly noticed the metallic glint reflecting from among the dense woods. His pupils contracted as he shouted: "Be on guard!"

  A brief incantation escaped his lips, and a suit of armor appeared on him. Several guards drew their weapons and shields vigilantly. The other two red-robed mages also jumped off the carriage after a brief spell boost.

  Those few points of metallic light gradually drew closer, revealing several dark silhouettes, while a strange accent in the universal language was transmitted:

  "Don't be overly tense, a few venerable masters, we don't have malicious intentions."