Two Morning Star Wizards one clad in black, the other in white stood in stark contrast in their ideologies. Yet, upon encountering each other at this moment, no anticipated battle broke out.
Instead, they hovered silently in midair, gazing down at the undulating expanse of Emerald Island's vast forest, which seemed to writhe as if alive.
"What a rare sight..."
The Whiteheart Tower Master's piercing eyes remained locked on the forest below. With a long sigh, he finally spoke:
"There is a [Landscape] here… No wonder you were willing to pay such a hefty price to bring me here."
His tone carried a hint of disbelief as if he were struggling to accept the scene before him.
The Lord of the Spirit Eye Furnace, his pale eyes cold as unfeeling ice, replied indifferently:
"As per our agreement, once the task is complete, you may also partake in the development of this place."
Whiteheart Tower Master shook his head slightly, showing no urgency to discuss profit. Instead, he asked,
"This place must be related to the catastrophe from a thousand years ago. If you are caught in a [Landscape], why not seek aid from Hearthstone? According to the covenant, both Black Wizards and White Wizards are obligated to deal with all [Landscapes]."
The Lord of the Spirit Eye Furnace responded coolly:
"This [Landscape] has already entered an unstable phase. If left alone, it may naturally dissipate in a few hundred years. Hearthstone merely sealed this place off to monitor it; they have no intention of expending effort to resolve it."
"I see… an unstable [Landscape]…"
A glint of understanding flashed through Whiteheart Tower Master's gaze.
From Hearthstone's perspective, the best course of action was clearly to wait for the place to collapse on its own, rather than dispatching forces to handle it.
His eyes flickered with contemplation as he spoke in a calm tone:
"Even if it is unstable, it's not something you and I can easily resolve. How do you plan to deal with it? Force your way in? As long as it doesn't involve lives, I will uphold our contract, but…"
The Lord of the Spirit Eye Furnace remained expressionless, his pale eyes fixed below watching as countless Furnace apprentices surged into the Emerald Island Forest. His voice was as cold as ever:
"A [Landscape] is ultimately an intruder. As long as enough people die in a short time, the laws of the Wizarding World will respond…"
His chilling words echoed in the air.
Hearing this, Whiteheart Tower Master's gaze sharpened, becoming increasingly profound, yet he remained silent.
He had already discerned the Furnace Lord's plan to "turn passive into active" and provoke the Wizarding World's response.
However, the cost of this plan would be an untold number of lives.
To make the world's laws react, they had to sacrifice those whom the world favored most.
And those people, naturally, were the practitioners of wizardry.
The stronger they were, the more attention they drew from the world.
Yet, official wizards would not willingly sacrifice themselves, nor would third-level apprentices march to their deaths.
How exactly this plan would be executed was something only the Furnace Lord himself knew.
With that thought, Whiteheart Tower Master's expression settled into calm indifference.
He said nothing more neither agreeing nor opposing.
Black Wizards had always adhered to the law of the jungle, believing in the survival of the fittest. In their eyes, life was merely a tool or resource.
And while White Wizards were comparatively more benevolent, they were no saints.
Whiteheart Tower Master simply shook his head slightly and chose silence.
Meanwhile, at the Furnace Outpost
A commotion filled the air as numerous apprentices gathered before the battle merit board, eyes glued to its real-time updates.
Sonya, clad in a wizard's robe, blended into the crowd. Her delicate face lifted as she gazed intently at the merit rankings.
During the disastrous attack on Nightshadow Fortress, a handful of apprentices had managed to escape Sonya being one of the lucky few.
Unfortunately, she lacked the fortune of someone like Lynn and was ultimately captured by a third-level wizard, who brought her back to the Furnace.
Now, she had been assigned to a new Furnace army, marching alongside their forces toward the Emerald Island Forest.
This army had only one goal: to break through the magical formations within the forest and rescue Aestry, who was trapped inside.
Though the formations were riddled with deadly dangers, the Furnace was willing to invest resources.
As long as one accumulated enough battle merits, they could exchange them for precious potions, enchanted artifacts, advanced meditation techniques, or even First-Level spell imprints.
Rumors had already begun spreading stories of apprentices who, through accumulated merits, managed to exchange for resources and successfully break through to become official wizards!
An official wizard that was the ultimate dream of every apprentice!
Despite the immense risks, many were still willing to take the gamble for this singular opportunity.
"That damned Black Dragon Witch! Not only did she summon the Furnace and nearly get me killed, but now I have to risk my life to save her?"
Sonya clenched her silver teeth in frustration, resentment surging in her heart.
Among apprentices, fate could be vastly different.
Some were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, enjoying abundant resources; others had to struggle endlessly, clawing for every opportunity.
Despite her grievances, Sonya resolved to take the risk.
If she could earn enough battle merits to exchange for critical resources, she might have a chance to break through to an official wizard!
The vast knowledge accumulated by the Wizarding World pointed to a critical threshold for apprentices: the age of thirty-five.
After this age, both mental power and physical condition would begin to decline. If one failed to break through before then, the chances of ever becoming an official wizard would diminish greatly.
Sonya had entered the Furnace at fifteen, became a second-Level apprentice two years later, and reached third-Level after five more years.
By twenty-four, she had already stepped into the realm of third-level apprentices. Yet, for the past ten years, she had remained at this stage drawing ever closer to the thirty-five-year mark.
Now, at thirty-four, she had only one final year left before reaching that fateful threshold.
"This is my last chance…"
Sonya clenched her fists, her gaze flashing with both unwillingness and determination.
Becoming an official wizard was a transformation no apprentice could resist.
It was a fundamental change in life itself crossing that threshold would sever their ties to ordinary humanity.
Official wizards were not just stronger; their status shifted entirely. No longer bound by the Furnace's servitude, they would ascend to a higher plane of existence.
More importantly, their lifespan would extend.
From a short-lived species of less than a century, they would evolve into long-lived beings with a lifespan of two to three hundred years!
"I have to fight for it!"
Determination burned in Sonya's heart. She refused to live an unremarkable life she would grasp this final opportunity and ascend to the ranks of the official wizards!
And among the apprentices, she was far from alone in this resolve.
Almost all apprentices harbored the same desire.
The only difference was that some lacked the strength to try, knowing that stepping onto the battlefield would mean certain death.
Whereas others had the qualifications to take that gamble Sonya was one of them.
Within the Furnace Outpost
The fervor was not limited to apprentices.
Inside a secluded chamber, figures radiating magical energy had gathered.
Without exception, they were all official wizards.
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