NOVPUB
Chapter 43: 010: Diary
"What’s going on?"
Leonard looked around at the apprentices with surprise; he naturally sensed the change in the atmosphere here.
"No..."
"Nothing, Mentor..." The apprentices hurriedly shook their heads, trying to cover up.
"Hmph!" Leonard snorted displeased and reprimanded, "If you have time for this nonsense, why not channel it into your cultivation? All you do all day long is mess around and waste time! Do you want to be apprentices for the rest of your lives?"
After finishing, he couldn’t be bothered to attend to these apprentices anymore. After giving Graham another order to arrange the items, he turned and left.
After Leonard left...
"Graham, you idiot! You’ve really caused trouble this time!"
"You even dared to take the Magic Stone from a Warrior Feather recipient! Are you tired of living?!"
Graham was almost in tears.
His face was ashen, his lips trembling, and as he faced everyone’s scolding, all he could do was repeat nervously, "I... I had no idea... I had no idea..."
If it were someone else who’d done such a stupid thing, most would likely kick him while he’s down in such a situation. However, Graham, although fond of small advantages, had always been quite helpful, often assisting his peers in resolving troubles.
Because of this, at this moment, his companions did not ridicule or laugh at him but instead surrounded him anxiously, offering suggestions:
"Now’s not the time to talk about this! Think of a solution quickly!"
"If the mentor finds out about this, you’re done for. Do you really want to be expelled from the Tower?"
Graham shivered with a chill in his heart.
The competition within Shadow Tower was incredibly fierce, and Graham’s family wasn’t particularly powerful. His family had paid a huge price for him to be accepted as Leonard’s disciple. If he were expelled...
Graham couldn’t even bring himself to imagine the consequences...
"I have to fix this!"
A tremor ran through him, and Graham suddenly felt a jolt of absolute clarity in his mind. He handed the Gem Box to a nearby companion, donned his cloak, and hurriedly dashed out the door.
...
Elsewhere, in the stone house.
Inside the stone house, Lynch was lying on the bed, flipping through Richard’s journal.
[March 21st, stormy weather.]
[Can’t find it at all. The map’s marked location has absolutely no damned shipwreck. I’ve been deceived! Damn it!]
According to the journal’s records, Richard had once accidentally purchased a scroll that appeared to be a treasure map for a magical ruin at a secret Wizard Market. He subsequently spent a fortune hiring mercenaries to organize a treasure-hunting expedition. Unfortunately, the treasure map turned out to be fake. He found nothing and even encountered a storm...
[March 22nd, stormy weather.]
[The ship is about to sink. We were forced onto the lifeboats...]
...
[April 18th, clear weather.]
[We’ve been drifting on the lifeboat for over 20 days. We’re almost out of water and food. Are we going to die here?]
[No. Even if I have to kill and eat these mercenaries, I must survive!]
...
[April 20th, overcast.]
[Today we arrived at a strange place. The sea here is shrouded in mist, dotted with sunken ships, eerie and ghostly. Hurry through this region.]
...
[April 21st, overcast.]
[We got out... but it seems we didn’t. There’s a peculiar island here. An island in this kind of place is truly odd.]
[Whatever. We’re out of water and food. We must find supplies!]
...
[April 23rd, overcast.]
[The island is inhabited by devils! Devils that can seduce the human mind!]
[Damn it. The mercenaries have gone mad. They’re killing each other and even eating eyeballs! I almost buried my head in the dirt, thinking I was a flower.]
[We’re finished. We’re going to die here!]
[Forget the treasure; I just want to leave this place. Someone, please help me!]
...
[April 25th, overcast.]
[Ruins! There are ruins here! Wizard ruins, my god!]
...
[April 26th, overcast.]
[We escaped, though there are only three of us left. At least we made it out alive.]
[And what’s more, ruins!]
[Although it was during our escape, hastily and without time to approach, I am certain about what I saw—those were ruins!]
[I even picked up a book with contents I don’t understand.]
[Just wait. I’m still too weak now. I’ll explore here again when I’ve grown stronger. My first move will start with these three mercenaries. Once we reach the shore, I’ll kill and refine them into Dead Spirits—I’ll start building my first Necromancy Army with them...]
[Someday, I, Richard, will forge my own era!]
...
At the journal’s end, Richard had marked the map in detail, mapping out specific routes on the page attached to the journal.
Lynch stared at the journal, pondering.
Judging from its content, while Richard’s purchased map was fake, whether by fortune or misfortune, he seemed to have stumbled upon a hidden ruin purely by chance.
"This area... It’s the Shadow Sea Domain... That explains it..." Lynch looked at the map.
The Shadow Sea Domain was distant from the mainland where mortal ships couldn’t reach. Yet, paradoxically, few resources made it unappealing enough to keep wizards away. If Richard hadn’t discovered this by unexpected accident, it might have stayed hidden forever.
"I could check it out someday when I’m stronger."
Lynch had quite an interest in treasure hunting and exploring. But of course, all of this was premised on having sufficient strength for self-preservation. For now, that seemed out of reach. Perhaps deciphering the book he obtained would suffice.
With this in mind, Lynch put the journal and map aside for later consideration.
Apart from the mentioned ruins, the journal mostly consisted of Richard’s complaints against fate, curses aimed at his mentor and senior students, as well as grandiose proclamations.
"Yawn!~"
Closing the journal, Lynch yawned, tucked himself under the blanket, and finally prepared to sleep. This time, his fatigue got the better of him, leaving him ready to drift off within seconds.
However, as things often go, even falling asleep didn’t promise peace.
Just as Lynch hovered between wakefulness and sleep, an urgent knock disturbed the quiet.
"Knock-knock!"
"Open the door! Hurry and open the door!" A stranger’s voice echoed outside—gruff and rude.
Soon after, the voice suddenly paused. Then, the tone shifted dramatically, turning refined and surprisingly servile.
"Uh... I mean, could you open the door? Please, I beg of you."
Lynch, utterly exhausted, chose to feign ignorance and pulled the blanket over his head. 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Not home?"
"No way, I asked around, and everyone said you’re inside."
"Please open up, I’m begging you!"
Yet, the persistent voice continued endlessly, its relentlessness keeping Lynch from falling asleep.
Fine, you win!
Lynch couldn’t stand it any longer. He got up and walked over to open the door.
Outside the door stood a stranger—a young man cloaked as a Tower Inner Apprentice. He looked vaguely familiar, though Lynch couldn’t place him for now.
Lynch yawned and asked, "Yawn, who are you looking for?"
The man exhaled a long breath of relief, rubbed his hands nervously, and then Lynch saw the distinguished Tower Inner Apprentice standing before him, humbly smiling as though trying to curry favor with an Outer Ring Apprentice like himself.
He said, "Oh, Sir, thank goodness you opened the door. I’m truly relieved."
"Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Graham Scuzzi. And you must be Mr. Lynch Valen, yes?"
"May I have a moment of your time?"
