Chapter 232: Ignorance is Truly Frightening
The Sleeping Moon of Luo Xia City bore an unmistakable touch of bleakness.
From the narrow paths between the fields to the wide and flat main roads, everything was blanketed in a thick layer of snow. As far as the eye could see, there was a vast expanse of white, devoid of any signs of life.
Whoosh!
A giant wolf galloped across the snow, kicking up a flurry of snowflakes.
The wolf stood as tall as an adult man's chest. Its entire body was a light gray, with agile and powerful limbs. As it ran, it occasionally opened its mouth, releasing puffs of white breath. One could catch a glimpse of its extremely sharp fangs, with traces of blood still lingering between them.
Even more astonishing was the single horn that protruded from the top of the giant wolf's head.
Fanor, riding on the wolf's back, tightened his fur cloak around himself, glanced at the snowflakes falling from the sky, and couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"Damn this weather!"
Even as a Second Level Wizard Apprentice, he found the cold unbearable.
"With these Silver Moon Flowers, I'll soon be able to construct my fourth Star Ring!"
"If I had known there were so many good things in the city, I should have left the village sooner to search for resources everywhere!"
Fanor smacked his lips at the thought.
Had he realized this sooner, he wouldn't have spent decades just to advance to Second Level Wizard Apprentice.
"But according to the people in that shop, that was the Star Alliance's business."
Although he had been living in the countryside, Fanor was still aware of the Star Alliance. It was a colossal organization that dominated the entire continent!
Stealing from the Star Alliance would certainly lead to being sought after.
However, Fanor was unfazed. At worst, he would just find a place to hide.
The Starlight Continent was vast; if he concealed himself in some remote corner, how could the Star Alliance possibly find him?
"Should I go to the Underworld or the Rainbow Sea?"
Fanor had come across these two places in the Wizard Codex, and he believed they were definitely outside the Star Alliance's sphere of influence. Whichever he chose, he'd be free as a bird.
Fanor was lost in his thoughts when suddenly, a gust of wind rushed past his ear.
Alarm bells went off in his mind. Instinctively, he twisted his body to the side. In the next moment, he heard a soft, tearing sound, as if flesh were being ripped apart, followed by a flash of crimson light filling his vision.
"Awoo!"
The giant wolf beneath him, his Magical Pet, let out a mournful cry, its legs buckling as it tumbled forward, causing Fanor to crash to the ground alongside it.
Fortunately, his agile physique kept him uninjured. He quickly regained his bearings, rolled a short distance away, and then stood up swiftly, ready to confront a great adversary. He stared intently in the direction of the attack.
What came into view were two figures clad in long robes.
Referring to them as "men" felt misleading; they appeared only fifteen or sixteen years old, mere teenagers, really.
Beside them stood two black panthers, their cold, emotionless eyes fixated on him.
"What are they? Magical Pets?"
Fanor sensed that the two panthers were anything but ordinary. They exuded an aura that made him feel they were even more dangerous than his own Magical Pet.
"Who are you? Why did you ambush me?"
He briefly glanced at the giant wolf lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.
The previous attack had pierced straight through its back and out its chest, leaving a gaping hole. Blood poured out, staining the snow beneath it a vivid crimson. The wolf was clearly on its last legs.
Seeing his beloved Magical Pet severely injured, Fanor felt a deep well of heartache and anger rise within him.
If not for the distinct signs that the two youths were cultivators—Wizard Apprentices—and the presence of the daunting black panthers, he would have unleashed his fury and charged at them without hesitation.
Upon hearing Fanor's question, the two teenagers exchanged looks and offered helpless smiles in unison.
The teenager on the right lifted the edge of his hood, revealing a handsome face. He pointed to the star-shaped emblem pinned to his chest and chuckled, "Just came from the countryside, huh? You have the guts to rob something from the Star Alliance but can't even recognize their emblem?"
Another tall, thin youth shook his head with a helpless sigh. "There have been quite a few like you in recent years. Hiding out in some remote countryside to cultivate, only emerging after advancing to Second Level Wizard Apprentice— and as a result, knowing nothing. Your greed clouds your judgment when you see something valuable, and you actually dared to try to take action against the Star Alliance?"
"You're probably thinking of escaping to the Underworld or Rainbow Sea, hoping that the Star Alliance won't be able to find you, right?"
Fanor's expression shifted, and he nearly blurted out, "How did you know?"
Seeing the change in his demeanor, the tall, thin youth knew he had guessed correctly and shook his head helplessly.
It wasn't that he could read minds, but most of the Wizard Apprentices they had captured before had thought the same thing.
"Ignorance is a terrible thing. Both the Underworld and Rainbow Sea are within the Star Alliance's territory. Where do you think you can run to?"
Fanor's face suddenly paled in shock.
The Underworld and Rainbow Sea are both under the control of the Star Alliance?
How could that be?
The Wizard Codex clearly recorded that those two areas were vast and extremely dangerous. How could the Star Alliance possibly conquer them?
Seeming to read Fanor's thoughts, the tall, thin youth curled his lip. "You simply don't understand how powerful the Star Alliance is."
"Alright," the handsome youth interrupted, "enough with the pointless talk. Let's quickly capture him and be done with it. I still need to go to Flash City later."
The tall, thin youth seemed to take the handsome youth's words to heart. As soon as he spoke, he fell silent, his expression turning stern, and the look he gave Fanor became cold.
Fanor was startled. Acting quickly, he spat out the syllables of a spell, raising his hand to shoot a beam of icy blue light at the handsome youth.
"Freezing Ray!"
Faced with the incoming spell, the handsome youth didn't move an inch, allowing it to strike him. The ray was then blocked by an invisible barrier.
"Shield Spell? No, that's not right. It's a protective magical item!"
Fanor was both shocked and envious.
But he quickly had no time for anything else. Six Spell Missiles, accompanied by piercing whistles, hurtled toward him, instantly shattering his shield.
Rushing flames surged forward like a tide, forcing him into a clumsy dodge.
As the battle began, Fanor was shocked to discover that the two teenagers not only possessed more advanced spells than he did, but they also cast them much faster.
The power of their spells was far superior, steadily overwhelming him.
They even wielded rare and precious magical items for defense.
Either one of them could have easily bested him, let alone the two working together.
Within a mere four or five breaths, Fanor found himself completely outmatched and was forced to flee with his head in his hands.
"Are all the Star Alliance this powerful?" Fanor thought, horrified.
Only then did he realize he had severely underestimated the power of the Star Alliance.
Soon, he was hit by a ray of weakness, causing his entire body to collapse to the ground. Before he could catch his breath, a fist that felt as if it were made of rock slammed into his head.
Thud!
Fanor didn’t even utter a groan; his eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.
The tall, thin teenager withdrew his fist, a smug smile spreading across his face.
"The Stone Fist Technique is still the best."
"This spell is really only useful for bullying enemies without protective spells."
The handsome teenager scoffed, then pulled out an Anti-Magic Neck Ring to bind Fanor, clapping his hands.
Several agile Black Rock Leopards that had been watching on the sidelines bounded over, seized Fanor by the scruff of his neck, and easily tossed him onto one of their backs.
"Done, let’s head back."
The two teenagers remounted their Black Rock Leopards and returned to Luo Xia City.
"Speaking of which, the Star Eye is really useful."
On the way, the tall, thin teenager couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
"That guy only made one move, and the Star Eye recorded his life information, directly pinpointing his location. If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have been able to find him so quickly."
The handsome teenager chuckled, "After all, it’s a super-large magical device created by those two great figures. Now the entire Starlight Continent, including the Underworld and the Rainbow Sea, is within the Star Eye's coverage area. No one can escape its monitoring."
The tall, thin teenager nodded in agreement, "Master Sunan and Lord Starfall are incredible!"
They hurried along, and soon, the two returned to Luo Xia City.
The tall, thin youth took on the errand, and the handsome youth thanked him before heading to the central square of Luo Xia City.
The Teleportation Array was located there.
By the time he reached the square, a sizable queue had already formed in front of the Teleportation Array, accompanied by caravans hauling cargo.
There were people of all sorts present, but the one thing they had in common was that they were all well-dressed, clearly from affluent families.
Although the Teleportation Array was no longer a rare sight, with almost every city boasting one, the high usage fees meant that ordinary people could still not afford it.
Those who utilized the Teleportation Array now were mostly nobles, wealthy merchants, the middle class, as well as Wizard Apprentices and Knights.
As the handsome youth entered the square, he immediately attracted a lot of attention.
Those nearby noticed the long robe he wore and the star-shaped badge on his chest, leading them to display looks of respect.
The Knight assigned to guard the Teleportation Array brightened at the sight and quickly approached, a flattering smile on his face. "Ah, it's Lord Hailing! Are you here to use the Teleportation Array?"
The handsome youth nodded in acknowledgment, glanced at the long queue, and frowned slightly.
The Knight quickly added, "If Lord Hailing is in a hurry, you may use the Teleportation Array first."
"Thank you for your trouble."
The handsome youth didn’t stand on ceremony and headed directly to the Teleportation Array, dropping a Sub Magestone into the slot.
As the light flared, his figure vanished in an instant from the Teleportation Array.
Watching this, two Knights at the front of the queue couldn’t help but display envious expressions.
"It's good to be a Wizard Apprentice; they have privileges wherever they go."
"Yeah, look at that guard. He usually doesn’t even glance at us, but he’s all obsequious to the Wizard Apprentice. It’s quite realistic."
Hearing their conversation, the man in front turned around, looked at the two with a strange expression, and chuckled.
"The guard’s behavior isn’t solely because that person is a Wizard Apprentice; don’t you recognize him?"
One of the Knights asked curiously, "Does that person have a prominent background?"
"His background is not just prominent!" the man paused, piquing their curiosity, before continuing slowly. "That person’s full name is Hailing Aneste, the grandson of the Emperor. Would you say his background is significant or not?"
"Ah!"
The two Knights gasped softly, their faces filled with shock.
They finally understood why the warden had acted so ingratiating and flattering.
Simply being the grandson of the Emperor was already extraordinary; within the entire Prosperous Star Empire, he clearly belonged to the upper echelon.
Not to mention, he was also a Wizard Apprentice!
It was common knowledge that Master Sunan, the Controller of the Star Alliance, was the Emperor's brother.
In other words, Hailing Aneste was Master Sunan's grandnephew.
Being both a grandnephew and a Wizard Apprentice, one could imagine how bright Hailing Aneste's future prospects were in the Star Alliance.
Realizing this, the two Knights immediately felt a pang of regret.
Had they known that his background was so illustrious, they would have shamelessly approached him earlier, simply to become familiar faces.
If they could have become his followers, it would have been a leap to the heavens!
After a blur before his eyes, Haylin had already arrived at the central plaza of Flash City.
As he looked at the familiar scenery, a hint of nostalgia welled up in his eyes.
No matter how many times he used it, the divine wonder of the Teleportation Array never ceased to amaze him.
To cross a distance of seven or eight hundred kilometers in the blink of an eye was nothing short of miraculous.
"I heard that the Underworld has also fully deployed their Teleportation Array. As long as one is willing to invest Sub Magestone, they can traverse the entire continent in a single day."
After sighing for a moment, Haylin set off toward the palace.
Before embarking on this mission, he had received a message from the palace, indicating that his grandfather wished to see him whenever he had the opportunity.
Key Arnest, the founding emperor of the Prosperous Star Empire and also the brother of the Star Alliance Controller, commanded immense prestige throughout the Starlight Continent.
Though he was not a Wizard, even the deans of the Academy dared not show him disrespect.
Haylin held great respect and affection for his grandfather.
Thus, as soon as his mission was completed, he rushed over without delay.
About half an hour later, Haylin met his grandfather in the study.
Compared to the New Year celebrations earlier in the year, his grandfather's white hair seemed to have grown a bit more.
Even someone as powerful as a Bloodline Knight could not resist the passage of time.
"The 191-year-old Emperor was, without a doubt, nearing the end of his life.
"Greetings, Grandfather. Haylin offers you his respects."
"Sit down; there's no need for such formalities between us, grandfather and grandson."
Ke Yi smiled warmly, his gaze toward Haylin filled with appreciation and fondness.
The Royal Family clan had grown to over a hundred members, but Haylin was the only one who truly possessed Wizard Aptitude.
He was the hope for revitalizing the Royal Family clan, so Ke Yi naturally placed great importance on him.
"How have you been lately?"
"Not bad," Haylin replied, knowing what his grandfather wanted to hear. "Last month, I established my fifth Star Ring, and I also had a breakthrough in my Puppet Crafting. This month, I'm preparing to apply for the level two assessment."
As expected, a satisfied expression appeared on Ke Yi's face upon hearing this.
"Good. Keep up the hard work. If you need any resources, just tell me. As long as it's available within the Royal Treasury, you can use it freely."
"Thank you, Grandfather!" Haylin's heart leaped with joy.
The Empire and Star Alliance had many trades and a large supply of resources. Although they were mostly low-level, the quantity was enough to save him a lot of contribution points.
Ke Yi then asked, "Among the younger generation of the Academy clan, you're considered quite outstanding. In theory, you should also have the qualifications to apply for the Morning Star Assessment. Do you have any plans for that?"
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