Chapter 141: Departure

At night, as usual, Helag entered a meditative state.

Although he had advanced to a formal wizard, meditation was something he could never neglect.

In his mind, wisps of white mist floated—this was his spirit power after vaporization.

At this stage, many sensations were completely different from before.

Now, with just a flick of his finger, Helag could conjure a fireball in his hand, as strong as a Small Fireball spell.

However, since he was being monitored, it wasn’t convenient to test the changes in his spell strength.

Before starting his meditation, Helag drank a dose of Starry Sky Potion to test its effects.

Half an hour later…

“As expected, the Starry Sky Potion no longer has any effect.”

Helag realized that the potion’s boost to his meditation speed had become negligible.

He wasn’t surprised. The potion had already lost much of its effectiveness when he was a third-level apprentice.

“I’ll need to develop new potions in the future.”

Helag planned to continue his experiments and research new potions to accelerate his meditation once he settled down.

For now, under surveillance, it was inconvenient to do much. He hoped to reach the Terchy family’s potion garden soon and get settled.

***

The next morning.

Helag wrote a letter to Lilian, briefly explaining his situation.

He then placed the Ocean Heart necklace in a wooden box and arranged for it to be sent to her.

Originally, he had wanted to give it to her in person, but with the unresolved threat of Malcolm, Helag couldn’t risk traveling alone to Augustus Academy.

Malcolm, being skilled in divination, could track him down if he wandered around carelessly.

Helag had just advanced and was still in the vaporization stage, while Malcolm was already a crystallized wizard. Helag couldn’t match him yet.

Malcolm was a lingering threat, like a ticking time bomb.

Helag had been pondering how to resolve this issue.

With the current gap in strength, a direct confrontation was out of the question.

His only option was to continue cultivating and quickly increase his power.

Larry acted quickly. Just as Helag returned home after sending the letter and necklace, Larry arrived.

“Are you ready?” Larry asked.

Helag glanced around the room. He had cleaned everything thoroughly, returned the furniture to its original places, and left the house as it was when he first arrived.

He nodded. “All set.”

Larry patted his shoulder. “Let’s go then. The family is here.”

Helag took one last look at the house before following Larry outside.

They took a Hellfoot carriage to the eastern Red Maple Station.

This was the easternmost point of Moonlight Forest, near the Terchy family’s main area in the Kingdom of Karn.

The Kingdom of Karn was the largest kingdom in the east, under the jurisdiction of Augustus Academy.

The Terchy family members couldn’t come too close to the station, so they waited in the Red Maple Forest nearby. Helag would have to walk there.

As Helag got off the carriage, the Hellfoot nudged him gently with its head.

“Goodbye,” Helag smiled, patting the Hellfoot’s head.

He recognized this Hellfoot as the one he often rode before. It seemed to remember him too.

Helag still had two horses in the Moonlight Forest stables, gifts from Elusa for pulling his carriage.

He transferred ownership to Larry, letting the forest take care of them. They wouldn’t cost him anything.

If all went well, the horses would live out their days peacefully in the stables, no longer having to pull carriages.

Larry accompanied Helag out of Red Maple Station and down the mountain into the Red Maple Forest.

After about half an hour of walking, they spotted a carriage in the distance.

Two men stood beside it. From their aura, one was a Grand Knight, and the other was a formal wizard.

As Helag noticed them, they also looked his way.

Larry stepped forward and introduced them. “Uncle Brack, this is Helag.”

Brack had a bushy beard, looked to be in his forties, and carried a large sword at his waist. He wore armor, looking more like a knight than the Grand Knight beside him.

“Helag, this is my uncle, Brack Terchy, a first-level crystallized wizard. And this is the family’s Grand Knight, Pete, who handles various tasks at the potion garden,” Larry introduced.

“Mr. Brack, Mr. Pete,” Helag greeted them.

Although Pete was just a Grand Knight, he was part of the Terchy family. Helag knew better than to look down on him just because he was a formal wizard. Basic respect could avoid unnecessary trouble.

Of course, this approach depended on the person. Some people required coldness and ruthlessness.

Pete was surprised that Helag greeted him, showing a bit of astonishment on his face.

He had met many formal wizards, but few ever acknowledged him.

Pete’s opinion of Helag improved slightly, and he respectfully said, “I manage the daily operations of the potion garden. If you need any supplies or materials, feel free to ask me.”

Pete handled logistics and personnel management at the garden. For Helag, he was someone who could help with day-to-day tasks.

Brack looked at Helag and said, “Thank you for joining us. The Terchy family is very pleased to welcome such a talented wizard. We’ll do our best to provide you with a good environment and excellent resources.”

“Thank you, Mr. Brack, and thanks to the Terchy family and Teacher Larry for giving me a place to stay. I’ll do my best to contribute,” Helag replied.

Helag knew the Terchy family wouldn’t offer their resources for free. He would have to prove his value.

Larry added, “Uncle Brack, this kid learns fast and has a real talent for potion-making. You can trust him with important tasks, and I’m sure he’ll surprise you.”

Hearing this, Brack took Helag more seriously.

As Larry said, if Helag had just arrived at the potion garden, Brack wouldn’t have assigned him any important tasks.

First, he wasn’t familiar with Helag, and second, he didn’t know his capabilities.

Even though Helag was Larry’s student, that only proved his talent, not his experience.

But with Larry’s strong recommendation, Brack reconsidered how to approach Helag’s role.

Brack smiled. “It seems you’re very confident in your student.”

“Of course,” Larry said proudly.

After a brief conversation, it was time to depart. Helag boarded the carriage, sitting across from Brack, while Pete took the reins at the front.