Chapter 436: The Wizards Who Never Returned

To be precise, Helag couldn’t rely on others for help.

Parker might assist him, but only to ensure Helag’s safety. The well-being of others would be Helag’s responsibility.

Contemplating these issues, Helag infused magic into his teleportation ring.

With a flash, he vanished.

***

At the Dusk Temple.

“Lord Bennings, the number of people in World X-617 is dwindling, but none have returned,” reported a wizard named Larez to Bennings.

Larez managed the teleportation altar, sensing how many remained inside.

Bennings, with a heavy heart, watched the altar, sensing something amiss.

No one had returned for some time.

They knew the number inside but couldn’t discern the situation or events within.

Attempts to send scouts had failed; none returned.

The number inside World X-617 steadily decreased, yet no one emerged.

This suggested they might have died inside, unable to escape.

Initially, some deaths were expected; wizards dying wasn’t unusual.

But as time passed, the wizards guarding the Dusk Temple sensed something wrong.

Not a single return defied logic; had they all perished instantly?

Upon learning this, Bennings sent scouts, but they too vanished.

Everyone realized something was wrong in World X-617.

While pondering the situation, a sudden change occurred.

The number inside rapidly decreased, yet none returned.

In mere hours, only thirty wizards remained, the rest vanished.

Vanishing implied death or teleportation.

With no returns, it meant they died inside.

“What could cause such mass deaths without escape?” Bennings pondered possibilities.

Suddenly, he had an idea, telling Larez, “Let me see a teleportation ring.”

Larez handed over a ring.

Bennings examined it, asking, “Were these rings tested?”

Larez replied, “Each ring was tested extensively for accuracy and stability, ensuring normal return to this altar.”

“Absolutely? I doubt it. Who crafted these rings?” Bennings asked.

“Master Alannis, the magical tool maker,” Larez replied.

Bennings mused, “Alannis… I’ll visit him.”

“Do you suspect the rings?” Larez asked.

Bennings said, “It’s a guess. So many not returning is unusual. I doubt they all died. If the rings malfunctioned, it explains everything.”

“Ring malfunction…” Larez realized the implication, feeling fear.

If true, those in World X-617 were effectively dead.

Understanding the chaos of spatial realms, if transported into turbulent currents, crystallized wizards had little chance.

More importantly, these wizards were promising talents from various factions.

If something happened…

The thought made Larez break into a cold sweat.

Holding the ring, Bennings used spatial jumps to reach Alannis’s blacksmith shop.

He glanced at the old sign, adjusted his monocle, and entered.

The shop was clean, unlike typical blacksmiths.

Realizing it was a magical tool shop, Bennings nearly mistook it for a blacksmith.

Entering the narrow shop, he saw no one and followed a path inside.

In a dim room, he found Alannis peacefully sleeping in a chair.

“Something’s wrong…”

Bennings sensed something amiss; he heard no heartbeat.

Rushing to the chair, he found Alannis dead.

Alannis bore no wounds, seemingly dying of natural causes.

He appeared to have been dead for some time.

With no family or friends, Alannis’s death went unnoticed.

Had he not been a wizard, his body might have decomposed.

“His death is too coincidental.”

Bennings realized the rings likely malfunctioned.

Alannis’s timely death was too coincidental.

Bennings returned to the Dusk Temple, informing others and sharing his theory.

News spread quickly, drawing investigators to the temple.

Teleportation ring crafting wasn’t complex; many masters existed, not just Alannis.

Alannis’s unblemished record led the expedition team to trust him with the order.

Unexpectedly, he had hidden a trap, revealed only at death.

Alannis was undoubtedly a master, crafting high-quality, stable rings.

The expedition team had tested each ring, finding no issues.

No one suspected Alannis had embedded a tiny magical array.

This array remained dormant, only activating upon Alannis’s death.

The rings were meant to teleport to the Dusk Temple altar, functioning normally.

In theory, they should have worked without issue.