A Wizard’s Secret

“Phew…”

Merlin let out a long sigh of relief. He looked at the inverted-triangular shape of the island and knew that this was the Violet Flame Island.

“I’ve finally reached the Violet Flame Island!”

Merlin spent a staggering few hours walking from the main island to his destination. The entire group of the Kurdmansla Island consisted up to ten thousands of islands and were spread quite extensively. Therefore, it took a long time to travel from the most centrally-located main island to the most peripheral Violet Flame Island.

If Merlin could fly, the journey would have been much faster. Yet, Flying spells were Fourth-level or higher level spells. Though Merlin’s current powers were enough to compare with the extremes of a Fourth-level Spell Caster, still, he could not cast Flying spells.

On the Violet Flame Island, lush greenery could be found everywhere. There were also whiffs of fresh fragrance accompanied by the briny sea breeze, which made people feel refreshed.

“How picturesque, the scenery here on the Violet Flame Island is so beautiful!”

Even Merlin could not help but praise the scenery on the Violet Flame Island; it was indeed breathtaking. If anyone was asked to stay on this island forever, many would jump at the idea.

“Who’s there?”

At that moment, a gray-robed Spell Caster descended from the sky, his razor-sharp gaze staring at Merlin.

A gray-robed Spell Caster signified Spell Casters of Fourth-level or above, who already had Flying spells. However, when the gray-robed Wizard saw the gold-lined gray robe on Merlin’s body, he shuddered and faltered to the ground. A respectful expression etched on his face as he bowed to Merlin apologizingly and said, “Bayton didn’t know you’re here, Sir Wizard. Please forgive me!”

As a Fort Udon Spell Caster, Wizard Bayton naturally recognized what a gold-lined gray robe meant, but personally, he had seen too few Wizards with gold-lined robes. Moreover, from the back of his mind, he did not recall anyone among the beginner gray-robed Wizards who owned a gold-lined robe.

“Don’t tell me you’re a newly-arrived Wizard at Fort Udon?”

Countless thoughts flashed across Wizard Bayton’s mind, but his expression remained respectful, not giving himself away.

“Wizard Bayton, you can call me Merlin!”

Merlin said with a smile.

“Wizard Merlin, the fort leaders sent you here?”

Wizard Bayton asked cautiously. He knew that in Fort Udon, Wizards who would hold the gold-lined gray robe held great power and influence, no matter which Wizardry level they were. Once they obtained a gold-lined gray robe, nobody except the three fort leaders had the power to deploy these Spell Casters.

That was why Wizard Bayton popped the question. After all, at that moment, the Violet Flame Island lost a large number of Spell Casters. For a long time, Fort Udon did not seem to have responded by sending Spell Casters to back them up.

Yet, Merlin shook his head and said, “The fort leaders didn’t send me here. I’m here for some personal matter.”

Upon hearing that, there was a slight disappointment on Wizard Bayton’s face, but he recovered soon enough. Wizards with gold-lined gray robe, does one know how distinguished their statuses are? Absolute freaks in Fort Udon. These Wizards were highly prioritized for training by even the fort leaders, so why would they send Merlin to the unknown dangers on a mere Violet Flame Island?

After recognizing this fact, Wizard Bayton’s emotions recovered too. Hence, he said to Merlin, “Wizard Merlin, it’s your first time here on the Violet Flame Island. Allow me to introduce you to the Spell Casters on the Violet Flame Island.”

Merlin nodded. He intended to look for Lava Soil on the Kurdmansla Islands. Some help from these Spell Casters, who had spent all their time on the Violet Flame Island, would definitely make his quest for Lava Soil easier.

Thus, Merlin followed behind Wizard Bayton, walking toward the depths of the island.

…

“Come come come, keep drinking. On a place like the Violet Flame Island, nobody knows exactly when they would die. Haha, these few years at Fort Udon can be considered the most comfortable days of my life. I wouldn’t bother dying now, it’s been worthwhile!”

An alcohol-smelling, messy-haired, plump Spell Caster roared in laughter. His laughter flowed with the breeze, drifting in all directions of the island.

“Fatso, why are you making so much noise?”

There was a chuckle, and then Wizard Bayton returned.

The plump Spell Caster stared wide-eyed and exclaimed, “Wizard Bayton, you’re back? The person following behind you…”

The plump Spell Caster was shocked to see the gold-lined gray robe on Merlin. He instantly sobered up. He stood up and yelled out with a serious look on his face, “Gold-lined gray robe… I didn’t realize you’re here, Sir Wizard, please pardon me!”

As the plump Wizard stood up, the many Spell Casters who were resting on the beach followed suit, rising to their feet, one after another, looking at Merlin curiously.

Though it had been long since the Spell Casters joined Fort Udon, a good majority of them had never seen a gold-lined-gray-robed Spell Caster with their own eyes. So the sight of Merlin’s arrival piqued their curiosity.

“This is Wizard Merlin, he’s here because of some private matters.”

Wizard Bayton introduced Merlin to the Spell Casters on the beach. At the same time, Merlin sized up those Spell Casters. He realized that the Spell Casters here were not really weak. Many of them were Third-level Spell Casters, a small proportion being Fourth-level Spell Casters.

However, some of these Spell Casters looked gloomy and dispirited as if they had just gone through a big war. Merlin looked at the endless stretch of sea and seemed to have figured why.

Recently, there had been many sea beasts attacking the Kurdmansla Islands, as frequent as once every three to five days. Thus, whether it was Fort Udon, Gray Wing Alliance or even Wizard’s Tower, they were all battling with numerous sea beasts on the islands that they control respectively. As for the Violet Flame Island, it was situated at the outermost part of the Kurdmansla Islands, so they had surely experienced multiple attacks from sea beasts.

Merlin made sure to be down-to-earth and started chatting with Wizard Bayton and the rest.

Wizard Bayton sounded reluctant when he asked, “Wizard Merlin, I seem to recall that among Fort Udon’s Novice gray-robed Wizards, no one was granted the gold-lined robe. So, have you just recently arrived at Fort Udon, Wizard Merlin?”

Merlin nodded. He found no reason to hide. Therefore, he explained briefly, “I’m indeed a newcomer at Fort Udon. I was lucky to have been spotted by the fort leaders, so I’ve been granted the gold-lined robe.”

The plump Spell Caster who was standing beside him immediately shook his head, proclaiming loudly, “Wizard Merlin, you don’t have to be humble. It’s not easy to obtain the gold-lined robe. Which Spell Caster with gold-lined robe is not a full-on freak? All are capable of challenging beyond Wizardry levels. You’re a Novice gold-lined gray robe, which means that the fort leaders acknowledge you. Among all Fourth-level Spell Casters, you have a near invincible presence. Heh heh, We’ve been in Fort Udon for so many years, how can we not know these?”

The plump Wizard gave a mysterious chuckle, then continued saying, “Hmm, Wizards who own a gold-lined robe, heh heh, I may have heard of them but I’ve never met one in person. Today, I’ve met you Wizard Merlin, and my hand is beginning to feel a little itchy. How does that sound, Wizard Merlin? Can you be my eye-opener as to how powerful gold-lined-robed Spell Casters truly are?”

“Fatso!”

Wizard Bayton quickly yelled at him. He shook his head helplessly, “Wizard Merlin, don’t mind him. Fatso’s always like that, wanting to battle everyone he meets… However, when it comes to killing sea beasts, Fatso’s really skilled at it. Even my own life was saved by him once.”

Merlin did not mind at all. He could see that this plump Spell Caster was not seeking trouble but purely wanted to battle a gold-lined-robed Wizard.

Yet, Merlin did not give in to the plump Wizards’ wish for a match. With his current powers, beating Fourth-level Spell Casters would not be a problem at all. Even if the plump Spell Caster had some truly special skills, he would definitely still not be his match.

Merlin came to the Violet Flame Island with the aim of finding Lava Soil, so he did not wish to complicate issues. Thus, he steered away from the topic and started enquiring about the whereabouts of Lava Soil.

“Wizard Bayton, do you guys know if there’s Lava Soil on the Violet Flame Island?”

“Lava Soil?”

Wizard Bayton paused for a moment. Only then did he realize that the purpose of Merlin’s arrival at the Violet Flame Island was to look for Lava Soil.

“Wizard Merlin, I believe you’ve made your research. The volcanoes here on the Violet Flame Island were basically all extinct volcanoes, so safety wouldn’t be an issue. However, whether there’s Lava Soil inside, no one can say for sure. If Wizard Merlin wants to look for Lava Soil, why don’t I be your guide and show you where on the Violet Flame Island to look for Lava Soil?”

Merlin shook his head gently. Wizard Bayton held a very high position on the Violet Flame Island, and he was a very important person. How could Merlin let him look for Lava Soil?

“Wizard Bayton, that won’t be necessary. The Violet Flame Island is not huge, I can look inside those extinct volcanoes one by one.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Merlin rose to his feet. He did not hesitate any longer, waving farewell to Wizard Bayton and the rest.

Watching Merlin’s figure slowly disappearing from sight, the plump Wizard took a few wobbly steps to the front of Wizard Bayton and muttered, “Bayton, this Wizard Merlin looked as though he wasn’t even a Fourth-level Spell Caster, how could he have obtained the Novice gold-lined gray robe?”

Novice gold-lined gray robe that signified the most invincible of all Fourth-level Spell Casters!

Wizard Bayton gently furrowed his eyebrows too. Of course, he could see that Merlin was not really a Fourth-level Spell Caster. Yet, the gold-lined robe was definitely real.

Moreover, gold-lined robes were only in the custody of the three fort leaders. Every one of those gold-lined robes was granted personally by three fort leaders. Hence, Wizard Bayton sounded reluctant when he answered, “Maybe Wizard Merlin has qualities that are truly special. Our three fort leaders’ judgments couldn’t be wrong. Alright, Fatso, you’re always drinking, don’t you stir any trouble. Keep an eye on any movements on the sea. The sea beasts haven’t appeared for almost seven days, I fear that…”

Watching the tranquil surface of the sea, Wizard Bayton felt his heart sink a little.

…

“Volcanoes, I’ve finally found them!”

In the deeper regions of the Violet Flame Island, a young man donned in a gold-lined gray robe looked at a towering volcano in front of him, and let out a long sigh of relief.

The person in the gold-lined gray robe was Merlin. It took him half a day’s search to finally locate a volcano. Thus, he took out his map hurriedly and checked. It confirmed that this was indeed one of the relatively larger extinct volcanoes that was marked on the map.

“I shall go in and have a look. Maybe I can find Lava Soil!”

Merlin’s expression sparkled with anticipation. He then swiftly climbed up to the crater of the volcano. He descended along the steep, rugged rock walls, slowly sliding into the extinct volcano.