Deep within the secluded Emerald Forest, bare branches sketched sparse outlines against the gray sky.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew, and a figure stood before a mound of earth.
A wooden tablet, carved into a monument, stood before the mound, bearing the inscription: “Tomb of Jodes, Head of Aynak Wizarding Academy.”
Dago solemnly bowed three times to the mound. He had inherited all of Jodes’s legacy, and this was the last thing he could do for him.
As for the other people remaining in the Academy, Dago could only say he was sorry; after all, people from another world had nothing to do with him, and they weren't from the previous generation.
He couldn't bring himself to sacrifice his life for the Academy.
Next, he had to consider his future path.
From the storage ring, he took out the note Serena had left him, which clearly marked an address in Kleitamm City of the Thorn Law Ring.
Unfolding the parchment map he had obtained from Headmaster Jodes, he searched around and found the Thorn Law Ring in the middle, between Aynak Wizarding Academy and Emerald Life.
Its sphere of influence marked on the parchment map was several times larger than the Academy's, encompassing five or six cities.
With a destination in mind, Dago ascended into the sky, embarking on his fourth move in this world.
...
The great sun hung in the sky, melting away the tail end of winter, and the scent of spring slowly approached.
A wind suddenly rose in the sky, blowing away a large expanse of dense fog in front of a traveler.
Behind the dense fog, the outline of a huge floating fortress emerged.
From a distance, the floating fortress seemed to emit a green glow under the sunlight.
The traveler stopped, faced the direction of the floating city, and pulled down the hood on his head, revealing long hair mixed with jet-black and luminous white, and a handsome yet heroic young face.
“Finally here, Kleitamm City of the Thorn Law Ring,” Dago murmured softly, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at the strange and hazy spectacle in the distance.
On the map, the two places looked a short distance apart, but in reality, Dago had traveled for over a month to truly arrive here.
During this time, Dago did not maintain continuous flight. Along the way, he had to constantly decipher the legacy left by Headmaster Jodes every day and also gain progress points for his skills.
Although he could already see the massive complex of buildings beneath the floating city, if he continued at this pace, it would likely take another two days.
Dago thought for a moment, then unfurled his mental force field and flew straight towards Kleitamm City.
Looking down from the sky, he discovered that beneath the floating city was a massive rift valley, with countless thick, root-like passages connecting both sides of the rift.
Countless lights from rune formations filled the root passages, appearing and disappearing like rainbows.
A vast, endless primeval forest grew in this huge rift valley, and beneath the floating city was a base woven from countless thorns.
The branches of these thorns were as thick as steel, and their sharp points extracted magical energy from the air.
From afar, faint beast roars could be heard echoing eerily within the rift valley—the snarls of magical beasts.
Dago's body continued to ascend. As he surveyed the rift valley and forest below, the full view of Kleitamm City above gradually appeared before his eyes.
Within the outline of the massive city, four Wizard Towers were distributed in the southeast, northwest, and southwest.
The body of each tower shimmered with different energy bands, and illuminated by countless flowing runes, they exuded a mysterious aura that commanded awe.
Countless wisps of clouds flowed through the floating city, and in Dago's eyes, they collectively formed an incredibly shocking, magnificent, and infinitely imaginative fantasy masterpiece.
Finally, Dago slowly drifted like an ant before the massive floating city.
—Thorn Law Ring, Kleitamm Floating City, East City Area Passage.
Dago carefully examined a circular wooden badge in his hand, emblazoned with the iconic symbol of the Thorn Law Ring. Holding it, he could feel a faint energy fluctuation emanating from within.
It had runes inscribed and a small low-level magic stone embedded to power its operation, and its sole purpose was to allow free passage through the outer channels of the floating city.
This was a “key” to enter and exit the floating city, valid for one month, but it had cost Dago a whole mid-level magic stone.
“After one month expires, I'll have to keep spending money. It's even more ruthless than the Academy back then.”
Dago grumbled, then looked up to survey the scene before him.
A blue tower obscured the outline of the sun, with numerous buildings clustered and protected beneath it, all enveloped by a massive translucent rune formation light curtain.
Around him were stark, hard-edged brick and stone buildings, and the paving stones underfoot also seemed to be some kind of alchemical product.
The light of rune formations was visible everywhere.
Rune airships occasionally flew overhead, exquisitely crafted and more compact and agile than the airships Dago had seen at the Academy.
He even saw a giant rune ship slowly sailing across the sky, blocking the sun and casting a large shadow.
He could vaguely see two people standing on the ship, their mental force fields radiating so strongly that Dago could clearly perceive them even from below.
“At this moment, I feel like a country bumpkin entering a big city, utterly amazed!”
Dago's eyes flickered. He wasn't sure how the Formal Wizard ranks were divided, but those two were definitely powerful Wizards at least several times stronger than him.
As the giant rune ship departed towards the blue tower, Dago's heart remained unsettled for a long time.
His gaze fell back to the street. There were many people coming and going, but only a small portion wore Wizard robes.
Most were still ordinary mortals, but almost all of them had low-level rune energy fluctuations about them.
Strangely, many people wore thorn headbands. Dago wondered if their heads didn't hurt?
However, this was what a proper Wizard civilization should be like.
As Dago looked around like a country bumpkin entering a grand garden, a young man in a brown coarse linen vest and black cotton trousers jogged directly towards him.
“Esteemed Wizard, is this your first time in Kleitamm City?” the young man asked cautiously.
Dago smiled and nodded, “Yes.”
Perhaps the smile made him think Dago was a good person, as the young man let out a sigh of relief and pulled up his trousers.
“Wizard, if you need a city guide, I would be very happy to serve you.”
“For just two low-level magic stones, I can serve you all day.”
The young man bowed respectfully to Dago, rattling off a string of words.
“Oh? Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?” Dago said with a hint of playfulness.
“Esteemed Wizard, my name is Stu Ao Jeanbeck. You can just call me Stu Ao,” the young man said, scratching his head awkwardly.
“Alright, Stu Ao, then please help me find a place to stay first.”