Chapter 626: Chapter 400: The Secret of the Ancestors_2
Ding.
Erwin pulled out the golden token Huntington had given him that day, gently rubbing it.
It was a pendant, an irregular diamond shape that signified the Yista School.
Such a small pendant, if placed on the black market ... no, such a pendant would never circulate on the black market!
Erwin shook his head.
The opportunity to join the Yista School was precious, not to mention that this highest-grade pendant represented exemption from entrance exams.
Even without wizard qualifications, as long as one possessed this pendant, one could ask a wizard from the Yista School to perform a transplant.
Of course, in that case, the other benefits brought by the pendant would accordingly diminish...
Erwin’s aged face showed indecision.
His life was not long, at most just fifty years left.
And aside from him, the strongest wizard in the family was only a First Rank Intermediate, with only average aptitude; even with the current resources, it would be lucky to break through to Second Rank within a hundred years.
But by the time he died, the Roon Family would definitely no longer be able to control Neustadt’s Golden Barley, and the obtainable resources would undoubtedly decrease dramatically...
The Roon Family might just gradually decline from then on, sinking into insignificance.
If they let a suitable young person from the family join the Yista School... No, unless absolutely necessary, they must not take this path!
A flicker of determination passed through Erwin’s eyes.
If they joined the Yista School, would the Roon Family even exist by then?
Perhaps there would only be the Yista’s Roon Family...
Having carefully put away the golden token of Yista, Erwin’s thoughts inadvertently drifted to the explosive event he had witnessed earlier in the Lightless Forest.
A faint unease enveloped him.
It should be noted that although the distance of the explosion was visually far, the actual distance for a wizard was not far.
If the culprit behind the explosion wanted to come to the Roon Kingdom, it would probably only take a short while.
Setting aside his concerns for the family’s future, Erwin’s mind gradually became occupied by the more urgent anomaly before him.
After thinking it over, he headed towards the top of the White Tower, planning to report the matter to Neustadt to see if he could obtain some useful information, while also instructing the kingdom’s wizards to be on guard.
...
"Wizard Erwin commands, all stationed wizards immediately go to the Wizard Tower to be on alert."
So when Colin returned home, his rear barely settling on the sofa and not yet having a chance to properly sort out tonight’s events, a command immediately followed.
When he arrived at the South Three Tower, Welber had already arrived, standing alone in a corner of the hall next to a sofa, his expression somewhat panicked.
Seeing Colin’s arrival, his eyes brightened slightly:
"Sir Colin, did you also come here for refuge?"
Colin was startled for a moment before realizing. Welber probably came to the safety of the Wizard Tower District of the entire Roon Kingdom subconsciously due to the terror of the explosion.
Shaking his head, Colin walked over and sat on the sofa, "Per Lord Erwin’s orders, he commanded the stationed wizards to be on alert at the Wizard Tower."
"Did Lord Erwin say what happened?" Welber still looked uneasy.
With only First Rank abilities, he felt the explosion more intensely than Colin—like a bomb suddenly exploding next to his ear. Although he was unharmed, the subconscious panic and the fear of possibly another bomb dropping already filled his chest.
"No," Colin shook his head, "Lord Erwin probably doesn’t know exactly what happened either."
Welber paced anxiously next to the sofa, occasionally looking out the window, his expression tight, worried about whether a new explosion would occur.
But as the night passed, after the first explosion, nothing else happened.
That sudden explosion was like a meteor streaking across the sky, so brief that one could unconsciously wonder if it was an illusion.
But it was certainly not an illusion.
When dawn broke, the stationed wizards subconsciously gathered together.
Not even waiting for Colin to deliberately inquire, various speculations and news had already sprung up like bamboo shoots after a rain.
Some said it was the Divine Believers discovered in the Pata Mountain Range that had sparked a fierce battle.
Others claimed it was an ancient Demon Beast awakened from its slumber in the mountains, venting its rage.
Still others suggested it was merely a new natural phenomenon, albeit a bit louder...
These guesses, some spoken as if true, with detailed and vivid descriptions. But most were clearly fabrications upon hearing.
Colin had no way to differentiate.
However, the one certainty was the location of the explosion — the Pata Mountain.
The Pata Mountain was a small mountain range bordering the Jilan Kingdom — it was said that last night, many civilians in the Jilan Kingdom died due to the aftermath of the explosion.
And this rather small mountain, by last night’s end, though not quite becoming a basin, could no longer be called a mountain.
Colin felt somewhat emotional and shocked.
His current strength was not weak; he could easily destroy a hundred-meter stone mountain, but to completely alter the appearance of a thousand-meter summit was still somewhat difficult — at least it couldn’t be done overnight.
The alteration of the Pata Mountain’s landscape further confirmed the intensity of last night’s explosion, for it was at least within the Third Rank category.
Yet the exact cause remained unknown.
The puzzle persisted until noon, when Wizard Erwin formally unveiled it.
He summoned all the wizards to the Great Hall of the White Tower.
Coming here again, a day later, Colin couldn’t help but feel a slight déjà vu.
"I believe everyone heard or saw the massive explosion last night," Wizard Erwin looked around at the wizards gathered, starting slowly.
The wizards nodded in agreement, and without keeping them in suspense, Erwin continued,
"I’ve received the latest news from Neustadt City, the explosion last night was a result of a battle —
a battle to capture the Frost Phantom."
’Frost Phantom?!’ Colin blinked in surprise, and the other wizards were no better off, all showing shock and beginning to whisper among themselves.
"Wasn’t that the creature just mentioned yesterday?"
"I can’t believe it was actually nearby!"
"Precisely, the same Frost Phantom mentioned by the Law Enforcement Team of wizards yesterday," Erwin raised his hand to quiet the wizards,
"That cunning Frost Phantom was finally found by Wizard Riley leading the Law Enforcement Team in the Pata Mountain Range last night.
A battle ensued, but unexpectedly, the Frost Phantom exhibited strength far beyond what had been previously observed..."
"So what was the outcome of the battle?" a wizard asked eagerly.
Erwin paused, not annoyed, and replied, "The Frost Phantom ultimately self-destructed — the explosion we saw last night was the result. The Third Rank Wizard, Riley, ended up severely injured, while other participating Second Rank Wizards suffered two dead and five severely injured."
The wizards below relaxed their breaths.
Though the casualties were heavy, the Frost Phantom had self-destructed, so there was no need to worry about it suddenly appearing in Roon Kingdom.
"Don’t celebrate too soon." However, Erwin on stage sighed and added,
"Councilman Nois went to the Pata Mountain Range to investigate today and brought back troubling news — the Frost Phantom might not have died but escaped using the self-explosion as a cover."
Before the wizards below could react, Erwin continued,
"However, the good news is, after the self-explosion, the Frost Phantom’s strength has greatly diminished, only about one-tenth remaining, and the Law Enforcement Team is continuing to search for it... so there’s no need for excessive worry.
However, just in case, I will be strictly overseeing the guard shifts in the coming days, and I hope everyone will comply with the regulations and report on time for guard duty."
"Furthermore, I plan to form three three-person patrols cycling around the kingdom day and night, with specifics to be notified later..."
Wizard Erwin’s voice was calm and soothing, yet Colin understood —
The comfortable days he had spent in the Roon Kingdom were likely to be temporarily leaving him.