"Dr. Quel, it looks like he’s trying to escape."
"Oh?"
At Florist Hospital, an orderly pushed open the office door to report Sean’s movements to Quill.
"He contacted the Krobel Club and found out where patient C1445 went."
"And where was that?"
"The Black Fruit Tropical Rainforest."
"Interesting."
Dressed in a white coat, Quill stood by the window, teasing the crow in its cage. The blue stained glass reflected his smiling face as he asked with great interest, "He wants to find the Spring of Enlightenment?"
"I believe so." The orderly paused, then said hesitantly, "To be honest, I’ve never understood why the Vice Director let him go. His admission papers were already processed."
It’s true that for the sake of stability, and to demonstrate the tolerance and mercy of their doctrine, they generally didn’t proactively capture people without Magic Power. Even if someone had already awakened their awareness, as long as they didn’t become a true Wizard, they would be given a chance.
But Sean had come to them willingly, so it wouldn’t have violated the Master’s teachings.
Besides, they weren’t going to kill Sean. They just wanted to give him a change of scenery. This didn’t conflict with using the novels Sean created to find more potential Wizards. With their direct supervision, Sean’s writing efficiency might have even been higher.
No matter how he thought about it, there was no need to let Sean leave and lose out on a potential asset.
Quill chuckled lightly. "Do you really think it was the Vice Director who let him go?"
The orderly faltered. "It wasn’t?"
Quill smiled and shook his head, not continuing the topic.
"If he wants to find the Spring of Enlightenment, then let him... After all, it’s his freedom."
"Aren’t we going to stop him?" the orderly asked.
"Why would we stop him?"
Quill said softly, "You need to learn to let go of your savior complex and respect others’ fates."
’Knowing that becoming a Wizard will plunge him into an abyss, yet he still chooses to follow in his good friend’s disastrous footsteps... Say what you will, at least his courage is commendable.’
’Does Sean really think having Magic Power will let him escape my grasp?’
’A little naive.’
’And besides...’
"The Spring of Enlightenment isn’t that easy to find," Quill said.
The Black Fruit Rainforest is one of the world’s largest primeval forests, covering approximately 1.1 million square kilometers. It has always been a Holy Land in the hearts of wilderness survival enthusiasts. Every year, many people set out from all over to seek thrills in the Black Fruit Rainforest, but not many of them ever actually become Wizards.
The Spring of Enlightenment is deep within the rainforest. The first thing they have to face is the vast and dangerous wilderness.
Sean was just a frail, home-bound writer. In Quill’s eyes, his physical fitness was no different from that of a young girl. Whether he could even survive in a primeval forest, or how many days he could last, was anyone’s guess. They probably wouldn’t even need to lift a finger; Sean would die on his own along the way. ’What a pity,’ he thought.
"He’s not going alone."
The orderly said, "He bought a lot of wilderness survival gear for safety and signed up for a tour group that leaves in two days."
Quill’s hand, which was teasing the crow, paused slightly. "For example?"
The orderly: "Condoms."
Quill: "?"
The orderly very seriously educated his superior: "It’s a very useful survival item. It’s cheap, portable, can be used to carry water, or for waterproofing. You can also tighten it to use as a tourniquet to stop bleeding. If you fill it with water and tie it into a ball, it can be used as a magnifying glass to start a fire. Or, you can inflate it, wrap it in a towel to use as a pillow, and it’s even more comfortable to sleep on than a regular one."
Quill glanced back at him, rather surprised. "You seem to know a lot about this."
The orderly replied without batting an eye, "I learned it last time I went out on vacation. My wife found a box of them in my pocket when I got home."
Quill: "..."
’Whatever.’
’It’s not important.’
"What else did he buy?"
"A new pistol and a bulletproof vest."
"A bulletproof vest?"
Quill asked, surprised, "Didn’t those guys from Boger blacklist him?"
The law clearly states that anyone convicted of a serious felony or worse is banned for life from purchasing or using a Bulletproof Vest. In their country, Bulletproof Vests were more strictly regulated than ordinary firearms and ammunition. They weren’t afraid of you being a good shot; they were afraid of you not going down in one.
"He found someone in his reader group to help him buy it," the orderly said.
Quill couldn’t help but laugh.
’This Mr. Sean is certainly cautious.’
’Joining a tour group, asking online friends for help...’
’He has a beautiful neighbor who’s hot for him, but he doesn’t use her. Instead, he makes things complicated for himself. Is he afraid she’d give him a fake Bulletproof Vest?’
It was clear that Sean was preparing very seriously for the Spring of Enlightenment. He had considered every angle, even the possibility of getting shot after becoming a Wizard.
’A pity it’s all useless.’
’Most of the time, effort doesn’t guarantee success.’
’Because we have Armor-Piercing Bullets.’
"If Sean really does find the Spring of Enlightenment and becomes a Wizard..."
"Then kill him."
This was their bottom line, not to be crossed.
Quill opened the cage and extended his right hand. The Smell Crow, with feathers as black as ink, perched on his finger. He offered it to the orderly. "I’ll let the others know. You take this with you. It will help you confirm whether Sean has Magic Power."
Many people, after drinking from the Spring of Enlightenment, see a brilliantly colored crow and think they’ve touched the true colors of the world, getting more excited than anyone. What they don’t know is that a Smell Crow’s feathers only change color when it detects a sufficient fluctuation of Magic Power.
Therefore, the moment they see the Smell Crow is the moment they become prey.
No one ever escapes.
...
...
「Two days later.」
「Ten in the morning.」
「The outskirts of the city.」
Sean, up early, had skipped breakfast to arrive on time at the meeting spot arranged with the club members.
Because the destination for this outdoor expedition was a primeval forest, everyone had, to some extent, brought along dangerous "contraband" like firearms, compound bows, large animal traps, and so on. These wouldn’t pass a security check—unless you paid extra.
Clearly, no one was that wealthy. They had two choices. The first was to bring nothing and buy what they needed in a town near the Black Fruit Rainforest. This could mean facing a situation where a box of 50 low-quality pistol bullets sold for the high price of 450, nearly ten times the normal price, and could only be used for close-range self-defense.
After all, it was a "tourist area."
The other option was to drive themselves, allowing them to bring whatever they wanted.
For the sake of their personal and financial security, everyone discussed it in the group chat and chose the latter option, pooling their money to rent three large, high-capacity SUVs from the club.
The journey from Holkaydo to the Black Fruit Rainforest was about 980 kilometers. If road conditions were good, they could arrive within two days.
"Looks like everyone’s here?"
Genduo was the leader of this expedition. He had extensive wilderness survival experience, having once lived alone on a deserted island for eighteen days without any tools. He seemed completely unfazed by the autumn chill, wearing only shorts and a tank top that revealed his strong, sturdy arms, which were covered in faint white scars.
"Everyone who’s in the cars, come on out and let’s introduce ourselves," Genduo called out. His skin was a bronze color from long-term sun exposure, and when he grinned, he revealed a set of strikingly white teeth, making him very likable.
But Sean had been deceived by appearances twice in a row now. Looking at this kind of smile just turned him off.
He subconsciously took two steps back, maintaining a relatively safe distance from the man.
Genduo noticed his movement, seeing how wary Sean seemed. He assumed they must have met before but couldn’t recall when. His gaze lingered on Sean’s handsome face for a moment before he asked tentatively:
"Have I hit on you before?"
Sean: "?"
This time, he took three steps back.
The people resting in the cars got out one by one. A middle-aged man who had been smoking off to the side also walked over. Including Sean and Genduo, there were seven people in total. Sean even recognized one of the women.
She had a head of elegant, wavy golden hair. A long, languid-toned dress with a cinched waist outlined her fiery figure. Two thin straps ran over her shoulders, supporting the dress along the edge of her collarbones. Below the low-cut neckline, her impressive assets were on full display, practically bursting out.
The woman took off her sunglasses, tossed her hair, and shot Sean a seductive glance.
"What a coincidence, handsome. So you like the outdoors too?"
...