Only a few hundred meters away from the place where they were attacked, Gwen found the cabin that had been reduced to ruins.
It had fallen among the trees. Judging from the charred marks, it was a fire that destroyed it from the inside out, but the fire did not spread further. Perhaps the rain had saved the forest in time. Byron and Knight checked the remaining traces around the cabin and judged that the fire should have happened more than half a month ago.
Heidi, on the other hand, detected a very thin magic reaction at the scene.
"What we saw in the Shadow Realm should be a reflection," Gwen said as he looked at the cabin that had been reduced to ruins in the open space in the forest. "This rogue mage has been living in seclusion here for many years. This place is outside the territory. Even hunters don't come here, so no one knows that there was a hermit living here."
"The question is … how did the accident happen?" Heidi frowned. "There is only one weak focus of magic power in this place, and the strength of the rogue mage who lives here is very low. Even if one of his magic experiments goes out of control and burns down this house, it is impossible for him to create a long-lasting projection in the Shadow Realm and generate such a powerful mist of wraiths. The magic power required for all this is not something that a rogue mage can provide."
"Maybe this notebook can answer your doubts," Gwen said as he handed a worn notebook to Heti.
It was the notebook that he got from Betty in the Shadow Realm. It was the diary of the rogue mage and also his research notes.
Heti opened the second half of the notebook according to Gwen's instructions and read it carefully.
"… Ansu 729, Month of Fire, XX day. It has been half a year since I moved here. I found a magic focus on the edge of the Cecil family's territory. Although the strength is not comparable to the public magic focus in the City of Thousand Towers, it is enough to support my laboratory. The elemental power here is simple and stable. Annie's condition should be alleviated.
"Ansu year 729, Month of Harvest, XX day. Annie's condition seemed to have improved. She hadn't acted up for a long time. But I don't know if it was the environment here or my ritual and potion that worked. The mana focus here is too weak. Even with the help of the amplification formation, the effect of my ritual will be greatly reduced. 'Perhaps I should reconsider those formulas I've deduced before … Although those people from the Secret Spell Society always ridiculed my calculations, I've already left the Secret Spell Society, so they can't interfere …'
"Ansu 730, Misty Month, XX. Those formulas and deductions were completely in line with expectations! No, it should be said that the development of reality was just as I had calculated. Under the new amplification method, the power of the magic power focus was greatly increased! With the help of the additional mana, I was finally able to begin the next stage of Annie's treatment. Although she hadn't had any relapses in the past few months, the treatment had to continue because she couldn't take any more torment …
"Ansu 731, cold month, XX day. After the treatment, Annie was actually able to get up and move around. She even cooked a meal! There were fried sausages and vegetable soup. I feel like I haven't eaten such delicious food in a hundred years. Although the sausages were burnt and I forgot to put salt in the vegetable soup … Facts have proven that my treatment plan is effective. As long as the magic power focus here can continue to provide a steady supply of mana, Annie's recovery will be just around the corner … "
After that, the diary content was more about the daily life of the writer and her daughter. Heti quickly skipped this part of the diary until a messy entry appeared at the last few pages.
"Ansu 734, Month of Frost, XX day. Annie's relapsed. Damn it!
"I don't know what went wrong. All the treatment is going according to plan. Every step of the ritual is correct. The same goes for the potion. I've been using it for years and there hasn't been a problem! But Annie's relapse is still very serious … It's more serious than before. I have to find the cause as soon as possible. I have to record all the details … I have to find the cause. Annie will be fine …
"Ansu 734, Month of Frost, XX day. Annie is still not getting better. The new potion has no effect. She is still getting weaker and … she is gradually moving away from this world. This morning, I saw that her hands are becoming transparent like mist. There are many blisters on her face. This world is rejecting her and pushing her into the Shadow Realm. What should I do …
"Ansu 734, Month of Frost, XX day. That damned sun, its dark red patterns seemed to be mocking my weakness! I finally discovered the source of the problem, but I was unable to solve it at all … The elements were being enriched, abnormally enriched. Mana was surging upwards, and this weak mana focal point was unable to contain an excessive amount of mana. Even if I removed the amplification spell formations, it would be of no use. At this time, it would be wise to let Annie stay away from the place where the elements are enriched. But she has been here for too long. Her body is resonating with the elements here. This resonance will extend her life … but it will also kill her!
"Ansu 734, Month of Frost, XX day. The magic power of the whole area is not right. It is surging violently. The border of Cecil's territory seems to have fallen into the legendary sea of magic. I can no longer reverse the changes in Annie's body. Half of her body has already left the material world. In the morning, she even said that she saw the whole house turn black and white. Maybe … I can only find another way …
"Ansu 735, Month of Fire. The long preparation is finally over. Annie's weakness is also at its limit.
"This is my only chance. There is no other choice.
"Since I can't let Annie live in the material world, it is better to choose another path.
"The Shadow Transformation ritual is recorded in the books. It is just that the amount of magic power needed is unimaginable. But for me, it is not impossible. I used a new amplification formula and drawing method, and I will use the power of the magic power surge. The magic power in this area is abnormally active. The energy accumulated in the magic power focus has been suppressed by me for a few months. Today, it is finally enough. Next, as long as the sun rises to the middle, when the magic power is at its strongest, I can start the transformation.
"Annie, hang in there. Dad will save you. Dad will accompany you to the Shadow Realm. We will live there for a long time. You will not be in pain anymore."
The diary ended here.
Heti was about to close the diary when Gwen suddenly pointed to the corner of the last page. "There are a few words here."
Heti quickly looked at the corner. There was a black ink stain. She originally thought that it was the stain caused by the overturned ink bottle, but now, after careful examination, she realized that it was actually the scribbles of a finger dipped in ink.
"The magic power is out of control … The sun is red …"
Heti repeated these words in confusion. "The sun is red … How can the sun be red?"
"Could it be the last time when the red spots broke out?" Rebecca suddenly thought of something and said. "It happened more than half a month ago. There were more red spots than usual on the surface of the sun. If the rogue mage was not in his right mind at that time, he might have thought that the sun was red … "
Heti blinked as if she had accepted Rebecca's explanation. She then shook the diary in her hand and said, "With this diary, a lot of things can be explained. It seems that the unknown mage set up a large magic array here in order to cure his daughter's illness. Later, he came up with the crazy idea of transforming himself and his daughter into the shadow form to prolong their lives. But his transformation ritual went out of control due to the surge of magic power, which led to the fire half a month ago. It also led to the formation of the Mist of Wraiths, and what my ancestor saw in the Shadow Realm … "
"These are not the main points." Gwen suddenly interrupted Heti. "Whether it is the Mist of Wraiths or the wooden house in the Shadow Realm, these can be directly explained in the diary. What I want you to see are the two details mentioned in the diary. One is about the dark red pattern on the surface of the sun, and the other is about the large-scale red spot outbreak on the surface of the sun."
Heti noticed the serious look on Gwen's face and became a little nervous. "My ancestor, these two things …"
Gwen waved his hand and said, "Also, the rogue mage mentioned the surge of magic power in the diary. As mages, you two should have sensed it, right?"
Heti and Rebecca looked at each other and nodded at the same time. "Recently, Cecil's territory has indeed experienced the surge of magic power several times. But the surge of magic power is a very normal thing. All magic power in the world comes from the sun, and the sun is changing all the time. Naturally, the magic power on the ground will fluctuate. Although the surge of magic power in the territory has been frequent recently, it is not to the extent that people are concerned."
Gwen looked at the two of them and said slowly, "In the year 1736 of the Gondor calendar, there were reports of a large-scale dark red pattern on the surface of the sun. In 1738, the largest red spot outbreak in history was observed. Nearly half of the surface of the sun was covered by red spots. In the same year, there were reports of a large-scale surge of magic power in the twenty-six provinces of the empire. The scale of the surge was not large, but the range covered almost two-thirds of the country. In 1739, the Blood Sun was in the sky, and the whole country was covered in the dark red sky. But there was no disaster at that time. Instead, a large number of babies with excellent magical talent were born. According to the records, almost one-third of the newborns born on that day were born with a natural elemental affinity. There was even a situation where the supply of resonance stones could not meet the demand for them. So the court scholars declared that day as the 'Dawn of Magic'. But also in the same year, the largest magic power supply facility near the capital of Gondor, the Deep Blue Well, exploded. The cause of the explosion was that the magical focus of the Deep Blue Well was suddenly filled with chaotic and powerful magic power. The extraction circle could not handle the chaotic power, and finally caused the furnace to melt and collapse … "
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