Saul had originally planned to continue riding the airship for free under Master Gorsa’s na.
But while waiting at the platform, he suddenly overheard a few wizards discussing the collapse of a Wizard Tower, Gorsa’s advancent to the Third Rank, and his rampage on the border between Kema and Kenas, followed by his departure from the Stat Continent.
After a mont’s thought, Saul instructed the coachman, Marsh, to turn the carriage around and leave the airship platform.
Fortunately, it wouldn’t take a whole month to reach Caugust City, where Bayton Academy was located. At Marsh’s driving speed, it would only take about ten days.
Caugust was also a coastal city, but the region between it and Bluewater City wasn’t nearly as prosperous. It mostly consisted of wastelands, highlands, and wild forests.
There were even a few places where abnormal smoke was still rising.
Who knew if there were wizards conducting environntally destructive experints there?
This world didn’t care about environntal protection. The strange pollution created by wizards could easily turn an entire wilderness into a dead zone. The only force that could restrain them was the large wizarding factions. Within the territories controlled by those factions, if soone conducted highly destructive experints, they could be fined or even have their research confiscated.
But as far as Saul knew, there was one place without such restrictions: The Borderland.
In the Borderland, no one would care whether you were destroying the environnt, but if your experint interfered with soone else, they might just co and kill you outright.
It was exactly because of this unrestrained experintation, and the resulting pollution, that the Borderland was riddled with danger, a place where death could strike at any mont.
But to soone like Saul, with an “external cheat,” such a place was perfect.
Since he had already decided to go to Hanging Hands Valley to cultivate his own Wizard Tower, Saul had been gathering information on the area.
But the information was fragnted and highly pieceal. One of the notes he found ended with a scribbled remark:
“Honestly, I know these records are probably pointless. The Borderland changes all the ti. What was a safe and peaceful Fruit Orchard this ti might beco a monster-infested death trap next ti.”
“Still, I chose to write it down.”
“After all, before dying, it’s better to leave sothing behind in this world.”
The last page of the notebook was stained with a dark reddish-brown substance.
Saul conducted a component analysis and found that it was just ordinary blood.
As the sky darkened, Saul closed the notebook and took out the shattered wine glass and rusted silver pocket watch.
These two items were his greatest physical haul from Bluewater Bay.
The silver pocket watch was even more precious than Nephret’s well-known magical tools.
After all, the diary had specifically ntioned the silver pocket watch.
For the past few days, aside from his basic magical studies, Saul had been researching these two objects.
He placed various soul bodies and soul fragnts into the shattered goblet, studying what kind of fragntation occurred, and whether any by-products were generated.
But maybe the dosage was too small, or the ti too short, or perhaps the activation thod was incorrect—either way, the soul bodies in the cup were still floating about lazily, showing no signs of being crushed.
Saul packed the shattered goblet away and took out the silver pocket watch for further inspection.
The diary had ntioned the term “Chaos Domain,” which led Saul to suspect that the silver pocket watch might also be a key to a world-side.
But to activate the watch, a key was required.
The diary also said that the key was on his person, so Saul began analyzing the various items he carried.
He only analyzed them—he didn’t actually try to activate the pocket watch, since he wasn’t ready to embark on an interdinsional journey just yet.
Today, while rummaging through his belongings, Saul suddenly spotted sothing.
He reached in and pulled out the coin with a smiling face on one side and a crying face on the other.
Back when Mochi Mochi lent him the coin, he had said it was a magical tool from the previous era. It could be used for short-distance communication.
But its real purpose was to exchange the spatial positions of its two holders.
It was a very rare space-type tool.
Perfectly suited for either saving yourself, or harming soone else.
Saul lightly tossed the two coins in the air. When they collided midair, they made a crisp clinking sound.
And if one looked closely, they would notice slight spatial distortions around the coins when they collided.
“These two coins are space-related tools—could they possibly activate a world-side key too?”
Catching the coins with a steady hand, Saul turned to the silver pocket watch held by Agu.
The watch was open, and its hour and minute hands continued to turn at erratic speeds.
Saul tried approaching it with the coins, moving them closer and farther, even tapping the watch, but none of it made the watch’s hands behave any differently.
Even so, unlike his previous experints, Saul didn’t imdiately switch to another tool. Instead, he began recording the experint’s results in earnest.
His gut told him that this ti, he was right.
Now it was just a matter of confirmation.
No need to rush. Once he found a place to settle down, he could leave it to his other consciousnesses to continue experinting.
With a clear direction, Saul contentedly put the smiling-crying coins away and handed the silver pocket watch back to Agu.
He closed his eyes and began to ditate, once again reminding himself that when he arrived in the bustling Caugust City, the first thing he needed to do was find a suitable ditation thod.
Each of his consciousnesses had their own thods from when they were alive, but none suited Saul better than the Erosion Diagram.
That’s why he was still using a ditation thod ant for Second Rank apprentices.
Its magic recovery efficiency was indeed too low.
Thankfully, his combat style relied primarily on ntal force, and he always fought in swift, decisive bursts, so his slow magic recovery didn’t really matter.
Unconventional indeed.
Three days later, Saul’s group finally left the desolate coastal road. Nearby, villages and small towns without walls began to appear.
But they all had one thing in common—very few people.
Even though the number of houses seed decent, when alti ca around, there were hardly any cooking fires to be seen.
Relying on his experience as a frequent traveler, Marsh found a small town with decent conditions and drove the carriage in.
Saul looked around and noticed that many of the houses along the street had locks hanging on their doors. The locks were covered in dust, clearly indicating the owners hadn’t been back in a long ti.
The carriage finally stopped in front of a tavern.
The sign read: Traveler’s Ho.
Saul and Agu got out of the carriage, but no one ca to greet them at the door.
Saul pushed open the half-closed door and looked inside, finding the hall completely empty—not a single guest in sight.
A tall young man, clearly dressed as a server, was sitting in the corner of the room, absorbed in reading a book.
At the bar at the far end of the hall, a slightly chubby middle-aged man… was also reading a book.
Even the sound of the door opening hadn’t disturbed them.
Did everyone here love studying this much?
Silently, Saul appeared beside the server boy and looked down at the book in his hands.
Farr Little John: City Life Is Hard, and Noble Ladies Are Too Clingy
Saul: ?!
For the first ti, Saul had the urge to rub his eyes.
What on earth did he just see?
Was this… a wizard-world romance novel?
No… it didn’t even dare to touch on wizard-related content.
“Oh! Sorry, sirs!”
Just then, the innkeeper behind the bar finally noticed Saul and Agu. He slamd his book shut and hurriedly ran over from behind the bar.
Saul glanced over and noticed the book in the innkeeper’s hand was the sa as the one the server boy had.
Since the boss ca out, the server naturally noticed too. He carefully marked a page in his book before getting to his feet.
“Would you like a al or a room for the night?”
Agu answered, “One night. Do you have a courtyard?”
“We do,” the boy replied. “The place next door has one. The previous tenants moved out just a month ago. I can get it ready for you in an hour.”
“Just moved out?” Saul’s eyes flashed. He no longer rushed to check in. Instead, he sat across from the boy and looked at both him and the innkeeper.
“Did everyone in your town… move to Caugust City?”
(End of Chapter)
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