Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Tablet of Destiny

Chu Yun didn’t think much of it and continued to turn the pages.

With the event of the falling stars, not only was the magic web thrown into chaos, severely affecting the mages, but many gods worshipped by the faithful had also gone missing. Priests serving these gods found themselves powerless, reduced to mere mortals; only a few stronger deities could still provide faith energy to their followers, but none had offered any direct response. Of course, it was also possible that after the upheaval in the Pantheon, some believers, even if they had received divine instructions, were keeping them secret.

According to the description from the Walker of the Earth, in some regions, the faithful seemed not to have lost their divine powers and could still perform miracles. This had happened before—when a god descended to the mortal realm, the closer a believer was to the deity, the stronger their divine powers became! Coupled with the prophecy on the Slate of Fate, it wasn’t hard to imagine what might have transpired, but the specific reasons remained a mystery. The prophecy on the Slate of Fate was incomplete and went no further.

After reading the news that took up half the magazine, Chu Yun’s heart could not calm down for a long time. If at first he had thought all this was too distant to concern him, by the end he felt an ominous foreboding.

“Monsters everywhere are starting to go berserk? Will I run into rampaging beasts on the road?”

Just then, Paimon, outside the carriage, suddenly stopped and gave a guttural warning.

Startled, Chu Yun hurriedly lifted the curtain.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a monster he encountered, but a rather bedraggled team of adventurers.

There were only three members in the party, each wounded to some degree. The most grievously hurt was a female archer with a ponytail; blood from her abdomen had already soaked her tunic red.

It was clear their bond was strong—they hadn’t abandoned her, instead limping onward together. This was a perilous choice, as the scent of blood could attract monsters, putting them all in danger.

“Friend, could you give us a ride back to Rockstead? I can pay you,” one of the adventurers pleaded upon seeing Chu Yun’s carriage.

They had asked several others for help along the way, but had been refused every time, some even fleeing before he could finish.

Perhaps fearing Chu Yun would do the same, the adventurer hurried to explain, “It’s dangerous ahead—recently, monsters and beasts in the wild have suddenly grown much stronger and extremely aggressive.”

Then he glanced anxiously at Paimon. “You don’t have any guards with you? That’s risky—you really should return to Rockstead as soon as possible.”

Chu Yun shook his head. “I’m a professional myself. The road to Blackstone Forest is relatively safe; I don’t need an escort.”

The adventurer took out his last five gold coins and begged, “We only managed to trap the monsters with a magic scroll for now. They might catch up soon.”

Chu Yun frowned. “What kind of monsters? How many?”

“Wolves. Twenty wind wolves, all first-tier.”

“Twenty? That’s not so many. Here’s my offer: I’ll use magic to heal your companion. These five gold coins will be my fee for the information. What do you think?”

“You’re—a priest?”

Chu Yun shook his head. “I’m a mage. She’s too badly hurt—she wouldn’t make it back even if I took you. If I can heal her, you’ll travel faster, and with luck, if the wolves double back after me, you might escape as well.”

“Thank you, Master Mage. Please take care.”

Chu Yun accepted the gold coins. For those with power, money often came easily. Glancing at the heavy pile of red iron ore behind him, Chu Yun thought it might be more profitable to work as a healer near the Adventurer’s Guild than as a merchant. Now that most priests were out of work and mages, hampered by the unstable magic web, suffered a reduced success rate and risked magical backlash, healing was risky for them. One wrong move could worsen the patient’s condition or even kill them.

Chu Yun approached the archer. The Spell of Healing Word was normally a ranged spell, but the closer the distance, the better the effect. The base healing was 2–5 points; with Chu Yun’s magic power of around 11, he could provide 13–16 points of healing, enough to restore her mobility.

“Remove the bandages, so I can treat her properly.”

The blood-soaked cloth was peeled away, revealing a ghastly wound—another reminder of how close to death adventurers lived. Unlike merchants and travelers who stuck to main roads, adventurers often ventured deep into the wilderness and forests.

Ancient words murmured in the ears of the party as Chu Yun swiftly constructed the spell pattern with his will.

“Heal!”

With the word, magical energy gathered at the wound, knitting flesh and sealing the injury at remarkable speed. As the main wound closed, the remaining magic spread through her body, quickly mending her other hurts as well.

When the spell faded, the female archer’s condition was as good as her companions’—perhaps even better.

“Amazing—thank you, Master Mage! Your magic is wondrous!” she gasped in awe.

“No need to thank me. It was just a transaction,” Chu Yun replied. It was his first time using this spell, and the results left him quite satisfied.

The three thanked him again, then quickly fled toward Rockstead.

Chu Yun resumed his journey. Though there would be dangers on the road, as someone who could enter the Mirror World, his safety was not a particular concern. And was Rockstead truly safe? Lying close to the Carlos Mountains, Rockstead was attacked by monsters every year. If monsters were truly rampaging now, it might be even more dangerous than the wilds.

As he pressed on, Chu Yun didn’t encounter the wolf pack that had been pursuing the adventurers. He couldn’t tell if they had lied or if the wolves had found another target. Somewhat regretful, he settled into meditation within the carriage.

A mage’s survival depended on always keeping their mental energy at its peak.

Chu Yun had not been meditating long—just a few minutes down the road, Paimon halted again.

Ahead, two overturned wagons blocked the path. The merchant caravan’s members were all dead. Among the human remains, several wind wolf corpses lay scattered.

Unbeknownst to Chu Yun, this was the very caravan that had refused the adventurers’ request—they had run straight into the pursuing wolf pack.

“All dead?” Chu Yun sighed, feeling the world’s cruelty even more keenly.

The wagons held a fair amount of cargo, mostly red iron ore. Perhaps because of the elemental mismatch, the wind wolves had not taken the ten first-tier fire crystals or the thirteen gold coins the merchants carried. Chu Yun’s little treasury swelled again.

“No wonder so many go adventuring. With luck, you can make a fortune without doing anything at all.”

As a gesture of respect, Chu Yun had Paimon dig a large pit by the roadside and buried the bodies, lest the remains be further scavenged by vultures and other creatures.

While Paimon dug, Chu Yun returned to the carriage, slipped into the Mirror World unseen, and set out to collect his second batch of spoils.