Mage's Profound Truths

Chapter 34: Meeting

It was a bit cold outside. Merlin wrapped his coat tightly around himself and followed Pula for about a hundred meters until they arrived under a mottled wall. Suddenly, Pula stopped, turned to Merlin, and said, "Young Master Merlin, we're here. This is the place."

Following Pula's gaze, Merlin looked ahead and indeed saw, not far in front of them, a strange gust of wind appearing out of thin air. The wind wasn't large in area but had formed into a vortex, spinning continuously and emitting a sobbing sound like that of a baby.

"Strange, there's no wind elsewhere!"

Merlin frowned. This truly was a strange wind. Other than this gust, there was no wind anywhere else. Merlin walked a few steps closer to the vortex and keenly noticed that it was not chaotic but followed a certain pattern, as if controlled by a mysterious force.

"Young Master Merlin, this strange wind is quite powerful. Some of our knights once tried to investigate it, but were injured by flying stones within the vortex. When the wind vanished and they examined the area again, nothing abnormal could be found. It's very strange."

Pula glanced at Merlin and spoke softly.

But Merlin was no longer paying attention to Pula’s words. He was using his mental power to examine the strange wind.

Through his spiritual sense, Merlin detected countless wind elements that were all extremely violent. However, these turbulent elements seemed to be bound by a certain ordered force, forced to circulate according to a fixed pattern.

Making elements circulate in a fixed pattern—this was a typical trait of magic! Spells cast by a mage were essentially formed by using a spell model to make the elements follow a certain structure.

Take Fireball, for example—the spell Merlin currently mastered. It worked by compressing raging fire elements into a small fireball according to the Fireball spell model, which gave it terrifying destructive power.

And this strange wind before him—it seemed to be a kind of magic spell!

However, this spell was very unstable, its power greatly reduced, only capable of affecting the wind elements within a few meters. This meant it was not being maintained by a mage through a spell model, but instead was automatically released by a magical tool without anyone controlling it.

Magical tools are items crafted by mages to assist with spellcasting, such as wands or scrolls. Merlin had read in Old Man Aita’s spell notes that each magical tool was extremely precious and usually crafted by powerful mages of at least the first level, requiring great effort and materials.

Even Old Man Aita didn’t possess a magical tool.

Realizing that this strange wind might be caused by a magical tool, Merlin grew excited. Any magical tool was something a mage would long for.

Although Merlin was excited inside, he showed no expression on his face and simply said calmly, "Uncle Pula, wait here. I'll get a little closer to take a look."

Commander Pula reminded him, "Young Master Merlin, be careful. Don't get too close in case you get hurt."

Merlin nodded, then took a few steps forward to approach the strange wind.

The force of the wind was indeed strong. On such a cold day, it felt like being slashed by knives when the wind hit his face. However, Merlin did not stop. He released his mental power and began searching for the source of the strange wind.

Only by finding the source could he locate the magical tool that was producing the wind.

"Uncle Pula and the others must have searched already and found nothing. That means the magical tool might not be on the surface, but buried underground."

Merlin analyzed carefully. With the help of his spiritual power, he could easily trace the origin of the strange wind, which was beneath a corner of the wall and extended underground. This result matched his earlier analysis: there must be a spellcasting tool buried underground.

Now that Merlin had found the origin of the strange wind and determined that a spellcasting tool was likely buried underground, he had no opportunity to retrieve it with Pula nearby. He could only silently remember the approximate location in his heart, planning to search for it during the day tomorrow.

With his mind made up, Merlin retreated. Pula quickly stepped forward, illuminating Merlin with the faint light of a candle, and asked with concern, “Young Master Merlin, are you all right?”

Just now, Pula had seen Merlin standing motionless in front of the strange wind and thought it very strange. He had suspected Merlin might have been injured by it.

Merlin gently shook his head and said, “I’m fine. Let’s go back.”

Puka carefully examined Merlin and saw no injuries, so he was slightly relieved. He then followed behind Merlin, ready to return to the castle.

But just as they walked halfway, they heard the sound of horse hooves outside—there was a team of riders galloping toward the castle.

Pula was delighted and quickly said to Merlin, “It must be the baron returning. Young Master Merlin, let’s go greet the baron.”

“Father?”

Merlin murmured softly, his expression shifting subtly. He had been in this world for a while now and was finally going to meet Old Wilson.

Old Wilson was the person closest to Merlin, and Merlin didn’t know whether Old Wilson would notice anything unusual.

“Young Master Merlin, let’s go. Even when he’s on the territory, the baron often speaks of you.”

Seeing Merlin standing still, Pula urged him quickly.

“Yes, let’s go. It’s time to meet him…”

Unaware of the change in Merlin’s expression, Pula quickly walked toward the castle.

Soon, many servants came out from the castle, lighting up the entire place like daylight to respectfully welcome Old Wilson’s return.

“Lord Baron!”

Pula took a step forward and knelt on one knee to greet Old Wilson.

Old Wilson was still on horseback. He wore a black suit of armor, looked very burly, had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and gave off a beast-like, fearsome aura.

At this moment, Old Wilson held a large sword in his hand, and traces of fresh blood still lingered on the blade. It seemed he had just gone through a fierce battle.

“Hm? Merlin?”

At last, Old Wilson noticed Merlin. The beast-like terrifying aura he had been exuding vanished instantly, replaced by a deep and gentle affection, making Merlin feel a warm sense of closeness.

“Father!”

Merlin took a deep breath, stepped forward a few steps, and called out.