Diary of a Dead Wizard-Chapter 362: They Stole the Elves’ Treasure

Mark hadn’t fallen too deep into his entangled memories. Herman pulled him out of the confusion with just a First Rank spell—Awaken Awareness.

“I…” Mark still hadn’t figured out what had just happened.

Standing to the side, Agu said coldly, “You’d better calm down when recalling things. If you can’t, I’ll help you.”

Mark looked up at the man and woman standing before him. Both were pale-skinned, tall, and had black blindfolds covering their eyes. Just standing there, they exuded immense pressure—even though their magic fluctuations weren’t all that strong.

“N-No need.” He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Then he glanced at Saul standing behind them and didn’t dare make any more jokes.

“I remember now… The moment we stepped out the door, everything inside the castle came alive. The doors and windows slammed shut on their own. The tables, chairs, lamps—even the carpet beneath our feet—started scolding us. They said someone had stolen their treasure and demanded we return it before we’d be allowed to leave.”

“At first, no one took it seriously. To be honest, I myself had picked up a little trinket, thinking I’d bring it back to the Wizard Tower for study. So we tried to force our way out. But as soon as we started casting spells, the mental realm shook even harder. I saw with my own eyes—an apprentice cast just a First Rank spell, and his head exploded on the spot.”

“The mental shock was too severe, causing a clash between his own magic and mental force, triggering an explosion at the densest point of energy in his body,” Saul quickly deduced.

“Yes, and he was only the first victim. After that, the furniture and decorations started attacking us. To survive, we had to keep casting spells… then came the second, the third victim. More and more people either mutated or blew themselves up.”

Mark swallowed hard. Clearly, that battle where people died in the middle of casting left a deep trauma.

“So we got scared. We began pulling out everything we’d taken from the castle. But even after we’d given everything back, the creatures inside still accused us of stealing their treasures. The fighting didn’t stop.” novelbuddy.cσ๓

“In the end, only four of us made it out of the twelve.”

Mark gave Saul a bitter smile. “We owe it to Kongsha. She smashed a window at the last moment, and that’s how we escaped.”

“But clearly, you haven’t escaped the danger entirely,” Saul said.

“No.” Mark gritted his teeth, then slammed his right hand on the ground. “I still don’t know who it was that didn’t return the elves’ treasure. Now look—the Elven Valley has sealed itself. You can enter, but you can’t leave. And the elves keep showing up, demanding we return what we stole.”

“So Kongsha made you ask me for help?”

“Yes. Kongsha said her mental shock is still within controllable limits, but the rest of us can’t cast anything above First Rank anymore. We need someone with a stable and powerful mental realm to enter and help us break the valley’s seal.”

“And after her first exit from the valley, Kongsha gave a piece of veiled crystal essence to Monroe’s knowledge clone. The deal was that he would pass on a message at a crucial moment.”

Saul thought to himself, But Monroe didn’t come to me of his own accord. He only mentioned the invitation when he ran into me looking for Kongsha. Rather than a call for help, it felt more like a sticky note stuffed under the door. And from the way he acted, you’d never guess Kongsha was in danger.

He kept this thought to himself.

He looked at the four soul bodies around him. Each one nodded slightly when their eyes met Saul’s.

Saul turned back to Mark, walked up to him, and reached out to pull him up.

“So now we either find whoever’s still hiding the elves’ treasure, or we force our way through the Elven Valley’s seal. In that case, take me to your main group first.”

The method of entering the valley was still a mystery—Saul had no way to leave right now anyway.

Besides, he had only heard Mark’s side of the story. He still wanted to see Kongsha for himself.

She was the one person who had made it out of the Elven Valley alive. She must know more.

By now, they’d recovered from the exhaustion of their earlier escape. Mark looked up at the sun to get his bearings.

“This way.”

“How did you know there were elves chasing us earlier?” Saul followed Mark back into the woods. “Will they come back?”

He kept a wary eye on the surrounding trees, uncertain whether they might suddenly turn into pale, flesh-like forms again.

“As long as we don’t cast anything above First Rank or attack the plants, a bit of magic fluctuation won’t trigger a hunt,” Mark said while jogging ahead. “When you entered, you happened to be casting a Second Rank spell. And I was pulling you along, so it made a big enough disturbance.”

Most of the forest was dense with trees, with only the occasional clearing like the one where Saul had rested.

Saul followed Mark while also keeping the four others on high alert.

They ran for another half hour. Since they weren’t sprinting for their lives this time, their breathing remained steady.

“Where did you find the veiled crystal essence?”

“In the elves’ habitat. Don’t worry, there’s still a lot left. We didn’t dare take too much. The more you carry, the more it messes with your mental realm. Everyone’s scared they’ll end up with their heads blown off too.”

After a while, Saul came to a halt.

The moment he stopped, the other four froze as well, scanning the area.

“What’s wrong?” Mark turned back immediately, his nerves still taut despite having relaxed slightly upon meeting Saul.

Now, seeing Saul stop so suddenly, he tensed up again and looked around nervously.

“The terrain’s off.”

Before entering the forest, Saul had scoped out the region from a distance. Based on how long they’d been running, they should’ve started ascending into the mountains by now. But the forest ahead was still flat—there wasn’t even a slope in sight.

“What do you mean?” Mark didn’t understand.

“We should’ve been climbing by now. I remember the trees thinning out on the mountain slopes. But here, it’s like we’ve entered a primeval forest.”

Saul looked up at the sky. Time seemed to be moving normally.

“Three hundred years—even if time altered the forest, it couldn’t have changed the shape of the mountain. We’re no longer in the same forest we entered from.”

Mark had been tense, but now he chuckled at Saul’s remark.

“Of course not. This is the Forest of Four Seasons. It’s on the World Side—not the same world we came from!”

“The World Side?” Saul was still confused.

At that moment, Agu approached and leaned in to explain, “The World Side is just one name for it. Some call it a secret realm. Usually, it refers to a spatially disordered region or an illusionary domain.”

An nodded as well. “Either something’s wrong with this place, or something’s wrong with us.”

Saul turned to Mark, about to ask more questions—when suddenly, he noticed a crowd standing behind Mark.

Packed densely together, all with their heads lowered, faces obscured.

And Mark was still unaware, waving at Saul. “Come on, Saul, let’s go. Kongsha and the others are still waiting.”

Saul took a deep breath and said solemnly, “Maybe… both are broken.”

(End of Chapter)