Volume 5 Chapter 17: The Magic Cottage

They had been running very fast on the ground for almost half a day, and everyone felt completely exhausted. If the Centaur girl Michelle hadn’t had a kind heart and asked Hollke to slow down a little, they probably would have collapsed on the ground long ago.

The unluckiest person was Frank. His Agility was only a bit higher than a normal person’s, so he ran the slowest. Midway through, the old creature had given him a harsh shock with lightning. His rear was still pitch black now, giving off a smell like roasted meat. Luckily, his Zombie body had good resistance to lightning; otherwise, he would have become a charred corpse by now.

After running for a long time, they finally saw the “Magic Cottage” where the old creature lived before sunset. Everyone had some nasty guesses about this Magic Cottage mentioned by the old creature. Qin Lun even imagined it as a dark and scary forest cabin, like the Witch Maiar’s, full of human specimens.

However, when they truly saw this “Magic Cottage,” it was different from what they had imagined. Hollke’s Magic Cottage was a classically-styled Villa Manor, sitting on a gently sloping hill. Around the manor was a lively green lawn and flower beds, with a bluestone road extending into the distance at the front gate.

“Master, you’re back!” Seeing Hollke landing from the sky, a group of small creatures, less than a meter tall, opened the manor gate.

These creatures had huge green eyes. If not for their small ears and long, stick-like noses, Qin Lun would have mistaken them for a group of “Didi” from the Other World. The little creatures wore strange green clothes, which seemed to be sewn from giant leaves.

“Ha! They are prairie sprites. They are hardworking, capable, have super memory, and are the best assistants for magic experiments!” Seeing everyone’s amazed looks, Hollke proudly boasted.

“They just cost a bit too much in wages!” After everyone looked away, the old Mage twitched his white beard and muttered quietly.

“In my opinion, this old creature just doesn’t want to hire experimental assistants taller than himself!” Hansen said bluntly in the Team Channel, mocking him.

Looking at the white-bearded old Mage who only reached Sas’s waist, was shorter than a magic broom, and had most of his magic robe dragging on the ground, everyone secretly nodded. However, no one dared to show it on their faces; this old creature’s power was too terrifying. Wiping out their entire team wouldn’t even require him to catch his breath.

“Alright, wait in the hall. I need to continue my previous magic experiment!” Hollke’s face twitched, and he warned them irritably, “Don’t run around. There are many magic traps in the Magic Cottage. If triggered, people will die—don’t say old Hollke didn’t warn you! The sprites will bring you food and drink later.”

“So, he was interrupted during a magic experiment and took it out on us!” Everyone was speechless; Hill had actually guessed correctly.

“Great Mage Hollke, when will you finish your magic experiment?” Michelle asked boldly.

“Ha, probably… two or three days!” Hollke hesitated and gave an unreliable answer.

“Two or three days?” This time even Qin Lun cursed privately. The old creature had said himself that someone would come to take them away in two or three days, and they would be given a choice.

By now, the five in the team were basically sure the old Mage was just a receptionist, responsible for welcoming travelers from the Outer World in this region. However, someone doing this kind of job should at least answer some of their current questions and help them understand their situation, so they could make a better choice in a few days.

The old creature’s current behavior was clearly very irresponsible. But given his formidable strength, everyone could only hold in their anger and not speak out.

“No, Great Mage Hollke, you’re being lazy!” A clear, pleasant voice of reprimand sounded in the manor hall.

“Michelle!” Cora, who was closest to the Centaur girl, turned pale and couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat for her.

“Michelle, oh dear, this old creature is like a nuke. If you want to die, do it alone—don’t blow us up with you!” Sas frowned and muttered quietly in the Team Channel.

Qin Lun exchanged a glance with the other two Serial Killers, a faint smile appearing in his eyes. They weren’t worried about Michelle at all. Along the way, they had noticed the old Mage admired this kind-hearted Centaur girl. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have listened to Michelle’s requests several times, deliberately slowing his flight speed to make their run more comfortable.

“Ha… alright then. Let me tidy up the lab, and I’ll come find you later!” The old Mage wrinkled his white eyebrows and muttered very reluctantly.

…

“Qin Lun, try this. It tastes pretty good!” Sas and Hansen each held a plate of something like “caviar,” wolfing it down. They hadn’t eaten since last night, and after running half the day, their stomachs were rumbling with hunger. This “caviar” had a slippery surface, tasted delicious, was as big as grapes, and had a pearly color.

“Haha, you two gluttons!” Hill shook his head, sipping a cup of sweet wine carefully.

“It seems the mages in this world live quite luxuriously!” Qin Lun smiled faintly and picked up a mango-like fruit from the fruit platter. Since he fused with the Elf Bloodline, he felt his taste had become much lighter; he didn’t really like very fishy foods anymore.

“Hey, little one, what is this caviar called?” Sas wiped his mouth and stopped a prairie sprite who was wobbling left and right, carrying a large porcelain tray on its head while busy serving desserts. He planned to stock up on this food during their stay.

“Caviar? No, sir. These are harpy eggs. They were delivered fresh this morning!” The sprite squinted its big eyes, tilting its head as it explained.

“Cough, cough!” Sas’s face turned ugly as he retched a few times. Even Hansen frowned and put down his plate.

Normally, they weren’t picky, but the words “very fresh” were just too powerful. Plus, remembering the unknown slippery liquid on the surface of the “harpy eggs,” they couldn’t help but feel disgusted.

“Hahaha, serves you right for eating anything when hungry!” Hill clapped his hands and laughed.

“Little one, what are they eating then?” Hansen asked indignantly, pointing at the “mango” in Qin Lun’s hand and the sweet wine in Hill’s hand.

“The Half-elf is eating a Dryad’s heart. The other gentleman is drinking glowing bat urine. Both are very magic-rich foods for mages!” The sprite puffed its cheeks and said seriously.

“Pfft!” Hill spat the sweet wine all over the floor. Qin Lun, however, didn’t react much and kept munching on his “mango.” A Dryad’s heart—basically, the tree core—wasn’t much different from fruit for him, since both came from plants.

“Gulp!” Sas didn’t bother laughing at Hill and swallowed nervously, then asked ingratiatingly, “Little one, is there any cooked meat—like from poultry or livestock—and liquor brewed from grains?”

“Yes, the kitchen might still have some yellow sheep meat and barley wine left by ‘Goggen’!” The sprite answered respectfully.

“That’s fine! Could you bring it to us?” Sas was overjoyed and quickly asked the sprite.

“Of course. But… are you sure you want to eat those things?” The sprite looked at Sas strangely.

“Yes!” Looking at the sprite’s strange reaction, Sas hesitated. But he really wasn’t full yet, so he braced himself and agreed, secretly praying that the so-called yellow sheep meat and barley wine were truly what they seemed.

“Don’t change my food, and don’t change the ladies’ either!” Qin Lun pressed down on the fruit platter in front of him. Watching the sprite take away the other three guys’ food, he said calmly, “I just checked: what the prairie sprites call ‘Goggen’ refers to the three-eyed wolf dogs raised by the Mage. The yellow sheep meat and barley wine you asked for are dog food…”

“Hee hee hee!” Looking at the embarrassed expressions of the other three, Michelle and Cora covered their mouths and giggled.

…

“Ha, I’ve finished my business. Ask your questions if you have any!” After it had become completely dark outside, Hollke returned to the hall.

The old Mage had changed out of his original black wizard robe into a white sleep robe covered in flower bud patterns. Even his pointed hat was the same, with a fluffy yarn ball hanging from the tip. If not for his long, knee-length white beard, sitting cross-legged like that on the spacious sofa, he would look like a cute little child.

As for now… he could only be called an old rascal! However, faced with this unpredictable and powerful Mage, everyone could only hold back their laughter, looking at each other. Finally, Michelle spoke first.

“Respected Great Mage Hollke, you said earlier that we would face a choice. What kind of choice is it?”

“Ha? Don’t you really know? That can’t be… usually, travelers from the Outer World who enter the Inner World already know about the Inner World’s existence…” Hollke stroked his white beard, frowned to himself, and seemed very puzzled.

“We truly don’t know, Great Mage Hollke. Could you explain it to us?” Hill asked cautiously.

“Ha… then how did you get in?” Hollke finally became interested and asked curiously.

“Well… Your Excellency, Great Mage, you can probably see we all have some small abilities. Actually, we came to investigate the tragedy at the Crystal Lake Campground…” Qin Lun’s eyes gleamed as he slowly explained their previous actions.

“Ha? So that’s what happened!” Hollke blinked his small eyes and muttered quietly, “That dead Jerry, he didn’t explain clearly before dying. I thought the other side of the Teleportation Array was already handled!”

After Hollke hemmed and hawed through the story, everyone finally understood. Half of their earlier guesses were correct.

The Necromancer who originally guarded the Teleportation Array at the Crystal Lake Campground had indeed been attacked by an Apostle team. He died as soon as he returned to the Inner World, leaving only a few unclear words. Then Hollke was assigned here as the receptionist.

But the Necromancer didn’t have time to clarify before dying. And Hollke was a research fanatic; most of his time here was spent either collecting experimental materials or working in the lab.

He not only didn’t check the other side of the Teleportation Array, he didn’t even read the message from the Magic Association carefully. As a result, the Crystal Lake Campground had been sealed off for twenty years.

“I thought Jerry’s two Troll apprentices were always guarding it outside!” Hollke rarely seemed a bit embarrassed.

Everyone rolled their eyes, feeling deeply sorry for the Troll Fink and his brother.

Those two, originally noble magic apprentices, because of Hollke’s irresponsibility, ended up being wild men at the Crystal Lake Campground for twenty years, desperately waiting for a real Mage to come. In the end, they died at the hands of the Guardian left by their teacher—utterly tragic.