What is a Transfer Sealing Rune? It’s a rune used to seal and store items.
Composed of a bundle of Transfer Sealing Runes, it can transform and seal objects inside, acting as a simplified version of space equipment. Compared to the rarer space equipment, a Transfer Sealing Scroll is less convenient for storing and retrieving items.
The elementary runes book only introduced a brief segment about it, so Ivan could recognize it,
He was no longer surprised by Miss Heidi’s generosity.
Heidi glanced around warily, but with no other cover available at the moment, she recited the incantation silently and followed the steps to unravel the runes bundle, from which a box sprang out.
Upon opening the box, it contained items initially discovered in the basement of the horse stables at the City Lord’s Manor, including a Raw Stone Array Disc, magic stones, and a Crystal Ball—only the cumbersome stone stool was missing.
“Look quickly, the Raw Stone Array Disc is responding.”
A glimmer of light shone in Ivan’s eyes as the Raw Stone Array Disc, after being unsealed, started to emit a faint luminescence.
This indicated that the Raw Stone Array Disc was connected to the runes array outside, prompting it to respond and slowly begin activating the formation.
In fact, he suspected that such Array Plates were not the only ones in existence. For instance, the ones controlling the numerous groups of magicalized wild beasts were likely extensions of a formation within the magic stone mine, which is why they affected such a vast area.
It was once considered a plague by the people nearby.
“You better get to comprehending right away, to see if you can find a glimmer of hope. I’ll keep watch around us,” Cooke said, aware of his limitations; he knew little about runes and enchantments and had to rely on the two who came from the Enchantment Group.
“I hope so,” Heidi said with a wry smile. If comprehending was that easy, she would have done it a long time ago.
Nevertheless, with no better alternatives at hand, she had to treat a dead horse as if it were alive, as Cooke said, to strive for a sliver of hope.
The two sat down on the ground in a corner and started to ponder over the Raw Stone Array Disc.
“What’s the highest completion rate of your rune line?”
“Only 87 percent,” he replied.
His answer undoubtedly disappointed Heidi, given his previous confident assertions.
Recalling that he and her brother had completed their entrance at the same time, Heidi felt relieved; indeed, his progress was slightly better than her brother Carmel’s.
“I’m Carmel’s sister. I’m not going to make an issue out of the way you treated my brother,” Heidi said indifferently.
“Who? No, I didn’t bully your brother. Carmel and I are friends. How could I possibly bully my own friend?” Ivan had anticipated that Heidi was Carmel’s sister.
“He cried,” Heidi said.
Ivan choked and was at a loss for words. Indeed, Carmel had tried to maintain his composure after the rune competition, and Ivan hadn’t expected him to go back and cry. Imagining Carmel’s youthful face, it didn’t seem too incongruous.
“Ahem.”
Seeing the two of them chatting idly instead of focusing on the urgent task, Cooke could not remain silent. I’m waiting here for you to find a lifeline—can we survive first before having these private chats?
“We can talk about this later,” Ivan said, feeling somewhat guilty and unwilling to argue with Heidi. He started to concentrate and ponder over the rune line on the Raw Stone Array Disc.
Compared to before, the luminescence on the Array Plate had brightened somewhat, yet it was still a long way from full activation.
In his heart, he knew his skills in enchantment were inferior to Heidi’s. If he lacked the ability, he would have to make up for it with the Light of Wisdom.
The panel of the Academic Prodigy appeared in his vision, displaying two 2nd-level, three 3rd-level, one 5th-level Lights of Wisdom, and three 4th-level Lights of Great Wisdom, with ample stock on hand.
There’s a saying, isn’t there? The saddest thing in life is to die before spending all your money.
The principle is the same. Now, with life at stake, it is not the time to be frugal. He immediately used a 2nd-level Light of Wisdom, tentatively trying it out.
“You—”
Heidi was about to say something but stopped as she watched him pause.
In her eyes, Ivan had become a different person at that moment, his expression filled with a heightened focus and an aura of sagacity about him, reminiscent of those possessed only by great scholars, which she had witnessed in her youth during visits with her grandfather.
“Ah! My brother Carmel doesn’t lose without reason.”
Heidi sighed, drawing her thoughts back to the Raw Stone Array Disc and began her arduous comprehension.
Meanwhile, in the adjacent cell, Wolban and Gina had been assigned together, along with Hawtherley; however, Hawtherley had perished in the ambush of a magicalized pangolin and was now a cold corpse.
“Just wait, I will turn you into an ugly mummy and hang you from a tree for a hundred years.”
“Sneaking around, what are you? If you have the guts, show yourself in person and let’s see who turns whom into a mummified specimen, who nails whom to the wall for a hundred years.”
Gina was never one to take things lying down, and when the figure in the black robe tried to intimidate them, she fired back with insults. They exchanged barbs until Wolban suddenly made a move and drove the figure in the black robe away.
Her fearless demeanor swept away the gloomy atmosphere that had lingered in the air.
Seeing Gina look toward him, Wolban awkwardly turned his head away and quickly stepped forward to attack the barriers around them, continuing to search for any weak spots, though he did not hold out much hope.
Such a sorcery array was definitely not that of an abandoned laboratory; even an array-breaking drill would not breach it.
To the left in another cell was Sulla of the Hunting Team, alongside two other corpses.
Sulla was pacing anxiously back and forth, with an indescribable restlessness in his expression. He was the most unfortunate, having no one to confer with.
After being intimidated by the figure in the black robe, he realized the gravity of their situation, that if no solutions were found, it wouldn’t be long before they died without a place to be buried.
“Perhaps—”
His gaze swept over the two corpses beside him, and a fierce determination flashed across his face.
Should he destroy them?
He understood one thing: the more the enemy wanted to do something, the more he must prevent it from happening—that was their only chance to triumph amidst chaos, though it might hasten his own death by enraging the adversary.
The last cell housed Melinda and Allen.
They had begun to regain their composure and were trying to manipulate the runes array around them, but the figure in the black robe had been wary of them from the start and was guarding fiercely, leaving no opportunity to break through.
The more they tried, the more desperate they became.
Now, their beautiful dreams shattered, and their very lives were at stake.
“Ding.”
Allen suddenly drew his longsword and attacked Melinda.
Melinda, quick to react, barely managed to block the longsword.
“Have you gone mad? Now is not the time for infighting.”
“Yes, I have gone mad! If it weren’t for you, would I come to a place like this, to end up in such a plight?”
“It’s because of your own greed.”
But Allen didn’t want to listen to reason, as he continued to strike at Melinda with his longsword, one blow after another—the two were embroiled in a heated exchange.
…
Stone Creek Town.
The once bustling streets had become eerily silent. The majority of shops along the street were left open haphazardly, and the hot food inside residents’ homes was still steaming, yet there was not a single townsperson in sight.
Behind the town, in an open space on a hillside in the forest, a dense crowd was present, composed of old and young, strong adults, along with an even larger number of wild beasts. Both humans and beasts stood without making a sound, creating a scene that was both harmonious and eerie.
An ordinary-looking elderly man stepped forward; he stood at the highest point, looking down upon the creatures below with a malevolent smile. A fleeting shadow flashed across his face, one with beastly pupils and fangs.
