Exploring Technology in a Wizard World
Chapter 492 - 491: The Feathers of the White Crow

Chapter 492: Chapter 491: The Feathers of the White Crow

Pandora’s indicated direction was the direction of the small town they had arrived at after leaving the Black Holy Mountain Kingdom. Once Richard confirmed this, he immediately rode his horse back the way they came without hesitation.

During the return journey, unlike before, he encountered no trouble at all—it was incredibly smooth, no beasts, traps, broken bridges, Giant Hogweed, or any such chaotic things.

Thus, in a single day, he had covered the distance that had taken him two days before.

In the blink of an eye, night fell.

The light of day receded bit by bit from the west, and the pitch-black night crept in slowly from the east like a tide, bringing with it many shiny shells—these were the glittering stars of the night sky.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop..."

On a secluded road, Richard appeared from a distance.

After riding for a day and a night, at this point, the horse beneath Richard could no longer bear the burden, even after continuous rest and being fed expensive fodder, it had reached its physiological limit.

The horse’s entire coat was soaked with sweat, steam snorted from its nostrils, all while making a "puffing" sound.

Richard, expressionless, landed a whip on the horse, causing it to pain and quicken its pace for a few steps, then its whole body collapsed by the side of the road—dead from exhaustion.

The moment the horse fell, Richard’s eyebrows twitched, and he quickly reacted. The No.1 Ring in his hand activated, releasing the "Wind Light Spirit" spell, gathering air to wrap around his body. He leaped from the carcass, glided a distance through the air, and landed gently.

Turning around to look at the dead horse, Richard’s expression showed a hint of pity but not surprise—at some point during the incessant riding, he had considered this outcome.

In fact, the situation could be considered the best case scenario—although the horse had died, he had reached the destination he wanted.

Turning his head back, Richard looked to the side of the road.

Next to the road, there was a tree nearly devoid of leaves, looking quite pitiable, this was the place where he first saw the White Crow. From the small town they had been before, it was just about a day’s travel. If his guess was correct, the special place that the Clown mentioned should be here.

However—

Richard slightly furrowed his brows and looked at the tree, only to see the bare branches were without a White Crow. He looked around and everything else was quiet, with nothing special to be seen.

Was he mistaken?

Richard frowned deeply, unable to help but wonder.

At that moment, from a pile of dry yellow grass nearby, "rustle" went a noise as a figure stood up—it was none other than the Clown!

"Mr. Clown!" Richard immediately looked towards the Clown and exclaimed.

"Ah, traveler!" The Clown responded with laughter, his tone holding a hint of admiration, "You actually found this place so quickly, it seems I must give you my gift."

"More than a gift, I am here seeking an answer," Richard said hastily, looking into the eyes beneath the Clown’s mask.

"Oh, an answer? What answer?" the Clown asked with a hint of curiosity.

Richard took a deep breath and then gestured towards the surroundings, "That is... is the entire world we’re in right now real? What’s the deal with the Spirit Illusions you’ve been setting up along the way?"

"Ha!" The Clown laughed out loud once more at this remark, waving his hand reassuringly, "Traveler, don’t worry, I can assure you, the place you are in now is the real world.

I understand the feelings you have upon discovering some ’truths’—full of confusion, doubting what exactly it was that you experienced this whole time, feeling as if it was an illusion, but what you have experienced is indeed much more real than an illusion. In fact, what you’ve experienced is not an illusion, but a higher form of existence than that."

"A higher form of existence than an illusion? What is that?"

"Spirit World." The Clown spoke.

"Spirit World?" Richard questioned.

"Yes, Spirit World." The Clown nodded, "I won’t tell you anything superfluous. You just need to understand that this method is very complex. There are not many people in the whole world who can do it, and that’s all you need to know. In fact, if it wasn’t for the test, I would never have used it on you.

You don’t have to worry about encountering similar methods in the future, because this method does not have strong offensive capabilities. It’s more about some special uses. It was these special purposes that allowed my companions and me to survive the cataclysm, and so I am able to talk to you here." Towards the end, the Clown’s voice took on a slightly sad tone.

Then the Clown’s tone changed, "Alright, let me give you your gift, and then let us part for real. Traveler, from now on you’re on your own. Good luck!"

With that, the Clown’s figure twisted and turned into a White Crow under Richard’s watchful eye, spreading its wings and flying into the high sky, quickly disappearing from sight.

He’s gone just like that? What about the promised gift?

Richard couldn’t help but think, although he wasn’t coveting a gift he knew nothing about, it still felt somewhat baffling that the Clown had left in such a manner.

While thinking this, he heard a sharp whistling sound from above his head.

Hmm?

Richard looked up and saw at the high altitude where the Clown transformed into the White Crow had vanished, a black dot was rapidly falling down. It got faster and faster and finally, with a "whoosh" sound, it pierced into the ground.

What is this—

Richard looked down, squinting at the falling object, only to see that it was actually a feather of the White Crow.

Is this supposed to be the gift?

Richard raised an eyebrow, pulling the feather out of the ground, and then his eyes flashed as he realized something special about the feather.

The feather was not an ordinary crow feather; first of all, it was not light—it felt heavy and had a significant weight. Moreover, it was soft yet resilient to the touch, making it difficult to damage. Observing the surface of the feather closely, it seemed, or maybe it was just an illusion, he could see a faint shimmering light.

Although he was unclear on the purpose of this White Crow feather, it was obviously far from ordinary.

Steadying his gaze, Richard placed the feather into his bosom and looked into the distance, pondering the current situation.

To understand the Clown’s "Spirit Illusion Realm," he had spent a day and a night, and not only had he not moved forward by any measure, but he had also returned to where he was three days ago and had worn his horse out to death.

So, how should he proceed on his journey now?

On foot?

Or, should he simply walk back to the Black Holy Mountain Kingdom and at a border town of the kingdom buy a fresh horse before setting out again? After all, sharpening your axe does not hinder the work of cutting wood.

As he was considering this, Richard suddenly heard the sounds of numerous horses and the rattling of wagons, and upon looking in the direction of the noise, he saw a sizable convoy moving swiftly in the night.

"Huh? What kind of convoy would travel through the night?" Richard thought with slight confusion. He stood by the road and watched as the convoy slowly approached, then made eye contact with two people on the leading carriage of the convoy.

After a brief silence, Richard spoke up, "Captain Bade? And, Harvey?"

"Are you Mr. Richard?"

"Richard?!"

Two surprised voices responded quickly.

...