Chapter 119: The Eastern Territory

At night, some of Hise’s attendants set up a circle of rather simple tents. In the center of the tents, heaps of flames flickered beneath small pots simmering with meat broth. The aroma wafted across the entire camp, causing many to swallow in anticipation.

“Sir! Please, have some,” Hise said perceptively, personally ladling a bowl of soup and placing it before Hughes.

Hughes took a sip. The taste wasn’t particularly good, but given the circumstances, a warm bowl of soup was a welcome comfort. After finishing the soup, Hughes sat on the ground, pondering his next destination.

“Lord Hughes,” Chad approached hesitantly, unable to resist seeking him out after seeing him remain seated quietly.

“What is it?” Hughes looked up, noticing Chad’s uneasy demeanor.

“Nothing, nothing... I just wanted to ask you some things about wizards,” Chad confessed, unable to meet Hughes’ eyes as if trapped in his own thoughts.

“Go ahead,” Hughes replied calmly. He had a favorable impression of Chad and his sister, so he was willing to answer some trivial questions.

“My lord, I have always admired wizards. I secretly had someone test me—I do have talent—but I’ve never been able to meditate to manifest the spiritual runes,” Chad finally revealed what weighed most heavily on his heart.

“Is that so?” Hughes frowned, surprised by the challenging question from the outset.

“A talent, but meditation fails...” Hughes mused. “May I have a bit of your blood?”

“Ah? Certainly, of course!” Chad was taken aback by Hughes’ odd request but quickly agreed.

Lacking any vials or test tubes, Hughes had Chad reluctantly shed a bit of blood into a small bowl. “I will get back to you as soon as possible,” Hughes said, retreating to his tent. Chad did not ask further and instead sought aid to tend to his wound.

“Chip! Analyze the blood in my hand!” Hughes commanded, watching as the blood began to coagulate.

“Beep! Unknown bloodline detected.”

“Beep! Unable to purify; cannot obtain specific data.”

“So it really is as I suspected,” Hughes murmured. From the moment Chad spoke, he had suspected some ancient bloodline coursing within him. Now it was confirmed.

Moreover, Chad’s family had evidently lost the inherited meditation technique; it was impossible to activate such a bloodline with ordinary meditation alone. Unfortunately, Hughes had no tools to further purify the blood and identify the creature from which the bloodline originated.

The next morning, Hughes explained the situation in detail to Chad. Upon hearing the truth, Chad was stunned speechless; he had never imagined this was why he could not become a wizard. According to Hughes, without rediscovering the family’s lost meditation technique, Chad’s hopes were dashed for life.

“How could this be!” Chad sat alone, his eyes vacant as he stared ahead, clearly deeply shaken.

Hise observed Chad, confused by his brother’s behavior. Though unaware of what Hughes had told him, it was clear from Chad’s demeanor that something about wizardry had upset him.

“Lord Hughes, my brother...” Hise began, but seeing Chad unresponsive, he turned to Hughes.

“He’ll come to understand,” Hughes said indifferently, glancing at Chad still lost in thought.

“I’ve just arrived here. Tell me about this place—everything you know,” Hughes said to Hise. As the son of a prince, Hise was likely well-informed.

“Yes, of course!” Hise proceeded to recount everything he knew in detail.

Patiently, Hughes listened while instructing his chip to organize Hise’s descriptions. After Hise finished, Hughes had a clearer understanding of his surroundings.

He was in a place called the “Lost Domain,” a land where wizards and humans coexisted. The Lost Domain was divided into the Eastern and Western regions, with the Western region’s area less than half that of the Eastern. Consequently, frequent conflicts arose between the two.

The Eastern Domain was home to the White Wizards, who treated ordinary people kindly. As a result, the Eastern Domain prospered. In contrast, the Western Domain harbored many Black Wizards who often captured common folk for sacrifices and experiments, leading to increasing desolation and loss of territory to Eastern wizards.

This was all Hise’s account, but Hughes scorned the division between white and black wizards. Ultimately, it was a matter of interests. If one were to judge good and evil, no wizard’s hands were truly clean. Hughes believed many Black Wizards lurked even within the Eastern Domain.

Suddenly, Hughes had no desire to return with Hise to his family. He wished to visit the wizards’ gathering place, join an organization first—otherwise, even buying materials would be problematic.

Without hesitation, Hughes asked Hise for a horse and, following the directions given, set off toward the White Wizards’ stronghold in the Eastern Domain, leaving the siblings gazing after him with reluctance.

Riding swiftly, Hughes traversed many empires over the next two months. He even worked as a pickpocket for a time, using the earnings to tailor several outfits before continuing his journey.

After more than two months of travel, Hughes found the Eastern Domain much as Hise described—prosperous and peaceful. The groups calling themselves White Wizards indeed favored peace.

Unlike his previous home, where wizards were synonymous with terror and cruelty, here people feared but also deeply respected them. This surprised Hughes greatly.

He purchased a map en route to ensure no deviation from Hise’s directions.

Finally, Hughes reached his destination: the White Wizards’ gathering place, Saint Circle City.

As he advanced, the roads grew wider and better maintained, with neatly trimmed hedges lining the streets.

“I should change this...” Hughes muttered, eyeing his black robe as he prepared to enter the city. Accustomed to wearing black robes in the Shadow Ring, he rarely chose his clothes, favoring the simplicity of black.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Hughes decided to swap his black robe for the white one he had prepared earlier.

After adjusting the white robe, Hughes looked quite different. The black robe had given him a cold, unapproachable aura, but the white robe brought out his handsome features with a warm, friendly appearance.

“That’s better,” Hughes said, pleased with his attire.

Mounting his horse again, he continued forward. As the road widened, pedestrians began to appear.

“Wow!” A girl’s delighted shout echoed from above, drawing many eyes upward. Hughes looked toward the source and saw a young girl riding a creature resembling a griffin soaring through the sky.

Not only that, but wizards flew past on broad brooms, and a large airship drifted slowly overhead, its roaring engine drawing frequent glances from below.

Hughes was fascinated by the airship—it was the first time he had ever seen such a thing since coming to this world.

He couldn’t help but marvel at Saint Circle City’s status as a wizard’s stronghold; such scenes were unseen in his former home.

In high spirits, Hughes walked along the road. Many common folk who recognized his identity greeted him respectfully, their eyes free of fear and full of reverence. It seemed the presence of wizards here had long been accepted.

He saw numerous horse-drawn carts and handcarts piled with vegetables and fruits, all heading in the same direction.