Chapter Fifty-Two: Return

Hughes estimated that the matter with the Ring of Shadows was just about settled, so he immediately set off in haste, preparing to return as quickly as possible. The journey was uneventful, and half a month later, Hughes arrived near the Ring of Shadows. Surveying his surroundings, he gave his horse a sharp slap, startling it into a gallop across the wilderness.

Following the entrance vortex, Hughes entered the secret realm of the Ring of Shadows.

This time, things were different—the two raven statues at the gate remained silent, as if they were asleep, and the great doors leading inside were wide open. Carrying his backpack, Hughes stepped into the Ring of Shadows and found that, within, not much had changed.

Returning to his dormitory, Hughes saw that everything was just as he had left it; it seemed no one had entered in his absence. He checked the stash of potions he’d hidden under the bed—none were missing—and only then did he relax.

After putting his things down, Hughes headed to Lindsay’s shop.

Sure enough, the shop was open, but where once it had been lively, now it stood empty.

“Hey, Hughes! You’re finally back,” Lindsay exclaimed with delight upon seeing him.

“What happened at the academy? When I got back, I—”

“Don’t ask,” Lindsay interrupted with a sigh. “It’s all because of the secret realm. Everyone who went in from both the Ring of Shadows and the Moonlit Garden died. Our strength has been gutted, so the academy is preparing to seal off the Ring of Shadows. No word on exactly when.” Lindsay got up and closed the shop door.

“No one suspects anything?” Hughes found it hard to believe that such a thing hadn’t become common knowledge.

“Who would dare? The main families are all vassals to the Ring of Shadows. Speaking out would only bring trouble. Besides, after the incident, both deans personally led their academies in purging several smaller wizard organizations. Many believe the disaster in the secret realm was caused by outsiders. And…” Lindsay hesitated, trailing off.

“What is it?” Hughes pressed.

“Most of those who died were first-level apprentices or wizards who couldn’t advance to the second level. The rest didn’t care much. Now, with the academy preparing to seal the entrance, the whole affair is fading from everyone’s mind.”

“I see. And what about Billy?” Hughes hadn’t forgotten his only friend in the academy.

“Him? He came by a few days ago, asked about you, and left. He’s advanced to the second-level apprentice now—he’s probably practicing spell simulations as we speak,” Lindsay recalled.

“Help me find some herbs, will you?” Hughes began writing down the ingredients he needed for the Focus Potion formula, though he mixed in a few other items so as not to draw attention.

“Some of these will be hard to get—especially Demon Spirit Flower and Scorpgrass. Gathering all these will take some time,” Lindsay said, looking over the list with a troubled expression.

“It’s fine, there’s no rush. Just get them when you can,” Hughes replied, knowing how difficult it was to procure such materials.

“Alright, I’ll do my best.” Seeing that Hughes wasn’t anxious, Lindsay relaxed—otherwise, she wouldn’t have known what to do.

After bidding Lindsay farewell, Hughes made his way to the academy’s shop.

“I’d like the tail of a ground lizard, nectar from the Human-faced Rose, a branch of Golden Vine…” Hughes bought part of the Focus Potion ingredients separately from the academy, splitting his purchases.

The academy’s shop was well-stocked, but the prices were exorbitant. By the time Hughes left, his savings had vanished.

He returned to his dormitory with his materials. Along the way, he noticed that the once-bustling academy was now nearly deserted; only a few wizards passed here and there—a stark difference from before.

Hughes had the chip analyze the refining method for that advanced enchanted item. The result was disappointing—even with his extensive knowledge of alchemy and enchantment, he couldn’t craft it. The problem was simple: his spiritual power was too weak.

“Chip, can you simplify the process for making an advanced enchanted item? Turn it into the method for crafting a basic enchanted item,” Hughes commanded, half-expecting nothing.

“Beep! Task established: Simplifying the Guardian Guidance refining method. Estimated time: 87 days, 6 hours, 43 minutes.”

“It can actually be done!” Hughes was overjoyed. Even a basic enchanted item would be a great help to him.

“The key now is to refine the Focus Potion and raise my spiritual power,” Hughes mused, glancing at the chip’s progress in analyzing the Mental Rune. Thanks to the effect of the three fruits, his spiritual power had increased greatly, and the analysis was proceeding much faster.

As for the advanced version of the Nature Potion—the Whisper of Nature—Hughes knew it was beyond his current ability. He figured he’d need to become a true wizard before attempting to brew it.

At dawn, Hughes headed to Wizard Matt’s laboratory; after being away so long, it was only right to report in.

As usual, he pushed open the door and habitually looked toward the figure at the lab table.

“Oh! Hughes, it’s so good to see you!” Emmy greeted him with a warm embrace.

The fullness of the young woman pressed against him, making Hughes uncomfortable. He struggled free and took a few steps back, eyeing Emmy with suspicion.

“Why are you here? Where’s the professor?” Hughes looked around but saw no sign of Wizard Matt.

“Whew, I’ve been waiting for you for days.” Emmy stuck out her tongue, embarrassed by her earlier enthusiasm.

“Professor has been away for quite some time. He asked me to give you this.” As she spoke, Emmy retrieved a black wooden box from under the lab table.

Hughes took the box in both hands but found it wouldn’t open.

“There’s a seal on it. Professor said you’ll only be able to open it after you’ve reached third-level apprentice. It’s useless for now,” Emmy explained.

“So where did the professor go?” Hughes realized Matt must be away for a long time, or he wouldn’t have left such things behind.

“Um… I really don’t know,” Emmy said, a little embarrassed.

Judging by her expression, Hughes figured it wasn’t ignorance—she’d simply forgotten to ask.

“Well, then.” Hughes looked at Emmy helplessly.

With Matt away, there was no need for him to stay in the lab, and Emmy had already fulfilled her task by handing over the box. After Hughes left, Emmy sealed the laboratory door behind him.

Hugging the black wooden box, Hughes suddenly felt at a loss for where to go.

He returned to his dormitory and decided to seek out Billy.

No sooner had he arrived than he saw Billy waiting at the door.

“Hughes!” Billy came forward and embraced him.

“I heard you were back from Lindsay, so I came to wait for you,” Billy said, visibly pleased.

“You must have been waiting a while. Come in,” Hughes replied, equally glad to see him, and ushered Billy inside.

“Here, this is for you.” Sitting down, Billy handed Hughes the item in his hand.

Hughes looked—it was a silver bracelet. He took it and examined it closely.

“What’s this?” He couldn’t understand why Billy, a grown man, was giving him such a thing.

“It’s like this,” Billy replied, rolling up his right sleeve.

Hughes saw that Billy wore an identical bracelet on his right wrist. He couldn’t help but wonder, “Matching bracelets?”

“This is a Messenger Bracelet. It allows you to send messages to anyone else wearing one, just by thinking them. What do you think? It’ll make it much easier for us to keep in touch.” Billy explained, demonstrating the function.

“It’s basically like a cell phone,” Hughes thought, accepting the idea easily.

“But…it must be valuable,” Hughes added, realizing this was surely an enchanted item and not a cheap one.

“Don’t worry, Hughes. I found it in my family’s vault. Though it’s a basic enchanted item, it’s nothing compared to real offensive or defensive gear. This is just a support-type enchanted item,” Billy said earnestly, determined for Hughes to accept the gift.