Edmond did not rush to search for a village or town, but instead ordered the Skeleton Wolf to run toward the small building.
Because he wanted to first check on the current situation of his teacher.
The distance between the cave and the small building was not very far; at the current speed of the carriage, it would take about an hour or two to arrive.
As he got closer and closer to the small building, Edmond’s mood inevitably grew heavy.
For his teacher, Arnold, he felt deep gratitude and respect in his heart.
Because if it weren’t for him, he likely never would have become a mage at all.
In that case, his best outcome would probably have been to rely on his literacy to find a job in the territory of some minor noble.
Life wouldn’t have been impossible to endure, but it certainly wouldn’t have been very exciting.
As he thought about this, the carriage gradually approached the small building, and from the carriage, he could already see the blurry outline of the structure.
Edmond stopped thinking about it and began to earnestly urge the Skeleton Wolf to head toward the small building.
After a while, the carriage had traveled to a spot some distance away from the small building.
It wasn’t very close, but it was enough for Edmond to see the specific situation of the small building clearly.
The scene outside the small building was no different from when he had left; he could even still see the shattered targets on the open ground in front.
No one had cleaned them up at all.
The front door of the small building was tightly shut, and even all the windows were closed tightly, making it impossible for anyone to see the specific state of the interior.
Edmond scrutinized it for a good while, but ultimately did not gain any useful clues.
If he wanted to clearly understand his teacher’s current condition, he would probably have to enter the small building to check.
However, recalling his teacher’s previous attitude toward him, he hesitated repeatedly before deciding not to go in for now.
Nevertheless, he still got off the carriage and carefully approached the small building.
Soon, he reached the side of the small building and tentatively projected his Mental Power outward.
He did not probe his Mental Power into the interior of the small building because that would be too risky and could easily be detected by his teacher.
He simply let his Mental Power, like feelers, gently press against the outer wall, sensing the aura coming from the other side.
Immediately after, he closed his eyes and began to sense carefully.
The Necrotic Magic was very dense, at least half as dense again as it had been before he left.
Besides that, there was also a lot of undead aura…
Just as Edmond was sensing intently, another surge of Mental Power suddenly rushed out from inside the small building, colliding directly with his own.
Edmond’s eyes widened instantly, and he immediately withdrew his Mental Power.
“Roar!”
Immediately following that, a beast-like roar faintly drifted out from inside the small building.
Without the slightest hesitation, Edmond instantly moved away from the small building and returned to his carriage.
And he immediately drove the Skeleton Wolf to pull the carriage away quickly.
Since another surge of Mental Power existed, it meant that his teacher was still alive.
And judging by his teacher’s previous attitude toward him, if he didn’t run immediately, he might just run out and attack him.
Although, relying on Edmond’s current strength, he did not fear his teacher very much.
Yet he still had no intention of making a move; after all, that was his teacher.
…
Meanwhile, just as Edmond was leaving in the carriage, inside the basement of the small building…
All the undead were crowded in here, forming a circle.
And in the center of that circle sat a figure entirely shrouded in a black robe, who was none other than Edmond’s teacher, Arnold.
Arnold sat cross-legged on the ground, surrounded by strange patterns drawn with blood.
Bursts of beast-like roars were emanating from his throat.
But strangely, despite the constant roaring from his mouth, he never made any movements.
If someone could get close enough to observe, they would clearly be able to notice that Arnold’s skin had already turned a grayish-white.
That color did not look like the skin of a living person at all.
His cheeks were also deeply sunken, and his whole person looked even thinner than when Edmond had left.
A pair of turbid eyes moved slowly within their sockets; those two eyeballs were covered with a layer of grayish-white film, and their original color could no longer be seen.
They were not focused on any place, just turning slowly and aimlessly.
His mouth opened and closed slightly, and sticky saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth, falling onto the ground drop by drop.
All the surrounding undead watched him motionless, the Soul Fire in their eye sockets flickering slightly.
The entire basement was filled with such an eerie yet calm atmosphere.
After a good while, the roaring sound slowly died down.
The sound grew lower and lower, finally turning into a series of intermittent gasps.
But those turbid eyes were still moving slowly, rolling around in those sunken sockets, not knowing what they were looking at or what they were thinking about.
…
On Edmond’s side, learning that his teacher was still alive, his feelings were very mixed.
On one hand, because his teacher was still alive, he felt a slight sense of relief.
On the other hand, it was because his teacher’s temperament had changed drastically, and he was no longer the teacher he once knew.
Under these complex emotions, Edmond remained silent for a long time.
After a while, he pulled himself together.
There was no use thinking too much about it now; only by working hard to improve his strength could he grasp more initiative.
The words his teacher had spoken were still clearly engraved in his mind— “The Necromancer has no future.”
But Edmond did not want to accept his fate like this; if there was no future, then he would create one himself.
Subsequently, he randomly chose a direction, and the Skeleton Wolf pulled the carriage toward it.
Since he didn’t know where there were villages or towns, he could only search in this manner.
“Rumble, rumble~”
The sound of the wheels gradually faded away, and the carriage soon disappeared into the woods.
…
Nanzel Town.
This was the largest town within tens of miles, built along a winding river, with a circle of medium-height wooden fences surrounding the town’s perimeter.
And today happened to be a market day.
Market days, which occurred only twice a month, were the days when residents from surrounding villages brought the things they grew, raised, or made to exchange.
On this day, the town would be exceptionally lively.
Villagers who rarely left their homes would arrive from all directions, carrying their various goods, and set up long rows of stalls at the market.
The sounds of hawking, bargaining, and children playing blended together.
The market was filled with stalls, and all sorts of things were available.
The air was mixed with various scents: the earthy smell of fresh vegetables, the wheaty aroma of baked bread, and even the sour smell of sweat from the crowd.
The vast majority of people were dressed in simple clothing, coarse linen garments washed until they were faded, covered with patch after patch.
Their exposed skin was also extremely rough, with traces of sun and wind everywhere.
They looked weathered, and most of their expressions were very numb.
But among the crowd, one person was quite different from the others.
He wore a dark gray top and trousers, the fabric thick and soft, with a dark brown coat layered over it.
His face was fair and handsome, his features well-defined, without any traces of sun or wind, nor the sallow yellow of malnutrition.
This attire attracted many people’s gazes.
However, because today was market day, others just took him for a traveling merchant and didn’t pay much attention to him.
After glancing a few times, they withdrew their gazes and continued with their own business.
Yes, this person was none other than Edmond.
Although Edmond was only thirteen years old now, perhaps due to the significant improvement in his living conditions recently.
His body had developed rapidly over these past days, and his height had already reached 1.6 meters, which was the average level for his peers in his previous life.
This height was not much different from the malnourished people around him.
So, others naturally took him for an adult.
Edmond was currently looking around with curiosity, a small pouch tucked at his waist.
Inside this small pouch was the 200 oren he had just obtained.
The oren was a special metal currency in this world, which could be exchanged for one hundred copper coins.
And in this era, the monthly consumption of an ordinary family of three was about two oren.
Therefore, 200 oren could already be considered a considerable fortune.
And it was completely enough for Edmond to purchase the living supplies for this trip.