A Sorcerer's Journey - Chapter 133

Chapter 133: Ecological Balance

As a student, Grimm was in no way on par with a formal sorcerer when it came to flight velocity and moderating magic consumption.

The rules of levering something as a multiplier did not change after formal sorcerers controlled power but they had the ability to draw natural force with their own magic power. Thus the usual magic consumption of spells would substantially decrease.

They could also attain a steep upgrade in flight speed by controlling natural force.

However…

From the very beginning, Grimm and Peranos flew at the speeds of a normal sorcerer. The reason was quite simple: Grimm and Peranos had been relying on a mutual pulling force[1] to maintain a relative distance all along.

Basically, Peranos had been dragging Grimm along since the start of the flight.

*Shu shu…*

With the flying speed of a formal sorcerer, the two only needed seven days to fly away from the 12th District six great academies’ territory.

It was an extremely wide and vast forest, one that was far more extensive than the bramble forest.

Grimm and Peranos flitted over at the altitude of 300 meters which was the normal altitude for the common sorcerer. If one went a little higher, the strong wind and cold air would significantly intensify which was not good for long-distance flights.

*Caw Caw…*

A large murder of Three-Eyed Crows cried out in irritation and alarm, their numbers appearing to be around 70-80.

Grimm, who was flying along behind Peranos, was internally delighted. The last time, he had been unable to capture the previous murder of crows he encountered because he did not have time and was in a rush to complete his mission. This time though…

‘What?’

Suddenly, Grimm found there were two gigantic falcons with wingspans as much as 7-8 meters flying over behind this murder of crows, their shadows streaking across the ground. When Grimm clearly saw the appearances of these two huge falcons, he gasped in shock. “Brush-Peak Falcons.”

Brush-Peak Falcons were practically the highest level creature a student could encounter in the common regions of the sorcerer world. They were giant creatures native to the sorcerer world that was capable of suppressing ordinary academy guardians. It was said this creature used the earth and thunder elements in a very mysterious manner. They were completely immune to the petrification rays of the Three-Eyed Crows and were the crows’ absolute natural enemy.

Grimm hesitated to look toward Peranos. If his master were to make a move, not to even mention the Three-Eyed Crows, but even the Brush-Peak Falcons would also be completely suppressed.

In that case, he would be able to acquire some experiment materials without trouble…

Humph!

Suddenly, Peranos gave a cold snort. Grimm merely felt the earth’s ley lines suddenly emit an irresistible gravitational force that pulled in the direction of the Three-Eyed Crows and Brush-Peak Falcons. One could only hear several bird cries of alarm as the two Brush-Peak Falcons and a large number of the Three-Eyed Crows immediately fell to the ground one after another.

Grimm was internally thrilled at this sight.

It was hard to tell with the Brush-Peak Falcons, but since his master used the gravitational force of the ley lines to pull the Three-Eyed Crows toward the ground, even if they did not die, they would absolutely not have any ability to resist. When the moment came, he would be able to effortlessly obtain some experiment materials.

With this thought in mind, Grimm strongly wanted to happily drop to the ground. However, he detected the ley lines abruptly emit a repulsive force wave once. Following, the crows and falcons that had dropped down cried in alarm continuously as they were all “shot” up once more.

The Brush-Peak Falcons and Three-Eyed Crows that lost their heads out of fear screeched and spread their wings to flee in all directions pell-mell.

Grimm looked at Master Peranos in shock, not understanding the reason for his actions.

Peranos who resembled an ugly arts and craft sewn ball had a faint smile on his face. He softly said, “You have to remember the sorcerer world is the original land for sorcerers. To maintain the balance of the sorcerer world is one of the responsibilities of a sorcerer. The sorcerer continent’s seven holy tower alliance stipulates it is forbidden for formal sorcerers to cause any destructive slaughter outside of research. This is because undue slaughter will inevitably bring about the decline and desolation of an enslaved world, making the sorcerer world resemble one.”

Grimm gaped at him, speechless. Having the mindset of a student, Grimm had simply never considered this matter.

That’s right…

In regards to the sorcerer world ecosystem, students were the same as the lowest rung of the food chain and nothing more. In just an area tidied up by sorcerers, who knew how many students lost their lives in the previous years within the bramble forest.

So, as a creature at the bottom of the food chain, how could they care about something boring like ecological balance?

*Shushu…*

Under Peranos’s lead, Grimm flew at extremely fast speeds until they passed through this vast and boundless forest much more extensive than the bramble forest after 10 days.

*KRSHH*

The crashing waves of rapids gradually reached Grimm’s ears. A moment of effort later, a very large river no less than several kilometers wide appeared in his view. On both sides, the dense primitive forest actually had huge trees all over 100 meters tall.

Large flocks of birds circled around the sky. Climbing on the gigantic trees were groups of ape-like creatures. On the vast ground were some carnivores either solitary or in groups. There were also numerous groups of large, robust-looking herbivores and large herbivores that exceeded 20-30 meters in size.

Scattered around by the water were amphibious cold-blooded creatures that laid their bellies on the riverside beach to bask in the sun. Within the rapid flow of the river, there occasionally was an extremely big creature that leaped out of the water or showed parts of its body.

Grimm somewhat didn’t dare to believe this area’s biodiversity.

There was such a “primitive environment” in the highly developed civilization of the sorcerer world?

One had to know that there were already god knows how many tens of thousands of extinct species recorded down in the sorcerer world’s books, all due to the highly developed sorcerer civilization bringing it about. On one hand, sorcerers constantly utilized natural force to lever open the deeper underlying secrets of the world laws. On the other hand, however, the damage of the natural ecological balance could not be controlled when perceiving the deeper mysteries of world laws.

This interrelationship formed a strange “balance.”

Grimm had once even read about a written account in some ancient texts: Ancient sorcerers had no choice but to start building cities in the sky because their formidable power caused excessive and serious damage to the sorcerer world. A continent capable of flying in the sky was also the ultimate manifestation of void fortress technology.

The idea, in general, was that ancient sorcerers required all-powerful sorcerers to go to the sky city in order to safeguard the sorcerer world. Apparently, the sky cities in the ancient past far surpassed the modern sorcerer world’s sky cities.

It was only natural for the modern sorcerer to be even more rigorous in safeguarding the sorcerer world—so much so that it was rare to catch sight of a level-four or above stigmata sorcerer in the flesh, within the sorcerer world.

Apparently…

It was precisely because of this reason that there was a beneficial bridge between level-three and level-four stigmata sorcerers. A few stigmata sorcerers even had no choice but to quietly promise all kinds of conditions for powerful level-three great sorcerers to protect sorcerer towers. Furthermore, they personally paid attention to some progression in their own academies.

Since from a certain perspective, the development of an academy beneath a sorcerer tower was just like the development of the stigmata sorcerer’s own strength.

Hm?

Grimm finally became aware of something, lifting his head before his pupils shrank from shock!

Below the far-off higher cloud banks within the sky, a colossal shadow cast itself down to the ground, even making one inadvertently believe it was a black cloud.

Grimm’s shrunken pupils were like pinpricks, eyes filled with disbelief. There was actually a “sorcery tool” flying in the sky above?

Just how colossal could the flying sorcery tool be to still cast such a huge shadow from so many kilometers above? It looked as if it was at least three hundred meters or more in length.

Could this actually be the sorcerer world’s legendary void fortress?

Peranos finally noticed the change in Grimm and lifted his head to glance at the flying object in the distant sky. He indifferently said, “This region’s ecosystem is classified as one of the key protected regions of the sorcerer world. That’s a voidship. Generally speaking, it has the energy rank of a level-three sorcerer. Though the defensive functions and energy endurance cannot compare to level-three sorcerers.”

Grimm gaped. He hesitantly asked, “Don’t tell me this isn’t a void fortress?”

Void fortress? Heh Heh!

Peranos derisively replied, “When you arrive at the seven rings holy tower, you’ll then get an idea of what a void fortress is. Generally speaking, inside the base of a void fortress, there are docks for up to a hundred of such voidships, you know.”

A shiver ran through Grimm’s body. He disbelievingly exclaimed, “That’s impossible! Up to a hundred docks? What kind of behemoth is that, huh!”

Peranos merely smiled faintly and shook his head. He sighed, “When all is said and done, you are only a student that has survived several decades and nothing more…”

After a pause, Peranose explained, “Flying over this region, even if you leave the indirect ruling area of the seven rings holy tower 12th district’s six large academies, there is a common saying of the outer region being regarded as a fight for us to accept students. The region ahead is a flourishing zone between the seven ring holy tower and academy areas. It is a freerunning zone inherited by a clan of arcane sorcerers and I have a pretty good friend en-route.”

(Direct ruling range indicates the academies’ students’ conventional movement range and depends on the academies’ recruitment range of new students in the sorcerer world. For example, the Eastern Coral Island was in the 19th District academy governing scope but there are no students circulating there.)

Grimm was basically clueless as far as the lands of the sorcerer world were concerned.

Currently, Grimm only knew about the main continent of the sorcerer world that followed the rule of the seven holy towers. He also knew that outside the sorcerer continent was an even more vast ocean, an underground world, sky cities, and black territory…

As for the sorcerer continent’s true geography and physique, Grimm only had a vague idea of the seven rings holy tower’s 12th district six big academy’s immediate ruling area.

As for the 12th district of seven rings holy tower’s direct ruling area, if Grimm wished to cross from the area at the center, he would need to fly day and night for two months or more at the flying speeds of the average student.

[1] AKA tractive force.