#237 - The battle is over, and an unexpected gain

The court mage hadn't truly disappeared.

Instead, taking advantage of the moment when water and fire collided, creating steam that obscured everyone's vision, he quickly executed a short-range teleportation spell.

It was only after Lang cast [Wind Prayer], and the gale roared, dispersing all the steam,

that Mu En noticed a faint dark red magical shadow flickering behind Lang.

At this moment, the court mage had already placed his hands on either side of Lang's head, silently chanting an unknown incantation.

However, the court mage hadn't anticipated an enemy in the air.

So, when Mu En's shout suddenly rang out from above, the court mage, startled and suspicious, interrupted his spellcasting.

In that moment of hesitation, Mu En cast five consecutive [Petrification Curses] from the air.

Just as the curses were about to hit him, the strange red robe on the court mage fluttered without wind, blocking the first three curses.

Then, the robe's color dimmed, and it fell straight down, clinging to his body, having lost its protective function.

The last two curses hit him squarely, and the court mage, caught off guard, was petrified on the spot.

Only then did Lang break free from the opponent's magical control, clutching his head and half-kneeling on the ground, letting out a painful roar.

"Ah~"

Mu En quickly descended from his flying broom, arriving at Lang's side.

"Are you alright, Lang?"

"Ugh, my head feels like it's about to explode."

Hearing Mu En's voice, Lang looked up, revealing a pained expression.

It was unclear what kind of magic the court mage had cast, but blood was seeping from Lang's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, making for a horrifying sight.

Fortunately, Mu En had intervened in time, or the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"This... this looks like the [Blood Draw Curse]. Some of our tribesmen died from this kind of magic before."

The two young wizards who had been following Lang also rushed over. Seeing Lang's state of bleeding from all orifices, they recalled the tragic deaths of tribal wizards cursed in the past.

The [Blood Draw Curse] was a type of evil magic mastered by court wizards.

It could manipulate and guide the blood within a person's body, disrupting the original circulation of qi and blood, causing blood to flow from all seven orifices.

"It's the [Blood Draw Curse]? No wonder this guy's methods felt so familiar!"

Hearing his companion's reminder, Lang wiped the blood from his face, and after careful observation, glared fiercely at the court mage behind him.

"So it was you who stole from our tribe's treasure vault all along."

Lang's pain had now eased slightly. He took the torch offered by his companion and placed it in front of the court mage.

"Two stars, no wonder he's more ruthless than those demon bastards from before!"

The two stars referred to the pattern on the court mage's gold mask.

The court mages Lang had fought before all had one star engraved on their masks.

The only time a two-star had come to the island was when his father, High Priest Hai Lan, had driven the person away.

Mu En didn't need these external symbols to judge a wizard's strength.

While flying high in the air, he had already noticed that the court mage had three and a half bars of wizard power above his head, while Lang had three.

In addition, the court mage's magical robe was very strange, which had put the three tribal wizards at a disadvantage in the fight.

Although the court mage had been petrified, his mind was still racing.

He could have easily eliminated the three tribal wizards and then completed the task assigned by the chief.

But seeing Mu En descending from the sky with a magic wand, he knew that the plan had completely failed.

The task was far more difficult than he had imagined.

He had originally come to take away Mu En, who possessed a magic wand, but as soon as he engaged with the tribal wizards, he saw three wands. A moment of carelessness had allowed the opponent to gain the upper hand.

Later, when he heard a voice from the sky, he knew he was going to fail.

Flying, this was a very difficult magic for court mages, yet a child could easily master it and cast spells in the air. This made even escape a luxury.

When Mu En landed in front of him on his broom, and he saw his height and appearance clearly, he finally understood the importance of his mission.

But now it was all too late.

"High Priest, this person won't suddenly run away again, will he?"

Lang was still wary of the court mage's short-range teleportation magic and asked with some concern.

"My [Petrification Curse] can hold him for at least two hours, but to be on the safe side, I can add a few more."

As he spoke, Mu En cast three more [Petrification Curses] and three [Sleep Charms] on the court mage.

Then, he instructed the tribal warriors to take off the court mage's robe, seal his fingers, gag his mouth, and tie him into a straight, upright package before feeling relieved.

"High Priest, you seem to be very skilled at this ~"

Watching Mu En instruct the tribal warriors step by step on what to do, Lang subconsciously took two steps back.

"Oh, this is the only way to ensure that the other party cannot cast spells at all."

While Mu En and Lang were chatting, the battles at the other two locations had long ended, and the tribal wizards had also rushed to Mu En's location.

"High Priest, it's been resolved. Brother Zha Lan's method worked well. Both [Night Owls] have been captured, and we have two minor injuries on our side."

Xing Mang, the High Wizard, reported the recent achievements after seeing Mu En.

"That's good, let the injured tribesmen go to High Wizard Ling Shu to receive wound medicine, and they will recover tomorrow."

In the letter sent by Lynn Bailey, Mu En learned that the court mage had also brought two black-robed warrior experts with him.

Mu En guessed that they were the [Night Owls], because the tribal wizards had no experience dealing with such people, so he invited Zha Lan to the island.

Facts proved that his method was correct. Only two young wizards were slightly injured on their shoulders and arms because they couldn't dodge the [Night Owls]' sharp blades.

"I wonder how Hai Lan High Wizard is doing?"

This time, Mu En divided the tribal wizards on the island into 4 teams, led by the three High Wizards and Lang respectively.

Among them, Hai Lan High Wizard's task was to lead the fleet to intercept the ships brought by the court mage and cut off the opponent's retreat.

"Don't worry, High Priest, now that the court mage has come to the island, there won't be any powerful figures on the ship. It's very simple for my father to intercept a ship."

Lang's spirits had recovered a lot at this time, and he patted his chest to assure Mu En.

"Alright, then take these three people down for interrogation first to see what secrets they still have on them."

"Okay, leave it to me. The Ling Shu tribe has a plant that causes the whole body to become sore and numb upon touch. It can just be boiled into a potion to entertain the three of them."

It was the shaman Lu from the Ling Shu tribe who spoke.

It was also the first time Mu En had seen this usually kind and generous witch say such cruel words.

"Okay, let Lu do the interrogation, and you few will be responsible for assisting."

Seeing that Mu En didn't speak, Xing Mang High Wizard stood up in time.

Only after watching Lu smile slightly at Mu En and leave did Xing Mang High Wizard whispered an explanation beside him.

"Lu's husband was also a wizard. He sacrificed himself in a battle with a red-robed wizard who came to the island to steal from the treasure vault."

"So that's how it is, then let's go back and wait for the interrogation results first. Also, Lang, you go and meet up with Hai Lan High Wizard."

Just after Mu En and his party returned to the Ling Shu tribe, Lang rode his flying broom back as well.

"High Priest, my father's side has already ended the battle and captured a wizard on the ship named Rian Bailey."