#32 - Magic will always be protected

Munn didn't know how much Uncle Neil had paid Zalan to make this fierce-looking ranger so devoted.

Even knowing that patrolling the mountains at night was very dangerous, this one-eyed strongman would light a torch and lead the way.

"Alright, this is the highest point in the forest where you can observe century-old trees. I hope you can find what you're looking for."

Zalan's hope did not come true. Munn sat on the big rock on the mountaintop all night, his eyes sore, but he still didn't find anything.

The next day, the two continued to advance deeper. They were now beginning to approach the very center of Black Iron Mountain.

This place had long been outside the boundaries of the forest farm, and only some experienced hunters would enter such deep mountains.

Looking around at the dim environment, Munn found that the trees here no longer had the artificial planting appearance of the forest farm.

Each tree grew into a strange shape at will, and as soon as Zalan entered here, he firmly grasped his bow and arrow.

As for that matchlock rifle, because its firing speed was not fast enough, it had been reduced to a secondary weapon.

Munn also had a direct feeling at this time. The white gas exhaled from his mouth let him know that the temperature here was obviously colder than outside.

"Uncle Zalan, if we can't find it today, let's go out first."

Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest is very dangerous. This was what Munn was told when he started school, but he didn't know what the Forbidden Forest was really like.

It wasn't until now, when he stepped into a mountain forest full of thousand-year-old trees, that he truly and directly felt the power of nature.

Dim light, silence, ghost-like trees, and the sudden appearance of strange white mist...

"Okay, there happens to be a rest stop for hunters nearby. We'll go out after tonight."

Munn agreed and strictly followed Zalan's instructions, never acting alone no matter what he did.

Because the rest stop was relatively far away, and the mountain road was difficult to walk, Munn and Zalan didn't reach this small cave until dark.

This cave could only accommodate three people at most. There were still some traces of fire inside. Zalan scraped the ashes with his foot, and his expression relaxed slightly.

"Two groups of people have been here in the past week, so it seems there won't be any danger nearby for the time being."

Hearing the analysis of a professional, Munn also relaxed a little.

After walking continuously for three days, coupled with the tense environment today, Munn's nerves had been tense.

"We have to fetch some water first, otherwise some big guys may come out to forage in the middle of the night."

Zalan didn't feel relieved to leave Munn alone in the cave, so the two of them walked along the ridge towards a small river valley.

When they came to the ridge, after the line of sight became wider, Munn found that there was a green glow floating up from the other side of the river valley.

"What's wrong? Did you find what you were looking for?"

Zalan, who was leading the way in front, looked back in surprise at Munn, who had not kept up.

"That's right, it's on the other side of the river valley." Munn pointed excitedly with his hand.

Zalan followed his gaze, but he could only see a dark patch on the opposite side.

"It's really worth us running for three days, let's go! Let's scout the area today, get the stuff tomorrow, and we'll go out."

Zalan already knew that the wood Munn was looking for would only show its characteristics at night, so he wanted to scout the area regardless of the danger.

When they came to this mountain depression along the river valley, both of them were dumbfounded.

This mountain depression was not too far from the rest stop, but the entrance was hidden by dense weeds, so this place became a small no-man's land.

If Munn hadn't seen the magical glow spreading outward, they wouldn't have come to this place.

"It seems that what you are looking for is really a treasure."

Zalan and Munn lay in the grass in the distance, looking at a wild pear tree not far in front of them.

Munn showed a surprised expression at this time. He originally thought that this trip was just to scout the area, but after getting closer, they found that there was a large snake guarding this wild fruit tree.

Looking at the big snake, which should have been hibernating in the cold season, coiled on the wild pear tree, Munn thought of the Bowtruckles of Hogwarts.

"Could this big snake also be a magical animal?"

While Munn was still thinking, Zalan suddenly pulled him up and ran madly in the direction they came from.

"This snake is not right. It actually heard us talking from so far away."

As a person who travels through the mountains all year round, Zalan's running speed was not slow, and Munn was also very fast because he often chased small animals in the hazelnut forest.

But even so, they still couldn't compare to the ten-meter-long snake.

Shasha shasha...

There was a sound of a giant object passing through the weeds behind them.

When they came to the river valley, Munn was about to cross the river when Zalan grabbed him.

"The opposite bank is uphill, it's faster than us in the water, we can only run upstream, there's a crack there, the big snake can't get in!"

Munn was very obedient and followed Zalan upstream without any hesitation.

Sure enough, after running for a while, Munn saw the crack that Zalan was talking about.

This was a narrow valley that could only be entered sideways, and the river just happened to flow through it.

It was very easy for Munn to squeeze into the crack, but Zalan took a lot of effort. Even though he threw away a lot of unnecessary things, he only entered two meters deep before getting stuck.

But that was enough. The big snake outside could only stick its tongue in to touch his face.

"Oh, oh, damn it! What did this beast eat? It smells so bad!"

Zalan didn't enjoy the face-washing service for too long. After the big snake found that it couldn't reach the two of them, it disappeared outside the crack.

"Animals in the deep mountains are very smart, especially snakes, so we'd better stay here for one night and go out during the day."

Munn very much agreed with Zalan's approach. He knew that some animals would also ambush and hunt, and they were now unfortunately the prey being ambushed.

Without the attack of the big snake, only the sound of gurgling water and the croaking of frogs in the distance could be heard in the crack.

Perhaps it was because of the tense trek for three consecutive days, Zalan actually fell asleep against the mountain wall in the second half of the night.

Munn looked enviously at this rough man. He had only heard Neil say that he had developed the ability to sleep standing up when he was in the army, but he didn't expect to see it today.

He didn't know how long it had been, but Munn's eyelids finally began to fight. Just as he was drowsily preparing to sleep, a touch of glow in the depths of the crack instantly woke him up.

Looking back at Zalan, who was still stuck in the crack and sleeping soundly, Munn hesitated for a moment and walked towards the depths of the crack.

The deeper he went, the narrower the canyon became. After drilling out of a narrow hole, Munn's eyes suddenly widened.

This was the middle of the mountain, surrounded by cliffs on all sides, with only a cave through which the river passed connecting to the outside.

However, what really surprised Munn was not this small valley, but the huge willow tree standing in the center of the valley.

Munn was very sure that this was a plant with magical properties.

Because it was surrounded by a green glow, illuminating the valley shrouded in night like daylight.

Munn remembered very clearly that only one branch of the willow tree he planted outside the greenhouse had magical properties.

The grapevine also only had a two-meter range of magic on the main trunk.

But the entire trunk of this willow tree, which required more than a dozen people to hug, was actually emitting a green glow.