Accompanied by the deeper forest, Armosta's expression became more and more serious.
As he walked along, he found numerous carcasses of eight-eyed spiders, which was secondary. The most crucial thing was, besides the eight-eyed spiders, he didn't see any large magical creatures.
It's important to know that the Forbidden Forest has never been a peaceful and serene place. Otherwise, the school wouldn't have prohibited students from exploring it for so many years. Many kinds of magical creatures live here, some of which are incredibly dangerous, but as he walked along, the dense forest was completely silent and lifeless, as if all the creatures living here had been driven away.
It is not something that can be accomplished overnight. If these actions are by the Mare, then they have been in motion for at least several months, although they have only recently begun to attack the intelligent species of eight-eyed spiders.
But to speak frankly, how exactly do the Mares manage it?
How do they manage to drive all those untrained magical creatures away without arousing Hag's notice?
Hu--
Armosta no longer wasted any time, and like a whirlwind, he swept over the tree canopy. Only ten minutes later, the memory of the tribe of Mares appeared in his line of sight.
This is a settlement surrounded by tall posts, enclosed by a high fence. There are many tall towers guarding the vast courtyard. Round-topped huts made of straw compressed and wooden walls are scattered throughout the domain, looking similar to human architecture during the tribe's era, except that each house is much larger in volume than the human houses.
The Mares are smart; they have cleared all the trees near their territory so that no one can hide in them to spy on their land.
The guards on the watchtowers are also very vigilant. They carry bows, arrows, and spears, on the lookout for any movement or disturbance in the vicinity. Should an unwelcome intruder enter, they would be met with a storm of attacks.
Don't underestimate the difficulty of approaching the territory of Mares just because they know a bit of magic. These Mares have their unique magical techniques, and in addition, they themselves are also sensitive magical creatures. In fact, due to the inflexibility of their spell-casting methods compared to wizards, they are much more sensitive to magical power than most wizards.
If there are any idiots who think it's easy to hunt Mares, then the few dried corpses hanging on the masts at the edge of the Mares' territory gate are a testament to their fate.
At present, the number of Mares in the territory is not many. There are several foals practicing throwing javelins and archery in the enclosure. After watching them silently for a while, Amostan's gaze shifted to other places.
Some Mares are working in the fields opened by them in the territory, some are making weapons, and some are washing and drying the vegetables and fruits they have collected. In summary, there is no sign of anything out of place here. The turmoil with the eight-eyed spiders has not affected this place at all.
Could it be that my guess was wrong, and the Mares' clearing of the territory was just a spontaneous act, unrelated to Vithya Kliouna?
Amostan squinted his eyes, but when he mentioned this by accident that night, he felt Vithya Kliouna's instant emotional fluctuation was not a hallucination. If it really had nothing to do with her, then why did she seem so tense?
It was not complicated to find out the truth. All he needed to do was find a Mare in the forest and interrogate it. However, for now, Amostan did not want to do this. He descended from the air and returned to the ground, staying in the forest and quietly observing the territory.
For two or three hours, nothing happened in the territory of the Mares. However, several hunting teams of Mares returned to the territory from the forest, and after returning, they dispersed to their houses to rest without discussing the hunting process excessively.
There were still several hours before the evening, and the weather was gloomy. The forest was so dark that it felt like midnight. Many Mares lit campfires in front of their own houses to provide lighting, as they had a preference for warmth during the chilly weather.
As time went by, a faint mist began to rise in the forest, and the air grew even colder.
The young Mares practicing hunting in the enclosure also dispersed, and with the exception of a few patrolling Mares, there were not many Mares left in the territory.
Tap--
Amostan closed the book in his hand and stood up from a rock. It seems that waiting won't reveal any clues, and he is ready to go into the forest to see, find a team of Mares to understand the situation.
However, at this moment, several adult Mares walked out of their houses without prior agreement and headed towards the small lake within the territory. Beside the lake, the washed vegetables and fruits had been piled up into a small mountain.
The adult Mares helped each other by placing the vegetables and fruits in the wicker baskets on the backs of their horses, and then they formed a line and walked towards the exit straight.
As soon as they left the territory, the Mares' movements quickened. They galloped, carrying the baskets filled with vegetables and fruits, in a purposeful manner into the dense forest.
Amostan's eyes flickered with a strange color, and he leaped to follow.
This "migration" lasted for over an hour before it stopped. The infrequent human presence could not describe the primitive atmosphere of this forest. There was a sense of ancient aura in every breath.
Amostan stood on a horizontal branch of a big tree, scanning the surroundings with his eyes, and a trace of strangeness flashed in his eyes.
He had been in these parts before. If he was not mistaken, the werewolf tribe of Graberk had previously made their home in this area.
The team of Mares carrying vegetables and fruits slowed down their pace, and eventually, they stopped in front of a giant tree stump that was broken, with one end connected to the roots of the tree and the other end leaning against a small mountain that was more than twenty feet high.
After alertly checking the surroundings and not finding any signs of being tracked, the leading Mare reached into its mane of lustrous silver hair and rubbed it gently, and after a moment, took out a small and translucent emerald leaf.
The Mare came to the broken end of the giant tree and pressed the emerald leaf into an inconspicuous depression on the rough bark.
Hu--
Breeze appears, and the invisible world, magic begins to violently churn. The dim space began to twist and blur, and only a few seconds later, a swirling portal appeared under the giant tree, mixed with gold and green!
Amosta's brow furrowed, and his eyes flickered with gravity.
He only realized now that there was a hidden paradise here, and it was hidden in an extremely secretive way. This was not the work of a wizard, so his initial perception did not notice it.
The Mares orderedly and quickly passed through the vortex. After the last Mare disappeared into the vortex, the emerald leaf embedded in the bark automatically floated up and turned into a stream of light that also disappeared into the vortex, unseen. Seeing this, Amostan did not hesitate. Once the door closed, if he wanted to invade, he would have to put in some effort. Moreover, violent invasion could easily cause space collapse or be detected by some warning magic.
Hum--
The intense fluctuations in magic power and the confusion of spatial power made concealment difficult. Amosta focused all his attention on stabilizing his own magic, following the trajectory of the emerald starry stream through the voidness, and passing through the rapidly closing defense net woven by resisting magic!
A few seconds later, the pressure around him suddenly eased. After staying in the forest for half a day and adapting to the darkness, Amostan was stimulated by the gentle sunlight that rushed towards him and instinctively squinted his eyes, but his perception quickly spread in all directions, mirroring everything around him.
The spatial ripples subsided, and the silver-maned Mare took the emerald leaf and once again hid it in its mane.
This is still a jungle, but it is infinitely different from the prohibited forest outside the paradise!
It is neither dark nor damp, the ground grows lush green lawns instead of moss and decaying leaves. Each towering giant tree looks like it has been carefully trimmed, the false sun in the sky emits a gentle glow that passes through the umbrella-shaped canopy to create a pleasant shadow on the lawn. The fragrant flower smell and the enchanting bird songs blend together in the air, making people who are present here feel as if they have mistakenly entered a fairy tale world.
Floating above the tree canopy, Amostan gazed at the central oak tree in the "Fairy Tale Forest" that blocked out the sun, and the dozens of small houses built on its trunk, as well as the playful children below. He was struck speechless.
Vote for me at the beginning of the month!
(The End of This Chapter)
