According to the diagram Saul had given her, Keli began setting up magical formations.

Fortunately, although this formation required five auxiliary formations, the most central and complex formation was handled by Saul in the inner city.

Keli just needed to find the right positions—everything else wasn’t difficult.

Although her current strength wasn’t quite second rank, she had followed a second-rank wizard for several years and had sufficient knowledge.

She calculated the positions needed for the five auxiliary formations and finally discovered that with the existing terrain, one formation would best be placed in the uninhabited town they had just fled from.

“Then we’ll set up that formation last.” Keli slapped her small hand on the parchment, making the decision. “This way we can prevent those human-headed caterpillars from damaging the formation.”

Without further ado, Saul was fighting alone inside while they had to coordinate at the fastest speed outside.

Since this pentagram-shaped formation needed to encircle all of Caugust City, Keli didn’t spare her magical power and used flight magic to travel.

The two consciousness bodies, lacking magical power, hung on Keli as radar accessories.

They spent a day flying to four corners of Caugust City, setting up auxiliary formations in hidden, uninhabited places.

Fortunately, these auxiliary formations didn’t require many materials—the magic crystals Keli had were sufficient. Otherwise they would have had to worry about how to get money.

After handling the four auxiliary formations, Keli cast flight magic again, and the group returned to that uninhabited town.

However, at the town entrance, Agu stopped Keli.

“Miss Keli, you should meditate and rest first. Ann and I will guard you nearby.”

Ann nodded beside her.

Although flight magic was basic magic that third-level wizard apprentices could learn, after apprentices learned it, they could basically only fly short distances—they didn’t have enough magical power to support long-term flight.

While Keli was already a true wizard and even recently preparing to break through to second rank, her magical power had gradually reached zero after a day’s consumption.

Plus, after setting up several formations, when her magical power was insufficient, Keli had directly used magic crystals for recovery.

But although the magical power in crystals was pure, it couldn’t be used continuously—that would affect the stability of the spiritual body.

Except for freaks like Saul with extremely abnormal spiritual bodies, other wizards would only cautiously use magic crystals to supplement magical power.

Keli also had high talent, but to ensure the final auxiliary formation had no problems, she’d better rest and ensure she was in optimal condition.

So Keli obediently sat on a large rock at the town entrance and began meditating.

Ann and Agu stood left and right like her guards.

However, this meditation was interrupted by abrupt crow calls in less than half an hour.

“Caw… caw…”

Ann immediately looked toward the sound source and discovered a black crow on the nearest large tree.

“Are there crows here too?” She didn’t relax her vigilance but instantly grew eight spider legs, quickly climbed the tree, and grabbed the crow’s feet before it noticed her approach.

Then Ann leaped lightly and jumped back to Keli’s side from the tree.

By this time Keli had been disturbed and opened her eyes.

Looking at the crow in Ann’s hand, she was similarly cautious. Her mental power swept over it and indeed discovered magical power fluctuations on the crow.

“The iron ring on its foot.” Agu walked over, lifted the crow’s wing, and had Ann observe the crow’s feet.

“Eh, the characters on the iron ring seem to say Caugust.”

Keli also saw the text. “Could this be a crow raised by Caugust City?”

Ann’s expression darkened. “Could our whereabouts have been exposed and we’re being watched?”

Before Ann could continue analyzing, all three heard louder crow calls.

And the sound of wheels.

Agu said quietly, “People have come close. I’ll go look.”

He flew out directly, then…

Flew back with a strange expression.

“How was it? What’s with that expression?” Ann asked in confusion.

Agu shook his head at Ann, then turned to Keli. “We seem to have met an acquaintance.”

“Eh?” Keli was confused.

The wheel sounds mixed with numerous crow calls gradually approached.

An elongated, enlarged covered wagon appeared before Keli.

Over a dozen crows stood on the wagon’s round top.

The wagon continued approaching. Looking at the person sitting in front of the wagon, Keli called out his name in surprise.

“Doze?”

Doze—an apprentice who had entered Gorsa’s wizard tower in the same batch as Keli and Saul.

His talent was average, his effort level was average too. He used to have some pride, but after several of his friends died accidentally, it was all beaten out of him.

Keli instinctively looked him over and discovered that Doze was still just a second-level wizard apprentice.

After all these years, his strength hadn’t grown at all?

Only then did Doze recognize Keli. He opened his mouth in surprise and raised his hand to quiet all the crows on the wagon.

Then he immediately jumped down from the wagon, ran over to Keli, and greeted her with bows and scrapes.

“Lady Keli, long time no see. I heard before that you were injured, but seeing you’ve completely recovered, that’s wonderful.”

Keli’s original greeting was thus interrupted by Doze’s successive flattery.

It felt like returning to those days in the Kema Duchy’s royal capital.

Keli also instinctively straightened her back, her face switching to business-like smile mode.

“Thank you for your concern. We’re apprentices from the same batch—no need for such formality.”

But Doze seemed accustomed to speaking this way and flattered her for several more sentences. Only when they talked about Mentor Kaz did their attitudes return somewhat to normal.

“After Mentor Kaz brought dozens of us to the royal capital, he didn’t find a suitable place for everyone to study.”

“The royal capital also has some small wizard factions that have operated there for hundreds of years and already divided up the capital’s influence. Originally Mentor Kaz thought he could secure territory based on Tower Master Gorsa’s reputation, but he couldn’t withstand those factions working behind the scenes.”

Doze’s expression was numb. Recalling that time, he was no longer very excited or indignant.

“Later, after Mentor Kaz lost a large amount of resources, he led us westward. But some third-level apprentices didn’t follow then.”

“We heard that Caugust was recruiting wizards and small wizard factions on a large scale, allowing everyone to live in the outer city, so we wanted to come see. But not long after Mentor Kaz entered the city, he came out and told us to leave and continue west.”

Doze’s voice grew quieter. “But going further west, there aren’t any good places. Mentor Kaz wanted to go to sea, but going to sea… is too dangerous.”

Keli already knew Doze’s choice.

“So you left Mentor Kaz and stayed in Caugust?”

Doze silently nodded.

Although Keli wasn’t Mentor Kaz’s student, she still respected that elderly true wizard.

“Didn’t you think about why Mentor Kaz would rather go to the more desolate, remote west or the more dangerous overseas rather than stay?”

(End of Chapter)

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