Golems have always been loyal servants loved by spellcasters, but getting a good golem is not so easy. Whether it's a material that is strong enough to withstand the power of magic, a rune that allows a golem to obey orders and move freely, or a source of magic that provides constant energy, it takes a lot of money and effort. In contrast, the Wood Golem is one of the easiest to make, but it is extremely limited in what it can do, and is usually used by a withdrawn mage to do simple chores.

Inglis is also a solitary group, and Mud's usual most routine is actually all kinds of housework, but at the same time, it is also the core and controller of the entire Yuanzhi Valley defense circle. Even when Inglis died and the Wood Golem fell into a slumber because it had lost contact with its creator, that didn't change.

Iss had attributed this to the fist-sized "heart" in Mulder's chest—a gem as green as it dripped from the leaves of an oak tree in the middle of summer, polished into countless irregular faces, each one carved with fine lines.

The last time he woke up Mud, he didn't know what the meaning of these runes was, it was too complicated to solve in a moment, and besides, he didn't have the patience.

And this time back in the Enzhi Valley, he will at least have to figure out what Mulder's "betrayal" is all about. So, he took out the gem, because there was not half a rune on Mud's body except for this gem - if there was anything wrong, it must be a problem with this gem.

And in that moment, the air seemed to stop flowing.

He could clearly feel the change in the entire Enshi Valley, as if wood had been drawn from the fireplace, and no flame could be lit. Even the valley's own cycle of climate and life was broken, allowing the cold winds of late autumn in the north to invade and take away the residual warmth of magic little by little.

So, it's not just the gem that really matters, its connection to Mulder is perhaps far more complicated than he thought.

Iss stood holding the gem for a few moments, and could almost hear the pesky old mage whisper in his ear in a slow tone that he couldn't refute—he told him how to wake up Mulder, and he really only learned that little, not thinking about why he did it, and not thinking about how to master more.

Annoyed and ashamed, he simply forcibly turned his unintentional into intentional, telling himself that this was a good opportunity to see why those people outside the valley had come.

He hadn't noticed Eli at the time, but the knights of the Grean family weren't really good at stealth.

Even after defeating Eli, he didn't carelessly think that the danger was gone. He took the gem, and the body of the Wood Golem ...... He didn't think anyone would be interested in it, so he threw it in the lab and set all sorts of traps to protect it. He didn't count on the priests and knights that Rosa had left behind, and certainly not on Ed...... He felt that he was more than capable of solving the problem.

But Ed showed up, not knowing whether he got some news or was just out of upset, not only did what he should have done, but also discovered what he didn't.

There's a good chance that Mulder was what the invaders really wanted, and Ed protected it—something he had mixed feelings.

Isis stared at the wooden golem that was still lying motionless on the long table, knowing that what he should be concerned about at the moment was not what Ed did he shouldn't do, but what secrets were still hidden in Mud's body, but the anger in his heart just couldn't be suppressed...... Even if he knew that the anger burned a little unreasonably.

He rubbed his forehead irritably, trying to focus. But even after examining the entire golem from head to toe again, he found nothing new...... Except for the leaves on the top of the golem's head, which have begun to wither. Although it remained its dark green color, it lost its luster as if it had been drained of water in an instant, and with a light touch, most of the leaves that had been stretched out vigorously yesterday were shattered, as fragile as if they had been baked by flames.

His heart was flustered. This Golem ...... It's not just a golem to him.

He felt for the gem and wanted to stuff it back first, but he was a little unwilling. However, to understand these runes in a short period of time, he really didn't have the ability. The easiest way to do this is undoubtedly to bring Ed back...... But he couldn't swallow it.

If only he could see the world that Sercio had shown him again......

He closes his eyes and perceives everything in a different way—the way he once harshly forbade Ed because of the "danger".

Anyway, that guy is just a disobedient person.

At the moment he refused to think about whether this was more dangerous for him. His soul was unstable, the memories of his ancestors and the instincts of dragons had always been at the mercy of his human soul, and the temptation from another world not so long ago had no effect on him.

Dangerous...... But it's not impossible.

When the other pair of eyes opened under his eyelids, he saw the flames flying.

The whole Wood Golem was burning, like a dried firewood. The flame was both invisible and tangible, and its fiery breath and bright light spread out in all directions, meandering like water and flowing throughout the wooden house...... Confined to a wooden house. Countless runes appeared in front of him, on the floor, on the walls, on the ceiling, different lines and colors intertwined into brilliant pictures, dazzling.

The heat flowed through his body, and even he felt a scorching pain, as if he was standing unprotected in the flames.

He came to his senses and instinctively wanted to escape. The ice dragon hated fire in the first place, not to mention that this was obviously not an ordinary flame.

But he could also see the faint light shining from his body, a trace of green beyond the ice blue, slowly growing like vines, intertwining into a net, protecting his soul in it.

He looked down at the emerald in his hand, finally knowing what it was really for.

Perhaps because it was not placed in the right place, the power of this gem was extremely limited. He knew he should get out as soon as possible, but he still tried to focus his consciousness in the center of the flames, even though the other half of his soul had already roared at the sense of great danger.

He held on with all his might, refusing to flinch, until at last in the blind, flickering light of the fire he saw a small, pure flame, like a budding flower, swaying on Mulder's body.

Patches of black mist filled his eyes, and before he could lose consciousness, he reached out and shoved the emerald into the Wood Golem's open ribcage.