The woods were quiet, and there was no sound except for the footsteps of the people stamping on the dirt and the cold wind cutting through the treetops. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Before you know it, the adventurers are getting closer to Frick, and the queue is getting tighter and tighter, and the speed of their march slows down. As the leader, Dean is still walking in the front alone, but the others who follow behind him are already on the verge of becoming shoulder to shoulder.

No one spoke, but they all knew in their hearts that the silence of the forest had reached an unusual level. Not even a single bird call could be heard, and there was not the slightest trace of the animals that would have been moving, and if it was not a mutation, then there would probably be no better reason to explain it.

It was cold, but there was not a single cloud in the sky, and the dazzling sunlight shone directly down on the trail through the forest. Shrubs, weeds, and exposed white rocks are scattered throughout the forest, obstructing the newcomers' views.

I don't know if it's because I'm afraid that there is a monster hidden behind the shadow of the obstacle, but the young man sent by the village chief has been whispering something. His right hand gripped the wooden shaft of the spear in his hand, and even his nails sank into the flesh without showing the slightest sign of relaxation.

One of the adventurers seemed to notice his nervousness, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, we will protect you if there is any danger." Although I don't dare to say that any monster can be easily solved, it is our duty to protect the safe departure of the two of you. ”

Maybe he thought that his words and actions would calm down the unnamed villager, but Frick felt that he seemed to be more nervous for some reason. Although he no longer clenched his weapon like a hysterical attack, his face was more than a little paler than before.

Under his influence, Flick's gaze subconsciously swept over the shade and bushes, but the debris was so dense that it was impossible to determine whether there were dangerous creatures behind the obstacles. To make matters worse, they were now in an upwind position, and even if there were monsters lurking nearby, their aura would be completely obscured, and even if they searched with spells, it would be difficult.

However, according to the information of the village chief of Pat, the strange monsters that roam around Lemongrass are at least the size of wolves or bears, and it is impossible to lurk nearby. In other words, if they really regard Flick and the others who are deep in the mountains and forests as their targets, they will definitely rush directly towards them without disguise.

Watching the adventurers follow the marks left by their previous adventures to the denser trees, Frick could only carefully follow them through the inaccessible mountain forest. If even these experts can't do anything, then how can he, a scrivener with only book knowledge, be reliable?

According to Dean, they had only entered the cave to escape the monsters, but were lucky enough to find this ancient ruin. After the danger had passed, in order to ensure that the fruits of the adventure were not lost, some marks were left on the way back to the village.

In the past, when Frick was reading his father's book collection, he had seen the common marks of adventurers on the books - but after all, they were only basic materials released by the guild to make it easier for novices to understand the common sense of the industry, and did not represent the specific marks used by adventurers in their actual work.

He remembers that much of the book focused on simple marks, such as a specific meaning that could be conveyed by tying a branch with a rope into a fixed shape. His father apparently rarely used the same type of logo in his work, and deliberately depicted a few modified marks next to the basic materials in the book to represent various kinds of news.

Dean's markings have their own style like Flick's father, and the strange markings seem to have undergone some unique modifications to the "base template" issued by the guild, so that only they can recognize what they mean.

Seeing the harpoon-like markings, they headed west, turned south when they spotted the cross carved into the tree—and when they reached a fork in the road that ran east and west, Dean glanced at the inverted equilateral triangle hanging from the treetops, and went deeper through the bushes in front of him.

Frick was sure he remembered correctly, the markings they used were all prototypes on that book, but definitely different from what they meant now. If someone tries to act on these marks in the usual way, they will undoubtedly be taken to inexplicable places.

Perhaps the default rule in the Adventurer's line, as long as the Adventurer's team with a little experience uses these modified markers. It's not just about separating friend from foe between different factions, but also about guarding against someone following behind you to plunder the fruits of your adventure.

Looking at these modified markers, Flick silently memorized these "road signs" in his head, and even planned to transcribe them in his notebook. He didn't know if they would come in handy in the future, but it wouldn't be good if he couldn't read the signs now and get lost.

"Mr. Scrivener, I've heard that you need to keep a record of the investigation, but if you can, please don't pass on the meaning of these marks. ”

As if noticing his suspicious behavior, the adventurer walking beside him lowered his voice and said, "These things...... How to put it, it is more or less a trade secret. While we could have spent some time reworking their meaning, it could be a bit of a loss - and I think you'd probably be more interested in the earlier ones than the little things we use in private. ”

Frick looked in the direction he was pointing, and at the end of the roadless hillside there was a clearing surrounded by trees, and when they had crossed the clearing, which seemed to have been shoveled by hand, a small cave appeared before them—and that was where they had ended.

Although faint, Frick could sense some signs of magical activity as he approached the cavern, but he couldn't make out what they were, as little was left. Perhaps these spells were once part of a powerful spell, but have weathered over time.

If you reach out now, you should still be able to catch some magic tails, but if you leave it alone, these magic that is as thin as smoke and dust will definitely dissipate without a trace.

"The first word is the wind, tracing the trajectory of things that flow, guiding the direction of disappearance. ”

Despite knowing that no matter what efforts he made, it was difficult to see the full extent of the magic, he chose to trace the source of the magic. He pulled out a blank piece of paper from his kit and slashed it through the air as he recited a sentence from a book.

In an instant, the wind around him suddenly became stronger, and the whirring wind surrounded Frick, blowing his toolkit with a lot of things in the air. And the wind that blew also concentrated the magic power that seemed to be absent on him, and little by little it appeared on the white paper.

"Tsk......"

However, Frick soon realized that he was in a hurry, and he was unguarded and hastily used words to capture the magic power, undoubtedly underestimating the strength of the other party's magic power. The red-black text that emerged on the white paper grew at an illegible rate, eventually turning into almost physical spikes.

The power of using descriptive words to unfold magic and manifest it as a phenomenon is the power that scribes have been learning. However, "words have power, and they cannot be taken lightly" is also a rule that scholars must always keep in mind before exercising their own power.

It was precisely because Frick was too eager to grasp the dying magic that he released the magic too hastily, and was finally eaten by the uncontrollable force. In the blink of an eye, the fingers he was holding the paper were pierced by the "spikes", and the red liquid dripped to the ground along with the paper.

Assuming that the words were malicious symbols, he could feel the unpleasantness they emanated, even with a few layers of cover-up. But when he touched these "powerful words", he was still overtaken by the remaining magic inside them and crossed the barrier of spiritual defense. This is not because they are hostile to Frick's actions, but because his magic is not yet powerful enough to control these forces that are about to dissipate.

"Mr. Scrivener, what are you just now...... What's going on?"

Everything in the world contains magic, but not everyone can refine their magic and transform it into a phenomenon, so the power of using magic is always looked at with surprise. Although adventurers should often come into contact with magical artifacts, it is still a little uncomfortable to see someone around them unleashing magical power.

Dean had hurried to the vicinity after noticing Frick's release of his magic, but stopped when he noticed that Frick had been stabbed by the paper. It wasn't until he saw the paper fall from his fingers, and confirmed that the red-black "spikes" on the paper had broken into paint, that he dared to approach him.

"No, it's nothing, it's just that the magic is a little out of control, and it's okay now. He retrieved a piece of paper from his kit and carefully wrapped it around the wound on his finger, "But then again, you've found something amazing." ”

He then picked up the white paper that had fallen to the ground, stared at the surface that had been over-covered in color, and barely made out a few mutilated ancient characters. Even though they had long since been shattered, Frick was certain that the words were different from the ones he had studied.

This may be a particular variant that has evolved from a different branch of culture, or it may be a symbol that is older than what is learned in books. Although Frick does not have enough information to analyze them, he is at least certain that he has not seen the same text in any books in the past.

Maybe there are more clues to be found in the ruins...... He looked at the cavern ahead.