"Quack!"

A terrible croaking of frogs suddenly sounded, breaking the silence of the lakeside. The young witches and wizards who had just been attached to each other suddenly separated as if they had been electrocuted, looking around in panic.

Not far away, the cobra slipped off the rockery at some point, holding the hind legs of a flower-skinned frog in its mouth. The poor amphibian seemed to have just crawled out of the burrow, and had not yet adapted to the cold in the ice and snow, and his movements were a little slow, and he was accidentally attacked by the long worm.

I don't know if it's because of long-term contact with the wizarding world, whether it's the cobra or the frog, they are very resistant to nature - especially the frog, although it was bitten by a poisonous snake, it still stubbornly pulled its two front legs, trying to move forward, struggling towards life, and refused to succumb to the scythe of death.

"Quack!quack!quack!!"

The frog's two front paws were stained with black mud, and the corners of its mouth were foaming at the mouth, and it screamed louder than one. Even though most of its body was swallowed by the cobra, it still did not give up hope of life.

"Noisy guy. ”

The young student cursed lowly, not thinking of helping to save a frog - he felt that he was very merciful not to put the amphibian in the mouth of the long worm - but then he realized that his reaction seemed to be 'politically incorrect', and he couldn't help but glance worriedly at the gypsy witch next to him.

Luckily, the witch didn't seem to hear his low curses, but instead blushed and looked towards the center of the lake. This made the young wizard breathe a sigh of relief.

"Jingle bells!

Crisp copper bells come and go, connecting into one. Zheng Qing realized it at this time, and noticed that the red boats that were originally docked on the shore of the lake had left the dock at some point and were heading towards the center of the lake with the swaying of the bells on the bamboo poles on the bow of the boat.

These boats, called 'Tsunamu Boats', are ferries on Linzhong Lake, and are said to be able to travel all the way down the Silent River to the depths of the Silent Forest, and are a very famous excursion route at First University. It's just that because of time and money, from the beginning of school to the present, young public-funded students have not had time to experience the scenery on that route.

He only took a trip with Nicholas at the beginning of the school year—from the south shore to the north shore of Linzhong Lake, and experienced a little of what it was like to ride this kind of boat—perhaps because Linzhong Lake was a reserve of the fish-man tribe, and the students were apprehensive about those murderous lives; In short, on weekdays, students in the school rarely take these boats from the front yard to the back yard.

Most people would rather go farther and commute along the promenade around the lake on both sides of Linzhong Lake than take the boats that ring bells when they paddle.

"What about the boatmen?" exclaimed the young man in astonishment, "why did the boats move on their own?!"

Zheng Qing dared to point to his eyeballs and swear, whether it was a minute ago or now, there was no figure in those boats, except for the yellow copper bells hanging on the bamboo poles on the bow of each boat, even the water ghosts could not be seen in those red boats.

Not to mention the boatmen.

In an instant, a series of images conjured up in the young student's mind—a captain with an octopus head, a skull with tattered shells, a creaking mast, a deck full of barnacles and algae, and a whimpering ghost's cry—and given that he was now in a fantastical world, the images in his mind became more and more vivid under the addition of reality, and one couldn't help but feel numb.

"Those boats were attracted by the ringing of bells. ”

The slightly hoarse voice of the gypsy witch sounded in Zheng Qing's ears, dispelling the cranky thoughts in his mind. The young student glanced at her cautiously—I don't know if it was because of the time or the weather, but the flush that had appeared on the Gypsy witch's face had subsided and she had regained her paleness—which made the wizard breathe a sigh of relief.

But it also made him more and more annoyed with the flowery frog that ruined good things.

Turning his head to glance, the amphibian that had been struggling for a while finally managed to escape the cobra's mouth, and turned into a wriggling lump of flesh that propped up in the center of the snake's belly. This result made the wizard feel a little better.

It was only then that he began to ponder what the witch had just said.

"Is it the bell on the island in the middle of the lake?" the young student squinted his eyes at the destination of the boats, and thoughtfully: "I remember that there is a small white pagoda on the island in the middle of the lake, and there are many bells hanging on the tower. ”

"It must have been the bell on the tower that summoned the bell on the ship, so the boats followed the sound. The witch added.

"What are they doing on the island in the middle of the lake!" the young student was puzzled: "Isn't that island a forbidden place for schools?"

First University has a lot of areas that students don't want to enter — like the labs of a great wizard, like the professors' retreats, like the depths of the Silent Forest — but in any case, these areas are forbidden to everyone, and everyone knows why they're restricted.

The Archwizard's laboratory is very dangerous and secretive, and if you enter it without permission, it is likely to trigger an irreversible magical accident, the professors' retreats are too private, and if you enter without invitation, you are likely to be blown to pulp by the magic traps set by the professors, and the dangers in the depths of the Silent Forest are well known.

In addition to the above-mentioned forbidden areas, the school also has a 'forbidden area', which is the small island in the middle of the lake near the school's bell lake. It's just different from other forbidden places - everyone knows that this island is a forbidden place, but no one knows why this island is a forbidden place.

Some people say that the seven-story white tower on that island suppressed the seven-headed demon king with great powers, and was imprisoned by the principal of the first university with powerful magic, supporting the operation of the school's waiting array. And that small island is the eye of the school's guardian array. In such an important place, it is natural to set up a forbidden place to guard it.

It is also said that what is suppressed in the seven-story white tower is not demons, but the 'alien gods' hunted by the school's hunting group outside the territory or the great existence in the depths of the starry sky. Because they are too powerful, even if they are suppressed in the White Tower, they can still easily influence the young wizards in the school, so the school has set up this forbidden place for everyone's safety.

It is also said that the island is secluded by the old professors who have retired from the school a long time ago, as well as some big people who have returned from abroad and cultivated their minds in the school. Because the big people like to be clean, it is naturally not a hassle to set up a small forbidden place.