The castle was built in the water, and there was no land in the middle of the lake.

There seems to be a huge building hidden underneath the water, which is connected to the castle as a whole, and is full of shadows under the glow of fireflies.

"Come, let's go up from here. ”

Sylvia stood up and tossed the ship's hook to the window, she tugged twice, and then pulled the hook and flipped over. As soon as she landed, she reached out the window.

"Hand me my staff. ”

"What do you want to do?" Ivan still couldn't fully trust Sylvia.

"You're stupid! how are you going to get here with so many things in your hands?" Sylvia turned her head and glared at him, "Don't bother, if those people catch me, I'll be scolded!"

“...... Scolded?"

"Don't be verbose, hurry up and give it to me!

Ivan looked at the restless Sylvia, clutching the staff and kerosene lamp in one hand, and climbed over the low window without even a hook.

"A thief. Sylvia pursed her lips, looking very unwilling.

Suddenly, Sylvia turned sharply, and hurried footsteps rang out in the tower.

"Oh no! they must have found out I wasn't in the room!" Sylvia exclaimed in small breath, grabbing Ivan's wrist. Ivan was startled, and Sylvia's hand grabbed the golden wrist chakra he had hidden in his sleeve.

"Huh?" Sylvia was stunned for a moment, her eyes were strangely confused. Ivan quickly shook off her hand.

"Where are you going?"

"Hmm...... This way!"

Sylvia didn't seem to think about the wrist chakra anymore, she waved her hand and ran up the spiral staircase as fast as she could. "Let's go to the study!

Sylvia ran as fast as a hare, and she ran out through another door, through a windowed hallway, and turned a few more corners, until she ran into a large hall. The shape of the door at the front is not pleasant. The door is flanked by statues of snakes, each with sparkling gemstone eyes.

"You'll have to give me the staff this time. Sylvia paused, bent down and gasped hard, "I need to let the Guardian open the door." ”

"Guardians?"

"yes! they will—"

Sylvia's voice suddenly froze, and she straightened up and looked at the two snakes in a daze. The snake's eyes lit up with a red light that trembled like a candle.

"They're catching up?"

Sylvia immediately turned around, her eyes wide and she looked towards the end of the hall. However, there was no one, and the footsteps seemed to be far away from them.

She lowered her head, looked at her hands, and then at the staff that Ivan was holding.

The door creaked open. Almost reflexively, Sylvia took a step back.

However, there is no one in the room inside.

It was a black room, the smell of dust in the empty darkness, and Sylvia glanced behind her again, finally fixing her gaze on Ivan's face.

"You ......"

Sylvia's voice sounded like a gasp. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if he was struggling with something.

"What's wrong?"

Ivan was a little uncertain. He was also startled when the snake's eyes lit up, what were these two snakes? They didn't look like ordinary statues, they seemed to be magical things.

Ivan suddenly felt a panic, and a voice kept screaming in his heart, please don't find anything!

That's when it happened.

Someone else's voice rang out at the end of the hall.

"Did you find her?" asked someone anxiously, "we've got one less boat!"

"Let's go!"

As soon as she heard the patrolling wizard's movements, Sylvia grabbed Ivan by the clothes and pulled him into the room, then quickly closed the door, and it was pitch black all around. Ivan raised his head and looked at the dome like the endless night, the dome was not known how high, and the whole space gave a sense of grandeur and solemnity.

In addition to the smell of dust, there is also the smell of old books.

The voices of the patrolling wizards were instantly quiet, and they could only be vaguely heard discussing someone's whereabouts. Was this the witch next to him? Who was she? Ivan still felt a little unclear and unreassured.

The wooden staff in his left hand was touched, and then he sensed that someone was trying to take it away, it was Sylvia.

"Hey, I want to ask you something. ”

Ivan lowered his voice, but could still hear his own voice echoing through the space like a valley. It felt really uncomfortable, like falling into a dangerous valley where many wild beasts lurked nearby, and I didn't know anything about it.

"Ah, what? you ask?" Sylvia's voice was a little flustered.

"Well, that, they're patrolling wizards, why did they arrest you?" Ivan had a slight foreboding, and he took a step to the side, trying to stay away from the witch.

“...... Just that?" Sylvia seemed to think strangely, "there is a curfew here, and no one is allowed to go out except for the patrolmen. So at this time, the elders also stayed in their rooms. ”

"Then you went out, did you want to find your brother?"

There was silence. No one could see anyone in the darkness, and Ivan didn't know what Sylvia's reaction was. So he took another step to the side, and his right hand touched a nearby pillar.

The top of his head lit up, as if someone had lit a lamp! A chill suddenly arose in Ivan's heart.

It seems to be being targeted by someone!

He stiffened his head, and above him was the face of a snake. The snake was so exquisitely carved that you could see every tooth and every scale. The stone serpent was looking down at him, its eyes bright.

“...... Did you know that the serpent is a symbol of wisdom?"

The light of the snake's eyes shone on Sylvia's shadow a few steps away, and by the time Ivan was startled by the snake, Sylvia had already taken the staff. She was now slowly stepping back, her hands holding the staff so hard that they trembled slightly, her black eyes wide as if a lost traveler had seen a wolf, full of unbelievable fear.

“...... What?"

At this time, Ivan also felt that something was wrong, there was a faint flow of magic on the snake's body, and it was connected with his right hand that touched the snake. It was pure spiritual power, stored in his body even without using the magic channel. He suddenly heard the suspicious look of Sylvia when he opened the door just now.

He hurriedly jumped to the side, away from the strange snake.

"A long time ago, we believed that people with magical powers would be blessed by the gods of nature, so we sent those who might become magicians into the forest alone, so that they could survive with their own powers. Snakes always have a preference for the magic in those people, and whenever snakes perceive magic, they are attracted to it. ”

Sylvia grimaced, only calm words spat out from her rapidly squirming lips. Her hands trembled even more.

"The study is a place of wisdom, and our ancestors let the serpent who discerns wisdom watch over the crystallization of wisdom. When a wizard with great wisdom approaches this door, the snake recognizes it. Serpents obey the sorcerers because they know who is the sorcerer who inherits the wisdom...... No, magician......"

Sylvia took a few more steps back. Seemingly too nervous, her steps slipped and she almost fell. Ivan didn't move. My mind was blank, but the blood in my whole body was getting colder and colder.

"I, I believe that only we wizards are worthy of the name of wisdom, but, but I also know that in this world, there is still a group of people who are regarded as 'magicians'. You, you, you're the 'outside' guy, right?

“...... Sylvia. Ivan said the witch's name dryly. The witch swallowed hard and screamed.

"Don't come here!"