"Come out!"

Merlin looked calm, but his sights were set on a rock some distance away, at the beach . He had already realized that there were people hiding behind the rock .

The Spell Casters hiding behind the rock looked at each other . Their faces displayed helplessness, but that turned into calm expressions soon after . The male Spell Caster muttered under his breath, "Let's go . We've already been spotted, there's no point in hiding anymore . "

The female Spell Caster took in a deep breath and gave a slight nod . Together, the two of them walked out from behind the rock .

"My fellow Spell Caster, we were imminent prey to the Two-headed Infant earlier but thankfully, you've chased it away . If it weren't for your timely rescue, our fates would've been sealed . "

The male Spell Caster thanked Merlin immediately as he stepped out . He had prior experience in dealing with similar situations . Under these circ.u.mstances, he knew that he must not let conflict arise between both sides . Otherwise, they would be put in a precarious position .

"Oh? The monster is called a Two-headed Infant? Such a fitting name!"

Merlin mumbled under his breath . He had never seen such a monster before, much less heard of it, and it was not until now that he found out it was called the Two-headed Infant . Judging by these two Spell Caster's expressions, the Two-headed Infant must be a very terrifying monster .

Though Merlin was only whispering to himself, the male Spell Caster was sharp and caught what he said . A cheerful expression appeared on his face as he quickly interrupted, "How may I address you, Sir?

Merlin hummed for a moment before deciding against being secretive . Calmly, he answered, "Merlin . "

"Ah, so you're Wizard Merlin . You don't seem to recognize this Two-headed Infant, so I a.s.sume you're not a Spell Caster from Kurdmansla Islands . I'm curious to know where you're from?"

Upon hearing what the male Spell Caster had said, an indescribable expression flashed in Merlin's eyes . Merlin asked, "You two are Spell Casters from Kurdmansla Islands?"

"That's right . We're Spell Casters from Fort Udon, one of the three major factions on Kurdmansla Islands . My name is Gerson, and she's Wizard Delph . "

Merlin nodded in silence . The sole reason he traveled all the way here was to locate Kurdmansla Islands . Now that he had met these two people, his task had become much easier .

"Wizard Gerson, Wizard Delph, I'm indeed a traveler from far away . My aim is to locate Kurdmansla Islands . "

Merlin kept his explanation brief, not wanting to reveal his true ident.i.ty . However, both Wizard Ferson and Wizard Delph did not follow up on that . Instead, they kindly offered, "That's convenient, Wizard Merlin, cause we can bring you to Kurdmansla Islands . We, especially our people from Fort Udon, have always welcomed powerful wizards from distant lands . If Wizard Merlin is interested in joining our faction, I'd gladly introduce you . "

"I'll give it a thought . "

After a brief pause, Merlin glanced at that seemingly endless sea again . He looked fairly worried as he muttered, "I think it's best if we leave this place quickly . That Two-headed Infant could still return, and by that time, I'm afraid that even I don't have the confidence to deal with it again . "

Merlin's fear did not stem from the Two-headed Infant itself, but rather from its overpowered summoning abilities . It was stunning how it could control some powerful sea beasts .

If the Two-headed Infant were to summon stronger sea beasts, even Merlin would not be able to fend them off . Hence, the danger was still present, and it was best for them to pick up their pace and leave this place .

Wizard Gerson nodded in agreement . It seemed like he was still recovering from the events earlier when he added, "True, we should really leave now . It's way too dangerous here . "

Wizard Gerson was still traumatized . He and Wizard Delph were already regretting coming to a dangerous place like this . They could not quite believe that the first thing they encounter here was a Two-headed Infant . If not for Merlin, they would have been doomed .

Therefore, the three of them left the beach hastily .

*****

"Wizard Merlin, you've come to Kurdmansla Islands to join which faction? You can't survive without the protection of a faction on Kurdmansla Islands . Even the most powerful Spell Casters will join certain factions . Otherwise, they won't have any safety a.s.surance when facing the sea beasts' violent attacks . "

Along their way, Gerson was trying his best to update Merlin about some current affairs on Kurdmansla Islands .

There was no doubt that Kurdmansla Islands was a busy place, but that was on the basis that the place was safe . In truth, Kurdmansla Islands was not just unsafe, it was treacherous .

The thousands of small isles that formed Kurdmansla Islands were often a target of the menacing sea beasts' attacks . The sea beasts are true dictators of this vast sea . Every now and then, the sea beasts would gather in ma.s.s and attack Kurdmansla Islands .

This seemed to have become a norm for Kurdmansla Islands, and this precisely highlights the importance of factions . The stronger factions would be able to organize their forces and vanquish those sea beasts systematically . With that, one would not have to face the sea beasts alone, reducing the risks involved . On top of that, one could also split the various types of profits gained after eliminating the sea beasts .

For those Spell Casters who did not join any factions, no matter how strong they were, they would still crack under fatigue as a result of constant battling with endless waves of sea beasts . There were quite a few examples of those who had perished this way .

However, Merlin did not agree to it immediately . He had only just arrived at Kurdmansla Islands, so it made sense that he wanted to learn more about it first . Besides, he came here to find Lava Soil . If he could find it on Kurdmansla Islands, he would not need to look for it amongst those dangerous volcanoes .

"Right, besides Fort Udon, what other factions are on Kurdmansla Islands?"

Merlin recalled Wizard Gerson mentioning earlier that Fort Udon was only one of the three major factions on Kurdmansla Islands . This means there were two other factions that were more or less similar to Fort Udon .

Wizard Gerson did not conceal any info . On the contrary, he gave him a generous explanation . "Kurdmansla Islands houses a lot of factions, but the others are mere tiny factions . There are only three undisputed, dominating factions . Besides us Fort Udon, the other two factions are Gray Wing Alliance and Wizard's Tower . "

Merlin ingrained those two factions' names in the back of his mind so that he could match them upon arriving at Kurdmansla Islands . However, the prerequisites for that to happen were if Merlin's had failed to find Lava Soil, thus leaving him no choice but to stay on Kurdmansla Islands for a little while longer .

Before long, Merlin could already see ubiquitous small isles at the edge of the beach . These isles were not far apart from each other . From afar, they looked as though they were all connected, and it seemed that there were tens of thousands of them .

This was the Kurdmansla Islands!

"Wizard Merlin, we've reached Kurdmansla Islands . We'll now head straight to the largest main island . Almost all of the factions, be it big or small, are stationed on the main island . "

Wizard Gerson gave Merlin a detailed walkthrough as Merlin narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the location of the main island .

After brief scrutiny, he came to realize that the main island's location was really strategic as it was almost completely surrounded by the rest of the isles . Not only was it the largest, but it was the safest of all .

He had heard from Wizard Gerson that Kurdmansla Islands was not safe, because every once in a while there would be a great number of sea beasts launching attacks on Kurdmansla Islands . By that time, it would be a scene of a ma.s.sacre with fierce battles going on everywhere . However, the strategic position of the main island ensured that the sea beasts would have a hard time infiltrating the main island .

No wonder so many factions rather station themselves on the main island, including the top three strongest factions .

Soon, under Wizard Gerson's lead, Merlin arrived at the main island . Quite a number of Spell Casters greeted Wizard Gerson . It would appear that he was quite popular around here .

"Wizard Merlin, we've arrived at Fort Udon . Have you decided on which faction you're going to join?"

Wizard Gerson's eyes gleamed with antic.i.p.ation . He was well aware of Merlin's capabilities . Once Merlin joins Fort Udon, he would be rewarded generously and earn a lavish fortune .

"I'm not in a hurry really . Is there a place here that sells alchemy materials in bulk?"

Merlin gave a slight smile . He did not plan to make his decision at this point in time .

"Yes, there are places like these, but they're all Fort Udon merchants who mainly sells alchemy materials to members of our faction . If you're not one of ours, the prices are going to be steep . "

"Doesn't matter, I just want to take a look . "

Merlin did not mind at all . He had a lot of elemental crystal stones in his ring and he was already wastefully using the stones to replenish his Magic Powers while he was rus.h.i.+ng his journey here, so he did not mind spending a little more of them . As long as he got his hands on Lava Soil, however many elemental crystal stones he spent would still be worthwhile .

Seeing that Merlin did not mind, Wizard Gerson did not add on to his point . Instead, he brought Merlin to a s.p.a.cious shop . Many Spell Casters could be seen patronizing the place .

"Wizard Merlin, just request whatever you need here . If you can't find it here, you won't find it anywhere else on Kurdmansla Islands, even if you go to the other merchants . "

Merlin nodded and entered the shop . Seeing him walking in, a sweet-looking female Spell Caster immediately came forward to welcome him .

"My dear Master Wizard, what can I get for you?"

This female Spell Caster looked like an Entrance-level Spell Caster . However, she looked rather young and seemed like she had just started cultivating recently . Anyhow, there was still a chance that she could become a First-level Spell Caster .

Merlin thought for a moment and asked, "I need Lava Soil . Do you have it here?"

"Lava Soil? That's gonna be tough . Lava Soil may be a precious alchemy material, but even for a place like Kurdmansla Islands, it's still scarcely found . One would need to look for it among the dangerous volcanoes . In recent times, there are very few Spell Casters who'd still look for Lava Soil . Master, if you need to craft certain casting tools, we have better replacements as raw materials . I can recommend you…"

Merlin immediately cut the female Spell Caster short . He furrowed his eyebrows as he interrupted, "You don't have Lava Soil here?"

The female Spell Caster gave Merlin a look over . She then nodded and continued, "That's right, people seldom scavenge for Lava Soil, so we really don't have it here . Even if you go to the other shops on Kurdmansla Islands, I'm sure you can't find it there either . "

Merlin was somewhat disappointed . He could not quite believe, that after all the effort he made to finally arrive at Kurdmansla Islands, he still could not manage to find Lava Soil . Did he really have to go look for it amongst the dangerous volcanoes after all?

He had to remember, that once those volcanoes erupt, even a Seventh-level Spell Caster would not escape death if he or she was unprepared .

Just as Merlin was beginning to feel let down, Wizard Gerson, who had been standing behind him spoke, "So, turns out that you're looking for Lava Soil . If you were to join the Fort Udon faction, it really won't be hard to obtain some . "The name Udon is directly translated from the exact words used by the author in Mandarin language

Come out! Merlin looked calm, but his sights were set on a rock some distance away, at the beach . He had already realized that there were people hiding behind the rock . The Spell Casters hiding behind the rock looked at each other . Their faces displayed helplessness, but that turned into calm expressions soon after . The male Spell Caster muttered under his breath, Lets go . Weve already been spotted, theres no point in hiding anymore . The female Spell Caster took in a deep breath and gave a slight nod . Together, the two of them walked out from behind the rock . My fellow Spell Caster, we were imminent prey to the Two-headed Infant earlier but thankfully, youve chased it away . If it werent for your timely rescue, our fates wouldve been sealed . The male Spell Caster thanked Merlin immediately as he stepped out . He had prior experience in dealing with similar situations . Under these circ.u.mstances, he knew that he must not let conflict arise between both sides . Otherwise, they would be put in a precarious position . Oh? The monster is called a Two-headed Infant? Such a fitting name! Merlin mumbled under his breath . He had never seen such a monster before, much less heard of it, and it was not until now that he found out it was called the Two-headed Infant . Judging by these two Spell Casters expressions, the Two-headed Infant must be a very terrifying monster . Though Merlin was only whispering to himself, the male Spell Caster was sharp and caught what he said . A cheerful expression appeared on his face as he quickly interrupted, How may I address you, Sir? Merlin hummed for a moment before deciding against being secretive . Calmly, he answered, Merlin . Ah, so youre Wizard Merlin . You dont seem to recognize this Two-headed Infant, so I a.s.sume youre not a Spell Caster from Kurdmansla Islands . Im curious to know where youre from? Upon hearing what the male Spell Caster had said, an indescribable expression flashed in Merlins eyes . Merlin asked, You two are Spell Casters from Kurdmansla Islands? Thats right . Were Spell Casters from Fort Udon, one of the three major factions on Kurdmansla Islands . My name is Gerson, and shes Wizard Delph . Merlin nodded in silence . The sole reason he traveled all the way here was to locate Kurdmansla Islands . Now that he had met these two people, his task had become much easier . Wizard Gerson, Wizard Delph, Im indeed a traveler from far away . My aim is to locate Kurdmansla Islands . Merlin kept his explanation brief, not wanting to reveal his true ident.i.ty . However, both Wizard Ferson and Wizard Delph did not follow up on that . Instead, they kindly offered, Thats convenient, Wizard Merlin, cause we can bring you to Kurdmansla Islands . We, especially our people from Fort Udon, have always welcomed powerful wizards from distant lands . If Wizard Merlin is interested in joining our faction, Id gladly introduce you . . Ill give it a thought . After a brief pause, Merlin glanced at that seemingly endless sea again . He looked fairly worried as he muttered, I think its best if we leave this place quickly . That Two-headed Infant could still return, and by that time, Im afraid that even I dont have the confidence to deal with it again . Merlins fear did not stem from the Two-headed Infant itself, but rather from its overpowered summoning abilities . It was stunning how it could control some powerful sea beasts . If the Two-headed Infant were to summon stronger sea beasts, even Merlin would not be able to fend them off . Hence, the danger was still present, and it was best for them to pick up their pace and leave this place . Wizard Gerson nodded in agreement . It seemed like he was still recovering from the events earlier when he added, True, we should really leave now . Its way too dangerous here . Wizard Gerson was still traumatized . He and Wizard Delph were already regretting coming to a dangerous place like this . They could not quite believe that the first thing they encounter here was a Two-headed Infant . If not for Merlin, they would have been doomed . Therefore, the three of them left the beach hastily . ***** Wizard Merlin, youve come to Kurdmansla Islands to join which faction? You cant survive without the protection of a faction on Kurdmansla Islands . Even the most powerful Spell Casters will join certain factions . Otherwise, they wont have any safety a.s.surance when facing the sea beasts violent attacks . Along their way, Gerson was trying his best to update Merlin about some current affairs on Kurdmansla Islands . There was no doubt that Kurdmansla Islands was a busy place, but that was on the basis that the place was safe . In truth, Kurdmansla Islands was not just unsafe, it was treacherous . The thousands of small isles that formed Kurdmansla Islands were often a target of the menacing sea beasts attacks . The sea beasts are true dictators of this vast sea . Every now and then, the sea beasts would gather in ma.s.s and attack Kurdmansla Islands . This seemed to have become a norm for Kurdmansla Islands, and this precisely highlights the importance of factions . The stronger factions would be able to organize their forces and vanquish those sea beasts systematically . With that, one would not have to face the sea beasts alone, reducing the risks involved . On top of that, one could also split the various types of profits gained after eliminating the sea beasts . For those Spell Casters who did not join any factions, no matter how strong they were, they would still crack under fatigue as a result of constant battling with endless waves of sea beasts . There were quite a few examples of those who had perished this way . However, Merlin did not agree to it immediately . He had only just arrived at Kurdmansla Islands, so it made sense that he wanted to learn more about it first . Besides, he came here to find Lava Soil . If he could find it on Kurdmansla Islands, he would not need to look for it amongst those dangerous volcanoes . Right, besides Fort Udon, what other factions are on Kurdmansla Islands? Merlin recalled Wizard Gerson mentioning earlier that Fort Udon was only one of the three major factions on Kurdmansla Islands . This means there were two other factions that were more or less similar to Fort Udon . Wizard Gerson did not conceal any info . On the contrary, he gave him a generous explanation . Kurdmansla Islands houses a lot of factions, but the others are mere tiny factions . There are only three undisputed, dominating factions . Besides us Fort Udon, the other two factions are Gray Wing Alliance and Wizards Tower . Merlin ingrained those two factions names in the back of his mind so that he could match them upon arriving at Kurdmansla Islands . However, the prerequisites for that to happen were if Merlins had failed to find Lava Soil, thus leaving him no choice but to stay on Kurdmansla Islands for a little while longer . Before long, Merlin could already see ubiquitous small isles at the edge of the beach . These isles were not far apart from each other . From afar, they looked as though they were all connected, and it seemed that there were tens of thousands of them . This was the Kurdmansla Islands! Wizard Merlin, weve reached Kurdmansla Islands . Well now head straight to the largest main island . Almost all of the factions, be it big or small, are stationed on the main island . Wizard Gerson gave Merlin a detailed walkthrough as Merlin narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the location of the main island . After brief scrutiny, he came to realize that the main islands location was really strategic as it was almost completely surrounded by the rest of the isles . Not only was it the largest, but it was the safest of all . He had heard from Wizard Gerson that Kurdmansla Islands was not safe, because every once in a while there would be a great number of sea beasts launching attacks on Kurdmansla Islands . By that time, it would be a scene of a ma.s.sacre with fierce battles going on everywhere . However, the strategic position of the main island ensured that the sea beasts would have a hard time infiltrating the main island . No wonder so many factions rather station themselves on the main island, including the top three strongest factions . Soon, under Wizard Gersons lead, Merlin arrived at the main island . Quite a number of Spell Casters greeted Wizard Gerson . It would appear that he was quite popular around here . Wizard Merlin, weve arrived at Fort Udon . Have you decided on which faction youre going to join? Wizard Gersons eyes gleamed with antic.i.p.ation . He was well aware of Merlins capabilities . Once Merlin joins Fort Udon, he would be rewarded generously and earn a lavish fortune . Im not in a hurry really . Is there a place here that sells alchemy materials in bulk? Merlin gave a slight smile . He did not plan to make his decision at this point in time . Yes, there are places like these, but theyre all Fort Udon merchants who mainly sells alchemy materials to members of our faction . If youre not one of ours, the prices are going to be steep . Doesnt matter, I just want to take a look . Merlin did not mind at all . He had a lot of elemental crystal stones in his ring and he was already wastefully using the stones to replenish his Magic Powers while he was rus.h.i.+ng his journey here, so he did not mind spending a little more of them . As long as he got his hands on Lava Soil, however many elemental crystal stones he spent would still be worthwhile . Seeing that Merlin did not mind, Wizard Gerson did not add on to his point . Instead, he brought Merlin to a s.p.a.cious shop . Many Spell Casters could be seen patronizing the place . Wizard Merlin, just request whatever you need here . If you cant find it here, you wont find it anywhere else on Kurdmansla Islands, even if you go to the other merchants . Merlin nodded and entered the shop . Seeing him walking in, a sweet-looking female Spell Caster immediately came forward to welcome him . My dear Master Wizard, what can I get for you? This female Spell Caster looked like an Entrance-level Spell Caster . However, she looked rather young and seemed like she had just started cultivating recently . Anyhow, there was still a chance that she could become a First-level Spell Caster . Merlin thought for a moment and asked, I need Lava Soil . Do you have it here? Lava Soil? Thats gonna be tough . Lava Soil may be a precious alchemy material, but even for a place like Kurdmansla Islands, its still scarcely found . One would need to look for it among the dangerous volcanoes . In recent times, there are very few Spell Casters whod still look for Lava Soil . Master, if you need to craft certain casting tools, we have better replacements as raw materials . I can recommend you… Merlin immediately cut the female Spell Caster short . He furrowed his eyebrows as he interrupted, You dont have Lava Soil here? The female Spell Caster gave Merlin a look over . She then nodded and continued, Thats right, people seldom scavenge for Lava Soil, so we really dont have it here . Even if you go to the other shops on Kurdmansla Islands, Im sure you cant find it there either . Merlin was somewhat disappointed . He could not quite believe, that after all the effort he made to finally arrive at Kurdmansla Islands, he still could not manage to find Lava Soil . Did he really have to go look for it amongst the dangerous volcanoes after all? He had to remember, that once those volcanoes erupt, even a Seventh-level Spell Caster would not escape death if he or she was unprepared . Just as Merlin was beginning to feel let down, Wizard Gerson, who had been standing behind him spoke, So, turns out that youre looking for Lava Soil . If you were to join the Fort Udon faction, it really wont be hard to obtain some . The name Udon is directly translated from the exact words used by the author in Mandarin language