Versatile Mage (Web Novel)
chapter-489

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

As soon as Zhao Yulin's group stepped into the area of the Fire Pillar Hill, a group of soldiers with badges on their chests arrived, too...

Every Hunter knew that unless their strength could outmatch the entire demon beasts' territory, it was unwise to use any Wing Magical Equipment or fly on a mount.

The surroundings of the North Burning Valley was occupied by the Dunhuang Demon Tigers. Anyone who tried to reach the North Burning Valley using other methods would have to cross the Dunhuang Demon Tigers' territory. Even a Super Magician would not dare to do that.

Therefore, the only way to enter the North Burning Valley was via the Drifting Sand River. However, the Drifting Sand River was also a no-fly zone. If any creature tried to fly across the Drifting Sand River, a giant Undead Dragon Corpse would rise from the Drifting Sand River and devour any creature trying to fly across it.

First, the military in Dunhuang did not raise Heavenly Eagles, and second, both the Drifting Sand River and the northern boundaries of the North Burning Valley were strictly a no-fly zone!

"We'll climb it from the outside. The hill might be tall, but it's hard to tell how dangerous it is trying to go inside it..." said a female Commander with an aquiline nose.

The woman was clearly the person in charge of the expedition. Everyone was obeying her words, not daring to show any reluctance.

"The old Hunter mentioned that the Fire Pillar Hill might look steep, but its surface isn't as sturdy as it seems. We should be able to cut steps as we climb."

"Time is running short; we'll make the move tonight, we can't let anyone else get a head start on us."

"Commander Nanyu, what exactly is the Fire Calamity Fruit for? Why are we sent here to search for it?" said a soldier.

"It has many uses… I'll tell you this, the simplest way of using it, is simply treating it as a reagent when refining a Soul-grade Fire Seed, and the success rate is one hundred percent," said the female Commander, Nanyu.

"A Soul...Soul-grade material… which has a hundred percent success rate!"

The soldiers' eyes glittered.

A Soul-grade Fire Seed, something that would multiply the power of every Fire Spell by four times! In addition to that, a Soul-grade Seed would also grant its bearer a domain, and most of the time a Magician would be almost unbeatable within their domain. Its value greatly surpassed that of the resources needed for an Intermediate Magician to rank up to the Advanced Level!

A Soul-grade Seed was incredibly rare, and they were hardly ever found even after thoroughly searching the lands of the demon beasts. Even the famous marketplaces in the greatest cities would only auction a Soul-grade Seed once in a very long while... As such, most of the Soul-grade Seeds were refined using Spirit-grade Seeds, and it was said that the success rate was incredibly slim. Even after adding lots of supporting reagents, the chance of failing was significantly greater than the success rate.

If the Fire Calamity Fruit could indeed improve the success rate to a hundred percent, it was absolutely priceless!

One could still buy Spirit-grade Seeds with money, but Soul-grade Seeds were a completely different story!

---

On the other side of the Fire Pillar Hill, a group of people wearing the blue-yellow explorer outfits of the Hunter Union arrived at the bottom of the hill. They were well prepared for the steep walls. A Magician with crossing scars on his forehead summoned a Mountain-Climbing Beast.

The Mountain-Climbing Beast had special claws that could not only penetrate the walls of the hill, but also provide a strong grip on the steep walls of the Fire Pillar Hill.

The Mountain-Climbing Beast was enormous, thus the group of Hunters simply hung onto the beast and climbed to the top of the Fire Pillar Hill easily.

...

At the waist of the hill around two kilometers away from the Hunters, a group of Magicians with special Earth Element Soul Seeds were walking on the steep walls as if they were on flat ground.

The Magicians continued to walk upward, and tied ropes around the rocks that stuck out from the surface...

They kept on heading up and tying ropes around the rocks, allowing the people of the Magic Association to climb up using the ropes.

---

The world was filled with wonders. The restless Drifting Sand River had stopped many people who were planning to explore the North Burning Valley, but the Hunter Union, Magic Associations and the military managed to find people with outstanding capabilities to overcome the difficulties.

These people were not here just for the Soul Seed Pieces and Soul Seeds scattered across the ground. They were here for the Fire Calamity Fruit!

------

The silent night sky had a hint of dark blue to it, and was veiled by a faint mist in the wee hours, hiding the brilliant Milky Way. The blurry light descended upon the quiet woods on the top of the hill, adding an outstanding beauty to it.

Mo Fan sat on the slope under the Starry Tree and the empty sky, the boundless Burning Valley, and the solitary fiery sorceress...

Looking at the fiery sorceress treating the Fire Calamity Fruit on the Starry Tree with extreme caution, seeing the back of the figure that had existed for an unknown number of years, Mo Fan was suddenly curious about her story.

"Why are you protecting the Fire Calamity Fruit?" asked Mo Fan, who was sitting on the ground having a rest.

The fiery sorceress was able to float freely, with a figure similar to a glamorous lady. She was patrolling around the Fire Calamity Fruit, as if she were afraid that someone would take the fruit away.

She slowly landed beside Mo Fan after hearing his question, and used her unique language to chat with Mo Fan.

"Are you trying to say, I'll know in a few days?" Mo Fan tried to interpret what she was trying to say.

The fiery sorceress nodded.

"It's already a fruit, it can't possibly blossom into a tree and bear fruits?" said Mo Fan.

Mo Fan remembered Chen Yi had mentioned that the Fire Calamity Fruit would disappear a short time after it was borne. Her father had sent someone to look for the Fire Calamity Fruit a few times, yet he always missed the time when it was still available.

Why would she try and protect something that would disappear in time?

Or perhaps the Fire Calamity Fruit was like a persimmon, which is more delicious after leaving it for a few more days after it had ripened?

"Oh, are you asking how is my body?" Mo Fan rose to his feet and stretched his body. Apart from some slight pain in his joints, his body was fine. He said to the fiery sorceress who was worried about him with a smile, "I think I'm good now. I should be leaving, my friends must be worried about me.

"Either way, thanks for saving me. If there's anything you need my help with, feel free to tell me," said Mo Fan to the fiery sorceress.

The fiery sorceress uttered a pleasant cry, and did not ask Mo Fan to do her any favor, nor did she tried to hold him back.

"I guess it's goodbye then. Sigh, no sign of the Flame Belle, and the Fire Calamity Fruit is in your hands. Maybe I should just try and search for the Soul Seeds and Soul Seed Pieces and sell them for some cash," sighed Mo Fan with an open mind.