Chapter 67: Chapter 67

Gabby Montoya used the [Spirit Cat Transformation], transforming into a pitch-black cat with large eyes, looking like a lump of coal.

The Spirit Cat Transformation is a cantrip model that only wizard apprentices specializing in transformation magic can use. The rıghtful source is novelꜰire.net

Every transformer must undergo long periods of hard study before they can officially transform.

Locke had heard Sasari explain in the dark elf's Universal Studies course that some wizard apprentices had failed in their transformation attempts and could never return to human form, eventually becoming some kind of magical creature.

This might be the true origin of the centaurs in the southeastern quadrant.

The earliest ancestors of those centaurs were very likely wizard apprentices who failed while transforming into horses.

Transformation magic is considered rather dangerous among all forms of magic.

Especially this magical sub-direction of self-transformation.

Locke glanced at Gabby Montoya in her black cat form. In the field of transformation, she should currently be in a spirit cat state.

Speaking of which, a transformer's primary affinity particles should be shape particles ether elements.

If Gabby Montoya could obtain as many Rose Red Jades as he had, her progress would be extremely rapid.

However, Locke had no intention of helping her.

Rose Red Jades were too rare in the southeastern quadrant. If he produced them, it would be abnormal, unlike synthetic plants which could be concealed.

Therefore, this kind of secret was best known only to himself.

Gabby Montoya kept jumping between rocks, sniffing the ground for scents unique to rats.

She could take on this type of exploratory academy mission naturally because she had her unique abilities.

Previously, she had only been causing trouble throughout because she was looking in the wrong direction and lacked relevant magical plant knowledge. Now with Locke pointing her in the right direction, in less than half a day, she had found the rats' main base through the rat scents on the ground.

Gabby Montoya jumped to the front of a cave in the wilderness. She elegantly raised her black cat tail, then lowered her front body and wiped around her mouth with her cat paw. "Senior Locke, those rats are all gathered inside this cave."

"This cave should be very deep, and it might be connected to an underground water system. I vaguely heard the sound of flowing water."

Gabby said, "This cave might be several thousand meters deep."

"When I was investigating the Ashgra Mountains before, I never investigated this place..."

"I really should have thought of this earlier..."

Locke looked toward the cave entrance. There seemed to have been incidents near this cave, so there were some simple wooden railings blocking the cave entrance.

It seemed that among the civilians of the Ashgra Mountains, someone had accidentally fallen into this cave and died inside.

Therefore, the Ashgra people had sealed the cave entrance and left facilities to warn approaching people.

Beside the cave, Locke even saw several small stone cross tombstones. The ages carved on those tombstones were all quite young, around ten years old.

Indeed, if children had been playing near the cave or herding livestock, if they fell into this cave, they might fall directly into the underground water system thousands of meters deep. Forget surviving, even finding their bodies would be difficult.

Gabby said to Locke, "Senior Locke, the interior of this cave is so complex. Should we go in? The underground water system inside is very complicated. We could easily get lost in the complex underground world or encounter cave-ins."

Locke's expression remained unchanged. "We're going in."

"You're a transformer, you don't need to worry about any problems. You should know both Spirit Cat Transformation and Night Owl Transformation. You won't be trapped in this underground water system."

Locke indeed needed Gabby's help.

As everyone knew, transformer wizard apprentices were exceptionally outstanding in reconnaissance abilities, so Lilith's Cottage specifically established this magical category.

Wizard apprentices of this magical category shone brightly in the wizard wars against the Blood Curse Court. They could always detect blood clan modified wizard apprentices hidden among crowds by transforming into magical creatures.

Therefore, Locke indeed needed Gabby to guide him through the underground water system.

Locke softly chanted an incantation, and immediately the three Level 6 Invisible Mandrake Vines hidden in his right wizard robe sleeve began to move.

Multiple Manipulation + Vine Hand!

The three Invisible Mandrake Vines each extended five branches, like three giant vine palms, inserting into the ground, then using the reaction force to lift Locke up, making him float in mid-air.

Under the effect of mana approaching that of a first-class wizard apprentice, Locke could drive the three magical vines for long periods, and these magical vines were like Locke's appendages, responding to his every command.

This allowed Locke to crawl into the cave like a magical spider.

As Locke entered the cave, the three vines wrapped around his right hand transformed into three giant hands, forcefully inserting into the rock wall, then rapidly crawling on the rock wall.

After some hesitation, Gabby used Night Owl Transformation, becoming an owl with night vision capabilities, and dove headfirst into the cave.

Two hours later, the two had already penetrated deep into this bottomless cave.

The interior of the cave was indeed very complex, winding and turning, with some passages narrow and others very wide, but both could easily pass through places that ordinary people would find impassable using their spells.

Locke softly chanted an incantation, and the Invisible Mandrake Vines inserted like drills into the barrier of the rock passage ahead that was too narrow, only allowing creatures the size of cats to pass through.

With the sound of 'crack, crack' breaking, the three vine hands, like kneading sand, completely crushed the hard underground rock wall, creating a passage people could pass through.

Locke scattered bull grass seeds ahead while chanting an incantation, casting the 0.5-circle Wild Grass Entanglement cantrip model.

These bull grasses were all Level 6 synthetic plants, Level 6 bull grass he had synthesized during this period, with seeds preserved after maturation.

Level 6 bull grass had shown a special formula at Level 6, three Level 5 bull grasses could synthesize one Level 6 Wiregrass Bull Sinew.

This type of bull grass didn't show much growth in reproductive ability, but its flexibility increased greatly, like iron wires.

Combined with the rapid reproductive ability that Level 5 bull grass had already gained, with the cooperation of this Wiregrass Bull Sinew, Locke used Wild Grass Entanglement to new heights.

Layers upon layers of Wiregrass Bull Sinew intertwined with each other, continuously growing in the cracks of broken rocks, tightly locking all the rubble and loose rock parts, then forming an iron barrier that supported the originally collapsing rock passage.

Locke and Gabby were able to walk through it.

To achieve this required not only the excellence of Wiregrass Bull Sinew itself, but also because under the effect of Deep Blue Jades and Indigo Jades, even though weakened by the side effects of the Crimson Echo Potion, Locke's relatively sufficient mana stability allowed him to precisely control the growth direction of these bull grasses, forming the spectacular spell model currently located thousands of meters underground.

Seeing this scene, Gabby's eyes flickered, 'Senior's spells are too powerful, they don't seem like spells of a second-class wizard apprentice at all.'

'I often feel an invisible pressure staying beside him, and as time goes on, this pressure doesn't decrease but increases.'

'Could it be that Senior he... no, how old is he?'

Gabby felt somewhat dejected. If Locke was already about to become a first-class wizard apprentice, then compared to him, she was over thirty years old and still remained at the second-class wizard apprentice stage.

However, the wizard world was just this cruel, the difference in talent was just this enormous.

Gabby thought helplessly.

Gabby transformed into a black cat and said to Locke, "Senior, we're close, we're close. There are many rats ahead, and a special fragrance."

Gabby seemed to realize something. "Senior, be careful..."

Locke and Gabby had just passed through a section of 'steel passage' supported by Wiregrass Bull Sinew when they saw ahead that groups of rats were gathering on the shore beside an underground river.

Beside that riverbank, there was also a large patch of solitary taro green leaves.

But at this moment, a green shadow flashed past in front of the two, and simultaneously, a green leaf sword slashed toward Locke and Gabby.

The next moment, the green leaves on one of Locke's Invisible Mandrake Vines suddenly swelled, automatically forming a vine shield that blocked in front of Locke.

Cantrip model: Green Grasp!

The vine shield perfectly blocked the opponent's attack, while Gabby transformed into an owl, flying in mid-air to observe the direction of the attacker in the darkness for Locke. "This is... the attacker, Senior, the attacker isn't human, it's just a plant? Animal-plant? A plant that looks like a person!"

Locke's lips curved slightly. He hadn't expected his harvest this time to be so great, another rare plant that was difficult to obtain even with magic stones.

He calmly used the vine shield to block all of the opponent's leaf sword attacks. "I know, this is a Gentleman Orchid."

"Gentleman Orchid, rare magical plant, good at mimicking human form. Its orchid leaves are as hard and sharp as steel, capable of cutting through enemies' bodies. Its leaf vein patterns are very sensitive, able to sense air flow directions and launch counterattacks accordingly."

"Therefore, whether enemies attack or defend, the Gentleman Orchid will engage them like a swordmaster, meeting moves with moves."

"If this magical plant is used well by wizard apprentices, it's a close-combat killing machine, but its reproductive ability is extremely weak. It's rarely seen in the wild."

The one attacking Locke and Gabby was an orchid as tall as a human.

This orchid looked extremely like a human warrior.

Its leaves were the 'swords' in its hands, its roots like a warrior's feet, the orchid resembled a warrior's head, and the neck even had a series of small orchid leaves, like jade ornaments hanging around a human warrior's neck.

Locke tested and found that the Gentleman Orchid was indeed as recorded in books.

However, how could there be two types of rare magical plants on this underground riverbank?

These were magical plants that even first-class wizard apprentices would be interested in.