Another World: The Failed Magician

Upon noticing his surroundings, Lu Xuan pulled a musket from his spatial ring. The musket was about a meter long, entirely dark black, with silver ripples on its shaft. These ripples occasionally flowed and traced the surrounding magical energy, and it had a caliber of about two centimeters. This top-grade musket emitted terrifying magical fluctuations the moment Lu Xuan took it out of his spatial ring.

This musket was the reward that Dean White had promised to give to Lu Xuan. Lu Xuan had been wondering why the dean had given him the musket in advance, which seemed to indicate that he had anticipated the dangers of this trip.

Lu Xuan reluctantly took out a lead pellet made from a mid-level magic crystal and loaded it into the musket.

Lu Xuan then understood why firearms were not widely used on this continent. Ordinary or low-level firearms could not harm those martial artists and mages at all, but high-level firearms were burning money with every shot.

Stopping thinking about it, Lu Xuan held the top-grade musket in his hand, feeling the occasional magical fluctuations it emitted, which gave him a sense of security. He continued deeper into the mountains and forests.

The entire journey was deathly silent, without a single sound from birds or beasts.

Lu Xuan cautiously reached the top of the mountain forest, where an ancient manor appeared before him. The manor gate was overgrown with weeds, as if indicating that the manor had been uninhabited for many years. The words "Sword Forging Manor" could still be faintly seen on the dilapidated door.

Lu Xuan walked to the gate of the manor and began to inspect it. He only touched the gate lightly, and it shattered.

Lu Xuan followed the lead and entered the Sword Forging Manor. What came into Lu Xuan's view was a dilapidated courtyard, with ashes scattered all around from the fire.

Lu Xuan carefully inspected the manor, but indeed, apart from the items that had been blackened by the fire and the ashes, there was nothing else to be found in the entire Sword Forging Manor.

After the inspection, Lu Xuan left the manor. What should have been a simple task had now become increasingly perplexing. Lu Xuan was now unsure whether Li Mingxu, the manor lord whom Dean White had asked him to find, was still alive.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Xuan found a safe place, took out the communication crystal that Dean White had prepared for the liaison office, and used his hands to draw a special communication array under the crystal.

The function of this communication crystal is very simple: it is a communication tool used on this continent. However, the communication crystal requires a corresponding communication array to be activated, and the communication arrays of both parties must be consistent in order to communicate with each other.

What Lu Xuan is doing now is contacting Dean White and telling him everything that has happened here, so that he can see how to deal with it next.

A moment later, an aged voice came from the communication crystal: "At this time, you should have just arrived at the Sword Forging Manor. Why are you contacting me now? Has something happened?"

Upon hearing Dean White's question, Lu Xuan recounted his experiences and discoveries to Dean White.

After a long silence on the other end of the communication crystal, Dean White's voice came through again: "I just tried. I can't reach Li Mingxu either."

Seeing that Dean White had only said that one sentence and then stopped talking, Lu Xuan asked in confusion, "Then what should we do? You don't want me to find someone in the Eastern Dragon Empire, do you? Someone whose current life or death is unknown."

After a moment of silence, Dean White's voice came through the communication crystal: "I believe in Li Mingxu's abilities. He's not someone who dies so easily. Haven't you always wanted to get to the top floor of the academy library? After you complete this mission, I'll give you an extra reward. Once you've completed this mission, the top floor of the library will be open to you forever."

Upon hearing the dean's words, Lu Xuan said with satisfaction, "Good deal!" After saying that, Lu Xuan immediately hung up the communication crystal as if he was afraid that the dean would change his mind.