The high-level mage saw Miller running deeper into the dark forest, but he didn't chase after him.
Many of the apprentices who had been affected by Miller's spell were now scattered in various parts of the Dark Forest.
Not only did the academy's exploration fail to find the missing mage, but it also put the apprentices who came to search for him in danger, causing many casualties.
Once this kind of matter was spread to the outside world, it would definitely be used by other magic academies to make a big fuss.
After all, the competition for ranking the magic academies on the continent of Tyre was extremely fierce. The higher the ranking, the more resources would be required, and more high-quality students would be encountered.
Every year, when all the magic academies on the continent of Tyre were ranked, there would be unusually fierce competition.
Derek's Academy had occupied the first place for many years, and many magic academies had been eyeing it for a long time.
In the past, the mages of Derek Academy were extremely powerful, and the other academies could not do anything about it. Even if they did not like the academy, they could only endure it. No one dared to express their opinions about it. They did not even dare to provoke the mages and apprentices of the academy.
After all, Derek Academy was also famous for being protective of its students. The mages in the academy bullied each other, and the academy might turn a blind eye to it. However, if other academies bullied the mages of their own academies, they would definitely suffer the revenge of high-level mages.
Derek Academy's act of protecting its own shortcomings attracted many talented youths of the right age every year. They traveled thousands of miles just to join it.
However, the academy had not recruited any talented apprentices for several years. Thus, to maintain the number of apprentices in the academy, they had to lower the assessment standards for apprentices with similar strengths in the annual assessment. There were also a few high-level mages who were used to guard the academy. They had disappeared while reinforcing the seal of the Dark Forest, and their whereabouts were still unknown.
Under this double blow, although Derek Academy could barely maintain its original glorious reputation, it was obviously not as good as in previous years. There were signs of a decline in its strength.
This time, the other magic academies were like sharks in the deep sea that had smelled blood. They quickly gathered together and hid in the dark, staring at Derek Academy. They were looking for an opportunity to rush up and drag the academy down from the pedestal, hoping they could climb up the ranks by stepping on its bones.
Under such circumstances, they could not let the outside world know that their academy's mage had become a demonized monster. That would only worsen their reputation.
As a result, he could not let the outside world know about Miller's situation at this time. The high-level mage's gaze swept past the people present and looked at a member of the publicity department who had just followed him—York, who was holding the transcriber.
He held the Transcription Talisman high and ran until he was panting. It seemed he had just followed them and had yet to figure out what was happening. He instinctively raised the talisman to broadcast the situation at the scene.
"Unfortunately, we didn't find Miller. These apprentices seem to have eaten mushrooms by mistake," the senior mage said. He concealed the fact that he had seen Miller earlier. "They're all hallucinating. He began to harm himself. However, under our protection, there were no deaths."
"For the safety of the apprentice, we will stop this search and bring him back to the academy for a more detailed rescue."
Most of Michael's injuries had just healed. After hearing the high-level mage's words, he pulled back Mr. Royce, who wanted to chase after Miller.
It was obvious that they would not be able to cause any substantial damage to Miller in their current situation. Moreover, the high-level mage in front of them would not allow Michael to continue deeper into the Dark Forest.
Michael was only a low-level mage, and although already very powerful, he was still frail in front of an advanced mage. Just then, that high-level mage had released a mana pressure to imprison Michael and the others. Without the permission of the high-level mage, Michael and the others wouldn't even be able to leave his line of sight, let alone chase after Miller.
No matter how dissatisfied they were with the result, they could only watch the high-level mage talk nonsense in front of York to cover up the previous scene.
Castle Z.
During this period of time, everyone was busy with all kinds of things. They finally found time to gather together, although Miller's matter was still a little worrying. However, it did not affect everyone's mood to celebrate moving to their new home.
The injuries on their bodies had yet to fully recover, and no one knew how much the dark magic had strengthened Miller. They decided to wait for a period of time before focusing on dealing with Miller.
It was rare for people to be corrupted by dark magic. To most people, it was just a legend. It was obviously an unwise move to fight rashly without knowing anything.
Although everyone hated Miller, they could only put the matter aside for the time being since Captain Michael had spoken up.
However, there was also good news. The spiritual plants that everyone planted were growing very well. It seemed that they could bear many seeds. Moreover, under Nina's care, the spiritual rabbits had already grown into balls of fur the size of cats.
The most surprising thing was that although the magic mushrooms he had harvested in the Dark Forest could only be thrown away and could not be used anymore, he could not use them anymore. However, in the Dark Forest, the magic power they gained from eating magic mushrooms did not disappear.
It seemed that Miller had given them the dark magic mushrooms to trick them.
In addition to the magic power that the high-level mages sent to them when they were healing them. Michael was already close to becoming a Tier 5 Mage, while Carl and Royce were already advanced apprentices. They were about to join the ranks of the mages.
The one with the team's lowest level was Nina, who did not go out last time. She was still an intermediate apprentice. This was because Nina had not fully recovered during the last search mission. Michael considered that she was not good at actual combat, and the spirit plant was at a critical moment that required someone to take care of it, so he asked her to stay.
When they were in the Dark Forest, Michael had specially left some magic mushrooms for Nina to use. But now, the magic mushrooms could no longer be used.
Nightfall, Castle Z.
Mr. Royce went to the market to buy meat, and Carl bought drinks. Nina and Michael were in charge of setting up the scene. Soon, a simple barbecue bonfire party was set up.
Everyone gathered around the bonfire and roasted meat to celebrate the joy of moving to their new home and the establishment of Mage Team Z.
"We will definitely become the most powerful mage team in the future!" Mr. Royce raised his glass. "Cheers, everyone!"