The creaking wooden wheels gently rattled along with the sound of hooves, leaving a lingering trace of floral mist in the air, mingled with a barely discernible herbal scent.

Inside the carriage, Lei Xi'er leaned against the wall, wrapped in a thick gray-blue cloak.

His face was still deathly pale, with cold sweat on his forehead, yet his eyes were much clearer than when he awoke.

Louis watched him for a moment before speaking softly, "Can you tell me... what exactly happened?"

Lei Xi'er's eyelashes trembled slightly as he slowly propped himself up, struggling to sit upright.

He did not answer immediately, instead looking at the canopy of the carriage, as if pondering his words.

Should I tell?

Should I hide this identity?

"You don't have to force yourself." Louis looked at him, his eyes free of pressure, yet imbued with a sense of inexplicable sincerity.

"After all, it happened near my territory. I have a responsibility to know what you encountered and make preparations in advance."

Lei Xi'er met those eyes, seeing the black-haired youth sitting straight on the other side of the carriage, his brows full of undisguised worry, yet maintaining dignified and restrained politeness.

Such demeanor left him silent for a long time before he finally spoke in a low voice.

"I... am a mage." He spoke softly.

"I was ordered to investigate some... special phenomena nearby, but I didn't expect... our team was attacked in the nearby dense forest."

Louis's expression shifted slightly, as if a certain word had struck a nerve, and he "surprisedly" widened his eyes, "Wait a minute... you said you're... a mage?"

Upon hearing Lei Xi'er say those two words, Louis made the most natural expression.

Shock, confusion, and then an undeniable awe and yearning.

He acted so well that even he almost believed his own reaction.

Seeing his shocked expression, a weary yet genuine smile unexpectedly formed at the corners of Lei Xi'er's mouth, a faint hint of pride appearing in his eyes.

"Yes, I am."

Louis still appeared somewhat incredulous, "But I heard that mages are... extinct? Confirmed to have vanished from history several generations ago..."

It was somewhat exaggerated, as a scion of the Eight Great Clans, he had seen two mages before.

However, Lei Xi'er did not notice this; he smiled slightly, as if satisfied with the other's reaction.

He straightened his back and replied with some pride, "They haven't disappeared. They just never appear before the 'public'. And the conditions to become a mage... are extremely stringent and scarce in number, so most people don't know of their existence."

Louis said nothing, as if lost in a kind of reverent contemplation.

After a long while, he spoke slowly, "I've never seen real magic... if possible, I'd really like to learn some."

He paused, then added with a half-smile, "Of course, not forcing you to teach me while you're sick. You're still very weak, at least wait until you can walk normally."

Lei Xi'er was momentarily taken aback, then laughed out loud, but he didn't intend to delve further into this topic.

After all, the more invested these "curious ones" are, the easier it is to attract unnecessary trouble.

So he went along with it, gently steering the conversation back:

"At that time, I was resting with my companions... but unexpectedly, that place harbored a will manipulating insect swarms. We... were careless."

"Manipulating insect swarms?" Louis frowned, instinctively catching the keyword, "What is it?"

That's what he really wanted to hear.

Lei Xi'er spoke softly, "At first, I also thought it was a common attack. But when they pounced out from the bushes, we realized how wrong we were."

He raised his gaze, the color of recollection intensifying, "They looked human, white-haired, wearing tattered leather armor, with some twisted totems on their chests, but they weren't alive, like something was controlling them."

Louis was stunned, a figure of a Snow Swearer appearing in his mind.

Being attacked by Snow Swearers in the Northern Territory was all too normal, but what did it mean that they weren't alive?

"You mean... they're like puppets?"

"Hmm... to be precise, they're corpse puppets controlled by insects," Lei Xi'er nodded, his voice lowering,

"Their joints bent back like broken puppets, moving oddly, as if tugged by strings, without any sense of pain. Beneath the muscles, there's a writhing swarm of insects, like maggots, constantly squirming...

One had its arm broken, yet it still lunged at me with its elbow bone, gnawing like a wild dog."

The carriage went momentarily silent.

After all, his words were indeed terrifying, and Louis needed some time to digest them.

Seeing Louis remain silent, Lei Xi'er continued speaking, as if unloading a nightmare hidden in his heart:

"Their bodies... are filled with insect eggs. When they burst, their body cavity explodes, spewing out swathes of translucent insect swarms."

Louis's face changed, feeling nausea rising in his stomach.

"And the scariest thing is," Lei Xi'er paused, his voice lowering to almost a whisper, "they can invade the human brain... controlling consciousness. The parasites retain some memory, skills, even language. One of my companions was possessed this way."

The air inside the carriage became stagnant.

The heavy silence fell like a slowly descending curtain, sealing the small space airtight.

Louis didn't speak immediately, his face no longer as gentle and composed as before.

"Those things, are already active on the border of my territory?"

Louis whispered, as if confirming to himself, or repressing the surging waves within.

No wonder Lei Xi'er was injured this heavily.

Insect Swarm, manipulating corpses, consciousness parasitism, possibly even retaining combat instincts from life...

Each word seemed to be unveiling a prologue of calamity.

Every sentence horrifying, every word deadly.

And perhaps related to the "Great Crisis" foretold by the intelligence system.

He looked up, wanting to continue his inquiry, but saw Lei Xi'er's face pale as paper, showing signs of drowsiness just as he finished speaking.

"No more." Louis whispered, with some suppression, "You rest first."

He took a deep breath, his tone solemn, "I will send people to the place where you were attacked... to see if there are any traces left."

Lei Xi'er nodded with difficulty, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, "Be careful... they're not... afraid of death..."

After saying that, he slowly closed his eyes, falling back into slumber.

The carriage gently swayed, the wind howling outside, like the echo of insects' wings rubbing in the distance.

Louis drew back the curtain, jumped off the carriage, and saw Lambert riding ahead at first glance.

"Lambert."

"Yes, Lord."

"Immediately send two elite knights to investigate the cave where the mage was found, and be cautious. If anything unusual is discovered, don't engage, return immediately."

Lambert's expression also grew solemn, "Understood."

After giving the instructions, Louis returned to the carriage.

The carriage resumed its journey, the Cangwen Bee Swarm humming softly, maintaining a steady course towards the Red Tide Territory as always.

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