Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 417: Overnight Stay

The night descended like thick ink, completely enveloping Black Oak Town.

The noise, cries, and slaughter of the day had subsided, replaced by a deathly silence, broken only by the wind whistling through damaged houses and the occasional distant howl from the mountains and forests, uncertain whether it was from a wild beast or a demon.

The air was filled with an overwhelming stench of blood and a faint hint of rot, nauseating to the senses.

Everywhere the eye could see bore the marks of ruin and death—dark brown blood stains splattered on walls, gnawed remains scattered at street corners, broken doors and windows, and walls corroded and melted by acid.

The whole town was eerily silent, as if all signs of life had been completely erased by the brutal sweep that day.

Neither Duke nor his companions had the mind to spend the night in this open-air massacre ground; each of them directed their enslaved creatures to clear out two relatively intact stone houses with fewer bloodstains.

Leonard and his sister chose a house on the east side of town, while Duke and Vivian chose a small courtyard on the west side.

Upon entering the house, a faint smell of blood could still be detected, and the place appeared disordered, clearly indicating that the occupants were dragged away in haste.

Vivian cast a few simple wind magic spells to dispel dust and odors, then used miscellaneous items to block the broken windows, finally creating a relatively habitable corner.

Once the basic arrangements were complete, the suppressed exhaustion of the day truly set in.

Looking out at the deathly still street and the vague, terrifying outlines in the distant darkness, a heavy and oppressive feeling was inevitable.

Duke took out a foldable alchemy cooking tool and several blocks of alchemical fuel from his space ring, igniting a quiet blue flame to drive away the chill and cold in the room.

Next, he brought out several sealed jars, processed fresh meat, vegetables, and even a bag of rice.

These were all prepared before coming to the Devourer Plane, with extremely rich food reserves.

Not only could he ensure that he had enough to eat in the Devourer Plane, but he could also eat well; a plethora of seasonings and spices were also well-prepared.

Although the United Legion did distribute rations, they were just some marching dry rations, only enough to fill the stomach.

If it were only Duke, he could make do, but now that Vivian was here, he naturally wanted to prepare a good dinner for her.

"What are you..." Vivian looked at Duke in some surprise as he skillfully handled the ingredients, placing them in a silver stew pot with water to simmer.

"We can’t keep nibbling on dry rations," Duke smiled, carefully controlling the heat, "especially in a place like this, eating something warm will improve our mood considerably."

He scooped some pale golden powder from a delicate jar, sprinkling it into the soup—it was a special, gentle magic potion spice that slowly restored spirit and physical strength.

This was bought from the Giant Rock Commerce Association; the raw materials for this spice were reportedly from another plane, quite rare even in the Wizard Plane.

Vivian watched the scene unfold, reminiscent of those days she spent with Duke in the forest.

Though time had passed, this moment strangely echoed back to those days, but their circumstances had drastically changed.

Both of them were no longer ordinary knights, having become official wizards a long time ago.

Moreover, they were not in that forest anymore, but in a distant other plane, far removed from the Wizard Plane.

A few years ago, they could not have imagined they would be in such a position.

Soon, a rich and warm fragrance began to fill the room, steadfastly countering the odor of death and decay seeping in through the door and window cracks.

The unique aroma of stewed meat, vegetables, and magic potion spices seemed to possess magical powers, gradually dispelling the day’s fatigue from the two and awakening their appetite.

This tantalizing aroma drifted across to the opposite house where Leonard and his sister were, the cold walls and their hard marching rations starkly contrasting.

Ella involuntarily sniffed the air, her eyes looking longingly at the weak firelight from the opposite window, then back at her tasteless food, her face full of grievance.

They hadn’t prepared any food before coming, nor considered that they would spend some time in the wilderness, so they only had the supplies provided by the United Legion.

Even if they had prepared ingredients, it would have been of no use because neither of them knew how to cook.

Duke served two bowls of piping-hot, rich stew, handing one to Vivian.

"Try it, it should warm you up a bit."

Vivian took the bowl, the warmth seeping into her palms.

She blew on the hot soup and took a cautious sip.

Instantly, the delicious broth and tenderly stewed ingredients warmed her stomach, while the specially crafted magic potion spice released a soothing energy flow, greatly relieving her tense nerves and weary body.

"Your cooking is as good as ever," Vivian said softly. Ever since leaving that forest, she hadn’t had the chance to taste Duke’s cooking, but she always remembered the flavor.

The fish soup in the forest had a unique taste, made from materials Duke gathered from their surroundings—it was a flavor she recalled vividly even now.

They sat quietly at the recently cleared table, enjoying this special dinner in peace.

After dinner, they didn’t go to the rooms in the courtyard to rest, as the beds were somewhat old and dirty.

Duke took out a special sleeping mat blanket from his storage bag, spreading it on the cleaned floor, his spiritual power gently pulsing. The seemingly thin blanket quietly extended like a living creature, becoming spacious enough, its surface slightly rising into an elastic, soft texture.

It perfectly insulated against the cold and hard ground, smoothing out even the smallest irregularities, as if carving out a small zone of comfort amidst the rubble.

This blanket was also sourced through channels from the Giant Rock Commerce Association, and though it appeared thin, it felt soft when lying down, completely insulating from the hard ground. Its size could even be adjusted using spiritual power, making it ideal for complex terrains in the wilderness.

Even if there were layers of steel nails beneath, lying on this blanket would negate all feeling of hardness.

As night deepened, the heavy footsteps of enslaved creatures patrolling outside and occasional growls contrasted starkly with the silence within the room, reduced to only the soft breathing of the two and the slight rustling of the blanket.

When Duke first lay down on one side of the blanket, Vivian naturally turned and nestled into his embrace.