A Hospital in Another World?

The bone birds took flight, circling above Archmage Edgar’s head, swooping low as if searching for something. Gradually, they dispersed, their bone wings brushing against the grass, some even diving into the thickets.

Archmage Edgar mounted his Phantom Steed confidently. With a tug of the reins, the Phantom Steed leaped into the air, hovering a half foot off the ground. He was ready for the pursuit and turned to the messenger:

"Preserve the flesh and soil below for examination. And remember, don’t touch it directly with your hands. It’s all plagued seeds, beware of becoming like the patients in the hospital!"

The messenger thought, T_T, I know it’s a plague, I’m from Black Crow Swamp too! Do you really need to teach me how to handle toxic substances?

But why, oh why, is this dirty, stinky, and dangerous task thrown onto me...

After giving his instructions, Edgar slightly raised his head, scanning the horizon. The bone birds had gained altitude, their circling radius expanding as if they had confirmed their information and were now seeking the source. Good, keep it up! The mage who cast this curse, wait till I find you, believe it or not, I’ll tear you to pieces!

Archmage Edgar watched the bone birds, his mind racing with thoughts of overturning the culprit’s Mage Tower, confronting him, and smashing all his necromantic creations. Imagining the eighteen tortures of Black Crow Swamp, by the time he reached the sixteenth, the bone birds suddenly scattered in all directions, flying east, west, southwest, northeast.

Archmage Edgar: !!!

His calm smile froze on his face. Luckily, he reacted quickly, recalling all the bone birds before releasing them one by one. The one heading southwest dove diagonally and crashed into Garrett’s Mage Tower, shattering into fine dust.

The velocity and the irretrievable momentum, as if it bore a grudge against the Mage Tower for generations, bewildering since it was summoned less than ten minutes ago...

Why did it head here? Could it be Garrett’s Mage Tower has a plague leak? Is the laboratory management lax, or did a student get bribed into stealing plague seeds from the lab?

Archmage Edgar was deeply troubled. He released another bone bird, this time it darted towards the southeast, crashing into the hospital, clawing and pecking at Leon Carlos, who was directing operations in the lobby.

Leon: ...!!! What’s this for? Why attack me suddenly!

Poor him, just a mage apprentice, recruited through the academy’s admission program, and has not yet been taken in by any master. Suddenly attacked by a bone bird, he was clueless about what was happening or what the spell signified.

Luckily, the bone bird’s attack was practically harmless. Carlos raised his notebook, the wood backing of which went smack smack smack...

I smack! I smack! I smack smack smack!

So busy, with thousands of patients to treat, to count, to allocate beds, and you come to disturb my work! If you’re seeking revenge, now’s really not the time!

He smacked wildly. The physical repulsion effect was outstanding, quickly smacking the bone bird to the floor, stepping on it. Carlos sighed in relief, lifted his hand to wipe off sweat, then remembered the hospital’s safety protocols and decisively gave up, continuing to issue orders:

"Bed 117 on the first floor still has a fever?—Send someone to ask the doctor if another shot is needed!"

"Bed 57 on the second floor dead?—To the morgue, strip the bed, douse it with disinfectant, and make room for a new patient."

"No more beds available? Open a new area in the observation zone, temporarily accommodate symptomatic patients, and separate them from asymptomatic ones…"

Archmage Edgar had hurried over. He silently stood at the door, observed Carlos’s actions for a while, then quietly left. If it was merely a leak of plague seeds, it could have been due to a student’s mishandling, but this was curse magic! A mere mage apprentice couldn’t manage such magic!

There was a conspiracy, without a doubt.

Keep pursuing! I refuse to believe the source of the plague can’t be traced!

Archmage Edgar returned to his starting point and released the bone birds again. This time, three birds flew in the same direction, straight towards the northeast.

This must be right! The principle of the bone bird spell is to track the caster’s aura. If the caster brought items belonging to other mages and used magic to assist, it could indeed confuse the tracking!

Archmage Edgar spurred the Phantom Steed, following closely. This journey was long, with treetops, rocks, and streams whizzing by, half a day’s journey unnoticed. Edgar looked at the sky, now completely darkened, thick clouds overhead, seemingly about to rain at midnight

.

...Should I find a place to camp, or speed up and continue tracking? Not having a camping spot isn’t a worry, every mage knows how to use a mage’s cottage when out and about.

The bone birds suddenly dived. Edgar followed, descending into a cave. The cave walls were dry, devoid of strange food remnants or debris, obviously not a beast’s den, the air even carried a faint fragrance. Following the bone birds further, turning a corner, he saw them plunge into a shallow spring, then...

They disintegrated into bones.

???

Archmage Edgar looked around. Vines covered the cave walls, still blooming with small white flowers this season, a pile of firewood at the cave’s base, the ground baked hard. The whole atmosphere conveyed cleanliness, comfort, and safety—undoubtedly a camping spot of the God of Nature’s sect when patrolling the wilderness...

So, this is awkward. Did the mage who left the curse specifically come here to leave a footprint, meanwhile using natural scents to cover his tracks? It must be said, he did a good job. Releasing another bone bird only led to aimless circling, unable to find the direction.

What clue should be followed next?

Archmage Edgar returned dejectedly. Fifty kilometers away, Lady Hopman graciously poured a cup of tea for her sister.

"Slynn, try this tea. It’s flavored with orange peel and cinnamon. The cinnamon powder was just brought by the recent ship, the best batch—do you want more sugar?"

"No need," replied Slynn, the necromancer, her fingers dry as she touched the teacup but didn’t pick it up. "How’s the plague? Was it successful?"

"It should be, I just got the news. By the way, Slynn, are you sure your curse won’t be traced back to you? Really no need to flee elsewhere for a while?"

"Don’t worry! I added personal items from two mages into it. If they search, they’ll find them first! Tracing it back to me won’t be easy."

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