Chapter 155 Second Teal Completed

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After providing first aid to the wounded, Edelweiss took the lead in sealing the breaches. Unfortunately, our mission this time wasn't as successful as before. Over half of our group perished during the boss attacks. The summoning of the undead, combined with the oppressive feeling when the abomination screamed, sealed our defeat. Even the most experienced and battle-hardened warriors among us were overcome.

Edelweiss mourned the fallen, and after a brief prayer at our impromptu infirmary, we proceeded with the sealing. Just like the previous day, she asked for four stakes and planted one in the ground. However, this time she asked for the other three stakes to surround her instead.

"Lily, Alistar, you have to help me too. The mages fell in the battle against the abomination," Edelweiss delivered the bad news. I was surprised to hear that Alistar was capable of using magic. That was news to me.

"But we are missing one more person..." Lily replied as she picked up her stakes. Edelweiss frowned upon being reminded.

"When the stakes are placed, and my thread and yours are connected, I will hold the thread in place. In the meantime, you have to grab the other stakes and extend your mana to them. Can you do it?"

"Shiro?"

"That would stretch my mana reserves. I don't think I could do it. Could we rest for an hour or two first?" I responded. Sealing the breaches had drained a significant amount of mana. After the battle with the curse seed, my mana hadn't fully recovered.

Lily nodded in agreement and turned to Edelweiss. "I'm sorry, but I don't have enough mana for two consecutive stakes. Can we rest a bit longer?"

"Ah, sure. I also need a break after healing our comrades. Good idea, Lily. Alistar?"

"No problem. We will stand guard while you meditate to recover your mana."

The following two hours passed in silence. Alistar and Ghander kept watch over our surroundings while Lily and Edelweiss sat in a meditative pose, attempting to replenish their mana as quickly as possible. When the two hours were up, I flicked my tail and told Lily I was ready.

"Okay, we need to do this quickly. The undead have started gathering at the breaches," Ghander whispered, and Alistar nodded.

As the sealing process began, I extended my mana as fast as possible. Edelweiss managed to keep up, but Alistar was lagging behind. He wasn't a mage, but he was still capable. Alistar, indeed had many talents.

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"It's connected. Can I move to the next stake now?"

"Um... wait a minute. Try removing your hands, but don't leave yet," Edelweiss said. She hadn't practiced this technique before and was improvising as she went. Lily followed her instructions, and when she removed her hands, the mana thread started to dissipate. However, Edelweiss skillfully connected her mana thread to our stakes, maintaining the connection.

"Alright, you can move to the next stake." Beads of sweat dripped from Edelweiss' forehead as she struggled to maintain the link. Lily swiftly ran to the next stake, and I forcefully channeled my mana through the stakes. When my thread connected to Edelweiss, my mana was drained at a faster rate, but I managed to sustain the connection. Edelweiss visibly relaxed as the burden of three stakes was now divided between the two of us.

Alistar finally finished driving his stakes, and his thread joined ours. When all four lines were connected, Edelweiss directed them toward the leakage, and we sealed it just as we had done with the previous ones. However, I could see that Edelweiss was a bit hurried with this particular leakage. The thread didn't fully entwine the leakage, and a tiny mote of light still leaked from the leylines one by one.

"Lord Edelweiss, should we redo the process?" Lily suggested. However, it was clear that Edelweiss was exhausted. Her face wasn't pale, indicating that she still had some strength left, but her breathing was slightly erratic, though not to the point of panting.

"This will suffice. Let's mark this spot. The leakage here was only about ninety percent sealed. We can redo it when we have enough mages," she said. Alistar nodded, unwilling to spend more time here while the undead roamed.

Once the seal was completed, the air felt stagnant instead. Lily tilted her head at this peculiar phenomenon and asked Edelweiss about it while the three soldiers hammered the stakes into the ground.

"It's normal. Leylines leakage isn't all that detrimental. When the leylines leakage is sealed, the mana in this area diminishes. That's why blessed mages like us lose the feeling of exhilaration and lightness," Edelweiss replied.

"I see. Could we use the leakage for the country's benefit instead of just sealing it?" Lily inquired. Now that Edelweiss had mentioned it, it seemed that leyline leakage had more potential than initially thought.

"Oh my, you're quite astute. Leyline leakage could indeed be utilized to enhance the nation. In fact, I believe the dwarves have already used leyline leakage in their western valley."

"Huh?"

"I haven't personally been to the western valley—it's a sacred place for the dwarves. However, I believe the dwarves used leyline leakage and these stakes to somehow manipulate the environment, enabling their crops to grow."

"Wow, I see. How did they do it?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but we have more than one leakage here. We can experiment with them when we have the chance. Well, that's a topic for another day. For now, we must simply seal the leylines to prevent the undead from utilizing them," Edelweiss explained as she mounted her horse, joined by Lily.

The return journey was smooth but slower than expected. Alistar unexpectedly ordered the soldiers to bring back the bodies of our fallen comrades instead of burning them. This decision slowed down our return, and we only reached the fort at midnight.

However, with the curse seed destroyed and the leylines sealed, no undead attacked us along the way. As we approached the fort's gate, a loud cheer erupted from the soldiers as they opened it. Alistar simply waved at them like heroes in a parade while Lily and Edelweiss hurried back to their quarters.