Diary of a Dead Wizard
Chapter 445: Tracking

Gudo wasn’t moving continuously; he would stop from time to time to observe whether there were any abnormal mental fluctuations within his visible range.

At the same time, out of caution, he would leave poison behind at the places where he had paused.

If someone tried to follow his trail… well, let them figure out how to detoxify themselves first!

Of course, he couldn’t keep using this method forever—after all, the poison he carried wasn’t free or unlimited.

But this trip to Blue Water Bay required extra caution.

It was a place known to everyone in the Wizard Tower, and he could very well run into someone he knew.

He even suspected that Saul had disembarked here precisely to head for Blue Water Bay.

But even if there was a risk of running into Saul again, Gudo had to go to the source of the Soul Tide.

Only by producing more Soul Toxins could he have a shot at further advancement.

That was why he had spent a fortune to sneak onto the airship—just to get here ahead of everyone else.

What he hadn’t expected was that Saul had also taken the airship, and arrived this quickly.

Even though there was still a danger of running into Saul on the way to Blue Water Bay, Gudo felt it was a risk worth taking.

“Blue Water Bay is big. We might not cross paths. I’ll just grab what I need and leave—head straight to Caugust and get off the Stat Continent,” Gudo thought to himself, while once again scanning his surroundings with vigilance. He considered scattering some toxic agents again, but feared doing so might help someone lock onto his trail.

Still uneasy, he checked the area again. Seeing no sign of anyone, Gudo lowered his head and continued on his way.

Ten minutes after he left, Saul—cloaked entirely in a deep brown robe—arrived at the spot where Gudo had just rested.

He didn’t get too close, in case he triggered any traps the other had left behind.

But it seemed Gudo was more concerned about leaving traces than setting up traps—he hadn’t left anything behind.

“He must’ve used a spell to mask his aura. If it weren’t for Penny’s phosphorus powder, I’d have lost his trail completely,” Saul murmured.

“Brother Saul, that bad old man is rushing to the coast. Do you think there’s a boat waiting for him there?” Penny whispered in Saul’s ear.

“You mean he came this way to escape? That’s entirely possible. The Blue Water Bay pier has been abandoned for a long time. If a boat comes quietly, it probably won’t alert anyone. Then we need to pick up the pace.”

Saul’s feet left the ground, and he suddenly soared into the sky. A layer of misty gray fog gradually enveloped his body, while his magical aura was carefully concealed by Penny.

Saul didn’t follow Gudo’s trail exactly. He flew as straight a line as possible, intending to cut him off—before Gudo could rendezvous with any potential allies.

But as he flew, Saul suddenly muttered, puzzled, “This place looks familiar.”

He looked toward a cliff ahead. There weren’t many trees, and the path abruptly ended—as if sliced clean off by a giant blade.

“I’ve been here before. Below should be the beach where the Shell Pickers gather. It’s still a fair distance from the dock, and the area is mostly shallow waters where boats can’t approach. Gudo seems to be headed down there, but what’s he doing in a place like that?”

Saul dropped from midair, and the moment his feet touched the ground, he sprinted forward.

Sensing that Gudo was below the cliff and still far away, Saul wasn’t too worried about being noticed—especially with the terrain advantage on his side.

Once he silently reached the cliff’s edge, he stopped abruptly. Casting a minor spell, he blended in with the surrounding rocks before cautiously poking his head out.

It wasn’t yet dusk, so the Shell Pickers hadn’t gone down to the sea. The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the wailing of the waves.

Gudo wasn’t visible on the beach, but Penny told Saul that her phosphorus powder was moving across the sand.

“Invisibility?” Saul stared in the direction Penny indicated and finally spotted a faint shimmer. “No, probably just a form of camouflage magic. Like an illusion.”

“People can use magic to blur their presence, but ships can’t. That kind of spell would consume too much magic and have obvious edges.”

Saul looked out over the sea.

The waves were high, but within his view, there wasn’t a single boat in the area.

Although it was still a clear day, and the sky where Saul had just flown through was cloudless—this stretch of sea was covered by a thick, ominous overcast.

As if the ocean itself were steeped in unresolved sorrow.

Then Saul noticed Gudo. He was diving into the water.

“He’s heading underwater.”

“Could someone be waiting for him down there?” Penny asked, puzzled.

Saul shook his head lightly. “Or maybe he didn’t come here to rendezvous with anyone.”

He then opened the diary in his mind.

“Lokai, what role did Gudo play in your rebellion plan? He didn’t seem to have any grudge against Master Gorsa, and during the final stages of the experiment, the mentor seemed to trust him more than anyone else.”

Of the only two who entered the triangular formation with Saul, Gudo had received a remarkable amount of trust from Gorsa.

Convincing Gudo to cooperate took us years. We even promised that once the plan succeeded, part of Gorsa and some apprentices would be handed over to him for experimentation.

“Part of Gorsa?”

Heh, the higher a wizard’s rank, the more valuable and powerful their body, soul, and locator are as materials. We wouldn’t let that go to waste.

Saul clicked his tongue.

Gorsa had once coveted Saul’s soul. And now it seemed Saul’s body and soul were being eyed by others too.

He had nearly been split into thirds.

Saul asked again, “And what about the Gray Matter… I mean, Blue Water Soul? How much does Gudo know? Does he know its origin or formation conditions?”

Heehee, of course we wouldn’t share that kind of vital information with him…

Saul cut him off before all the words had finished appearing.

“But Gudo is diving into the waters of Blue Water Bay. He likely knows where the raw material for Blue Water Soul comes from.”

That… that’s not impossible. After Jero and I discovered the place, we kept the location secret and deliberately triggered multiple Soul Tides to accumulate fragments of souls steeped in evil thoughts. Once we’d gathered enough of those evil thoughts, we loosened our grip on the site. Byron discovered Blue Water Soul not long after that.

Which suited me just fine. If even a diligent and honest apprentice like Byron vouched for Blue Water Soul’s effects, it would have much more convincing power with Tower Master Gorsa.

But technically, Gudo only learned of Blue Water Soul’s origin after that, and he didn’t have the opportunity to leave the Wizard Tower.

Saul stood at the edge of the cliff, shaking his head.

“Yes, technically, he shouldn’t have had the chance to learn the exact location of the Gray Matter. But the fact that he came here specifically… I can’t ignore that.”

With that, Saul stepped forward into the void and plummeted downward.

But just as he was about to hit the ground, his descent suddenly slowed, and he floated gently to the earth—without even kicking up much dust.

Featherfall—a Zero Rank spell.

But after Saul had become a True Wizard, the spell’s effect and finesse had reached an entirely new level.

After his promotion, Saul’s burst power and endurance with high-rank spells had grown immensely.

As for low-rank spells, he now displayed unparalleled control.

If a Third Rank apprentice and a True Wizard cast the same spell—

The True Wizard would always win!

This was the qualitative transformation brought about by the integration of the locator into the mental body and a leap in mental strength!

(End of Chapter)