There were a total of eighteen magic items laid out before Magus.
Half of them were small pieces of jewelry—rings, pendants, brooches—while the rest were larger items such as cloaks, robes, and even a few oddly shaped weapons whose purposes were difficult to guess at first glance.
Unfortunately, the more Magus examined them, the deeper his disappointment grew.
Most of these magic items were completely damaged.
Their surfaces were covered in the unmistakable marks of time—scratches, rust-like corrosion, faded inscriptions, and runes worn so thin they were almost indecipherable. The magical properties originally infused into them had already dissipated long ago. To Magus' trained eye, it was obvious these items had not simply been neglected for a few decades—they had existed for an extremely long time, long enough for even powerful enchantments to crumble.
Among all eighteen items, only two retained runes that were still relatively intact. With skilled repairs, they might barely function again. Judging from the complexity of the runic formations etched into them, these two items had originally been of true Magic-grade quality—genuine wizard artifacts crafted by high-level Wizards.
Now, however, even if repaired to the best of his ability, they would be mere Sub-magic items at most.
"What a pity…"
Magus exhaled a soft sigh as he turned one of the rings over in his hand.
Then he frowned.
For a wizard artifact to decay naturally to this extent… a thousand years wouldn't even be surprising.
Magus' brows furrowed even deeper. Amy's master… did they have a hobby of collecting relics from ancient times?
He turned to look at the small cat-eared girl beside him. She was happily munching on dried fish, completely unaware of the significance of the objects around her.
"Amy," Magus asked, holding up the ring, "do you recognize this?"
Amy glanced over. She tilted her head, then nodded.
"I do. This is a wizard artifact Master made not long ago. Before I fell asleep, I saw this ring in the laboratory. But… why is it so dirty now?"
Magus froze.
"When you saw this ring last time, it still looked new?"
"That's right." Amy replied with full confidence.
"…Are you sure you're not remembering wrong?"
Amy puffed out her cheeks, thinking intensely for a moment before nodding firmly.
"Absolutely not wrong! I remember it perfectly!"
Magus inhaled sharply.
The corrosion on the ring was unmistakably natural. It wasn't damage caused by spells, battles, or special conditions. It was the kind of slow erosion only time could produce—hundreds, even a thousand years worth of it.
If what Amy said was true…
Then this ring—made by her master—must have been created a thousand years ago.
Which meant…
Amy's master was very likely one of the Wizards who had departed the Starlight Continent during the Great Expedition of the Multiple Universes, over a millennium in the past.
Magus' eyes widened slightly.
Wait.
Amy fell asleep before her master left… so…
Had this little creature slept for a thousand whole years?!
He slowly turned his gaze onto Amy. His eyes were filled with astonishment, curiosity, and a hint of disbelief—like he was examining a rare species from an old legend.
Amy blinked.
"What's wrong, meow?" she asked, tilting her head innocently.
Magus composed himself.
"Amy, have you ever seen any other Wizards besides your master?"
"Of course!" Amy nodded. "Master has lots of Wizard friends. And many Wizard Apprentice students used to come here. I saw them every day. But now they've all left with Master."
She looked around the empty laboratory, her ears drooping slightly.
"It's strange, meow. Before I slept, there were Wizards and apprentices everywhere on the streets. But since I woke up, I haven't seen a single one. Magus, you're the first Wizard Apprentice I've seen. Are Wizards rare in this town now?"
Case closed.
Magus silently confirmed his suspicion—Amy was indeed a familiar that had lived for over a thousand years.
But a question bothered him:
Why had Amy's master left her behind?
Why had she slept for so long?
Was it intentional, or something accidental?
Magus exhaled, trying to reorganize the pieces of this puzzle.
Amy noticed his expression and became confused again.
"What's wrong, meow?"
After a brief hesitation, Magus decided she deserved the truth.
He gently explained the events from a thousand years ago—the decline of elemental energy, the departure of the Wizards, and the great exodus to other worlds.
Amy froze. Her pupils trembled, and her fluffy tail dropped to the floor.
"M-Master… left the Starlight Continent? And… abandoned me?"
Her voice quivered with hurt and disbelief.
"Why? Did… did Amy do something wrong?"
Magus reached out and gently patted her head.
"Maybe your master didn't abandon you deliberately. Look at all these things—your master left so many items behind. That usually means they left in a hurry."
Amy's eyes widened.
"That's right! I usually don't sleep that long. Master must have made me sleep on purpose! If Master wanted to abandon me, there would be no need to do something like this!"
"That's right." Magus agreed softly.
The little familiar's mood bounced back almost instantly. Her tail perked up again, and she muttered to herself with determination:
"Master will definitely come back. I'll wait here until Master returns!"
Magus considered her words.
A thousand years had passed. With elemental energy resurging again, the Wizards who had left would surely return eventually. Amy's master might indeed be among them.
"In that case, Amy," Magus said gently, "do you want to come stay with me for now?"
"Meow? Stay… with you?" Amy blinked, both tempted and hesitant.
"But… but if I leave, what if Master comes back and can't find me?"
Magus smiled.
"You're your master's familiar, right?"
"Yes!"
"Then it's fine. You're connected by a familiar contract. No matter where you go, your master will always be able to find you."
"…Ah! That makes sense!" Amy brightened immediately.
Magus pressed the advantage.
"And if you stay here alone, the Starfire Church might come looking for you again. They almost caught you twice. If you come with me, we can go somewhere safe."
Amy, simple-minded as she was, didn't realize the church could no longer track her without the godblood amber. She only heard the logic—and Magus had helped her twice already. She trusted him.
"Then… I'll go with you!" she said happily.
Magus smiled faintly.
It was true he had selfish motives—Amy was valuable, her knowledge priceless—but it was also for her own safety. A naïve familiar who had slept a thousand years was far too easy to deceive in the current era.
Amy, after calming down, lowered her head shyly.
"But Magus… won't this trouble you?"
"How could it?" Magus chuckled. Then he pointed at the items on the table. "But if you really feel bad, you could lend me these artifacts for now. When your master returns, I'll give everything back."
Amy nodded instantly.
"No problem!"
Magus' smile deepened.
"Good. Tomorrow, let's visit your master's residence again. Maybe we'll find clues about their departure."
Amy agreed without a second thought.
There were still several hours before dawn. Magus didn't want to waste the precious time.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, holding the godblood amber, and slipped into meditation.
Four hours later, he opened his eyes and checked his panel.
"Meditation proficiency increased by 287 points. About three and a half times the usual rate."
"Mental power increased by 0.04."
"Not bad."
If this continued, he could construct the fourth star ring within a month.
"If I could make second-order Active Potions, the speed would increase dramatically."
He had received more than two thousand gold coins from the Starfire Church—more than enough to experiment with higher-grade potions.
He also considered creating his own Magic Plant Garden to cultivate silver moon flowers on a larger scale. Producing Sub-Active Potions would become far cheaper.
But magic plant cultivation wasn't simple. It required specialized soil, controlled humidity, rune formations to concentrate energy particles, and knowledgeable caretakers. Especially in the current Starlight Continent where the energy density was still recovering.
Blackstone City simply didn't have the resources yet.
"I'll leave that for after reclaiming Shanguang Territory," Magus murmured.
For now, dawn approached—and with it, the mysteries of a Wizard who had vanished a thousand years ago.
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