Lynn briefly recounted his experiences, curious about how the war had developed since his departure.
He had only participated in the first half of the conflict, whereas Sonya had been involved from the beginning until now. Naturally, her knowledge of the situation was far more complete and detailed.
Sonya did not refuse and began recounting everything that had happened from her perspective.
Lynn carefully organized both viewpoints, finally forming a comprehensive understanding of the entire war.
Initially, the Furnace had, as always, launched its "Furnace Wars" a conflict that erupted roughly every decade spreading its forces outward from the Furnace as the center and declaring war on various extraordinary factions.
However, everything changed after the failed offensives against the Nightshadow Fortress and the Bitter Heart Sect.
Based on the intelligence Lynn had gathered, after he sent back news of the Nightshadow Fortress's defeat, the Lord of the Furnace, who had been leading an expedition to another world, seemed to have deliberately halted the campaign and returned to the wizarding world in person.
Upon his return, the Lord of the Furnace swiftly recalled the Furnace Army from other battlefronts, concentrating all forces on the Great Forest of Emerald Isle and launching a full-scale siege and suppression campaign.
From that moment on, the nature of the Furnace Wars underwent a complete transformation it was no longer a periodic invasion occurring every decade or so, but rather a prolonged offensive campaign specifically targeting the Great Forest of Emerald Isle.
The reason behind the Lord of the Furnace's sudden return and his all-out assault on Emerald Isle was none other than the Black Dragon Witch, Aestry.
Rumor had it that after Aestry fell in battle at the Great Forest of Emerald Isle, she had likely been captured or manipulated by the Bitter Heart Sect, the Nightshadow Fortress, and other secretive factions.
At the same time, a complex and powerful wizardry barrier was established around the Great Forest, preventing external forces from easily entering.
The Lord of the Furnace could not tolerate such a situation, especially since Aestry was rumored to have a special connection to him some even speculated that she might be his daughter.
To rescue the Black Dragon Witch, the Lord of the Furnace spared no expense, mobilizing the full resources and knowledge of the Furnace. He used "battle merit rewards" to greatly incentivize the Furnace Army's zeal for war.
Thus, the protracted war for the Great Forest of Emerald Isle began.
Countless wizards and apprentices perished in the forest, their numbers too vast to calculate.
Even those fortunate enough to survive were often left maimed or utterly exhausted in body and mind.
Eventually, the Lord of the Furnace went so far as to teleport the Furnace itself directly into the Great Forest of Emerald Isle. With its overwhelming power, the Furnace shattered the mystical wizardry barrier that had been protecting the forest's perimeter.
With this event, the war entered a new phase.
A powerful white-robed wizard took command, leading the Furnace Army deeper into the heart of the Great Forest. The battles grew fiercer by the day.
Lynn fell into deep thought.
He gradually realized that the true turning point of this war had been the Black Dragon Witch Aestry's downfall.
Given all the available clues, it wasn't difficult to infer that the attack on Aestry had been a meticulously planned scheme by the Lord of the Furnace's enemies. Their goal was to lure him into the Great Forest of Emerald Isle.
Teleporting the Furnace itself into the battlefield was an incredibly high-risk gamble…
Currently, the Furnace Army had broken through the outer defenses, but the deeper they advanced, the more perilous things would become. A full-scale war could erupt at any moment.
Lynn let out a long breath.
He had finally pieced together the bigger picture, but with that understanding came an even stronger sense of urgency.
Originally, Lynn had believed that staying within the Furnace the headquarters of a powerful fourth-tier Morningstar Wizard would ensure his safety.
With its abundant resources, he had planned to cultivate steadily, enhancing his meditation practice, and eventually breaking through to become a full-fledged wizard at the right moment.
However, reality had completely shattered those plans.
The greatest enemies of the Lord of the Furnace were lurking deep within the Great Forest of Emerald Isle, and now, the entire Furnace had been thrust into the front lines of the battlefield.
If this war ended in defeat, the Furnace itself might be utterly annihilated here...
"Experiencing the taste of defeat once was bad enough… I have no intention of suffering through it again."
"I just want to cultivate in peace why must they keep forcing me into these situations?"
Lynn furrowed his brows, his heart weighed with unease.
Yet despite his concerns, he had no say in the matter.
As a servant of the Furnace, the master-servant contract he had signed bound him completely.
If he attempted to escape, the backlash from the contract would claim his life in an instant.
And even if the Furnace's punishment had yet to fall upon him, his death was already predetermined.
As Lynn wrestled with his predicament, Sonya observed his contemplative expression and assumed that he was tempted by the prospects of war and battle merits.
She chuckled, though her laughter carried a bizarre rasping sound as if the air was leaking through the stitches of her skin an eerie and unsettling noise.
"Lynn, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Sonya said, her tone surprisingly persuasive.
"The Furnace is rewarding battle merits far more generously than ever before. You can use them to exchange for resources and extraordinary knowledge such treatment is unheard of in other wizarding factions."
She paused for a moment, her eyes flickering with a strange light, then continued:
"I can tell you this: the participants in this war aren't limited to just those of us from the Furnace. Many external wizards have also been drawn in by the allure of battle merits, joining the fight."
"As long as you accumulate enough merits, whether it's wizarding inheritance, wizardry templates, or anything else you can exchange for it."
Hearing this, Lynn's eyes suddenly lit up.
His greatest concern was the master-servant contract he had signed with the Furnace.
If battle merits could be used to nullify the contract, then he would be free from his greatest constraint.
If that happened, regardless of what fate awaited the Furnace, he could walk away without a second thought. He would no longer have to concern himself with its affairs.
"Sonya, can battle merits… be exchanged to nullify our master-servant contract?"
Lynn asked, a hint of anticipation in his gaze.
Sonya furrowed her brows slightly, seemingly puzzled by his question, but still answered patiently:
"Of course. However, rather than using your merits for something like that, I'd advise you to prioritize exchanging them for extraordinary knowledge or rare resources. After all, once you break through and become a full-fledged wizard, you can renegotiate and sign a higher-tier contract with the Furnace."
Her tone carried a hint of suggestion.
However, upon hearing her words, Lynn could only sigh inwardly.
Naturally, he wanted to reach the rank of a formal wizard as soon as possible which would solve all of his problems at once.
But the reality wasn't so simple.
Although he had great confidence in his ability to break through, it was unlikely to happen in the short term.
After all, he had only recently advanced to a third-tier apprentice. His spiritual power, his accumulation of extraordinary knowledge, and various other aspects of his training were all still far from the level of a true wizard.
Even so, Lynn had never doubted his future.
He firmly believed that, given enough time to develop steadily, the barrier to becoming a formal wizard though high was by no means an unattainable dream.
However, his concern lay in the unpredictability of time itself.
As the war escalated, the Furnace's situation grew more precarious, and the entire battlefield became increasingly unstable.
At any moment, Lynn might be swept into the conflict, forced into the vortex of war, and ultimately become nothing more than another casualty…
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 120+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader