Chapter 110 AN IMPOSSIBLE CONNECTION

Chapter 110 AN IMPOSSIBLE CONNECTION
Magnus strode down the long hallway, barely noticing the servants he passed. He was on a mission, and he didn’t have time to waste. He needed to find Christian and ask him a few crucial questions, even if he doubted the young mayor would have the answers. Honestly, it felt a little unfair to bother him right now. Christian, Scarlette, Xyra, and a small group of servants were currently busy tidying up the grand ballroom. Yesterday's party had left a massive mess behind, and since the room was so vast, the cleanup was going to take hours.

When Magnus reached the heavy double doors, he pushed them open and stepped inside, letting them swing shut with a loud thud. The noise echoed through the massive space, instantly drawing everyone's attention. Magnus just offered an innocent smile and a quick wave. In a room this size, even a simple door closing sounded like a thunderclap.

"Good morning," Magnus called out, walking over to the group. He stopped right in front of Christian, his playful look fading into a serious expression. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"About what?" Christian asked, leaning his broom against a nearby pillar and wiping his brow.

"Do you know anyone who understands teleportation spells?"

Christian frowned. "You're a sorcerer. Don't you already know how they work?"

"That’s the problem," Magnus said, lowering his voice. "In true sorcery, teleportation doesn't exist. It's supposed to be physically impossible. Yet, the Sorcerer’s League somehow created a spell that does it. I need to find out how. Can you introduce me to someone who might know more?"

Christian looked down, rubbing his chin as he thought. He seemed hesitant, or maybe just deep in thought. "Well... I have a servant who is obsessed with magic. He knows a lot about the theory behind it, and he's spent years studying the Sorcerer’s League. You could try asking him."

"Where is he?"

"Come on," Christian said, gesturing for Magnus to follow. "I'll take you to him."

"Can I come too?" Xyra asked, jogging over to join them. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Magnus gave her a warm smile. "Sure. This affects you too, so let's go."

The three of them slipped out of the ballroom, ignoring the quiet groans of the servants left behind to finish the sweeping. Christian led them through a maze of corridors, eventually turning down a quiet, unfamiliar wing of the castle. This place felt endless. The air grew cooler here, and the light dimmed as they approached a heavy wooden door at the end of the hall.

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"This is our library," Christian said, pushing the door open. "If Jude is still anywhere in the castle, he'll be in here."

Magnus and Xyra stepped inside and froze, their eyes wide. The room was breathtaking. Towering bookshelves stretched up three full stories, packed to the brim with colorful spines. Tall wooden ladders leaned against the shelves to reach the highest balconies. Neither of them had ever seen a collection this massive. It looked as though the mayor owned a copy of every book ever written.

They followed Christian deeper into the maze of shelves, still looking around in awe. Christian suddenly stopped, and Magnus almost ran into his back. The mayor was staring at a messy pile of books on a nearby table, a small scowl on his face. He let out a soft sigh and shook his head.

"That man never puts anything back," Christian muttered, though there was no real anger in his voice.

Magnus glanced at the titles. Unsurprisingly, every single one of them was about magic. Even though Jude couldn't cast spells himself, he was clearly fascinated by the subject. He had even bought a few texts directly from the league back in the day. Of course, that was before everyone in the castle found out about the league's cruel, dark secrets. No one here wanted anything to do with them now.

They moved past the messy table and found Jude a few aisles over. The servant was sitting on a low stool, wearing a pair of round spectacles. His nose was buried so deep in a thick leather book that he didn't even notice the three of them standing right in front of him.

"Jude," Christian said, raising his voice.

The servant didn't jump. Instead, he calmly closed his book, looked up, and gave the mayor a polite smile. "Hello, sir. Do you need me for something?"

"Magnus here has a few questions for you," Christian said, gesturing to the sorcerer. "Tell him whatever you know."

"Of course," Jude said, turning his full attention to Magnus. "Ask away."

"What do you know about the teleportation spell created by the Sorcerer's League?" Magnus asked.

"Teleportation, is it?" Jude rested his chin in his hand, thinking for a moment. When he looked back up, his friendly smile had vanished, replaced by a serious stare. "I know it’s a spell that standard sorcerers can't use. It doesn't belong to any of the natural elements. By all accounts, it should be impossible."

"I know that part," Magnus said, leaning in. "What about its limits? How far can someone actually travel with it?"

"Well, despite what most people believe, it isn't perfect," Jude explained, tapping the cover of his book. "Firstly, it's highly inaccurate. It rarely drops you exactly where you want to go. Second, it has a strict range limit."

"A range limit?"

"Yes. A maximum distance. I don't know the exact mileage, but it isn't very far. I highly doubt it could take someone even halfway across this continent."

Magnus nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "Thanks, Jude. This helps a lot." 

Magnus bowed slightly to the servant, then turned and walked back toward the hallway. Xyra and Christian followed close behind, leaving Jude to get back to his reading.

Magnus's mind was racing. He needed to find the league's secret headquarters, and this new detail about the teleportation spell was a major clue. The league had used the spell twice: once to get in, and once to get out. That meant their base couldn't be too far away.

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As they walked back toward his guest room, Christian and Xyra watched him closely. They could tell the sorcerer was plotting something, his eyes fixed on the floor as he walked.

"So," Christian finally broke the silence. "What's the plan?"

"Well," Magnus sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I need to figure out where their headquarters is. But even with the range limit, the search area is huge. I don't even know where to start looking."

Xyra hesitated, looking slightly uncomfortable. The topic brought back memories she preferred to forget. "Um... what about that city where the league originally captured you? We never actually went past it. We never explored beyond the northern mountains."

Magnus shook his head. "But the league doesn't operate up there. The north is supposed to be completely free of them."

"But isn't it at least worth a look?" Xyra pressed.  Magnus stayed quiet, weighing her words.

"If you do decide to head north," Christian chimed in, "I strongly advise against crossing the mountains. There's a brutal blizzard raging up there right now."

Magnus stopped dead in his tracks. He spun around to face Christian, his brow furrowed in disbelief. "There is still a blizzard up there?"

"Yes," Christian nodded. "It's incredibly dangerous. The storm has been blocking the passes for a long time. Anyone who tries to cross just vanishes. No one travels that way anymore."

Magnus stared at him, his mind spinning. When they had first arrived weeks ago, Christian had warned them about a mountain storm that had already been raging for a week. Was he supposed to believe that the same blizzard was still howling a whole month later? 

It's impossible, Magnus thought. No natural storm could last that long without stopping, not even in the highest, coldest mountains. There was only one logical explanation: the storm wasn't natural. Someone was keeping it alive with magic. But maintaining a spell of that scale for over a month would drain even the most powerful sorcerer to death. So, it couldn't be a person. It had to be an object — a magical artifact of immense power. But Magnus had never heard of any relic capable of altering the weather like that.

First the league, and the impossible teleportation spell, and now an endless storm. None of it made sense. 

Great, now I have two completely different headaches to deal with, Magnus thought bitterly.

But then, he froze. A sudden realization washed over him, making his eyes go wide.

Wait... what if these aren't two separate problems at all?