Bessie lowered her head and was silent for a moment, then said, "Then we could move in together, and you can focus on your practice while I handle everything else."

Herag refused, "No, I'm still used to living alone. Let's talk about it later."

After saying that, he got up and left, ignoring Bessie's attempts to keep him.

Bessie was different from Erza; while Erza wanted a child from the start, Bessie wanted to form a long-term pureblood wizard family with Herag.

Herag knew he couldn't stay here and have children with Bessie forever, so he could only refuse.

After leaving Bessie, Herag hadn't had two days of peace before news came again.

"Task: Patrol the Western Mountains for a month. Report to the task hall within three days. If special circumstances arise, please state them in advance, or bear the consequences."

This was a task directly assigned to Herag by Moonlight Forest through a Talisman Stone, and Herag sighed, "What had to come, has come."

He suspected that a few days ago, when Moonlight Forest sent Larry to ask about his intentions, it was to prepare for this task.

If he had clearly stated he wanted to stay, he would likely have been given an easy task, or perhaps no task at all.

But if he refused or didn't clearly state his attitude, the assigned task wouldn't be easy.

The Western Mountains are located to the west of Moonlight Forest, a vast area said to contain the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Patrolling such a place is naturally not a simple task, as the Western Mountains are filled with many demons and fierce beasts.

Furthermore, because the area is so vast, Moonlight Forest can't control every spot, often leading to the presence of wizards from other places.

The Ten Thousand Mountains are also rich in Magic Potion Materials and Casting Materials. In theory, these belong to Moonlight Forest, but they can't manage such a large area.

So, other wizard organizations or rogue wizards often come to steal resources, and patrolling there involves stopping these people.

Stopping them naturally leads to conflicts. Wizards who come here to steal resources aren't easy people; they know this is Moonlight Forest's territory and dare to come, so they're prepared for a fight.

Herag sent a message to Larry: "Teacher, my task has been assigned."

"What task?" Larry asked.

Herag briefly explained his task situation.

Larry replied, "This isn't an easy task. You should make more preparations and remember to be cautious."

He couldn't do much about it and couldn't interfere with Moonlight Forest's arrangements.

After chatting with Larry for a bit, Herag headed to the task hall.

The task hall was much quieter, with fewer people posting and accepting tasks, making it appear quite deserted.

Moonlight Forest's task assignments have a dedicated window. After Herag completed some simple procedures here, he was told to reach the west station within three days and then take the Hellfoot to the farthest western station in the Western Mountains.

Herag didn't rush over immediately. Instead, he used the three days to buy a batch of Magic Potions and miscellaneous items with the Magic Stones he had.

Besides, the Ancient Magic Potion prepared by Larry and Amanda's Potion had also arrived, so Herag went to pick them up.

"Twelve hundred Magic Stones." Herag counted a large amount of Magic Stones painfully and placed them on Larry's table.

Larry waved his hand and collected them all: "Be careful with this task. After you complete it, there should be no new tasks for a while, allowing you to focus on your practice."

Herag nodded and said, "Hope everything goes smoothly."

The Ancient Magic Potion looked dreamy, a vial of azure blue liquid with the shadow of a giant tree faintly visible.

Amanda's Potion looked like orange juice, a very pure orange color, and there were three portions in total.

Herag stored these potions in his Space Ring, waiting to complete his ascension once his Spiritual Power met the requirements.

After completing his preparations, Herag set off for the west station.

The journey was relatively long, requiring a night's rest at a station along the way, and the Hellfoot would rest in a dedicated stable.

Early the next morning, the Hellfoot woke early and stood at the station entrance, sneezing and stamping its feet, urging the people inside to hurry up and set off.

Herag and a chubby wizard boarded together, and Herag remembered him as the wizard who helped Bessie deal with the Stone Giant's heart at the Red Maple Forest station.

The chubby wizard's name was Fred, and he also had a patrolling task in the Western Mountains.

After boarding, Fred murmured, "Sigh, this task isn't easy. I heard it's quite dangerous and often involves battles. Most people here are Third Class Wizard Apprentices without background or potential."

Herag nodded, "We'll just have to be extra careful then."

The carriage reached the Western Mountains station by afternoon. The Hellfoot didn't return immediately; it would rest here overnight and begin returning the next day.

The Western Mountains station was quite large, with a big yard and castle-like walls around it.

After getting off the carriage, Herag realized there were already eight Third Class Wizard Apprentices and a Level 1 Official Wizard stationed there.

The Official Wizard was a gaunt old man, with skin as if hewn from deadwood, named Batty.

He glanced at Herag and Fred and said, "Hmm, everyone's here. Pair up in groups of two for daily patrols, alternating day and night shifts, with five groups taking turns. Herag and Fred, you're a team."

Herag and Fred were the last to arrive, and the others had already been grouped, so the two of them ended up together.

The patrol duty would formally begin the next day, lasting for a month.

Herag and Fred received a map, on which they found the area they needed to patrol.

"For now, it's a relief we don't have the night shift," Fred sighed.

Herag asked, "During night shifts, do we have to stay overnight in the mountains?"

Fred nodded, "Yes, nights are the most dangerous."

Herag checked the roster, noticing that their night shift patrol was scheduled for three nights later.

He received a red water ball filled with some unknown liquid.

This was the Whispering Water Ball, meant for sending messages.

If encountering any unexpected situations, like meeting a very strong resource thief, they must immediately infuse magic power into the Whispering Water Ball, so Batty can be notified as soon as possible.

Usually, there are two Third Class Wizard Apprentices patrolling, enough for most situations.

If they genuinely needed to use the Whispering Water Ball to report, it would most likely mean they encountered an Official Wizard. At that point, Herag and the others would only have time to inform Batty before their likely demise.

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