I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world

Chapter 626 Fingers in the Salt Shack

Jemin didn't rush to make a move either.

He opened the private channel on the magic network terminal, pulled up the map, and carefully studied the suspected areas marked by Austin.

The map was covered with hundreds of red dots, scattered across various corners of the plane.

He needs to choose a suitable entry point.

There shouldn't be too many wizards, because too many people will attract too much attention, and no one will be polite when it comes to grabbing spoils.

With more wizards, the chances of obtaining loot will decrease significantly.

You also shouldn't choose places that are too remote.

If the strange phenomena are really that dangerous, even he would have to think twice before venturing into an unknown area alone.

Jemin's finger traced across the map, his gaze finally settling on one location.

The red dot was marked on the edge of a forest, quite a distance from the nearest other red dot.

The map notes indicate that there have been unusual deaths of villagers in that area recently.

"This is it."

Jemin put away the map, his figure transforming into a streak of light and disappearing into the horizon.

Throughout the journey, in order to prevent excessive flight speed from having too much impact on the plane, Jemin maintained a low and constant speed.

He made sure he flew slowly at only twenty times the speed of sound at high altitude, his figure leaving a faint trail of light against the amber sky.

However, although this miniature glass garden dimension is as exquisite as a toy, its actual area is not small.

It would take him about twenty minutes to travel from the teleportation platform he was on to the target area at his current speed.

This gives him enough time to do many things... such as observe competitors.

His spiritual power spread out silently, extending in all directions from him.

The enhancement of spiritual power by a fully refined and perfected true body is astonishing.

Before his promotion, although his mental power coverage was already far beyond that of wizards of the same level, it still had a clear sense of boundaries.

Now, that invisible force of perception is more like a body of water that keeps spreading outwards, with no clear boundaries, only a gradually diluting concentration.

Although the ability to detect intelligence may decrease in the overly "diluted" periphery, it is still sufficient for emergency response or early warning.

In this "water area", he could clearly sense the presence of other spiritual entities.

There were eight people coming in his direction.

Jemin frowned slightly.

While the number was slightly large, exploring an area with so many wizards was still within his acceptable range.

After all, there are hundreds of suspected areas marked on the map.

While many red dots had a dozen or even twenty wizards rushing to them, there were also many more spots with only a handful of wizards.

In terms of numbers, the number of wizards heading to this location is in the middle to upper range, so the competition is quite fierce, but the safety is naturally higher.

As he flew, Jemin brought up the Magic Network terminal and re-examined the notes on the red dot.

Austin's management androids have been stationed in that area, and their terminals are updated in real time with the intelligence they have collected.

He opened the information page.

Location Number: 017

[Managing Androids: Hermann Sr.]

[Latest update: 3 hours ago, Standard Time]

Eyewitness Report Summary:

Over the past two weeks, persistent abnormal phenomena have occurred in this town and surrounding villages.

Several residents reported finding something that shouldn't be there—an index finger—in a condiment bottle in their kitchens.

All eyewitness accounts were remarkably consistent: a deathly pale complexion, covered in age spots, and an unnaturally damp appearance under the fingernails.

It won't be found in a conspicuous place, but rather hidden inside the condiment bottle, especially the salt shaker.

Only when someone opens the salt shaker to get salt will they discover that there is an extra finger in the shaker that shouldn't be there.

This finger will not attack on its own initiative, nor will it move (at least not in front of witnesses), but it will remain there indefinitely.

Even if you remove it with tongs, throw it into fire or water, or simply replace the salt container, it will reappear the next time someone opens the salt container.

Summary of Death Cases:

The confirmed death toll is 47.

What all the deceased had in common was that they had consumed food prepared in the kitchen where the index finger appeared within 24 hours before their deaths.

The common symptom among the deceased was that their food tasted "salty and bitter," but tests revealed that the sodium content in the food was not excessive.

Within hours of consumption, the patient experienced severe thirst and dehydration, which subsequently progressed to generalized edema, ultimately leading to death from acute renal failure.

Conventional medical treatments (including low-level healing witchcraft) cannot relieve or reverse the symptoms.

Manager's Notes:

"This is not ordinary salt poisoning. I have examined the bodies of the deceased, and their kidneys were 'cured' at the cellular level. It's as if their bodies were soaked in a large amount of salt, forcibly turning them into salted meat."

"That finger was very 'playful.' It didn't kill everyone in town at once, but came one family at a time. It only affected one kitchen at a time, making only that family eat food that was so salty it was deadly. Once that family was all dead, it would move on to the next one."

"I think it's enjoying the process."

Jemin closed the message page, his expression unchanged, but his eyes darkened.

Forty-seven lives.

In this garden plane, carefully protected by an eighth-level archmage, ordinary people live peaceful and undisturbed lives.

Then one day, upon opening the salt shaker, he discovered a finger that shouldn't be there and was horrified.

After finally calming down, the family sat down together for dinner. They thought the food was a bit too salty, but didn't think much of it.

A few hours later, thirst, dehydration, edema, and death occurred.

And that finger will quietly watch all of this, then move on to the next one.

"Playful".

The image of the android administrators' assessment of this bizarre phenomenon flashed through Jemin's mind.

In retrospect, this word was used so precisely that it was unsettling.

He continued flying forward.

Twenty minutes later, Jemin landed on a small hill on the edge of town.

Looking down from above, the town was larger than he had imagined.

The buildings are scattered along both banks of a small river, with stone-paved roads connecting each household. Smoke rises from the chimneys, and children chase and play in the alleys in the distance.

Everything seems to be normal.

But Jemin's mental abilities had already detected something subtly "off" in the air.

It was a feeling that was hard to describe...

It's like a drop of ink mixed into originally clear water. The amount is small, not enough to change the color of the water, but you know it's there.

He turned around and looked at the figures landing one after another behind him.

Eight people.

Six men and two women, judging from the energy fluctuations, were all level six wizards.

Their attire varied; some wore elaborate wizard robes, others wore bodysuits for ease of movement, and one was dressed in what looked like a lab coat, probably having just come from a laboratory.

I highly recommend "I, a cultivator, ended up in the wizarding world"! Go straight to the exciting parts.