Chapter 24 — The Carriage
The next morning, Ren and Lyra left the inn and headed toward a nearby magic shop.
Inside, Ren purchased a large batch of magical materials.
"Why did you buy so many magical materials, hubby?" Lyra asked as they walked through the streets.
Ren smiled.
"You'll know soon enough."
After walking for a while, they reached a slightly less crowded street.
Ren grabbed Lyra's arm and continuously cast Blink.
After several consecutive Blinks, they arrived in the middle of a vast sea of trees.
Lyra looked around curiously.
Ren then took the magical materials out of his Storage Mark.
A large number of spell circles appeared around them.
The materials began turning into liquid, flowing together and fusing with one another. Before long, they had transformed into a giant sphere of floating liquid metal.
Ren continued his work.
He began casting magic in a mysterious language as circles covered in strange runes and magic arrays appeared around the liquid metal and merged into it one after another.
A few minutes later, Ren finally finished.
The liquid metal began to move.
It expanded outward, changing shape until it gradually took the form of a large carriage.
Then, the phantoms of two horses and an old coach driver appeared at the front of the carriage.
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Their forms gradually solidified, making them look and behave exactly like real living beings.
The old coachman stepped down from the carriage and bowed toward them.
"Greetings, young master and young miss."
Lyra stared at him in confusion.
"Umm... Sir Hero Ren, are they puppets?"
She pointed toward the coachman and the two horses, which neighed and snorted as they moved around like real animals.
"Not really. They're just illusions created by the carriage artifact."
Ren reached out and passed his hand straight through the coachman's body.
"They're mainly for aesthetics. They don't really have any other functions."
"Ohhh, but they look so real."
Lyra reached out and passed her own hand through the coachman's body.
"Alright, let's go inside."
Ren took Lyra's hand and pulled her into the carriage.
The interior was surprisingly spacious, with a wide window along one side.
Ren closed the door and commanded the carriage to move.
The illusionary coachman returned to the front and began driving the carriage.
As the carriage moved through the forest, Lyra looked through the window.
Then she suddenly realized something.
They were surrounded by trees.
"Sir Hero Ren, won't the carriage crash into the trees?"
"No, it won't."
Ren smiled.
"I added an intangibility function to the carriage, along with extreme suspension, soundproofing, and various other functions. Just watch."
Sure enough, the carriage passed straight through the trees as if they weren't even there.
Even when it traveled over uneven ground covered in roots and rocks, the interior didn't vibrate at all.
It was as though they were sitting inside a quiet room rather than traveling through a forest in a carriage.
"Woah! I didn't know you could make something like this."
Lyra looked around in amazement.
Ren then pointed toward the window.
"This isn't really a normal window either. People outside can't see inside."
Lyra looked at him curiously.
"You can also turn other parts of the carriage into windows. You'll be able to see outside, but people outside still won't be able to see inside."
"That's amazing."
The carriage continued moving through the forest.
Ren and Lyra chatted comfortably as they watched the scenery through the windows.
However, their peaceful journey was soon interrupted.
A strange, raspy laughter came from ahead.
"Khekhe... khekhe..."
The laughter sounded almost like a mixture of dogs and hyenas.
Suddenly, several spells burst from the trees ahead.
Fireballs, ice spikes, and lightning snakes flew toward the carriage and struck it head-on.
But they did absolutely nothing.
The spells simply passed through the intangible carriage and continued onward, eventually striking the trees behind them.
The laughter stopped instantly.
It was almost as if someone had pressed a pause button.
Ren temporarily turned the front section of the carriage into a mirror, revealing five kobolds ahead.
The moment they realized their attacks had done nothing, the kobolds turned around and fled.
"Tch. So annoying."
Lyra frowned, clearly irritated that the monsters had interrupted her peaceful time with Ren.
"Exploding Fireball."
Three magic circles appeared in front of three fleeing kobolds.
Sizzle.
BOOM!
The fireballs exploded, killing them instantly.
Two more magic circles appeared above the remaining two.
"Wolff! Wolff!"
The kobolds cried out as they desperately tried to escape.
But they were far too slow.
The fireballs quickly caught up to them.
Sizzle.
BOOM!
Their heads were blown apart, and their bodies collapsed onto the forest floor.
"Alright, calm down," Ren said.
Lyra was only gentle around him.
When dealing with others, her actions could be considerably more ruthless.
"I know, but..."
Lyra pouted, still somewhat annoyed that their peaceful time had been interrupted.
Ren looked at her and smiled.
"Alright. How about we test the suspension of this magic carriage?"
"Really?"
Lyra's eyes immediately lit up, and her annoyance vanished.