Gah-gah...
Suddenly, the crisp call of a crow interrupted the staring contest between the two. Lynn regretfully drew his gaze back and looked in the direction of the sound—there was a small gray crow perched on the counter, staring intently at him.
The owner of the Drunkard Tavern was a shrewd and businesslike merchant from Greytown. He paused his glass-wiping for a moment upon hearing the crow's call, then grinned, exposing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and greeted warmly.
"What a rare new face. Welcome to the Drunkard Tavern... Do you need anything, my guest?"
"A glass of Goro Wine, four years aged. If I'm not mistaken, that would be seventeen Secas copper coins." Lynn walked straight to the counter, laying out the coins in neat groups of five, five, and seven.
The tavern owner scrutinized Lynn, his gaze lingering on the long sword hanging from Lynn's waist, his expression remaining unchanged. "That was last year's price. Now... it's twenty-one copper!"
Lynn was taken aback but had yet to respond when a strikingly beautiful female customer beside him pursed her lips and teased, "Old York, are you trying to fool a newcomer? How come I didn't know that your Goro Wine suddenly became more expensive?"
As she spoke, the female patron looked at Lynn with interest. Seventeen coppers for a glass of Goro Wine wasn't exactly luxury, but not many would be so generous at the Drunkard Tavern.
Especially since the man was young and handsome, with solid muscles—he didn't seem like the useless type...
Old York didn't mind the woman's interruption and grinned, "Two ships from the harbor capsized this year, making the ingredients for Goro Wine scarce. Prices have to go up..."
Lynn frowned and spoke again, "But I only have seventeen Secas copper coins!"
The young woman's interest in Lynn diminished by half upon hearing this. He seemed like just another poor soul squandering his savings for a taste of good wine.
"Then I suggest you choose a different flavor..." Old York shrugged, "Of course, if you're interested in earning some extra coin, I could help you. Crippled Laud needs someone to do some side work for him; he's always generous with his payments!"
Crippled Laud? Lynn raised an eyebrow. During his time spent gathering information in Wuer Town, he had heard that name more than once.
The rumors were not favorable...
"Very well, I need a suitable job anyway." Lynn's mind raced, but he still nodded in agreement.
Old York swept the coins into his pocket, called over an attendant to temporarily take over his duties, and then looked at Lynn again and said,
"Follow me. The Goro Wine you wanted is in the cellar. I'll get it and then take you to meet him..."
Seeing Lynn follow Old York without any defenses, the onlookers in the tavern couldn't help but reveal schadenfreude smiles.
Everyone living in Wuer Town knew that although Crippled Laud was generous, he was also notoriously ruthless. Many people who worked under him had mysteriously disappeared, sometimes without even a corpse left to find...
They might get paid, but they wouldn't live to spend it...
...
As the patrons reveled in their schadenfreude, Old York led Lynn through the kitchen into a storeroom filled with sacks of flour and barrels, stopping in front of a large, grimy barrel.
Click…
Old York pressed down firmly on the barrel's side lid. Accompanied by a gushing sound of liquid, the barrel slowly rotated halfway, and a wooden panel sprung open, revealing a half-human-height secret passage.
"Follow this path. The person you want to see is inside!" Old York lowered his voice and stuffed a lit candle holder into Lynn's hands, impatiently warning, "Watch yourself and don't cause any trouble for me!"
Lynn thanked him, took the candle, and stepped into the secret passage. The large, liquor-stained barrel rotated back to its original position, followed by the sound of liquid being refilled.
The faint light from outside disappeared, plunging the secret passage into total darkness. Lynn couldn't see where it led, with only the faint light from the candle illuminating the way forward. The air carried the stench of cheap wine.
Lynn followed the dim corridor cautiously, mentally recapping the intel from his fellow Wizard Apprentices.
Because his mentor, Kro, had been constantly on the move in recent years, he had no fixed residence and never kept all his apprentices near him.
After all, too many unfamiliar faces suddenly appearing in one city was conspicuous and made hiding difficult.
So, his understanding of these people was limited, mostly having only met a few times, knowing their names and appearances.
The only one he was somewhat familiar with was Johnny, who had sent him letters before.
Of course, that familiarity was one-sided.
To be precise, it was the original Carl who had a peculiar youthful crush on Johnny.
In layman's terms, it was a one-sided infatuation sparked by beauty.
As Kro's most favored disciple, Johnny had impressive magical talent and was just one step away from becoming a full-fledged Wizard. After Kro's death, Johnny became the apparent leader of their group of apprentices.
Unfortunately, such a one-sided, peculiar relationship clearly couldn't provide him with any help.
As Lynn was distracted, the narrow corridor ahead gradually became more spacious. By the faint candlelight, Lynn realized that this passage led to a forest outside Wuer Town.
It was deep into the night, yet the sky wasn't as dark as expected. Silver moonlight filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy, casting a translucent veil over the firm yellow earth. Lynn could faintly feel the magic power inside him becoming increasingly active.
Is this Moon Day?
Through the dense foliage, Lynn could vaguely see a sky full of shimmering stars and a gigantic bright moon. According to Carl's memories, this astronomical phenomenon occurred only once a year and lasted about three to five days.
However, there were no records in his memory about moonlight affecting magic power.
Of course, he had only been a Wizard Apprentice for barely half a year...
While Lynn was pondering, a sudden sharp whizzing sound pierced the air. Dozens of solidified Magic Missiles shot out from the dense woods around him, blocking his escape routes in all directions.
A trap?
That was Lynn's immediate thought, and he reacted swiftly. Turning his empty left hand over, he dropped a handful of gray powder into his palm—the remaining casting material, Red Fire Embers!
With a powerful throw, the powder ignited instantly under the influence of his magic, forming a scorching firewall in front of him.
However, the hastily used new spell, Lesser Firewall, couldn't withstand the joint attack of several Wizard Apprentices. The Magic Missiles pierced through the flames almost instantly.
Fortunately, Lynn had achieved his objective. The heat wave and high temperature from the firewall caused the magical projectiles to lose their accuracy, ricocheting off tree trunks and the yellow earth behind him.
Seeing four figures cloaked in black robes closing in on him in a semicircle, Lynn silently drew the long sword from his waist and opened the pouch containing white phosphorus, preparing for battle.
Due to time constraints, he had limited white phosphorus, but now was clearly not the time to hold back...
Just as Lynn was about to act, a cold voice rang out.
"Carl, why did you betray us?"
(P.S.: As usual, new book seeking recommendations, collections, continued reading, and votes.)