Under the guidance of the boatman, Lynn departed from the bustling dock, traversed several streets, and finally halted before a dilapidated, long-abandoned house in the northern part of the city.
"Please come in, Lord Labore. Mr. Lauder is waiting for you inside," the boatman indicated with a gesture.
Lynn nodded, pushed open the door, and stepped inside, only to discover that the external decrepitude was merely a facade. The interior was unexpectedly splendid.
The walls were built from thick, heavy stones, and on the mirror-like surfaces hung numerous valuable paintings and sculptures. The air was filled with a delicate scent of perfume.
In stark contrast to this refined environment stood two burly men, wielding large axes, glaring at Lynn with predatory intensity, as though eyeing a lamb for slaughter.
At that moment, the limping Lauder was standing before a long table. He appeared to be around fifty, with a full head of white hair, a slender, stooped figure, and most notably, a wooden prosthetic leg.
Upon seeing Lynn, Lauder's anger flared instantly, and he chastised him vehemently.
"Labore, have you gone mad? I should have warned you not to cause any trouble lately..."
"And yet, you've managed to clash with the smugglers at the port over a shipment of goods. Do you know that the Church is likely aware of us now? In the past three days, two batches of ships have been seized..."
Lauder berated him with exasperation but soon noticed something amiss with the man before him. To his surprise, Labore showed no hint of fear or panic under the scolding, instead, he continued to advance.
"Wait... you're not Labore!" Lauder's mind raced, and he immediately recognized the deception. With a look of terror, he took several steps back and commanded his guards loudly.
"Stop him!"
Those who could enter this room were Lauder's most trusted subordinates. Upon receiving the command, the guards, without hesitation, raised their axes and swung them at Lynn.
[Overload mode activated, duration three seconds!]
Just before the axe blades reached him, Lynn silently invoked the command in his mind.
In an instant, the room's positions and movements materialized as data in his mind.
Lynn casually sidestepped one of the guards' attacks, seized the axe from his hands, kicked him away, and then swung the axe handle to strike another unfortunate guard in the stomach. He then charged forward, quickly dispatching the remaining guards to the ground.
Taking advantage of the moment, Lauder had already vaulted over the obstructive long table. His wooden prosthetic leg was as agile as a real one, and with a few swift steps, he covered more than ten meters.
The limping Lauder... could run remarkably fast!
This unexpected sight momentarily stunned Lynn, but he quickly regained his composure, raised his hand, and several crystalline ice blades materialized in the air.
At the same time, Lauder sensed the threat approaching from behind but ignored it, as the secret passage was within reach, merely an arm's length away.
However, the ice blades were swifter. They struck his wooden prosthetic leg first, causing Lauder to lose balance and fall clumsily to the ground. Another [Frost Blade] flew in and pinned his robe.
"Keep running, then!" Lynn advanced relentlessly, his voice cold. He had invested significant effort over the past few days to confront Lauder, and he would not let him escape.
Yet, Lynn quickly realized that his words sounded somewhat villainous. He swiftly changed his tone and clarified.
"In truth, I am here to save you, Mr. Lauder!"
Feeling the chilling air around him and glancing at the 'friendly' Lynn, Lauder swallowed hard.
Well, he might as well believe it!
...
After a cordial exchange, the previous minor misunderstanding was resolved. Lauder summoned a few subordinates to tidy up the somewhat disheveled room and then invited Lynn to sit down.
"Esteemed sorcerer, did you come here with a specific request?" Lauder inquired cautiously.
"Indeed, I came to save you!" Lynn responded without hesitation. "According to my knowledge, the Church has dispatched three thousand guards secretly to Harbor Town, likely targeting the [Smuggler's Guild]!"
"That may not be the case..." Lauder shook his head. He had received this information as well but did not agree with Lynn's assessment.
"Just three days ago, Archbishop Antares of Nordland launched a surprise attack on Ur Town. He encountered a powerful sorcerer and, after suffering heavy losses, was only able to drive him off. These three thousand guards are likely intended to guard against that sorcerer."
At this point, Lauder suddenly looked at Lynn with a vague suspicion.
"Indeed, the sorcerer who faced the Archbishop was me!" Lynn confirmed, not hiding the truth.
Seeing Lynn's admission, Lauder was internally astonished. According to the intelligence he had received, although Archbishop Antares had successfully repelled the sorcerer, he had suffered irremediable injuries.
Rumor had it that the battlefield had been turned to ash, with the terrifying flames still burning…
Clearly, it was a formidable magic.
Could the person before him be a grand sorcerer?
No, that seemed unlikely.
Lauder quickly dismissed this notion. He had witnessed the power of grand sorcerers before; they could even momentarily freeze the catastrophic [Eye of Death] vortex. If Lynn possessed such power, then Antares would have been the one fleeing.
Thus, Lauder concluded that Lynn must be a powerful third-tier sorcerer!
Lynn was unaware of Lauder's thoughts and continued to explain. "If you think that the Church's grandiose display is solely aimed at me, you are gravely mistaken. Antares's true objective is to find the route to the Sorcerer's Domain. Otherwise, the Archbishop would not have gone to such lengths to visit Harbor Town."
"Furthermore, I have also received news that Antares, on his way to Harbor Town, captured several sorcerer apprentices."
"They are disciples of Koru and know the route connected to the [Smuggler's Guild]. Since the Church has not yet acted, it is likely because they have not extracted sufficient information from them."
"You don't have much time left!" Lynn said solemnly.