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Old Wells started talking, leaving Ronan stunned.
He instinctively looked at the small figure crying before the flames in the center of the clearing.
Then shook his head.
"Don't joke around… I'm still a kid myself."
Old Wells explained, "Actually, there's not much caretaking needed, just keep her by your side… If you agree, you'll gain half of Porter's inheritance..."
Ronan thought about it, but still shook his head.
"Forget it."
Old Wells seemed to have expected this outcome and was not surprised. With a gentle "sigh," he moved on to the next person.
Ronan's eyes subtly flickered, and he called out to Old Wells.
"How did Porter die?"
Ronan was really curious about this.
Porter's body did not show obvious external injuries. From his terrifying death pose, it seemed like he had died of a sudden illness, but what kind of illness could so swiftly take the life of a Wizard Apprentice?
"It looked like a curse system spell. Porter must have messed with someone he shouldn't have..."
Old Wells stopped in his tracks and said in a low voice, "I suspect… perhaps a wizard from Black Witch Land is on the loose... In any case, be extra careful during this period."
Ronan was taken aback and was about to stop Old Wells to ask more, but he had already walked far away.
"Curse system spell... Black Witch Land..."
Ronan silently recited the two terms Old Wells mentioned, and his expression turned increasingly grave.
Although he was a novice in the Wizard World, he had heard legends about Black Witch Land.
Black Witch Land did not refer to a specific place, but was a collective term for places where Black Robed Wizards gathered.
Like most things in the world, wizards also had distinctions between good and evil.
Black Robed Wizards belonged to the evil faction among wizards, specializing in Dark, Undead, and Curse series spells. Their temperaments were much more cruel and bizarre than typical wizards.
Opposite to the Black Robe was the White Robe, and Hoddam acted as a neutral Grey Robed Wizard gathering, leaning towards neutrality.
"Are Black Witch Land's curse system spells really that terrifying?"
Ronan stared at the blazing flames in the clearing ahead, recalling Porter's hideous, twisted death pose, finding it hard to imagine the torture and pain Porter must have endured before dying.
If such a curse befell him...
Ronan immediately felt a chill run up his back, not daring to imagine further.
At that moment, a figure emerged from the crowd, walking towards the little girl, Cheryl, by the fire.
Ronan was surprised to find it was the witch girl living beside Tree Spring.
This girl was dressed as usual, wrapped entirely in a wide black robe, with thick bangs covering most of her face, making it impossible to discern her beauty or physique...
She walked up to Cheryl, gently placed a hand on Cheryl's head, chanting softly with dim white light emanating from her palm.
It seemed to be some kind of calming small spell. Under the white light, Cheryl's cries gradually calmed down, eventually curling up at the girl's feet and falling into a deep sleep.
"I didn't expect this person to be so kind..."
Ronan observed the witch girl crouching down, tenderly embracing the sleeping Cheryl.
While sighing, he suddenly noticed the two people currently talking to Old Wells.
One tall, one short.
The tall one was burly, with robust limbs, wearing black leather armor, carrying a huge wooden bow and an arrow bag on his back.
The short one wore a light green robe, wielded a magic wand made of oak branches, with a slender figure and gentle features.
Both had ears much more pointed and long than an average human.
"Is that the pair of Half-Elf siblings who just moved in?!"
Ronan instantly realized and couldn't suppress his curiosity, secretly observing the gentle-looking female among the two.
The latter seemed to sense his gaze and turned her head to smile gently at him.
Before Ronan could respond, he saw the burly man next to her glaring fiercely at him, even making a move to reach for the bow and arrow on his back.
Ronan was startled and dared not look anymore, hurriedly leaving.
....
Middle-aged wizard Porter's death did not cause much of a ripple in this forested area.
The topic of "suspected Black Witch Land wizard" was hotly discussed for a few days in the Tree House District, but without solid evidence, it remained merely speculation, and eventually faded away.
Ronan later heard that Porter's daughter, Cheryl, was eventually jointly adopted by the witch girl living by Tree Spring and Old Wells, surprising him indeed.
...
Town.
At the entrance to the Dwarf Market.
Having just paid the entry fee, Ronan stood before a middle-aged wizard in a sky blue robe, listening to his continuous reminders.
"...With this token, you can freely enter and exit the market within a day. After a day, the token will automatically expire, so manage your time properly..."
"Thank you."
Taking the brass ring emitting a faint white light from the other party, Ronan carefully wore it while continuously expressing his thanks, stepping into the market.
Once inside, he immediately started feeling regret over the low-level magic stone he had just spent.
Excluding costs, Ronan would need to imprint two [Clean] runes to earn back this money.
Actually, he could avoid paying entirely if he met either of the two conditions: being a "Level 6 Wizard Apprentice" or an "Official Student of Hoddam Wizard Academy," allowing him free access to Dwarf Market.
Unfortunately, either condition seemed too far away for Ronan at this point.
Shaking his head to dispel the cluttered thoughts, Ronan began examining his surroundings.
Streets paved with white stone bricks, broad and flat, lined with blue and purple low flowers, and towering, neatly arranged Charming Trees....
Compared to the Wizard Market, the Dwarf Market was like a "rich district."
Occasionally, wizards wearing exquisite magic robes passed by on the street, yet no sign of the legendary Dwarf Clan.
"Ah, first things first!"
Ronan had no time to delve into this problem, walking briskly down the street until he stopped before a shop named "Weiling Workshop."
Through the shop's transparent glass display, Ronan immediately spotted the neatly arranged Rune Stones on the counter.
Ronan glanced at the shop's clean, bright doors and instinctively brushed the mud off his boots on the stone bricks at the entrance, taking a deep breath before striding inside...
An hour later.
"We look forward to your next visit!"
Accompanied by a sweet, melodious voice, the doors of Weiling Workshop opened, and Ronan walked out with a curious expression.
This time, Ronan no longer carried the bag of Rune Stones, but instead held a bulging money pouch.
Inside were a total of eighteen low-level magic stones!
An entire stone more than Ronan had initially anticipated.
Before entering the shop, Ronan had imagined whether he'd receive cold, disdainful looks from the staff... whether his rune offerings would be questioned, rejected...
Yet everything went remarkably smoothly.
Ronan merely indicated his desire to sell runes, and Weiling Workshop immediately arranged for a professional Rune Master.
After appraising all the [Clean] runes Ronan had brought, the workshop offered to buy them all at a price of 80 Magic Stone Shards each, even proactively offering nearly cost-price rune materials if Ronan needed any.
Blank rune stones were three Magic Stone grain each. Purchase fifty blank rune stones at once, and receive a bag of Universal Powder for free...
"How much more had that stall in the Wizard Market been making off me?!"
Ronan now felt that bypassing the "middleman" was indeed the right decision. Although he had spent an extra Magic Stone on the entry fee, this could be completely saved in transactions, possibly even more.
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