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The night was pitch black.
No stars, no moon.
The forest was alive with the howling winds of the night, and the distant hooting of an owl could be heard.
Ronan slowly broke twigs in his hands, throwing them into the flickering campfire before him, listening to the slight crackling sound as the flames consumed the dry wood.
Beside him stood about twenty people, all wearing long robes.
Everyone surrounded the fire, occasionally murmuring to each other in low voices.
The atmosphere was even more somber than the last time Ronan attended Wizard Porter's funeral.
Through the mist-like darkness, Ronan saw faces around the fire, their expressions fraught with worry as the light flickered across their features.
This gathering had been called by Old Wells.
It was attended by wizards who lived near the Tree House District, drawn together due to the news Ronan had heard in town today about the Black Witch Land wizard invasion.
As soon as he got home, he was summoned by Old Wells.
Ronan felt that Old Wells was a bit like the neighborhood committee aunt from his previous life, busy with various concerns for this "community" day and night.
Old Wells had also presided over Porter's funeral.
"Wales, now that everyone's here, get to the point if you have something to say, and don't waste everyone's time.
I still have a Magic Potion brewing on the stove!"
Just as he was thinking, Ronan heard a sharp voice rise.
Looking up, he saw that the speaker was a middle-aged man in his forties, slender, with a nose ring and lip ring, and an impatient look on his face.
Ronan noticed the spiritual power emanating from the man, at the level of a Level 4 Wizard Apprentice, which was not common in the Tree House District.
"Well, let's begin."
After the Nose-ringed Wizard urged, Old Wells, who stood in the center of the crowd, coughed softly and stepped forward.
The voices around the site gradually subsided, everyone stopped talking, and their gaze focused on Old Wells.
"I'm sure everyone has heard about the invasion of the Black Witch Land today, and that's primarily why I've called you all. We need to discuss our strategy.
We live here together, all in Grey Robes, and facing such a great crisis, we should work together to endeavor to resist.
I have some experience myself..."
Old Wells had not finished speaking when a scornful snicker echoed through the crowd.
It was the same Nose-ringed Wizard who had interrupted Old Wells's opening remarks.
"What is there to discuss about this matter? Do you really think that with just us here, we could withstand the invasion of the Black Robed Wizards?"
The Nose-ringed Wizard sneered continuously, his face expressing contempt and speechlessness.
His words made the unease grow heavier among many in the crowd, their eyes flickering, some already showing a clear intention to leave.
"Of course our strength is not enough to withstand the momentum, but it's better to be together than to stand alone, after all..."
Old Wells suddenly raised his voice, saying: "I have experienced an invasion from the Black Witch Land before..."
In that instant, everyone who had been restless quieted down.
Ronan also looked at Old Wells in surprise.
"I was very young at the time.."
Old Wells continued to speak slowly, his aged, low voice wafting through the wavering campfire, carrying with it the aura of reminiscence.
"And I was just a Level 1 Wizard Apprentice.
Living here, then encountering the war between Hoddam and the Black Witch Land, at that time...."
"Get to the point, Wells! No one wants to hear your boring stories from when you were young..."
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Ronan frowned and looked at the nose-ringed wizard who had spoken up again.
He was starting to get a bit annoyed with this guy.
Old Wells, however, did not get angry and simply paused before saying, "According to my experience, although news of an invasion from the Black Witch Land has come out, the day when the invasion truly arrives might not be as soon as we think..."
"How long generally?"
Someone asked.
"It could be one to two years, or even longer.."
Old Wells replied, "So there's no need for everyone to panic right now. Instead of getting anxious, we should think of ways to get through this difficulty together...Unless something unexpected happens, the prices of all kinds of items in Hoddam will see a significant increase.."
"The rent for the worst located houses in town has already soared to nearly a Magic Stone per month as of this afternoon."
Someone said with great concern.
Old Wells thought for a moment and said, "Actually, there's no need to follow the crowd and move to town now, the forest is still safe..."
"That's what you think is safe!"
The nose-ringed wizard retorted, "What if the Black Robed Wizard appears in the forest tomorrow?
With the skyrocketing rent in town, in my opinion, we should all take the opportunity to move to town before the housing prices hit their peak, and find a place to settle down..."
Old Wells looked calmly at the nose-ringed wizard, "Moving to town too early could easily burn through your savings before the real crisis hits, and you might be forced to move out again..."
The nose-ringed wizard sneered, "That's still better than having money and not being able to find a place to live when the time comes."
"That's impossible."
Old Wells shook his head, "Hoddam's population hasn't grown to the point where everyone would squeeze into the town and there would be no place left to stay. Living in town doesn't necessarily require having a house..."
"Do you expect so many of us to sleep on the streets like beggars?"
The nose-ringed wizard's face soured.
"That's just the worst-case scenario. I think compared to losing our lives at the hands of the Black Wizard, this humiliation is nothing.
Before that happens, we'll continue to stay in the forest, and to prevent my experience from being wrong and the Black Robed Wizard invading prematurely, my suggestion is to form a patrol team. Everyone could spare a little time to take turns on guard each day, to spot any problems and give an early warning..."
"I must say this is the most stupid idea I've ever heard.
Ridiculous. Wells, I think you've really become senile with age..."
"Shut your fucking mouth!"
An impatient and low reprimand suddenly resounded, and everyone looked in surprise toward a location.
They saw a handsome young man wearing a grey robe stepping out from the shadows, his eyes coldly fixed on the direction of the nose-ringed wizard.
"Are you talking to me?"
The nose-ringed wizard pointed to his own nose with some astonishment.
Ronan said indifferently, "Besides you, is there a second fucking idiot here?"
The sound of naive and clear laughter emerged from the edge of the crowd, but as everyone turned their gaze, the laughter immediately stopped, and a little girl guiltily hid behind Old Wells.
The nose-ringed wizard glared fiercely at the little girl, then turned to Ronan with a somber expression, "Kid, who gave you the guts to talk to me like this...uh..."
The nose-ringed wizard's words were cut off halfway as he suddenly sensed the fluctuations of spiritual power emanating from Ronan and his face changed dramatically.
"Level 4?!"
He scrutinized Ronan carefully from head to toe, his face full of incomprehension, "So young? Do you live here?!"
"None of your fucking business."
Ronan's expression was cold; he had endured this guy for a long time and now could no longer bear it.
To put it bluntly, everyone present was at the bottom of the Hoddam Wizards' circle, mostly Level 1 or Level 2 and two or three levels of Wizard Apprentices.
Although the nose-ringed wizard in front of him was also Level 4, Ronan really didn't give a damn about this guy who had a Double Rune Intermediate Protection Ring and Expert Level Energy Missiles in hand.