Chapter 100

Chapter 100

An abandoned gathering place lay a hundred miles outside Demon City.

In the Continent of Vanquished Gods, various races dwelled; some indigenous to this world, while others were new species brought by wizards from other worlds and released onto this continent. Though to the powerful wizards, these beings were mere pets kept in their backyard, to wizard apprentices and ordinary wizards, some of these formidable monsters still posed threats and challenges.

Peaceful and gentle soils seldom nurtured distinctive blooms.

Thus, the safest havens in the Continent of Vanquished Gods were the wizard dominions and the cities formed around large wizard factions, serving as absolute sanctuaries. Beyond these cities lay desolate wilderness and scattered gathering places.

Some of these gathering places were constructed by intelligent beings friendly to humans, while others were established by wandering wizards or groups of beings of extraordinary professions banding together. In the wilderness, these gathering places were like seeds scattered across the land, roaming stubbornly, seeking survival.

Each year, various gathering places were abandoned for reasons ranging from the departure of their original inhabitants to monster tides or attacks by powerful monsters.

One such gathering place stood amidst the mountains and forests, once adorned with numerous wooden cabins, now mostly shattered and overrun with weeds and even trees.

At the outskirts of the gathering place, in a secluded cabin, sat a somewhat corpulent yet finely featured swordsman with crimson eyes. His ears twitched as he withdrew a magic staff from his robes, chanting incantations. Soon, the soil outside the cabin stirred, and a mushroom-like eye emerged from the earth.

This clandestine eye nestled in the corner stealthily scanned its surroundings, observing nearby entities.

“Finally managed to escape, tried to make my way to a distant wizard city, but unfortunately, all those connections I had previously accumulated are now gone,” lamented the crimson-eyed swordsman, feeling a hint of regret, though it didn’t show on his face.

However, he wasn’t at a loss; this time, he had acquired two significant source materials—one to keep and the other to sell or trade for source materials he lacked. Coupled with his previous accumulations, he was now one step closer to becoming an official wizard.

Jim approached the mirror in the room, examining his completely altered appearance. He couldn’t resist touching the human skin mask on his face; even those who knew him wouldn’t recognize him now. This was a pricey acquisition—a mask made from a whole piece of human skin.

Of course, besides the mask, there was also meticulously prepared magic disguise powder to alter his scent.

From his storage space, the crimson-eyed swordsman retrieved more items. As he heard the continuous ringing of the communication conch, a tinge of regret flickered across his lips.

He had intended to sell the source material he held to the caller, only to find the person devoid of even the money for a single source material purchase.

Observing where the person lived, he had assumed he was a well-off apprentice, but it turned out he was just a pauper.

Without hesitation, the crimson-eyed swordsman crushed the communication conch underfoot. It had lost its purpose, and he had no intention of contacting the people on it anymore.

When he moved to a new place, he would assume a new identity and continue living. For him, this was normal.

In fact, before coming to Demon City, he had already changed identities once, but he hadn’t informed anyone.

Setting magic traps at the room’s entrance and windows, Jim closed his eyes to rest.

Outside the room, a small segment of soil revealed an eyeball, watching a figure approaching not far away. Suddenly, the eyeball turned red.

In the dead of night, Jim jolted awake.

The Eye of Surveillance warned him of a stranger approaching outside.

Connecting with the Eye of Surveillance, Jim gained its vision. This time, he saw Lynn standing outside, a hint of excitement in his eyes.

You really thought I wouldn’t know you might have left a backdoor in your alchemical creations to trace you back? It’s a common practice among wizards. No one could resist the allure of source materials. You’re here for the source materials too, aren’t you, Lynn?

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Jim’s eyes.

As an old wizard apprentice, he understood this basic experience well.

Just as he had never truly trusted those around him, that Liszt appeared to have a close relationship with him on the surface, but in reality, he was merely a decoy used to disguise himself.

Before setting out, Lynn found Toby.

Following the principle that thick skin leads to a good life, Lynn found Toby and stated his request. Although he didn’t know Toby’s strength, Lynn felt he was definitely much stronger than himself.

If it were just him alone, Lynn definitely wouldn’t have pursued Jim.

Jim had extensive connections and considerable experience. He was capable enough to outsmart and leave Jado, a seasoned apprentice from a long-standing demon wizard academy, at a loss. Lynn couldn’t guarantee that he could definitely defeat Jim.

But he could sway people.

Different from wizards who always follow the principle of trade, Lynn had a deeper understanding of relationships. Only by giving and taking could transactions be made.

Sometimes, asking for help and owing favors was also a way to strengthen relationships.

Toby didn’t refuse, but he mentioned that he couldn’t leave Demon City. Instead, he recommended Fura to Lynn, stating that with Fura’s abilities, solving his problem would surely not be difficult.

Now it seemed Fura’s strength exceeded Lynn’s expectations. A seasoned third-level wizard apprentice unexpectedly managed to be knocked out by her with a single careless attack.

This strength must be at least at the third or fourth level of extraordinary beings.

Just now, Lynn deliberately chatted with Jim. He knew Jim was also stalling for time, and he precisely needed time for Fura to sneak up and attack.

Lynn approached the ground and felt around Jim’s body.

Soon, Lynn gathered all the valuable items from Jim’s body, simultaneously checking the spatial ring. Iron Serpent No. 1 was inside; Jim hadn’t released it during the fight because Lynn had crafted it. If Jim released it and it attacked Lynn, it might turn on him instead.

Apart from that, in the corner of the spatial ring, there were five vacuum crystals specifically used to store items.

These vacuum crystals contained two Clayhearts, a small pile of sand resembling a pyramid, and finally, a bunch of wind trapped inside a vacuum crystal.

The wind danced continuously within the vacuum crystal, sometimes condensing into the shape of a feather, then reforming into a gust of wind. The last vacuum crystal was empty, seemingly containing nothing.

Vacuum crystals were raw materials specially used to preserve items; the state inside them would be maintained without interference from the outside world.

Although Lynn didn’t know what was in the other two vacuum crystals, since they were with the Clayhearts, there was a high probability they were also source materials.

This yielded four source materials, along with many other valuable items, including some disposable magic scrolls, magic traps, and functional alchemical tools.

But Jim didn’t have the chance to use any of these; they all became Lynn’s spoils of war.

It had to be said that killing and looting were the fastest ways for wizards to grow.

That night, Lynn suddenly gained a profound understanding of this saying.

“Someone’s coming,” Fura said to Lynn, turning her head to look behind them.

Lynn knew the sounds of the battle just now were so conspicuous that someone nearby would undoubtedly be drawn over.

Footsteps approached from behind, and in the forest, Jado and two other wizard apprentices emerged from the trees.

Jado was also taken aback when he saw Lynn, seemingly not expecting Lynn to be here.

——