Things Go Awry

The original effect of [The [Clarity Realm]] was to grant Ronan Master Level operational awareness, mentality, and overall strategic vision upon activation.

Whether in cultivation or in battle, they possess an absolutely calm and clear mind, as if observing the whole situation from a third-party perspective.

The [Thoughtless Lake] elevates this concept to another level, eliminating all irrelevant emotions and thoughts.

In the state of the [Thoughtless Lake], Ronan even felt as if his body was being taken over, controlled, and dominated by another "self".

A self completely unaffected by sadness, fear, joy, pain, any emotion, or any distracting thoughts.

In this state, he might unleash twelve or even twenty percent of his full strength.

"But this situation cannot last too long."

"If this continues for too long, those 'frozen' emotions will sink to the bottom of a lake of oblivion, and I will gradually become numb, indifferent, and my heart will lose its warmth."

Until they are completely reduced to a walking corpse, a "puppet" dominated by power.

This is not what Ronan wanted to see.

Soon, Ronan caught up with the spell ship, his light breaking through the runic [Protection] and landing on the deck.

There is no rule against leaving the Magic Airship while it is in motion. Many people will get off the ship from time to time to get some fresh air. However, this behavior is risky. The ship will not slow down or stop for anyone. You are responsible for the consequences of leaving the ship.

Sitting on the floor of the room, Ronan refilled the Mind-Devouring Monster Brain Fluid Essence that had burned out and entered meditation again.

At this moment, the progress bar next to the strength section of his Character Panel has almost reached (110%).

The mental power in my mind is growing stronger, like a thick water ball mixed with ice shards.

Ronan slowly dispersed his spiritual power. The light that had been falling gently on him began to "bend" at the edges of his skin, and the air became viscous and distorted, like transparent oil paint. The spiritual power fluctuations he naturally emitted were much stronger than those of a normal level one wizard who was standing on the threshold of breaking through to level two.

However, it is not as good as a true level two, and it is located in the middle between the late stage of level one and the early stage of level two.

Ronan was very confident that he could easily succeed in becoming a Level 2 Wizard with the help of the Crystallization Array.

Let's see just how high it can go.

Ronan closed the Character Panel and continued meditating.

With 500 points of Master Level proficiency, the meditation efficiency of [Basic Meditation Technique] has also increased significantly, and it's probably not far from touching the limit again.

Three days later.

A ray of cool sunlight streamed through the room's window, gently falling on Ronan's face as he sat with his eyes closed.

A knock came at the door.

Ronan opened his eyes, a dazzling light flashing within them, but it quickly disappeared, returning to the infinitely tranquil blue of the lake.

He gathered everything up from the floor, stood up, walked to the door, opened it, and a young crew member stood outside the room, still bowing, and said, "Respected sir, we have entered White Stone Highlands."

"White Stone Highlands."

Ronan's eyes flickered, and he quickly walked to the window, looking out through the transparent glass.

Before my eyes lay a landscape of towering, snow-capped mountains, with a long, black river meandering through the white expanse. The river seemed to lead to a valley surrounded by many peaks, and beneath the white surface, traces of alpine vegetation could be seen.

"We will arrive at White Stone Fortress soon."

Approximately how many people reside permanently in White Stone Fortress?

Ronan asked the young crew member a question.

The latter thought for a moment and replied thoughtfully, "If we include the ordinary people living in White Stone Fortress, the number would probably be around sixty or seventy thousand."

Ronan was silent for a moment, then nodded.

After the young crew member left, Ronan stood alone by the window, looking down.

But in his hand was a letter as white as ice.

If given the chance, Ronan wouldn't mind handing the letter back to its intended recipient.

But in a place with a population of 60,000 to 70,000, finding someone named "Soraya" based solely on a clue from a name is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

He didn't even know if the other person was still in White Stone Fortress; they might have already died.

"The Frost Leader... the Lanster Family the Ice Flame Iris."

Ronan was thinking quietly.

After a moment, he shook his head, put the letter away again, and left the window to begin preparations for disembarking.

Half a day later, the Black Swan Merchant Guild's magical ship slowly landed on a clearing in the snow in the High Ridge Basin.

The wizards on the ship began to disembark one after another.

At this moment, Ronan was in his room, standing in front of a full-length mirror, examining himself.

After entering White Stone Fortress, he did not intend to act as Silver Magic Ring Wizard.

He erased all the patterns resembling Arcane Circle on the gray metallic robe, leaving only some exquisite silver trim for simple embellishment.

He controlled the muscles on both sides of his cheeks, making his originally well-proportioned face appear much thinner, and his features became sharper. Combined with the light blue, glacier-like runes that stood out, he gave off a cold, arrogant, mysterious, and icy aura.

His long white hair was braided into a thick plait and tied tightly with silver metal cords, hanging down to the back of his head.

Although it was only a few minor changes, Ronan looked completely different from before. Unless someone close to him was standing in front of him, most people wouldn't recognize him.

"From now on, my name is Linas."

Having confirmed his new identity, Ronan deliberately disembarked alone after the other Arcane Circle who had accompanied him had left.

The mountain valley where White Stone Fortress was located was much larger than he had imagined. It was situated in the valley in the form of a circular town, with rivers surrounding the town and traces of outward excavation in the surrounding valleys.

There were also some buildings nestled among the mountains and forests, Ronan could vaguely see traces of a castle on a towering snow-capped mountain directly opposite.

The entrance to White Stone Fortress Castle was bustling with people, including wizards and a large number of ordinary people, most of whom wore thick fur robes to keep warm.

The coexistence of formal wizards and ordinary people is generally only common in small wizarding communities.

Although there are Third Level Wizard in White Stone Fortress, they do not belong to any single wizarding faction. There are many wizarding families in White Stone Fortress, which continue and grow by reproduction. This is where ordinary mortals are needed.

Ronan had experience as a wanderer and knew that when arriving in a new place, it would be much easier to find a guide who was familiar with the local area.

There are many such people at the entrance of White Stone Fortress. Many of them are ordinary people. Occasionally, you can see Wizard Apprentice standing in groups on the snow, like a flock of huddled birds keeping warm together.

Ronan expressed his desire to hire a guide, and a large crowd immediately gathered around him.

His gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on a middle-aged man in his forties with a simple and honest demeanor and a face full of thick hair.

After he selected the middle-aged man as his guide, the rest of the group immediately dispersed. The middle-aged man chosen by Ronan seemed quite excited, and Ronan noticed that he kept looking at one spot unconsciously.

Following his gaze, Ronan saw a plump woman with three children in a corner outside the crowd, looking over with delighted eyes.

They look like the man's family.

"Does your whole family depend on you working as a guide to make a living?"

Ronan asked casually.

Perhaps it was because he had changed his appearance, appearing aloof and unapproachable, that the man who introduced himself as Gelu answered Ronan's questions thoughtfully and cautiously.

"Yes, it's too dangerous in the mountains right now... In two months, when the snow melts a little, we usually go hunting in the mountains."

Ronan nodded; he could tell the man had undergone some light physical training.

How much would it typically cost to hire you for a day?

"You only need two white fungus."

After answering, the man thought for a moment and then couldn't help but add, "One white fungus can buy us five days' worth of bread. I usually get a job every three to five days, but half of the payment for each job has to be handed over to the 'Red Thorns Society'... The 'Red Thorns Society' belongs to the Ababok Family."

The man's honesty was written all over his face; he wanted to spill everything he knew to Ronan like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

Ronan could roughly guess that the "silver ear fungus" the man mentioned was probably something like Silver Coin.

There are many ordinary people in White Stone Fortress, and it is normal for ordinary currency to still be in circulation; however, he does not have any gold or silver.

After thinking for a moment, Ronan took out a Low-Level Magic Stone from his Space Ring, crushed it, and casually tossed a few fragments to the man, saying, "First, help me find a decent place to stay as a wizard. I'll probably be staying here for six months or even longer."

"Yes, ma'am."

The man instinctively caught the Magic Stone Grain Ronan gave him, and only became excited after seeing clearly what it was.

He bowed deeply to Ronan and said sincerely, "Thank you for your generosity, sir. This winter will be much warmer for the Griffin Family because of you..."

After saying that, he quickly got up and led Ronan into the town without stopping.

Ronan found something in this man named Gelu.

Because of the existence of wizard families, the status gap between top wizards and ordinary people at the bottom is too great. Ordinary people here show more respect and awe for wizards, and their lives seem even more impoverished.

There is more than one wizard family in White Stone Fortress, and there must be a struggle for interests between them. Even if the wizards who are high above do not intend to affect ordinary people, the contradictions are passed down layer by layer, which is enough to exploit the people below very badly.

From this perspective, the original Hoddam Wizard Land actually seem relatively comfortable.

The middle-aged man Gelu, led Ronan to a place called "Ice Bat Tavern." The tavern also offered accommodation, and there were guides of a higher rank Gelu who were very well-informed about news within White Stone Fortress, which suited Ronan's needs quite well.

Prices here have returned to normal levels in Wizard Land. Payment in gold or silver is not accepted. The room rate is one Mid-Level Magic Stone per day, including three meals a day, and additional intermediary services are also provided.

Ronan, formerly a wandering ice wizard seeking a "Talent Transplant" in White Stone Fortress, settled down at the "Ice Bat Tavern".

He sat in the tavern for a while, listening to the wizards gathered there chatting. During this time, the tavern waiter served him a local specialty of White Stone Fortress.

It's basically just frozen fish, a few pieces of coarse bread, and some side salad.

Ronan took a few bites and found the fish to be extremely salty with a strong fishy smell. The fishy smell was slightly reduced after adding salad dressing, but it was still unbearable for someone with his heightened senses.

The only thing worth praising is its taste.

Ronan had no appetite and, after discovering that the wizards in the tavern were mostly chatting in the local dialect of White Stone Fortress, he went straight back to his room.

He had assigned all his objectives for this trip to the people at the "Ice Bat Tavern," and now all he had to do was wait.

Although Kosti only gave Ronan two and a half months, he wasn't in a hurry.

Ronan's spiritual power, after being purified, continues to grow, and he has too many things to do every day.

Five days later, Ronan received responses to the questions he had raised.

Ice Bat Tavern.

The cold, white sunlight [Penetration] the window, which was barely the size of two palms and covered by thick snow, and fell on the small, round, black wooden table, leaving inconspicuous spots of light.

Ronan, with ice patterns covering his cheeks, sharp eyes, and a cold demeanor, sat at a small round table in a black-grey robe with silver patterns, listening to a respectful, low-voiced report from a burly, middle-aged man with brown hair beside him.

"The Tourte Family has long since ceased to exist?"

Ronan frowned upon hearing what the middle-aged man was saying, then gave him a cold glance.

"Don't try to fool me. As far as I know, the Tourte Family has a Third Level Wizard."

How could it have disappeared in just a few decades?

The middle-aged man turned pale under Ronan's gaze and hurriedly explained, "How could I dare to deceive your esteemed sir?"

It is true that the Tourte Family has Third Level Wizard, but they have been missing for nearly a century.

The Tourte Family lacked a core pillar to support them and had previously made too many enemies. To avoid the annihilation of the entire family, they left White Stone Fortress decades ago. You can easily find out this by asking any old man outside.

Ronan's face darkened.

He didn't expect things to go so badly as soon as he arrived.

I don't know how long Kosti hasn't left the tower, or if she's just naturally a bit oblivious, not even knowing her friend has been missing for a century, and still thinking the other person has just lost contact with her normally.

In that case, the letter of introduction from Kosti is completely useless, and if you want to receive the "Talent Transplant," you'll have to find a way yourself.

"... The lord asked us to inquire about a person named Soraya. We've collected some information here, and we'd like to show it to the lord first..."

After the middle-aged man finished reporting on the Tourte Family's affairs, he handed Ronan a Rune Stone for recording.

Ronan glanced at it briefly, nodded, and didn't take it to heart.

He only did the Soraya thing incidentally; it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, and whether he could find her or not was irrelevant.

Seeing Ronan sitting at the table in silence for a long time, the middle-aged man with brown hair cautiously spoke up, "Sir, if you just want to have a 'Talent Transplant,' you don't necessarily have to go through the Tourte Family. We can do it for you too."

"Oh?"

Ronan's eyes flickered upon hearing this, and he looked up at the middle-aged man in front of him with a slightly surprised expression.

Seeing that Ronan was interested, the middle-aged man quickly began to introduce himself.

After listening to the middle-aged man's explanation, Ronan realized that the "ice Talent Transplant technology" unique to White Stone Fortress was actually completely different from what he had imagined.