Angry

Early the next morning, Ronan's group left the inn where they had spent the night and found a tavern that did not look too expensive.

The rising sun had barely appeared, yet the tavern was already fairly crowded. Most of the patrons looked more like they had not slept all night.

A constant hum of conversation filled the tavern. Ronan and the other three picked a round table at random, sat down, and ordered their breakfasts.

After a night's rest, Ronan found that everyone seemed to be in good spirits.

Old Wells's complexion had visibly improved, though he still coughed lightly from time to time.

"Later, I'll go look for Andre and the Half-Elf siblings, Qiao Lin..."

Old Wells listed several names. Ronan frowned slightly when Linas was mentioned, but said nothing. He only asked, "Do you know where they are?"

"I'm not sure about the others."

Old Wells replied, "But based on what I know about Andre and the Half-Elf siblings, even if they came here, they probably wouldn't choose to enter the city. So I'm planning to take Venecia and Sheryl around the outskirts of town."

"It's a little dangerous for the three of you to go."

Ronan shook his head. "Let them come with me."

No one knew how many wizards had flooded into the town yesterday. Everything was chaotic now, with all sorts of people mixed together. Ronan was worried that Old Wells might run into trouble while traveling with three people who were old, weak, or young.

"I'll take them to handle something, and we can look at houses while we're at it."

They had officially moved into town now, so they urgently needed somewhere to stay long-term. They could not sleep in inns every day; their money pouches would not hold up.

Old Wells did not object to Ronan's suggestion. Just then, their breakfasts arrived.

Ronan had no idea what he had ordered. Faced with a plate of mush, he had no idea where to begin. When he thought about how this disgusting slop cost a quarter of a magic stone, he lost his appetite entirely.

While they ate, the wizards at several nearby tables kept chatting, naturally discussing the black-robed invasion.

Some said that several Wizard Villages near Hoddam, where wizard families had lived in seclusion within the forest, had all been slaughtered by the black-robed wizards yesterday. Every corpse had been refined into an undead puppet and put to use.

Some said that at dawn, a large group of advanced apprentices had hurried out of Central Academy. From the looks of it, the academy was launching a counterattack against Black Wizard Land's invasion.

Some said that formal wizards had clashed deep within the East Side Dense Forest, and the energy shockwaves from their spell barrage had flattened an entire hill.

They were all scraps of gossip from unknown sources, half true and half false. Ronan listened only for entertainment.

Suddenly, a voice rang out in the tavern.

"Did any of you see that ship that sailed out of the academy last night?"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire tavern fell silent.

Ronan clearly saw Old Wells's hand pause as he used his fork to move food onto Sheryl's plate.

Then someone sighed mournfully. "Hah, even if there's a ship, it won't be our turn to board it. Who knows when we'll get another chance to leave Hoddam..."

No one spoke again. Everyone fell silent.

After leaving the tavern, Ronan brought Venecia and Sheryl along. He arranged a place to meet Old Wells again, then they split up.

Old Wells had plenty of life experience and a wide network of contacts. He was better suited to searching for people than Ronan was.

Ronan led Venecia and Sheryl to a housing agency and specifically instructed Venecia, "You and Sheryl stay here obediently. If the door opens, go inside and ask about the prices. When I get back, I'll take you to look at the places together."

Venecia gave a soft hum and obediently stood by the roadside with Sheryl.

Ronan bought each of them something like a doughnut to nibble on, then hurried off alone in another direction.

He walked straight down the middle road at the three-way intersection by the town entrance. Vast stretches of ivy grew on both sides of the road, still lush, glossy, and green despite the late autumn season.

Memories from his former self stirred in his mind—if he continued onward, Ronan would soon see a massive black iron gate. Wizard statues stood on either side of it, their surfaces covered in black, white, and gray owls... But before Ronan could see the black iron gate from his memories, he discovered that the way ahead was blocked by a thick white fog, dense as milk.

He tried taking a few steps into the fog, only to be stopped by the glow of a Rune Array.

Ronan was dumbfounded.

How the hell was he supposed to get through now? During this special period, was Hoddam Wizard Academy forbidding non-academy personnel from even approaching? Then what was he supposed to do about applying for admission? Ronan hesitated outside the Rune Array for a long while. After waiting for ages, he finally caught someone emerging from the fog and the array.

The person wore a wizard robe marked with Hoddam Wizard Academy's insignia. He looked very young, clearly an academy student.

"Hey, brother, why can't people enter the academy now? I want to apply for admission."

Ronan did not care how the other party viewed him or how strong he was. He grabbed him and asked.

The young wizard looked displeased at being stopped by Ronan, but still answered coldly, "Admission? What admission?

The academy stopped accepting outside students months ago."

"What?!"

Ronan froze, unable to believe it. "Stopped accepting students? Why? Not even auditors?"

The other man could not be bothered to say another word. He snorted, tugged at his robe, and walked away.

Ronan was left standing there alone, speechless for a long time.

"I already told you, this is the price. Rent it or don't.

If you can't afford it, get lost. Don't block the people waiting behind you!"

The gaunt man with dark circles under his eyes impatiently waved his hand, wearing an expression of disgust as if he were driving someone away.

"Whoosh—"

A large hand tore through the air and seized the man by the collar. With a bang, it slammed him hard against the wooden wall behind him, leaving a shallow dent.

"Did I say I wasn't renting? Can't I look at the place first? Believe me, I'll tear your mouth apart right now!"

Ronan's eyes were cold and hard, and a powerful, frigid aura radiated from him. He was like a savage beast that could suddenly lash out and hurt someone at any moment.

The man pinned by him went pale. He stared at Ronan in terror and stammered, "G-go... I'll take you to see it right now..."

Ronan said nothing. He merely looked down at the man expressionlessly.

Yet the focus of his gaze seemed not to be on the man at all.

As the man's breathing became ragged and hurried, the atmosphere in the small room grew increasingly oppressive. Just as the man became so nervous that he was drenched in sweat, Ronan suddenly loosened his grip and let him go.

"Forget it."

Ronan said flatly, "I don't want it anymore."

With that, he turned and walked straight out the door.

When he reached the street outside, an enraged shout came from behind him.

"The Academy Enforcement Team will be here soon! If you've got the guts, don't leave!"

Ronan narrowed his eyes, turned around, and with a boom, kicked the agency's front door to pieces. The shouting inside abruptly stopped.

"Let's go."

Only after doing all that did he call Venecia and Sheryl away. The gray-robed wizards passing by, as well as those waiting to rent houses, all looked at him as though he were a monster and hurriedly made way.

The three walked silently through two streets. Then Ronan suddenly felt someone secretly tugging at the hem of his robe.

Looking down, he found Sheryl gazing up at him timidly.

Ronan blinked and crouched down. "What's wrong?"

Sheryl seemed a little afraid of Ronan. She took two small steps back, then hesitantly said, "S-sister Vinnie asked me to ask whether you were angry because she's too useless and can't even handle such a small thing..."