Bennigo, a Turn for the Better, and an Unexpected Twist

Ronan stopped in front of a dilapidated little manor, referring to the address given to him by Quidi.

The low wall, made of gray stone, is covered with dead ivy, and in some places it has cracked and fallen off.

The heavy, rusted iron gate was covered with thick spider webs.

Through the gaps in the patterns on the iron gate, one could vaguely see the nearly abandoned flowerbeds and collapsed statues and pillars inside, and there seemed to be a small pond, but it was covered with a dark green color.

"Even a full-fledged member of the Arcane Circle wouldn't be reduced to this state, even if they only take on a mission once every six months."

Ronan stood at the entrance of the manor, his eyes flickering slightly.

Quidi had mentioned to him before that the owner of the estate was eccentric and had many problems.

It now appears that the problem is much bigger than he had anticipated.

"Bang bang—"

Ronan grasped the rusty door knocker on the iron gate and tapped it gently; the heavy, dull sound echoed between the manor and the street.

"I've accepted the mission you posted. Is Bennigo there?"

Ronan tried calling out a few times to introduce himself.

But after waiting for about two minutes, no one answered.

He thought for a moment, then pushed open the door and went inside.

"Crunch, crunch—"

The iron gate emitted a dull, grating sound.

Ronan had barely stepped one foot into the manor, before the desolate scene was fully revealed to him, when... whoosh—

Immediately, the sound of tiny objects piercing the air filled my ears, and intense energy particle fluctuations arrived in an instant.

Ronan felt a sudden sense of alarm. His eyes caught sight of a dense swarm of black dots, like a bee colony, rushing towards him. Instinctively, he unleashed a [Ice Ball.

This has almost become his current habit when he makes a move.

"Call--"

The [Ice Ball, at Expert Level and nearing perfect proficiency, draws together a large number of ice-based energy particles from the air.

A tiny glimmer of ice expanded and instantly transformed into a white ice ball the size of a millstone.

The hockey puck was spinning rapidly, surrounded by countless tiny, glittering ice crystals. "Boom!"

The ice puck took shape and then collided directly with the dense swarm of bees. The latter exploded abruptly upon impact, releasing a series of powerful explosive shockwaves.

As soon as the aftershocks appeared, Ronan saw a black dot emerge from the white, frigid air.

They were tiny metal spheres, each about the size of a thumb, and each was covered with a thin layer of white frost.

Ronan's expression changed slightly, and he casually threw out two more ice hockey pucks, blocking the metal sphere while simultaneously using the momentum to quickly retreat.

"Boom! Boom!"

The series of explosions made the already desolate courtyard even more chaotic, with traces of frost splattered everywhere.

Ronan was chased out of the courtyard by the remaining half of the metal sphere. He stood on the deserted street, his robes billowing, his azure eyes gleaming coldly as he considered whether he should use his trump card.

At that moment, a hoarse, indifferent voice came from inside the manor.

"Is this the only ice spell you can use?"

Level 1 late-stage wizard.

Ronan sensed the mental energy fluctuations transmitted through the sound, which were at least five times stronger than his own, and made a judgment in his mind.

He stood motionless on the long street, yet a large number of ice-type energy particles continued to converge towards him, and fine snowflakes and ice particles began to fall around him. "Never mind. Come in."

Just as Ronan's momentum was about to reach its peak, that hoarse voice rang out again.

Immediately following, two muffled thuds were heard, and all the metal spheres were ejected and flew back. At the same time, the iron gate of the manor and the wooden door of the small gray house directly opposite the iron gate opened.

Ronan squinted at the dark entrance of the house for a while, then finally raised his hand to dispel the icy chill around him and stepped forward.

As soon as Ronan stepped into the house, he smelled an unusually strong and strange odor.

The smell was like a large pile of pungent tobacco burning on damp, rotten wood.

Ronan frowned slightly, then looked around.

Almost no light penetrated the room, and there were no lighting tools or even [Light Absorption] devices. With his eyesight, which was many times better than that of an ordinary person, he could only barely make out the outlines of some furniture and furnishings.

It doesn't look like anyone lives there at all.

At that moment, a hoarse, indifferent voice came from somewhere below.

"Come here. Don't touch anything."

"In the basement?" Ronan's eyes flickered, and he slowly walked over.

The voice would occasionally ring out, and following its guidance, he slowly descended into a dark and cold basement, stepping on the creaking old wooden staircase.

The basement wasn't big, but it was brighter than the upper floors.

The light came from the running Rune Array that were visible everywhere.

The entire basement was a mess, and the smell was pungent and unpleasant, like the smell of a lot of potions that had been spilled on the ground.

Even Ronan, an ice wizard who deals with frost every day, felt a chill creeping into his bones while staying in this basement.

The coldness came from somewhere directly in front of him, where a person sat. By the light of the Rune Array, Ronan could barely make out the person's appearance.

Completely different from what he had imagined, the man sitting on the bar stool was robust, wearing a white shirt with a bow tie, and had beautiful brown hair, except that his temples were completely gray.

The man was around 40 years old, with strong and deep features, like a marble sculpture.

Although he was somewhat unkempt, with thick stubble that clearly hadn't been groomed in a long time, you could tell he was handsome, or rather, he used to be very handsome.

Because now, the skin on his entire left cheek, half of his chin, and neck is covered with large patches of ulcers that look like rusted metal.

The man's eyes were pale gold, and he was coldly staring at Ronan with a scrutinizing gaze that didn't seem like he was there to entertain a guest.

Of course, after the "welcome ceremony" upon entering, Ronan had no intention of developing any relationship with the other party beyond the mission.

"I accepted the task you assigned, Mr. Bennigo."

Ronan spoke indifferently, glancing briefly behind the man and vaguely noticing what appeared to be a large rectangular box there.

"I know."

The man spoke coldly, "Otherwise, you would have died from my magic long ago for trespassing."

Ronan frowned but didn't say anything.

At this moment, the man stood up from the bar stool. He was really tall, almost half a head taller than Ronan.

He turned and quickly walked to the long box behind the chair, urging Ronan impatiently, "Hurry up, kid, I've been waiting for you."

Ronan strolled over.

The man simultaneously pushed one of the wooden planks in his hand, and a burst of light emanated from underneath.

Ronan was surprised to find that what he thought was a long box actually contained a coffin.

A coffin made entirely of a special kind of crystal.

The surface was densely covered with all sorts of complex and mysterious Rune Array, many of which were in operation, while many others had dim light.

By examining the patterns of the Rune Array, Ronan could barely make out that the person lying inside the Crystal Coffin was a woman.

She had blonde hair, wore a blue dress, and had fair skin, emanating almost no vitality.

"Hurry up."

The man urged Ronan again, pointing to a groove in a Rune Array on the Crystal Coffin that had stopped functioning, and said to Ronan, "Use your magic to inject ice energy particles into it until this array is completely restored to operation, quickly!"

The man seemed very impatient, as if waiting even a second longer was an immense torment for him.

Ronan didn't speak, but followed his instructions and gently placed his right hand on the corresponding Rune Array. His mental energy surged out, and the free-floating ice-type energy particles in the room gathered together and were gradually injected into the Rune Array under Ronan's control.

As energy particles were infused, the dark Rune Array slowly lit up, and a chill began to permeate the Crystal Coffin, making it hazy. A large amount of white frost covered the woman's body inside the coffin.

Ronan roughly judged that this should be a Rune Array continuously releases icy energy, with the function of storing energy particles. Once fully charged, it can maintain the release for about a month and a half.

In fact, the operation of this Rune Array can be driven by magic stones, but the effect is much worse than the pure infusion of ice energy particles.

As Ronan "charged" the Rune Array, he secretly observed the appearance of the man beside him.

Clearly, as the woman's body inside the Crystal Coffin was gradually covered by frost, the man's agitation subsided little by little.

The whole process was like a wild beast that was constantly on the verge of becoming violent and out of control, receiving some kind of continuous comfort, and slowly becoming docile.

The man's eyes remained fixed on the woman in the Crystal Coffin, his gaze softening and relaxing. His lips moved slightly, as if he were speaking to the woman in the coffin, but Ronan couldn't decipher a single word. Finally, the energy infusion process ended, and Ronan gently withdrew his hand, ceasing the manipulation of his mental energy.

"Alright, Mr. Bennigo."

Ronan spoke up, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

The man called Bennigo shook his head, casually tossed a small box to Ronan, and said indifferently, "No need."

"Your basic ice magic skills are very solid, much better than the others I hired before. Those guys always managed to damage the runes on the magic circle to some extent. This is your reward. Leave as soon as possible."

Ronan opened the small box that Bennigo had tossed to him and saw that it contained several Mid-Level Magic Stones. He looked up and said, "It seems that the number and grade of the magic stones are not quite right, Mr. Bennigo."

"I will make up the rest for you in a few days."

The man's cold gaze fell on Ronan, and he said coldly, "As for now, please leave."

"Actually, I have a better suggestion."

"Roll!"

"Boom!"

The powerful mental energy of a late-stage first-level wizard suddenly erupted, but before it could be fully unleashed, it was suppressed by an even stronger aura.

The two forces collided, creating a [Rage] vortex that made the messy furnishings in the basement rattle loudly.

At the center of this vortex, Ronan, whose entire body was enveloped in countless mysterious energies, his long robes and white hair billowing wildly, stood within a vast, Torrent- like domain of law. Looking at the man before him who had regained his violent temper, he calmly said, word by word, "Mr. Bennigo, now... can we sit down and have a proper talk?"

The man stared at him in astonishment, but after a moment, his expression gradually calmed down.

"You expect me to vouch for your application to join the Arcane Circle just because you help me infuse Rune Array once?"

Five minutes later, Bennigo sat back in his high chair, looking at Ronan with a sneer.

Ronan stood in front of him and corrected him, "Not once, but all the time."

From now on, I will come to maintain your magic circle every month.

If there's anything else I can help with, I'll do my best to assist.

"Oh--"

Bennigo shook his head with amusement, leaning slightly forward to get closer to Ronan.

The half of his face, rotten like rusted metal, looked grotesque and terrifying in the dim light around him.

Do you know what a guarantee means?

This means I will be responsible for everything you do in the Arcane Circle from now on. If you do anything that is bad for the Arcane Circle, I will also be held responsible. We've only known each other for a few minutes. I don't even know your name.

Do you think I would take such a big risk for such a small favor? Especially since you seem like a guy with a lot of secrets.

"It's just a small favor for others. But for you, Mr. Bennigo, it seems to be quite a troublesome matter."

Ronan said calmly, "I seriously doubt that next month, when the magic array's energy is depleted, you'll be able to find any other ice wizard besides me willing to take on this task."

"Especially after I publicized that you were behind on your mission rewards."

Ronan casually shook the small wooden box containing the magic stones in his hand, which made a crisp clanging sound.

Bennigo stared coldly at Ronan with an expressionless face. The powerful mental energy of a late-stage first-level wizard surged within his body like a tide, and it was clear that he was on the verge of exploding at any moment.

Ronan quietly relented at that moment.

"Such an effort and reward does seem a bit excessive for you, Mr. Bennigo."

Ronan pretended to think, then his gaze shifted to the ice coffin beside him.

"Mr. Bennigo's efforts were all aimed at keeping the faint life force within this beautiful lady in the ice coffin from completely dying out, but unfortunately, it seems he hasn't been very successful. Although her soul hasn't completely left her body, her flesh has already begun to decay."

What are you trying to say?

Bennigo spoke in an icy tone.

"The only way to improve her condition is to inject new life into her body."

"Do I need you to point this out to me?!"

Bennigo continued to sneer, and his attitude became increasingly hostile.

Ronan, however, didn't seem to care. Instead, he said calmly, "I have a Leaf of Innocence on me that might be of help."

"The Leaf of Innocence?!"

Bennigo paused for a moment, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

Ronan thought to himself, "If only I had known you would react like this."

In fact, when he saw the ice coffin and the woman inside, he could pretty much guess the story of Bennigo.

It's nothing more than a cliché story: to save his beloved woman on the verge of death, Benigo, a once promising and noble late-stage level one Arcane Circle Bennigo, was willing to give up everything for a pitiful, elusive hope, and thus ended up in this clichéd state. With not even a few High-Level Magic Stone at his disposal, it's perfectly normal for him to be tempted by a treasure like the Leaf of Innocence, which contains the power of life.

As for whether the Leaf of Innocence would actually work on the woman in the ice coffin, Ronan didn't know. All he needed to do was achieve his goal.

"Take it out and let me see it."

After a few breaths, Bennigo finally spoke.

Ronan then tossed the Leaf of Innocence, which he had prepared beforehand, to the other party.

The olive leaf, shimmering with a faint golden light, floated lightly into Bennigo's hand. Ronan looked calm; he knew that all he needed to do next was a little more "bargaining," and finding someone to vouch for him would be more than enough.

Everything was progressing as smoothly as I had expected.

Who would have thought that the goal that couldn't be achieved with Basil back then would be achieved here unexpectedly?

Although it was a month later than expected, it was still much shorter than the thirty-year wait.

Although he switched to ice magic, the Metal Element magic of the Silver Magic Ring and the inheritance of the [Silver Transformation] rune were still part of his plans.

Now, hope seemed to be within reach, but just as Ronan was indulging in these daydreams, suddenly—

A powerful mental energy fluctuation belonging to a late-stage level one wizard erupted once again.

Bennigo was sitting on a high stool, suddenly stood up like an enraged lion, his pale golden eyes staring fiercely at Ronan, his hoarse, deep voice filled with barely suppressed anger.

"Kid, you think you can fool me with something like this?!"

The remaining life force within this Leaf of Innocence wasn't even enough to revive a wild vine that was on the verge of death!

"Well?!"

Ronan froze on the spot, then stared in disbelief at the olive leaf in Bennigo's hand, which was rapidly fading from its golden color at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into an ordinary withered leaf in the blink of an eye.