Karl, Why Did You Betray Us?

Caw... caw...

Suddenly, a crisp crow's caw interrupted their gaze. Lynn regretfully withdrew his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. A palm-sized grey crow stood proudly on the counter, staring intently at him.

The owner of the Drunkard tavern was a genuine Gweitt merchant, exuding an air of shrewdness and practicality. Upon hearing the crow's caw, his action of wiping a wine glass paused. He grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth, and greeted him warmly.

"A rare new face. Welcome to the Drunkard tavern... Is there anything you need, my guest?"

"A cup of Guro Wine, four years old. If I heard correctly, it should be seventeen Secas Copper Coins." Lynn walked directly to the counter and arranged the copper coins in his hand on the table, dividing them into portions of five, five, and seven.

The tavern owner scrutinously appraised Lynn, his gaze lingering on the long sword hanging at his waist. His expression remained unchanged. "That was last year's price. Now... it's twenty-one Copper!"

Lynn was taken aback. Before he could reply, a strikingly beautiful female patron beside him pursed her lips and said playfully, "Old Hawke, are you trying to fool a newcomer? Since when did your Guro Wine suddenly increase in price?"

As she spoke, the female patron looked at Lynn with interest. Guro Wine at seventeen Copper a cup, while not exactly a luxury item, was rarely ordered so generously at the Drunkard tavern.

Especially since he was young, handsome, and muscular, not the type who looked good but was useless...

Old Hawke didn't mind the woman's interference and grinned. "Two merchant ships capsized at the harbor this year. Guro Wine ingredients are scarce, so it has to be more expensive..."

Lynn frowned and said again, "But I only have seventeen Secas Copper Coins!"

Upon hearing this, the young female patron's interest in Lynn immediately waned by half. It seemed he was just another poor wretch who would squander his savings for a good drink.

"Then I suggest you try a different flavor..." Old Hawke shrugged. "Of course, if you're interested in earning some extra cash, I can help you. Lame Laud is currently looking for someone to help him with some private work. He's always generous and spends lavishly!"

Lame Laud? Lynn raised an eyebrow. During his time investigating in Ur Town, he had heard this name more than once.

The rumors about him were not good...

"Very well, I am in need of a suitable job." Lynn's thoughts raced, but he still nodded in agreement.

Old Hawke swept the copper coins on the table into his pocket, called a tavern attendant to temporarily take over his work, and then looked at Lynn, speaking again.

"Follow me. The Guro Wine you want is in the cellar. I'll get it for you first, then I'll take you to see him..."

Seeing Lynn follow Old Hawke away without any reservations, the onlookers who had been watching the commotion couldn't help but show schadenfreude.

Everyone living in Ur Town knew that although Lame Laud was generous, he was also notoriously black-hearted. Rumor had it that many people who worked on his ships had mysteriously disappeared, sometimes without even a body being found...

They might get paid, but they wouldn't live to spend it...

While the patrons were reveling in their schadenfreude, Old Hawke led Lynn through the kitchen and into a storage room filled with wheat flour and barrels. He then stopped in front of a large, dirty wine barrel.

Crrk...

Old Hawke pressed down hard on the lid of the barrel on the side. With a sound of sloshing wine, the barrel slowly rotated halfway. The wooden board at the bottom suddenly sprang open, revealing a secret passage half the height of a person.

"Go down this passage, the person you need to see is inside!" Old Hawke lowered his voice, shoved a lit candlestick into Lynn's arms, and warned impatiently, "Be careful yourself, and don't cause me any trouble!"

Lynn thanked him, picked up the oil lamp, and stepped directly into the secret passage. The large wine barrel, stained with wine, rotated back into place behind him, followed by the sound of wine being refilled.

The faint light from the outside disappeared, and the secret passage became pitch black, its destination unknown. Only the weak candlestick in his hand could barely illuminate the path ahead, and the smell of cheap wine lingered in the air.

Lynn walked along the dimly lit passage, his vigilance heightened, his mind constantly recalling information about his fellow apprentices.

Because his mentor, Coru, had been traveling constantly over the years, he didn't have a fixed residence, nor did he keep every apprentice by his side.

After all, too many unfamiliar faces suddenly appearing in a city would be conspicuous and not conducive to hiding their identities.

Therefore, the original owner's understanding of these people was very limited. He had mostly only met them a few times, knowing their names and appearances.

The only one he was relatively familiar with was Joanne, who had sent him a letter before.

Of course, this familiarity was one-sided.

To be precise, the original owner, Carl, had a subtle, youthful affection for Joanne.

In simple terms, it was infatuation at first sight.

As Coru's most valued disciple, Joanne had high magical talent and was only one step away from becoming an Official Wizard. She was also the de facto leader of their group of apprentices after Coru's death.

Unfortunately, this one-sided subtle relationship clearly couldn't provide him with any help.

As Lynn was lost in thought, the narrow secret passage ahead gradually widened. Through the faint candlelight, Lynn suddenly realized that this secret passage led to a dense forest outside Ur Town.

It was already late at night, but the sky was not as dark as he had imagined. Silvery moonlight filtered down through the gaps in the forest canopy. The solid yellow earth ground looked as if it were covered with a transparent veil. Lynn vaguely felt that the Magic Power within him was becoming more active.

Is this Moon Day?

Through the dense foliage, Lynn could vaguely see the brilliant stars in the sky and the huge full moon. According to the original owner Carl's memories, this peculiar astronomical phenomenon occurred only once a year and lasted for about three to five days.

However, there was no record in his memory about moonlight affecting Magic Power.

That made sense, the original owner had only been a Wizard for half a year...

Just as Lynn was thinking, a rapid whistling sound suddenly broke the silence. Over a dozen solidified Magic Missiles shot out from the surrounding dense forest, blocking all his escape routes.

A trap?

The thought immediately popped into Lynn's mind, and he reacted instantly. His free left hand flipped, and a handful of gray powder was thrown, landing in his palm. It was the remaining casting material—Ember of Crimson Fire!

Lynn threw it with force. The scattered powder ignited instantly under the effect of Magic Power, forming a scorching fire wall in front of him.

However, the hastily used new spell—Lesser Fire Wall—naturally couldn't withstand the combined efforts of several Wizard Apprentices. The Magic Missiles pierced through the sea of fire almost instantly.

Fortunately, Lynn had achieved his goal. The heat wave and high temperature generated by the fire wall caused these magic creations to lose their aim, scattering and hitting the tree trunks and yellow earth behind him.

As he watched the four figures, hidden beneath black robes, surround him in a semi-circle, Lynn silently drew the long sword from his waist. At the same time, he unfastened the storage bag containing White Phosphorus, preparing for battle.

Due to the rushed timing, the amount of White Phosphorus he had prepared was limited, but now was clearly not the time to hold back...

However, before Lynn could make a move, a clear, cold voice rang out first.

"Carl, why did you betray us?"