Led by a shipworker, Lynn left the bustling docks, crossed several streets, and stopped before a long-abandoned, dilapidated house in the north of the city.
"Please come in, Lord Labul. Mr. Laud is waiting for you inside," the shipworker said, gesturing toward the door.
Lynn nodded and pushed the door open. Only then did he realize that the rundown exterior was merely a disguise; the inside of the house was entirely different.
The surrounding walls were built from massive stone blocks. Precious oil paintings and sculptures hung on the mirror-smooth walls, while the air carried a faint, elegant scent of perfume.
In stark contrast to the refined surroundings, burly men holding massive axes stood on either side of the room. They stared greedily at Lynn as though he were a lamb awaiting slaughter.
Lame Laud stood before a long table. He looked to be around fifty, with a head full of white hair and a thin, hunched frame. Naturally, the most eye-catching thing about him was his wooden prosthetic leg.
The moment he saw Lynn, rage surged within Laud, and he snapped angrily.
"Labul, have you lost your mind? I told you not to cause me any trouble recently..."
"Yet today, you got into a huge fight with Bob at the docks over a shipment of goods. Do you realize the Church may have already noticed us? Two merchant ships have been seized in the past three days..."
Laud cursed furiously, but he soon realized that something was wrong with the Labul before him. Under his scolding, this man showed neither fear nor panic. Instead, he kept taking step after step closer.
"Wait... you're not Labul!" Thoughts raced through Laud's mind, and he immediately realized the truth. He stumbled back several steps in terror, then looked toward the guards beside him and shouted an order.
"Stop him!"
Everyone allowed into this room was one of Laud's carefully selected confidants. Upon hearing the order, the burly guards around them did not hesitate. They raised their axes and brought them crashing down at Lynn.
[Overload Mode activated. Duration: three seconds!]
Just before the axe blades reached him, Lynn silently recited the words in his mind.
In an instant, every position and movement in the room turned into data within his mind.
Lynn casually sidestepped a burly man's sneak attack, seized the man's axe, and kicked him flying. Then he spun around, swung the haft, and smashed the back of the axe hard into one unlucky man's stomach. After that, he charged forward with the axe in hand and swiftly knocked all the remaining guards to the floor.
In that brief moment, Laud had flipped over the long table blocking his way. His wooden right leg was even more nimble than a real one, whistling through the air as he crossed more than ten meters in just a few strides.
Lame Laud... could actually run incredibly fast!
The bizarre sight made Lynn pause for a moment, but he quickly recovered. Raising his hand, several crystalline ice blades appeared in midair.
At the same time, Laud sensed the threatening presence behind him, but he paid it no mind. The hidden passage was right before him; he only needed to reach out and touch it.
However, the ice blades were faster. Though launched later, they struck first, hitting his right prosthetic leg. Laud lost his balance and fell to the floor in a miserable heap. Then another Blade of Ice flew over and pinned his robe to the ground.
"Go on, keep running!" Lynn said coldly as he advanced step by step. He had put considerable effort into finding Laud over the past few days, so naturally he would not let him escape.
However, Lynn soon realized that what he had just said sounded rather like something a villain would say. He immediately changed his tone and explained.
"Actually, I came to save you, Mr. Laud!"
Feeling the chill radiating around him, Lame Laud looked at the kind-faced Lynn and swallowed with difficulty.
Fine. He would believe him for now!
After a friendly exchange, their small misunderstanding was resolved. Laud called over several subordinates to tidy up the somewhat messy room, then invited Lynn to sit down.
"My lord wizard, you specifically came to see me. What are your orders?" Laud asked cautiously.
"Of course I came to save you!" Lynn said without hesitation. "As far as I know, the Church has secretly sent three thousand guards into Harbor Town. They should be here for the Ship Gang!"
"Not necessarily..." Laud shook his head. He had naturally received the same news, but he did not agree with Lynn's judgment.
"Just three days ago, Archbishop Antioch of the Nordland Territory led men in a surprise attack on Ur Town, only to encounter a powerful wizard. They paid a heavy price just to drive him back. Those three thousand guards should have been sent to guard against that wizard."
As he spoke, Laud suddenly looked toward Lynn, a faint suspicion emerging in his heart.
"That's right. I was the one who fought that Archbishop before," Lynn nodded, with no intention of hiding it.
Seeing Lynn admit it, Laud could not help clicking his tongue in amazement. According to the intelligence he had received earlier, Bishop Antioch had ultimately succeeded in driving that wizard away, but he himself had suffered grievous injuries that could not be healed.
Rumor had it that the place where they fought had been burned into a barren wasteland, and those terrifying flames had yet to go out...
That showed just how powerful and strange that spell was...
Could the man sitting before him be a Great Wizard?
No, that was unlikely.
Laud quickly dismissed the thought. He had once witnessed the power of a Great Wizard. At full strength, one could even temporarily freeze the massive whirlpool known as the natural disaster, the Eye of Death. If Lynn possessed such power, Bishop Antioch should have been the one fleeing back then.
With that in mind, Laud immediately concluded that this man was likely a powerful Three-Ring Wizard!
Unaware of Laud's thoughts, Lynn continued explaining. "If you think the Church is making such a show simply to target me alone, then you're being far too foolish. Antioch's real goal is to find the sea route leading to the Land of Wizards. Otherwise, that Archbishop would not have specifically come to Harbor Town."
"Besides, I also received some news. On his way to Harbor Town, Antioch captured several Wizard Apprentices."
"They are all Coru's disciples, and they all know that this sea route is connected to the Ship Gang. The Church has not acted yet because they probably have not managed to pry enough information from them."
"Neither you nor I have much time left," Lynn said solemnly.
(PS: It isn't easy being a new book. Please support it in any way you can!)
Before you continue