Lynn: I Smell a Black Pot (Seeking Follow-ups)

Tap, tap, tap...

The continuous raindrops pattered on the deck, emitting crisp, low hums. Lynn, inside the cabin, woke from a continuous nightmare.

After clearly seeing his surroundings, Lynn couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The phantom image of the Goddess that suddenly appeared last night had put considerable psychological pressure on him. Fortunately, she didn't seem to have any intention of pursuing them.

They should be safe now.

Lynn straightened up, swung his legs off the hard wooden bed, grabbed a cloak hanging by the door, and then opened the cabin door to step onto the deck.

The gentle sea breeze, carrying droplets of seawater, rushed towards him, bringing a salty and moist scent that dispelled the stale air within the cabin.

Lynn looked up into the distance. A dense fog permeated the sea, enveloping the entire sailboat. He could only vaguely see about three to five meters beyond the ship.

This mist seemed to possess some kind of mysterious power. Even when he used the first-circle Magic, Tik's Far Sight, he couldn't penetrate the white mist to see further.

Sailing under such conditions was undeniably dangerous. Not only was it difficult to discern direction, but there was also the possibility of crashing into reefs.

"Wizard, you're awake? Did you sleep well last night?"

A familiar voice sounded from behind him. Lynn turned his head and saw it was Lame Laud.

However, compared to last night, he looked somewhat dispirited, clearly having been quite frightened.

Lynn didn't answer Laud's question but spoke directly. "Is this the Sea of Mists? How do you usually determine direction, and how long does it take to reach the Land of Wizards?"

"Normally, it takes more than half a month to sail from Harbor Town. As for how we determine direction..." Laud very cautiously took out a compass.

Lynn leaned in curiously. The compass was round, made of wood, and its surface was inscribed with many complex Runes and patterns. The most eye-catching part was the needle on top, which was pointing motionlessly in the direction the ship was sailing.

Could it be a compass?

Lynn guessed inwardly, then heard Laud explain.

"This compass is an Alchemical Creation made by Great Wizard Herlam. No matter where we are, it will always point in the direction of the Land of Wizards."

This was their reliance for traversing the Sea of Mists. No matter where they started, as long as they followed the direction indicated by the compass, they could always find the Land of Wizards.

How magical... Lynn picked up the compass and examined it carefully. He felt a slight interest in the Great Wizard named Herlam, as this was the second time he had heard the name.

It seemed Antioch's elaborate schemes against a few Wizard Apprentices, all to lure out Laud, were for the purpose of obtaining this compass.

If this thing were handed over to the Holy See, it would undoubtedly be a great achievement!

Since he couldn't understand the Runes on the compass, Lynn simply noted them down inwardly before returning the item.

Laud took it back, his expression becoming somewhat conflicted. After a long while, he cautiously asked, "Are you a Great Wizard?"

"Naturally not," Lynn shook his head, not daring to admit it.

He was currently just a Wizard Apprentice who had only recently started learning Magic. It was one thing to have been mistaken for an Official Wizard before, as he could indeed do many things that only Official Wizards could do with the help of the intelligent system. But reaching the level of a Great Wizard was still too far off.

Without the help of over a thousand people from the Ship Gang, he wouldn't have been able to set up traps capable of destroying the entire Harbor Town dock.

What had annihilated Antioch and the others was less Magic and more the power of science.

Seeing Lynn shake his head in denial, Laud appeared somewhat skeptical. He had personally witnessed the terrifying explosion last night, which was definitely the might of high-level Magic!

But recalling that Lynn had asked him to collect a large amount of raw materials, Laud secretly guessed that this Witchcraft, called "fireworks," probably required some kind of special ritual to be prepared beforehand to unleash such powerful Magic.

"If that's the case, when we reach the Land of Wizards, you might face some reprimand," Laud sighed.

Lynn's expression immediately changed, and his gaze towards Laud held a hint of danger. He vaguely sensed the scent of being framed.

Under Lynn's "kind" gaze, Laud quickly began to explain.

Although this route from Harbor Town to the Land of Wizards was one he had been operating, the person who created this route was Great Wizard Herlam.

To put it bluntly, the entire Ship Gang was merely a tool in his hands. Whether they wanted to or not, they had to transport some scarce supplies to the Land of Wizards every year.

As they had always acted in secrecy, there had been no major mistakes in over a decade. Now, due to Joanne and others, this transportation route had been directly destroyed.

If Lynn were also a Great Wizard, he naturally wouldn't have to worry too much. But if he wasn't, he needed to be prepared to be held accountable, which was why Laud had specifically asked for confirmation.

With Laud's explanation, Lynn quickly understood the situation and couldn't help but feel troubled. He naturally understood the importance of this route.

This "pot" should have been carried by his mentor, Coru. If his mentor hadn't been so audacious and attempted to abduct the Duke's second daughter, only to be caught red-handed, how could the Holy See have followed the clues all the way to Harbor Town...

"Is this the only route to travel from the Land of Wizards to the Secas Empire?" Lynn asked.

"There should be more... The Sea of Mists also connects to another important port – Victnil, the capital of the Secas Empire," Laud said hesitantly. Although he couldn't be a hundred percent sure, he guessed that someone in Victnil City was likely doing the same thing he was.

"I understand," Lynn nodded. It seemed things hadn't escalated to the worst possible outcome. However, he had no intention of taking the blame and needed to find a way to shake it off...

While thinking, Lynn casually asked Laud for various intelligence about the Land of Wizards. He was too unfamiliar with this place, and without enough information, it would be easy to suffer losses.

After several inquiries, Lynn learned that the Land of Wizards was different from what he had previously imagined. It wasn't a sanctuary established by Wizards persecuted by the Holy See, but a massive island that had existed for hundreds of years, possessing cities, ports, and a population of 600,000. Internally, it could almost be considered a small kingdom...

However, there was no king or nobles here. Instead, there were Wizards and various schools of thought. The highest authority was held by the Wizard Council, composed of several Legendary Wizards