Sorcerer

When Soren entered the Adventurers Guild, it was bustling with activity. Quite a few merchants had gathered here, intending to have someone with a high reputation organize them and pool their strength to force their way through. If the road remained blocked, the goods in their hands would rot here. Some goods would become worthless if they missed their window of sale. If the road was sealed for one or two months, they might not even make it back to their hometowns in time. Once winter arrived, many places would be buried under ice and snow, making passage utterly impossible.

The roads in this world were still primitive. Even though roads would be carved out wherever humans lived, the snow and ice of winter could trap many people here. In his previous life, snow disasters had been rare due to global warming. But in this relatively primitive world, winter was a season when few people traveled. Even in the south, snow could pile up more than twenty centimeters deep. At that depth, a single step would sink nearly to the knee. There was no way carts and horses could get through.)

That B-rank bounty was still posted on the notice board.

Soren very much wanted to accept the task and tell them the cause of the problem, but he knew he simply did not have the ability to take that money. Leaving aside how he could prove that he knew there was a dragon there—and an Ancient Red Dragon at that.

Even if they believed him, the suspicions it would raise would be enough to bring unnecessary trouble. The Adventurers Guild would not easily believe that a mere Tier 2 Rogue could obtain such important information. His strength was not even enough to break through the monster hordes outside. The completion process of such commissions had to be recorded in rough detail. Soren did not even know the terrain over there, so how could he fabricate a flawless lie?

The merchants were still arguing. They wanted to pool their money to hire manpower, and they also wanted to ask influential merchants to jointly petition White Horse City for aid, asking it to send troops directly to clear out the monsters there. The monsters driven out from their original settlements had occupied many places, cutting off not only trade routes but also White Horse City's supplies.

"Incompetent bureaucratic nobles!"

Soren turned his head for a glance, his gaze sweeping over the young merchant complaining nearby, then walked out of the guild.

For the time being.

This group would not come up with any workable solution. It now depended on whether White Horse City would deal with it.

Every city had places that could not stand the light of day. These places bore inconspicuous markings, and unless one had dealings in the Grey Domain, it was difficult to find those dark corners hidden in narrow alleys. Soren wound his way through filthy lanes, where the air reeked of urine. Even a place like White Horse City could not avoid filth, disorder, and stench. Many residents simply dumped last night's chamber pots out their windows into the street. In other words, if you were not careful early in the morning, you might get drenched from above.

Soren soon arrived before an iron door. There was a crossed blade mark on it, with a venomous snake carved beneath it.

Knock, knock, knock.

He raised his hand and knocked. A slit opened in the doorframe, and the guard gave him a cold look before asking in a low voice, "Who?"

"Shadows are everywhere," Soren said calmly.

The heavy door soon opened. The guard glanced behind him, then invited him inside.

The interior was very spacious and filled with a large number of weapons, though most were ordinary equipment. Even Heavy Crossbows, which were contraband, could be found among them.

Many highly lethal items were contraband or Military Weapons.

They could not be bought in ordinary weapon shops. What Soren wanted was even more restricted than these, so he had to go through certain grey channels.

"What do you want?" A grim-faced man walked out.

Soren glanced at him, surveyed the surroundings, and said, "**. Wyvern Venom."

"And a Heavy Crossbow. Poison the bolts too."

The grim-faced man stared at him for a moment, then turned and sat down in a chair, crossing one leg over the other. "Those things aren't cheap."

"Did you bring enough money?"

Soren took out a heavy coin pouch and weighed it in his hand. "One hundred and twenty Gold Dalers. I want undiluted venom. Don't try to fool me with inferior goods."

That was a lesson learned through experience. He had bought diluted venom more than once in the past.

"Deal."

The grim-faced man pondered for a moment, then opened a drawer and took out a thumb-sized bottle. He tossed it directly into Soren's hand and said in a low voice, "If you're not afraid of dying, inspect it yourself."

Soren caught it, pulled out the stopper, and took a sniff. He quickly sealed it again, then tossed the money pouch over.

Wyvern Venom.

It was the most potent ** obtainable through ordinary means in the early stages, and also the venom most commonly used by Assassins. Poisoning a weapon was not as simple as smearing it on. Many ** evaporated rapidly after exposure to air. Wyvern Venom was the most stable kind, and when applied to a weapon, it could retain its potency for one or two days.

Against troublesome enemies, a Rogue had to rely on other methods!

"Come with me."

After taking the money pouch and opening it to count the coins, the grim-faced man gave him a look. "The weapon you want is in the back."

The man soon brought out a Heavy Crossbow, along with thirty dark green bolts. These bolts had been soaked in venom during manufacture, and the poison had seeped into them. They were fairly lethal to ordinary people and could also inflict considerable damage on professionals. Ordinary weapon shops could only sell standard equipment. Things like this could not be obtained through normal channels.

"Thirty Gold Dalers."

The grim-faced man tossed over the Heavy Crossbow for inspection, then said, "Need anything else? There are plenty of good things in my shop."

Soren took the Heavy Crossbow, assembled it, then put it away. "Do you have any Alchemy products?"

The grim-faced man's expression stiffened. After a pause, he said, "If that stuff gets out, it'll cause **trouble. There's no need to wait for the Church to act. The city guards will conduct large-scale searches."

Alchemy weapons were under extremely strict control.

Soren was not surprised. He paid for the Heavy Crossbow, then said, "That's all."

After Soren left, the nearby guard glanced after him and leaned closer. "Boss. What's that guy's background?"

"We're only doing business. It doesn't matter what background he has." The grim-faced man toyed with a Gold Daler between his fingers and said in a low voice, "He might be with the Shadow Mask, or he might be with the Night Brotherhood."

"Not a single one of those Rogues knows how to behave."

After buying what he needed, Soren headed toward the inn.

But before he even got close, he sensed that something was wrong. There were unexpectedly quite a few White Horse City guards nearby. He covered his weapons with his clothes and ran toward the inn where he was staying.

Many people had gathered around it, including several unfriendly-looking faces.

Something had happened!

Soren's expression instantly turned ugly. He pressed a hand against his Scimitar, and a murderous aura rose from his body.

But someone suddenly grabbed him.

The man looked somewhat familiar, probably one of the caravan guards. He pulled Soren aside and hurriedly said, "Vivian is fine."

"The little girl is very smart."

"After something happened, she came to find us. She's at the caravan compound now. The master sent me to find you."

Soren immediately let out a breath of relief.

Still shaken, he looked around, then frowned at the innkeeper in the distance, who was explaining something to the White Horse City guards. He turned and left with the caravan guard.

This matter could wait until he returned. The most important thing now was confirming Vivian's safety.

Soren walked quickly.

So quickly that the caravan guard had to jog to keep up. The two soon arrived at the caravan's compound in White Horse City. Because the Northern Witch was quite powerful, they had a private courtyard here as well as shops near the bustling district. The guard captain nodded when he saw Soren. Their relationship had grown much closer after selling the Bulette's shell. If Soren had not been in such a hurry to leave, he had planned to invite him for a drink.

After all, the profit of fifteen hundred Gold Dalers had earned them quite a bit of money as well.

"The master is inside."

The guard captain pointed toward the room in the back. "The little girl is very smart. After something happened at the inn and she couldn't find you, she immediately followed the original route back to us."

"I didn't expect an eight-year-old girl to have such a good memory. I've come here several times and still sometimes lose my way."

"She's in the master's room. We aren't allowed inside."

"Watch what you say."

"The master seems to be in a bad mood today."

Soren nodded in thanks, then took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

"Brother!"

Vivian, who had been sitting in a chair in a daze, immediately threw herself at him when she saw Soren. He caught her in his arms and gently patted her back. "It's all right. I'm back."

"Tell me what happened."

The little girl had changed into clean clothes. In her white dress, she looked like a Little Princess. The mysterious mistress of the caravan sat on a lounge chair in the room. Her expression turned grave when she saw Soren, and she frowned. "Vivian can use Spells!"

"Why didn't you tell me on the road?"

"Do you know how many problems a natural-born Sorcerer can encounter? Because of what makes them different, they are destined to attract many troubles before they grow strong!"

"If they encounter someone kind-hearted, that is one thing. But if they encounter someone with evil intentions."

"Vivian could easily become their target."

Soren froze. Although the caravan mistress's tone was unpleasant—one could even say she was scolding him—her words still caught him off guard. Her attitude told him that she cared deeply about Vivian's safety. They had known each other for less than five days. They had merely traveled together, and had not spoken much. For her to react this way could only mean that she truly liked Vivian, or that her acting was good enough to deceive even him.

The little girl seemed to easily earn the affection of others, so long as they held no ill will toward her.

Like the young priestess. Like the Northern Witch before him.

"I'm sorry."

Soren did not even know why he was apologizing, but he still put Vivian down and bowed. "We didn't want to bring unnecessary trouble upon ourselves, so we concealed the fact that Vivian can use Spells. After all, we had no way of knowing who could be trusted."

"This time, I owe you a favor."

: Sorcerers possessed innate spellcasting abilities. They began to display raw magical power during adolescence, and their first Spells might be cast unintentionally, at a time when the Sorcerer could not yet control them. Sometimes, this even led to danger. The homes of young Sorcerers were often filled with strange lights and sounds, making them look haunted. But one day, a Sorcerer would come to understand their unique power and begin practicing to improve their spellcasting techniques. A fortunate few young Sorcerers could receive guidance from older Sorcerers and learn how to use their innate power. More commonly, however, fear from friends and misunderstanding from family made young Sorcerers live lonely lives.

Because of their natural charisma, Sorcerers usually made a strong impression on others, which helped them communicate with people. But sometimes, their appearance could still bring them unnecessary trouble.

Before they grew strong, Sorcerers would always encounter many problems because of their uniqueness.)