Target, Falasong!

Chapter 45: Target, Falasong!

Create a spell?

Linton felt this quest was making things difficult for him.

Though mages did indeed need to accomplish such things if they wanted to grow stronger, that was only necessary after level sixty.

He was only level twenty now. Wasn't this appearing a little too early?

Of course, Linton did not voice any complaints over it.

Difficulty was good. Difficulty meant challenge.

If you wanted to grow stronger, get rich, and freeload all at once, where could you possibly find such a good deal?

Closing his eyes, Linton began planning how to complete this quest.

First, he posed two questions to himself.

What were the requirements for creating a spell? What type of spell should he create—one focused on damage, control, buffs, or debuffs?

He considered the second question first.

Linton thought carefully for a while.

At first, he wanted to create a high-damage spell. Without Iris by his side, he was practically a blank-slate mage. If he encountered an enemy alone, at best he could freeze them for three seconds, turn and run for his life, then get cut down with a single slash once those three seconds were up.

But after thinking it over, he rejected that idea.

The reason was that a necromancer's mechanics relied on puppets for damage output, while the necromancer themself served as support. No matter how much damage the spell he created dealt, could it really surpass Miss Knight's true damage?

Linton was doubtful about that.

Besides, he only had one puppet right now, Iris, which was why he had the thought, What should I do if Iris isn't by my side? But once he had more puppets in the future, wouldn't that problem solve itself?

So he gave up on that idea.

In the end, Linton set his sights on a buff-and-debuff spell.

His puppets handled most of the damage, and he already had control skills. Once he had a skill for stacking buffs, he could form a one-man party.

As for the first question, it was actually quite simple, because this continent had countless examples to draw from.

To create a spell, a mage first needed extensive knowledge and relentless practice, but the most crucial factor was talent.

People could not all be judged by the same standard. That was practically a cliché.

Of course, talent was not much of a problem for Linton. A player's talent was nothing more than reaction speed or mechanical skill.

But knowledge was indeed something he needed to supplement.

So where should he go to acquire more knowledge?

Linton opened his eyes and looked at Miss Knight, who was poking her head out to admire the scenery out of sheer boredom.

"Iris."

"Hm?" Iris turned around. "What is it?"

"That Miss Vera you mentioned—she's very knowledgeable, right?"

"Yeah."

"The library she likes to spend time in must have plenty of books on all kinds of magic, right?"

"Of course! It's the largest library in the Kingdom of Blossoms, with the biggest collection of books."

"One last question. How is your relationship with her?"

"Very good, I guess?"

Halfway through her answer, Iris suddenly hesitated.

To be honest, after experiencing betrayal from her own family, she no longer dared to assume that others treated her the same way she treated them.

After a long silence, she asked, "Why are you suddenly asking me that? Don't tell me you want to use Vera to get into the Magic Academy's library?"

"No, no, no." Linton shook his head with a soft laugh. "Since she's your friend, I'll naturally treat her with courtesy. Using her isn't how one treats a friend."

"Then you..."

"I just want to have an academic exchange with her." Linton blinked sincerely. "Or rather, ask her for guidance?"

"Huh?"

That answer left Iris utterly confused.

No matter how she looked at it, a necromancer did not seem like the sort of good student who loved learning.

"If you want to ask questions, Vera should be very willing to answer them," she said. "Whenever I have free time, I go sit with her. Every time, lots of people come to ask her about all kinds of things."

"I understand."

Linton rubbed his fingertips together and opened the map on his personal panel.

"Creak—"

The carriage abruptly came to a stop, then turned around and headed away from its original destination.

Target: Falasong!

On the plains dozens of kilometers from Falasong stood a small village.

Though calling it a village would be less accurate than calling it a rest stop for adventurers.

All sorts of adventurers gathered here, exchanging information, trading items, and resting up.

Iris frowned and swept her gaze around.

Most adventurers spent long periods exploring outside and paid little attention to personal hygiene, so a strange sour stench permeated the entire village.

Scooting closer to Linton, Iris asked quietly, "What are we doing here?"

Linton smiled. "Of course, we're looking for a way into the city."

"Do you think people with our current identities can just walk into the city openly?"

"..."

"I don't really care. At worst, they'll interrogate me, toss me in prison for a few days, then let me out later. But you..." Linton tilted his head toward the girl. "Setting aside whether the abnormalities in your body might be discovered, you're a Flower Knight trainee—and one of the best, at that—who disappeared for several days for unknown reasons. Do you think they won't investigate?"

"And when they trace things back to your hometown, find that your house was burned down, with your father's corpse and another person's remains inside, and cannot uncover any other suspects, then even the least likely possibility will become possible."

"I understand."

Iris let out a dejected sigh.

Linton gently patted her head, then withdrew his hand just as she was about to swat it away.

"Come with me."

Linton led Iris past rows of houses echoing with vendors' cries until they reached an area filled with tents.

There were plenty of adventurers here as well, but unlike the bustle elsewhere, this place was much quieter. Most people hurried in and left in an even greater rush.

"This is where information is sold," Linton explained. "Adventurers can inquire here about Secret Realms, dangerous areas, and other intelligence they want to know. They can also sell information they possess."

"Of course, if it's confirmed that someone sold false information, the consequences won't be pleasant."

As he spoke, Linton entered one of the tents.

The tent's owner was a rotund man. Seeing someone enter, he barely opened his eyes.

—Calling it opening his eyes was an exaggeration. They were only slits.

"What do you want?"

"To get into the city."

"Ten thousand each."

Linton raised his hand and tossed over a bag of gold coins.

The man opened the bag and checked it over, a glint flashing through his eyes.

"See you tonight, sir."