Inquiry

A long queue formed in front of the [Best Weaponsmith Society] guild.

Since word spread that they could order Spell Ring here, not only people who wanted Spell Ring came to order one, but people with other needs also flocked here because of the reputation of being able to order Spell Ring.

Keliqi was very busy. He printed out more than a dozen copies of the manual and distributed them to the visitors, telling them to let him know after they chose the Artisan they liked.

Just then, a commotion arose outside, and the previously crowded doorway suddenly became spacious as a person in a robe walked in.

The reason everyone avoided him was because his robe had a skull pattern on it, which indicated that he was Formal Mage Necromancy School.

Ka'erfu walked straight up to Keliqi and asked directly:

"I'm Investigator from the Alliance. Where is your Artisan who can make Spell Ring?"

As he spoke, he took out a badge and showed it to Keliqi.

Keliqi remained silent for two seconds before finally speaking:

"She's... on the second floor of the building across the street, in the first room."

After a moment's thought, Keliqi decided to answer truthfully, because neither the other party's Formal Mage robes nor their status as the Alliance Investigator were things he could afford to offend.

He could only watch helplessly as the other person walked out the door, and then the enthusiasm within the entire club was doused with cold water, never to return to its previous level.

Keliqi could only hope that Fran could handle this old man.

Meanwhile, in Fran's rented room, she was trying to sell products to Bela, whom she had brought along.

"I'll only charge you for two sets of materials this time. Are you in or not?"

Bela was a little embarrassed and said:

"Is this really a good idea? Won't it affect your earning potential? I don't think it's necessary to make the Sword Dance into Spell Ring; I can just spend a little more time on it."

"We're all friends, it's alright. This isn't about making you use the ring to cast spells, but rather providing an auxiliary tool to help you perform the Sword Dance more quickly."

Perhaps unable to resist Fran's enthusiasm, Bela agreed to help make the Spell Ring.

Just then, a few knocks came from the door, interrupting their conversation and Fran's work.

Who is it?

Fran was somewhat displeased; had the people she had specifically hired failed to maintain order outside the door?

The door was opened from the outside with a key, and Fran saw a terrified face. Behind him, Fran saw the reason for his terror.

"Formal Mage."

Fran was a little annoyed. Could it be that these Formal Mage were taking advantage of their status to try and cut in line so that she could be their mages first?

However, Fran wasn't afraid. She knew that the strongest person in the City of Apprentices was her mentor, a Fourth Order Mage. She didn't believe that he wasn't afraid of that title.

"Investigator from the Alliance."

Ka'erfu revealed his badge, which surprised Fran. Was he Investigator from the Alliance?

Although she didn't know if the Alliance Investigator really only needed this badge to prove their identity, the other party was also Formal Mage, and given her current status, she should show them respect.

"You are Fran."

Hearing this impolite question, Fran frowned, but still gave an answer:

"What is wrong with me?"

A smile played on Ka'erfu's lips as he slowly spoke:

"I am Investigator from the Alliance. This mission is to investigate the disappearance of Belori, the main person in charge of the City of Apprentices of the Transmutation School..."

Fran's heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm.

"And then what? What does that have to do with me?"

Ka'erfu placed his hands on his waist and chuckled:

"You've shown the most abnormalities, apprentice."

"I don't know where you got your Spell Ring crafting skills from, how you managed to bypass those people's blockade on this technology."

"I've heard that the Artisan who make Spell Ring can never leave an island for their entire lives, and their families must stay on the island as well."

"So how did you acquire this skill?"

Then, without waiting for Fran's reply, he continued:

"There's another matter. Recently, the Magic Artisan's Guild has received a large number of dagger orders. According to the enforcement team's investigation, these orders were also placed by you. How do you explain this?"

Fran did not answer directly, but instead asked in return:

"How do these things relate to your investigation?"

Ka'erfu's smile gradually faded; he had only been giving the other party a friendly look because the other party knew how to make Spell Ring.

But the other party didn't seem to appreciate it and instead started questioning his behavior.

This displeased him, who was used to the flattery of his apprentices. Since becoming Formal Mage, no apprentice had ever dared to disobey him like this.

He spoke calmly, his face grim:

"This is also a rule of the Alliance... Investigator can investigate anomalies that are somewhat related to the mission."

"And all of these things happened in the City of Apprentices; that's the connection between them."

Fran then decided to give him a proper response.

"Let me first explain why I placed such a large order for daggers."

"I ordered so many materials to practice my enchanting skills and learn about the runes."

Ka'erfu was quite displeased. He felt as if the other party was not treating him as a Formal Mage, and there was no respect in their words.

Although he didn't understand much about these enchantments, he knew that explaining such a large quantity as "practice" was a stretch.

"And then there's where my Spell Ring crafting technique came from..."

Fran paused for a moment, then took out a badge with a hammer design on it.

"I obtained it from my mentor, Habsburg, the chief of the Forge School, and I am also a member of the Forge School."

"It was only through ordering a large number of practice daggers that my rune-carving Arts reached a very high level, which allowed Lord Harbos to gladly incorporate me into the Forge School. Are you satisfied with this explanation?"

Ka'erfu's face stiffened. He knew Harbos. Ever since his misunderstanding of the Association last time, he had been asking about all the major events that had happened recently, including the arrival of Harbos, a Fourth Order Mage, in the City of Apprentices.

"Sorry to bother you, everything's fine on my end."

Ka'erfu could only lower his head and hurriedly walk out the door. He knew that although his status as Investigator was high, it was still lower than that of a Fourth Order Mage.

Are you alright?

Bela asked from the side.

"It's alright, my mentor is a Fourth Order Mage, nothing will happen."

Fran glanced back at the doorway, then quickly turned her head away.

Now she truly understood the feeling of "beating the little one and getting the big one, beating the big one and getting the old one."

How come there's still one after I hit one?

No, perhaps I should take the initiative and pin the blame on something else. I can't keep making people disappear, or it'll just keep getting investigated.