Exposure and Cooperation

Exposure and Cooperation

Back on the broad road, Dole had already disguised himself as Lin Rui. A huge bundle was slung over his back, and a woodcutter's blade hung at his waist. His burly build alone made him look like someone not to be trifled with.

Before long, he arrived at the city gates.

Just then, Bal tugged at his trouser leg and glanced toward the city wall.

Dole looked at Bal, then followed his gaze and saw several large notices posted on the wall. Quite a few people were reading them, while someone was loudly reciting their contents so that even those who could not read would know what had happened.

Dole took only one glance before quickly reading through the notice. A chill rose straight from his heart.

The notice said that two black wizards had been roaming near Duomeng City and had committed an exceptionally gruesome poisoning, wiping out an entire village of more than thirty people. The culprits had now been captured and would be burned at the stake at the city gates tomorrow morning. Everyone was urged to spread the word: should they encounter wandering wizards in the future, they must report them at once, lest widespread deaths and injuries occur.

More than thirty people killed in one stroke. Those wandering wizards were rather formidable.

But when he thought of a wizard's methods, Dole fell silent again.

Whether through poison or other means, he too could kill so many ordinary people in one go. But why would anyone do such a thing? Just how twisted had their hearts become? Or were they cultivating some sort of black magic? No profession surpassed wizards when it came to creating terror and panic.

Black wizards—Dole had learned another new term.

Naluye's biography had also mentioned black wizards many times. They were a pack of madmen who would stop at nothing to achieve their ends, having long since gravely violated ethics and morality. They could simply be described as demons.

Naluye's advice for encountering a black wizard was to kill them immediately. If one could not kill them, then one must not approach them lightly.

"Black wizards?" Dole's expression darkened.

Turning his head, he swept his gaze around the city gates. Fele was absent again today. Had something happened to him, or had he been transferred elsewhere?

There were countless soldiers, carts, and laborers outside the city gates. Along the area near Bianchi Mine, they were beginning to build a road into the mountains, making a great fanfare of it all. It was a lively sight.

Dole knew this was likely groundwork laid by the Ability Society for developing the magic crystal mine. Among those people were all sorts, even prisoners.

Dole's disguise was the same as last time: a hood, a huge bundle on his back, and two thick, dark arms exposed to the sun. At a glance, anyone could tell he was someone who spent his days outdoors, making his background easy to guess.

His arms were covered in scars, savage and frightening to behold. Even the street thugs had no desire to come looking for trouble with him.

When he entered Future Pharmacy, the sharp-eyed owner had spotted him long ago. Seeing the bulging pack on his back, he immediately called out to someone, then hurried over and ushered him into the back.

Entering the storeroom, Dole set down his bundle and said, "Thank you for the books, Boss. This time, I found quite a few good medicinal herbs. Please give me a price."

As he slowly opened the bundle, the owner's eyes immediately lit up.

"My name is Miledi. You can call me Old Mi. These herbs of yours are truly excellent. You must have gone to quite a few places no one else has visited, huh?"

More than places no one had visited—there had not been anyone there at all, alright?

He smiled and said, "Not bad. My Bal is clever. He always leads me to good places. My name is Lin Rui." He rubbed Bal's head beside him.

Only then did Old Mi look at the dog beside Dole.

It was merely a filthy dog, clearly not any fine breed—a very ordinary mountain dog. Yet its eyes were bright and beautiful.

Old Mi nodded and said no more, focusing instead on examining the herbs Dole had gathered.

This time there were even more herbs than before, and their quality was better as well. Old Mi was so pleased that he could not close his mouth. Though many herb farmers supplied him with greater quantities than Dole could, their quality absolutely could not compare. This fellow casually brought out second- and third-level medicinal herbs—truly impressive. Coupled with the scars on his body, Old Mi knew that this youngster had likely suffered quite a bit. After all, only a little over ten days had passed since their last encounter.

"A total of sixteen types of medicinal herbs, all second- and third-level, and of decent quality. I'll give you fifteen gold coins for them. Lin Rui, what do you need for yourself?"

Dole nodded, took out a list, and placed it before Old Mi. "I need the things written on this."

Old Mi took only one look, and his pupils contracted slightly. Then he said nothing more. He called out loudly a few times, and someone came in from outside. After giving several instructions, he handed the slip of paper to that person.

The man looked at Dole but said nothing, immediately going off to prepare the items.

The room was quiet, utterly still. Neither of them spoke, and the silence was almost frightening.

After a long while, Old Mi spoke first. "Lin Rui, I can roughly guess what you intend to do with these materials and herbs. But this old man wants to advise you: remember, never harm human lives. Do not become a black wizard."

Dole's heart jolted. Raising his eyes, he stared straight at Old Mi. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I never intended to hide it from you. Becoming a black wizard is not my goal." He knew that no matter how well he disguised himself, an old physician like Old Mi would notice certain clues. Since the man had laid everything out so bluntly, Dole felt more at ease instead.

Old Mi sat down and sighed. "I've seen many wild wizards like you. Wizards are dwindling in the Northern Kingdom not because people lack talent, but because the Ability Society controls too many resources. Added to that, black wizards run rampant, giving wizards a foul reputation among ordinary folk. Yet in secret, there are still many people who want to become wizards. In Duomeng City, there are actually many underground wizards. If you choose to walk this path, it will be easy for you to run into them."

Hearing this, Dole immediately relaxed, and his eyes lit up. "There are many wizard apprentices?"

To ease Dole's concerns, Old Mi nodded with the air of a sage and said, "There are people from the great families and independent practitioners alike. The great families in particular have the largest number of wizards. Under normal circumstances, they join the Ability Society, but there are also some wizard apprentices who remain unknown. Unless necessary, I advise you not to expose yourself. With your build, it would be easy enough to disguise yourself as a warrior." He looked at Dole's skin, muscles, and the woodcutter's blade at his waist.

Dole nodded. Instead, he felt relieved now. His eyes shining brightly, he looked at Old Mi and said, "Thank you. We can cooperate in business for the long term. For now, I have no intention of contacting anyone else."

Old Mi revealed a surprised expression, then smiled. "Then take care of yourself. I would hate to lose you as a supplier. Of course, if you have any medicines to sell, you can come to me as well. Quite a few wizards supply me here too. Though naturally, I do not take poisons."

Dole studied Old Mi, understanding at once. This old fellow had grown shrewd with age; he had likely used this method to draw in many wizards as suppliers.

But at present, apart from healing ointment, spiritual power potions, and Hallucinogenic Potions, he had nothing else to sell. And none of those three could be sold.

He nodded. "I'm still learning bit by bit. If I come across anything good, I'll bring it to you."

Old Mi likewise let out a breath of relief. The moment he had said it, he had regretted it somewhat. If this fellow suddenly turned violent, he would have no choice but to expose himself.

He smiled. "Then may our cooperation be a pleasant one."

The two had nothing else to say, and the air fell silent again.

Before long, the apprentice entered from outside carrying a large box and set it before Dole.

Dole opened the box, took a look, and nodded.