Wizard Inn

Dago put away the exquisite leather storage pouch and took out another bulging ordinary cloth bag.

He poured its contents onto the table and counted them. There were twenty-eight Low-Grade Magic Stones in total.

Twenty of them were spoils seized from the slain Black-Robed Wizards and belonged to the Forest Patrol as communal property.

They were meant to cover the three of their daily expenses and equipment supplies.

The wizard inn they had found in the town's noble district the previous night had already cost them nine—three Low-Grade Magic Stones per person for a month.

They had originally wanted to find somewhere to stay in the town residents' district, but every place had been full. Left with no choice, they had come to the noble district to look for lodging.

In the end, they found this wizard inn, which cost more than ten times as much as inns in the residential areas on the outskirts of town.

Still, expensive had its reasons. This inn was both quiet and safe.

To help wizards meditate and cultivate more effectively, it had specially built soundproof rooms.

A tall courtyard wall separated the inn from the street, while the first floor had a courtyard and tea room where wizards could calm their minds.

Besides, Dago and the other two had already been exhausted that night and only wanted to rest as soon as possible, so they chose this place.

Dago looked at the small pile of glittering, pigeon-egg-sized Magic Stones on the table and felt troubled.

At the town's current prices, these Magic Stones would not be enough.

Even without considering food, three months at the inn alone would drain their Magic Stone bag dry.

Dago rose from the table, walked to the room's window, and pushed it open. Bright moonlight spilled inside.

He braced both hands against the windowsill, letting the breeze stir his half-dried long hair as he considered his plans for the future.

It was late at night, yet the tea room below the inn was still lit, with quite a few staff members moving about.

In the distance, at Ainak Wizard Academy, a light membrane covering the entire academy gave off a faint glow beneath the moonlight.

Looking closely, one could see that the towering beam from the enormous rock at the academy entrance was sustaining the membrane.

It was all because of the war brought by the Duskblood Council. In the days ahead, both the town and the academy would become even more unsettled.

Dago gazed calmly at the distant academy and thought of his improved, transformed Flame Core Air Bullet.

In the brutal wizard world, he could barely be said to possess a trump card capable of keeping him alive.

Although activating that trump card would exhaust all of his mental power in an instant and reduce his combat ability to zero.

As he continued improving, however, his Meditation Method would also undergo Metamorphosis, greatly increasing his total mental power. That gave him some confidence.

At his current stage, he could use only one Flame Core in each battle at most. His total mental power was too low to sustain such enormous, repeated consumption.

As Dago's thoughts wandered, he suddenly heard a mournful hum in the distance, like wind blowing through a bronze pipe.

He looked toward the source of the tremendous sound.

A Silver-Patterned Airship, dozens of meters long and made of wood, slowly rose from the academy castle.

The hull was covered in branching silver patterns that flowed with radiance, glittering in the night sky like a flying silver tree.

The airship hovered in the air, its silver patterns flashing as it passed from the inside through the academy's light membrane, sending ripples across it.

Then high-temperature flames burst from its rear, and it rapidly flew toward the distance, completely vanishing into the night.

Dago's worldview was instantly overturned. He stared in a daze, as though he had arrived in a dazzling new world. It felt wonderful.

At noon the next day, Dago, Mariko, and Selena walked out of the wizard inn side by side. They found a restaurant nearby that did not look too expensive and went inside.

The restaurant hummed with conversation. Dago and the other two casually chose a round table, sat down, and ordered lunches they liked.

After a night's rest, Dago found that both of them were in good spirits.

Mariko's complexion had clearly improved, and Selena's sprained ankle had healed as well.

While the three ate, academy wizards at several nearby tables kept chatting...

Naturally, they were discussing the Duskblood Council invasion. Dago listened closely, picking out the information hidden among their words.

Some discussed how no one knew how many wandering wizards had poured into town the day before. The place was now a complete mess, with all sorts of people mixed together.

Some pessimistically claimed that the Duskblood Council had already reached the gates, pushing into the forest around the town and preparing to break through.

Others excitedly insisted that the Silver-Patterned Airship that had flown out of the academy the night before would surely defeat the Duskblood Council.

Dago said to the other two, "The town should be relatively safe for the time being, but we can't keep living at the inn. We need to find a suitable place for temporary lodging. There's no rush, though. We have a month to choose slowly."

The two nodded in succession, showing no objections.

Dago nodded as well and continued, "We also need to make combat preparations and replenish our supplies. We can't be complacent just because things are peaceful. Those are roughly our two tasks this afternoon."

Dago then took out six Low-Grade Magic Stones, gave three to each of them as spending money, and arranged a time to return to the inn.

After lunch, the three left the restaurant and went their separate ways.

Selena wanted to follow Dago, but he refused.

Dago meant to temper her timid, introverted nature and make her more independent.

Following the town's central avenue, he arrived at the Wizard Hall. The magnificent hall was packed with academy wizards who had withdrawn from the front lines, fiercely protesting something.

"Why are you refusing to let us return to the academy just because you think there might be spies among us?"

"We shed blood for the academy! We want to return to the academy!"

"Refund us! Fucking refund us!"

Dago heard several leaders shouting loudly. A sense of foreboding rose within him, and he hurried toward the academy.

Not long after, Dago arrived at the academy gates and saw more than a dozen wizards in tattered robes sitting silently outside.

More than a dozen academy wizards with cold, stern expressions stood in the middle of the gate. Each held a wand and watched the seated wizards closely.

Two of them were acquaintances of Dago's: Raymond and Vissel.

Raymond stepped forward and said loudly, "Someone among you betrayed the academy. Please forgive us for taking such a drastic measure and forbidding you from returning. Please wait quietly in town. We will clear your names."

The wizards sitting on the ground ignored him. Clearly, they were not satisfied with the academy's explanation.

Raymond shook his head helplessly, but then he noticed Dago waving to greet him, and his eyes lit up.

However, Vissel also spotted Dago at that moment. His expression instantly darkened, jealousy and panic flashing through his eyes as he walked over and whispered a few words into Raymond's ear.

After Vissel finished, Raymond's expression turned calm. He gave Dago a meaningful look, then turned and walked into the academy.

Seeing Raymond flick his sleeve and leave, Vissel shot Dago several smug glances.

Seeing this, Dago thought, Judging by this, I won't be able to enter the academy for now either. I never expected Vissel to be so narrow-minded. I can only find another way.

He did not linger there any longer. Without even looking at Vissel, he turned and left.