Chapter 46: Sorcerer
Adventurers’ Guild. When Soren entered, it was bustling with activity, a number of merchants were gathered here, preparing for those of high reputation to unite and pool their strength to break through. If the roads remained blocked, their goods would spoil here, and some items would result in severe losses if missed in timing. If the roads were blocked for a month or two, they might not even have time to return to their hometowns; many places would be covered in ice and snow after winter arrived, making passage impossible.
The roads in this world were still very primitive; even where human activity existed, roads were opened up, but winter’s ice and snow could trap many people. In the last life, due to global warming, snow disasters were rare, but in this relatively primitive world, winter was a time when people were scarce. Even the southern heavy snow could reach over twenty centimeters thick. Such thickness would reach up to one’s knees when stepped on, making it impossible for large carts and horses to pass through.
The B-tier mission notice still hung on the bulletin board.
Soren was eager to take on this task and share what he knew about the reason for it, but he knew he didn’t have the strength to deserve that payment. Not to mention how he would prove that there was a dragon there, and furthermore an Ancient Red Dragon.
The mere suspicion that would arise from their belief in him would be enough to cause unnecessary trouble; the Adventurers’ Guild would not easily trust a Second Tier thief to obtain such crucial information. His strength was insufficient to even break through the monster horde outside; missions like this required a record of the rough completion process, and Soren wasn’t even clear on the terrain over there, so how could he possibly fabricate a flawless lie?
The merchants were still arguing; they wanted to unite to pool funds to hire help and also seek assistance from a high-ranking merchant to request White Horse City to send troops to clear out the monsters there. Many areas had been occupied by monsters displaced from their original gathering place, which not only cut off trade routes but also severed the supplies to White Horse City.
“Incompetent bureaucratic nobility!”
Soren turned his head to glance at a young merchant nearby who was complaining, then walked toward the guild exit.
In the short term, this group was unable to provide a viable idea, and now it was up to whether White Horse City would take action.
In every city, there are places that cannot see the light of day. These places have unassuming signs, and unless one is involved in the gray areas, it is difficult to find those dark corners of alleys. Soren twisted and turned in a dirty alley, with a smell of urine in the air. Even in a place like White Horse City, it couldn’t escape filth and stench; many residents would simply pour their chamber pots out of the windows onto the streets. This meant that if one wasn’t careful in the early morning, one could end up drenched.
Soren quickly arrived at an iron door, which had a crossed kn*fe mark, with a snake engraved below it.
Knock, knock, knock.
He knocked on the door, and a slot opened in the doorframe; the guard looked at him coldly and said in a deep voice, “Who?”
“The shadows are everywhere,” Soren replied calmly.
The heavy door opened quickly; the guard glanced behind him and then invited him in.
Inside was very spacious, filled with numerous weapons, most of which were ordinary equipment, including banned items like crossbows.
Many items with considerable lethality were classified as prohibited goods and military weapons.
Regular weapon shops wouldn’t sell these; what Soren wanted was even more restricted, so he had to go through some gray channels.
“What do you want?” A cold-faced man stepped out.
Soren glanced at him, looked around, and said, “The venom of a Bipedal Dragon.”
“And a crossbow; the crossbow bolts need to be poisoned as well.”
The cold-faced man stared at him for a moment, then turned and sat down in a chair, crossing his legs, “These things aren’t cheap.”
“Do you have enough money?”
Soren pulled out a heavy coin pouch, gave it a shake, and said, “120 Gind; I want undiluted venom, don’t try to pass off inferior products on me.”
This was a lesson learned through experience; he had purchased diluted venom before.
“Deal.”
The cold-faced man thought for a moment, then opened a drawer, took out a thumb-sized vial, and tossed it into Soren’s hand, saying, “If you’re not afraid of d*ath, you can test the quality yourself.”
Soren caught it, uncorked the vial to smell it, then quickly capped it and tossed the coin pouch back.
Bipedal Dragon venom.
This was the most potent poison available through conventional means; it was also the most commonly used poison by assassins. Poisoning wasn’t just a simple act; many poisons would evaporate quickly upon contact with air, but Bipedal Dragon venom was the most stable, and when applied to weapons could retain its toxicity for a day or two.
To deal with some particularly troublesome enemies, a thief must rely on other means!
“Follow me.”
After taking the coin pouch, the cold-faced man counted it and then nodded towards the back, “The weapons you want are back there.”
He quickly brought out a crossbow, along with thirty dark green crossbow bolts; these bolts were soaked in venom during production, making them lethal to ordinary people and effective against professionals as well. Conventional weapon shops could only sell ordinary gear, and such items couldn’t be procured through standard channels.
“Thirty Gind.”
The cold-faced man tossed the crossbow for inspection and asked, “Is there anything else you need? My shop has plenty of good stuff.”
Soren assembled the crossbow and put it away, saying, “Do you have any alchemical products?”
The cold-faced man’s expression stiffened, pausing before saying, “That stuff is dangerous if it gets into the wrong hands; there’s no need to wait for the church to take action; the city guards will conduct large-scale searches.”
The regulation of alchemical weapons was very strict.
Soren was not surprised, paid for the crossbow, and then said, “That will be all.”
Once Soren left, a guard nearby glanced at him and approached, saying, “Boss, what’s that guy’s background?”
“We’re just doing business; it doesn’t matter who he is.” The cold-faced man toyed with a Gind, saying solemnly, “He might be from the Shadows Mask or the Night Brotherhood.”
“These wanderers never behave.”
After Soren got what he wanted, he headed towards the inn.
But he hadn’t gotten close before he sensed something was off; there were quite a number of White Horse City guards nearby. He quickly concealed his weapons with his clothing and ran towards the inn where he was staying.
A crowd had gathered around, and there were some unfriendly faces.
Something happened!
Soren’s expression instantly turned grim; he pressed his hand against his curved blade, feeling a surge of killing intent.
But someone suddenly pulled him back.
The person looked somewhat familiar; he should be a guard from the merchant caravan. He came over to pull Soren and said anxiously, “Vivian is fine.”
“The little girl is very clever.”
“After the incident, she found us right away; she’s currently at the caravan’s base. The Mistress sent me to find you.”
Soren immediately relaxed.
He anxiously looked around, frowning as he glanced at the innkeeper, who was explaining to the guards from White Horse City in the distance, then turned and followed the caravan guard away.
This matter could be dealt with later; the most important thing was to ensure Vivian’s safety.
Soren walked quickly.
So much so that the caravan guard had to jog to keep up, and the two soon arrived at the merchant caravan base within White Horse City. Because of the Northern Witch’s considerable power, they had a special independent courtyard and shops near the bustling area. The Guard Captain nodded to Soren upon seeing him; their relationship had become much closer after selling the Burrowing Worm shells together. If Soren hadn’t been in a hurry to leave, he would have invited Soren for a drink.
After all, the profit of 1500 Gind had earned them quite a bit.
“The Mistress is inside.”
The Guard Captain pointed to the room behind and said, “The little girl is very clever. After not finding you at the inn, she immediately returned along the same path to find us.”
“I didn’t expect that such an eight-year-old girl would have such a good memory. Sometimes I don’t recognize the road even after coming here a few times.”
“She’s in the Mistress’s room; we can’t go in.”
“Be careful with your words.”
“The Mistress seems to be in a bad mood today.”
Soren nodded in thanks, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open to enter.
“Brother!”
Seeing Soren, Vivian, who was sitting in a chair lost in thought, immediately flew into his arms. Soren wrapped his arms around her and gently patted her back, saying, “It’s alright. I’m back.”
“Tell me what happened?”
The little girl had changed into a clean outfit; the white dress on her looked like that of a little princess. The mysterious Merchant Caravan Mistress sat in a reclining chair in the room, and upon seeing Soren, her expression turned serious as she furrowed her brows and said, “Vivian can use spells!”
“Why didn’t you tell me on the road?”
“Do you know how many problems a naturally born sorcerer encounters? Because of their uniqueness, it’s destined to attract a lot of trouble before they grow up!”
“If they are good-hearted, it’s fine, but if they encounter those with malicious intent…”
“Vivian could easily become their target.”
Soren was taken aback; although the Merchant Mistress’s tone was quite harsh, even scolding him, her words made him snap back to reality because her attitude made it clear she was very concerned about Vivian’s safety. They had only known each other for less than five days; they were merely companions on a journey and hadn’t exchanged many words, so such a display could only mean that she genuinely cared for Vivian, or her acting skills were so good she could even deceive him.
The little girl seemed to easily gain the affection of others, provided they held no malice.
For example, the priestess girl and the Northern Witch in front of him.
“I’m sorry.”
Soren himself didn’t know why he apologized, but he still lowered his body after putting Vivian down and said, “We didn’t want to attract unnecessary trouble, so we kept the secret of Vivian’s sorcery hidden; after all, we couldn’t be sure whom to trust.”
“This time I owe you a favor.”
………………
Sorcerers possess innate spellcasting abilities that begin to manifest during puberty; the most primitive spells might be cast inadvertently, during which the sorcerers might not be in control, sometimes leading to dangerous outcomes. A young sorcerer’s home is often filled with strange sounds and lights, making it seem like a haunted place. But one day, the sorcerers will understand their unique power and begin to practice improving their spellcasting techniques. A few fortunate young sorcerers can receive guidance from older sorcerers to learn how to wield their innate powers. However, more commonly, due to friends’ fear and family misunderstandings, young sorcerers live in isolation.
Because of their natural charisma, sorcerers usually leave a strong impression, which helps them communicate with others. But sometimes, due to their appearance, they will still attract unnecessary trouble.
Before they grow up, sorcerers will always encounter many problems due to their uniqueness.
