Chapter 127: The Great Wizard Thorne

Previously, these Gardrian nobles had been in a state of mutual testing and confrontation with those giant lizards. When Donald noticed the battle ahead, it was precisely because the lizards were growing impatient and had just launched a full-scale attack. The most powerful Silver Mage hadn’t intervened yet, so they hadn’t killed many lizards.

The airship arrived at the shore of the island. Donald watched as the others were dealing with the corpses of the lizards they had killed, but they didn’t touch those frozen by Donald’s magic. Then, the famous bounty hunter Thorg took out the more valuable parts from the lizards and scattered some powder over the bloody areas, instantly masking the unpleasant stench of blood on the island. Truly worthy of being the top bounty hunter—both in strength and experience, he was far beyond ordinary people.

The airship landed on the island. Donald was the first to step off the deck. Waving his hand, he retracted his ice sculptures of the lizards and said with a smile, “It seems we’re fated to meet, even in a place like the Two-Legged Dragon Swamp!”

The young female mage smiled innocently and said, “Yes! It’s great to meet you! I really liked that black tea last time!”

“That’s good! I still have some. I’ll invite you all for tea later!”

Although the girl was naive and simple and didn’t grasp the hidden meaning in Donald’s words, the others weren’t fools. Donald’s words implied he was probing their purpose for coming to this Two-Legged Dragon Swamp.

Especially that old Silver Mage—he was also a high-level Silver Mage, and judging from his appearance and bearing, he clearly had a noble status.

“Thank you all for your help. Otherwise, with so many swamp lizards targeting us, it would have been a real problem!”

In response to the old man’s gratitude, Donald humbly said, “Sir, you’re too kind. With your formidable strength, killing these lizards would have only taken a little time. We merely helped you deal with them ahead of time. Besides, we’re all humans and descendants of Banai. In such a dangerous environment, it’s only natural to help each other!”

The old man nodded in satisfaction with Donald’s attitude. Then he took the initiative to introduce himself, “We are members of the Thorne family from Gardria. I’m Hordon Thorne, this is my granddaughter Emily, and these three are our family guards.”

When Messel and Edwina, who also stepped off the airship, heard this, they exclaimed in unison, “Wizard Thorne?”

Clearly, they both knew something about the Thorne family.

Horton Thorn, upon seeing the two Silver Mage descend, did not dare neglect them.
“Who are these two?”
Donald replied, “Allow me to introduce them. This is Lady Edwina of the Ansel family in our kingdom, along with her eldest son Ferdinand. These three are also powerful members of the Ansel family. As for these two, they are my teacher, Messer, and my follower, Kelsas!”
Horton Thorn immediately greeted each of them along with his granddaughter Emily. Then, remembering that there was still one person from his side who hadn’t been introduced, he said, “This gentleman, Mr. Sorg, is our hired guide. I’m sure you all know him!”
Ferdinand interjected, “Of course! Who doesn’t know Sorg, the most famous bounty hunter in Celt—The Beheading Man?”
Upon being mentioned, Sorg merely nodded slightly in response, his attitude clearly cold. However, since he was a Silver-level powerhouse and was reputed to be reclusive and unsociable, Edwina and the others did not mind this slight rudeness.
Donald, on the other hand, was quite interested in this rare Silver-level powerhouse among adventurers. But rather than directly trying to recruit him and risk offending him, he said, “I’ve established an adventurer’s guild in my territory, and there are some tasks suitable for a strongman like Mr. Sorg. I hope you’ll take the chance to check it out!”
Hearing this, Sorg raised his eyebrows, clearly showing some interest.
It was rare for a warrior at the Silver level to still not have secured power and status. Sorg was undoubtedly one such person. With his strength, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to obtain a title or join the army and lead troops.
But Sorg came from the chaotic rural areas of the south and disliked being constrained. He preferred to be a nomadic adventurer, making a living by hunting bounties, rather than following the traditional paths.
Donald’s plan was to bring this adventurer over if possible. If he succeeded, it would be a pleasant surprise; if not, he wouldn’t lack another Silver-level powerhouse.
Learning that the other party came from a family like Thorn, Edwina realized right away that her earlier plans could no longer be realized. Since they were a mage family, they would never miss an opportunity to find treasures like ancient arcane ruins.
So she asked directly, “I wonder why Mr. Thorn and you have come to this dangerous place, the Twin Dragon Swamp? You should know this isn’t a good place to train younger members of your family. Even Silver-level powerhouses dare not venture deep into the swamp—carelessness could lead to death!”

As a strategist for Donald’s side, Edwina was the most suitable person to figure out the other party’s intentions. However, since the opposing side also had considerable influence, probing questions might be excessive and could offend Hordon, the Silver Mage. Thus, Edwina wisely chose to ask directly. By this time, Maelis had already explained the origins of the Thorne family to Donald and Kelthas. The Thorne family was a renowned mage family in Gardrel and also one of the top noble families in the country. Their founder was a great mage named Thorne from hundreds of years ago, who was said to be a legendary powerhouse who played a decisive role in resisting a major magical disaster that struck the continent and fighting back the invasion of the Abyssal forces. However, Thorne clashed with Sendel, the Land of Dawn, due to his opposition to the Church of the Three Radiant Gods spreading its teachings in Gardrel, and soon after, he died under mysterious circumstances. Thorne’s death nearly triggered a full-scale conflict between Gardrel and Sendel. Even Lin, the Mage Kingdom of the Land of Dawn, which had always been at odds with Gardrel, rarely sided with Gardrel that time. Moreover, Sendel’s actions were highly disgraceful, drawing criticism even from other neutral gods and churches. Faced with accusations from various forces on the continent and the joint declaration of war by Gardrel and Lin, even Sendel, known as the Holy Land of the Land of Dawn, was forced to abandon its expansion plans… Its willingness to cede some interests as compensation indicated that even the Three Radiant Gods behind it had softened their stance. While this was certainly due to the general trend, the attitudes of the other gods were the decisive factor. Gardrel understood this and did not dare push too hard, after all, the three gods behind Sendel were deities of the stars. Therefore, they had to stop at a good point, allowing Sendel to suffer a great loss, which also relieved some of their anger. When this past was mentioned, many mages familiar with history sighed deeply and grew even more disgusted with extreme godly churches like the Church of the Three Radiant Gods. When it came to the mage Thorne, he was almost a representative of the Mage faction among the four major mage schools of modern times. After becoming a legendary powerhouse, Thorne traveled across the continent, exchanging ideas with mages from various places and exploring undiscovered ancient ruins. It took him ten years to compile the most comprehensive collection of spells passed down by the Mage faction. It was precisely because of this legacy that the Thorne family established its status among mages.

Mr. Thorne here also seemed to understand what Donald and the others meant. To avoid conflict, he answered without hesitation, “We came to this swamp because we heard there were precious treasures like the Poisonous Dragon Lizard Orchid. That’s why we hired Mr. Sorg as a guide, hoping to be lucky enough to find it!”

“The Poisonous Dragon Lizard Orchid?”

Donald and the others were familiar with it—it was a legendary ingredient for top-tier alchemical potions, capable of neutralizing almost all toxins, injuries, and negative conditions affecting the body. It also had some effects similar to dragon blood potions, greatly strengthening the user’s physique and extending their lifespan by decades. It was an extremely rare and valuable material, essential for both frail mages and swordsmen seeking enhanced physical combat strength. Even high-ranking nobles who valued their lives would pay a huge price to obtain it.

This highly poisonous rare magical plant could only thrive in foul, muddy areas, absorbing nutrients from them. Paradoxically, its actual body had to be rooted in solid soil to survive. Moreover, it required the mating of subdragon creatures—preferably those with deadly poisons—to spread their bodily fluids, allowing the plant to bloom and reproduce.

Meeting such conditions was undoubtedly difficult. Most of the known locations of the Poisonous Dragon Lizard Orchid on the continent were dangerous areas. The relatively safe spots had already been stripped bare, leaving only remote, dangerous regions like the Two-Legged Dragon Swamp where it might still survive.

And that wasn’t even the most dangerous part. The trouble was that wherever the Poisonous Dragon Lizard Orchid grew, it was often a gathering place for lizard-type monsters. Moreover, it wasn’t only effective on humans—once mature, it could even help lizard monsters advance to a higher level, granting them the divine treasure of dragon blood. At that stage, its aura drove all lizard monsters wild. This was also the origin of the plant’s name.

That’s why Horton and the others were searching for traces of the Poisonous Dragon Lizard Orchid in a habitat like the Swamp Giant Lizard, only to end up trapped by those lizards.

Horton and Thorne nodded and said, “Exactly, it’s the Poisonous Dragon Lizard Orchid! You already know our purpose. I wonder if you’re here for the same reason?”

Edwina exchanged a glance with Donald and his teacher, Messel. Messel nodded steadily in agreement. Seeing his teacher nod, Donald thought for a moment before nodding as well.

Edwina then said to Horton, “Mr. Thorne, rest assured. We’re not here for the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid. However, our mission is also quite important. Everyone here is smart, so we hope you won’t interfere with our actions!”
Horton replied with an expression of expectation, “Of course!”
Although the Thorne family wasn’t as ancient as the several thousand-year-old noble families like the Gardrelles, they possessed a lineage of wizards passed down through their ancestors. Their accumulated knowledge over hundreds of years was sufficient to put them on par with those families. So, though they were curious, they weren’t overly concerned about Donald and his group’s intentions. Even if they couldn’t obtain the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid, it wouldn’t disappoint them too much—this was the strength of a great family.
However, Horton never expected that just one day later, he would deeply regret this decision of his.