Chapter 32: The Sorcerer (I)

In the lord’s residence of Giantstone City, Viscount Macbeth had already shattered his third favorite crystal cup.
At first, he hadn’t paid much attention to the news about Donald Merlin. After all, he was just a minor apprentice mage. Even if he had recently risen to the rank of black-iron mage, he was still nothing more than a tiny insect that Macbeth could easily crush.
He thought sending assassins trained by his secret forces would be enough to deal with this minor problem. Unexpectedly, that little insect not only managed to rise to power but also suddenly transformed into a young dragon, growing to such an extent that it even allied itself with that stubborn old mage from the Mage Guild.
“I must crush him before he grows stronger!”
That was the only thought in Viscount Macbeth’s mind as he made every effort to eliminate this future threat.
Though his motives were different, he shared the same concerns as other factions. For targets that his assassins couldn’t handle, he would need to employ forces at the bronze level or above. Even if successful, it was hard to ensure that his identity wouldn’t be traced back to him.
Neither the royal family nor the Mage Association, nor the group of mages led by Messel were forces he could confront alone. Thus, he needed to plan carefully, preferably without using his own strength, staying out of others’ sight, and ensuring that no trace could lead back to him after completing the task.
“It seems I’ll need external help!”
Stroking his beard, Macbeth pulled the bell rope beside his chair and summoned a gray-robed servant.
The man had an ordinary appearance, nothing distinctive about him, but the calluses on his palms and joints, along with his steady gait, indicated that he was at least a high-ranking black-iron warrior with rigorous training.
“Gray Eagle! Is the man who delivered those posters still in the city?”
“Yes, my lord! He’s been hanging around in a tavern. Aside from sleeping with many women, he hasn’t done anything else.”
Macbeth tapped the table and said, “Good. Go and secretly deliver this letter to Black. Tell him the leader of the Black Knights Brotherhood agrees to meet him!”
If any careless bard were listening nearby, they would be shocked upon hearing this news. No one could have imagined that the mastermind behind the Black Knights Brotherhood—a gang known for committing numerous crimes in the southern parts of the North County and along the borders with other kingdom territories—was none other than the governor of the North County himself!
Macbeth added, “Also, bring in two more people. I think their goals might align with ours!”

Half an hour later, an adventurer dressed plainly entered a tavern in the western district of Stone City. This area of the western district was known as Stone City’s famous brothel district—not only a regular haunt for adventurers but also a place where many wealthy merchants and nobles liked to indulge in fleeting pleasures from time to time. If Donald had known about this place, he would likely have exclaimed that no world is free from prostitution! The tavern the adventurer entered ranked at the bottom of the second tier in this street; most of the women there were aged but still somewhat charming prostitutes, only slightly better than the street courtesans. Although the taxes in the North County weren’t high, some nobles were particularly harsh on their subjects. Especially those single women who had once had decent families but fell on hard times and had no support left—most of them couldn’t resist the temptations of this world of debauchery and left their hometowns to engage in shameful sexual trades. The key to this tavern’s prosperity lay in the fact that these women were cheap, making them more suitable for bloodthirsty adventurers. Compared to the high-class women in luxury inns, they were far too expensive for them to afford. When the adventurer entered the tavern and found the person he was looking for, the man was sitting among two prostitutes who were showing off their chests and swaying their hips while pouring out sweet nothings, indulging in lewd acts with their hands and mouths. He appeared to be around thirty years old, fairly handsome and well-proportioned, with a strong build. His lips were pale blue but his complexion was rosy—truly a robust man. Yet his expression was lewd, his dark eyes filled with wickedness, making it clear he wasn’t a good person. Although he was the loudest among the three in the tavern, clearly causing dissatisfaction among the other adventurers, the black mage robe he wore made it impossible for anyone to say much. Those who frequented Stone City knew that the chaos caused by the previous assassination attempt on a mage had only just subsided, and offending a mage as evil as this was clearly not a wise move. The regulars in the tavern had seen the two unlucky souls who had provoked this man disappear mysteriously the next day. This made everyone avoid and fear this wicked mage even more.

The adventurer entered, glanced around, and headed straight to the “magician’s” table that everyone avoided. He sat down quietly beside the table, made a gesture with his hand, muttered a few words, then, under the curious and fearful gazes of those around him, went to the counter to order a mug of ale. After drinking it, he left through the door. The nervous bartender even forgot to collect the coins he left behind!

As everyone wondered what kind of relationship this mysterious yet ordinary young man had with the magician, they saw the cloaked magician suddenly push the two women beside him away, laugh loudly, and then stride away proudly.

The two left the tavern. The one in front of him seemed in a hurry; after taking several detours, they entered a back alley. There, a black carriage was parked, its windows and doors tightly covered with black curtains, blocking out all light.

“Sir, you know the rules. Our leader wants to meet with you. Please get in!”

“Black Knight Jack is really careful! Didn’t you guys try to assassinate the magician some time ago?”

The cloaked magician sneered disdainfully and stepped into the carriage. He didn’t notice that the adventurer facing away from him paused slightly upon hearing this, then returned to normal, took the driver’s seat, and drove the carriage out of the alley.

After circling through the city’s streets and alleys, the carriage stopped in the backyard of a horse-selling shop in the civilian district.

This was done to keep the organization’s secret base hidden from outsiders, which worked well for warriors and similar professionals but had no effect on spellcasters skilled in mental powers. Magicians’ mental abilities could easily penetrate the carriage, allowing them to see everything clearly along the way.

This was something known to those familiar with magicians, which was also why the Black Knight Brotherhood remained mysterious, rarely appeared in public, and had never dealt with spellcasters.

Of course, the cloaked magician had no intention of explaining this to them. Although he hated magicians, he was also a spellcaster. Faced with ordinary people who couldn’t control mysterious powers, he naturally carried the pride of a spellcaster.

After getting out of the carriage and passing through a hidden secret door, they entered an underground passage.

Soon, the two arrived in a dark underground chamber.

The space in the secret room was small, with only seven men in black standing there. Although the one at the front had a mask on, it was easy to tell from his smooth forehead and bright eyes that he was a young person under thirty at least.