The Synthesis Wizard

The bright moonlight poured into the alleys of Stone Bell City, where melodious music drifted from a tavern, resembling a nocturne.

Through the windows, one could see the roaring fire in the hearth, radiating a warm glow.

At the entrance hung a wooden sign with the words "Golden Wheat Tavern."

Su Nan pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside, immediately greeted by the lively and boisterous atmosphere.

The air was thick with the scent of hormones, mingling with the strong smell of alcohol.

Raucous men played dice and drank, while flamboyantly dressed waitresses weaved between tables, their bare thighs flashing before the eyes of patrons.

Su Nan skillfully found a table in the corner, pulling out a few silver coins to slip into the cleavage of a passing waitress.

"The usual."

The waitress shot him a flirtatious glance before bringing over a mug of wheat beer and some food.

Wheat beer had a low alcohol content, lacking in flavor, with a rough texture and a slightly sour taste. Yet even such low-quality beer was a rare treat for the lower class, most of whom would be satisfied with just a single mug.

Su Nan rarely drank, and when he did, it was usually top-shelf wine; the tavern's inferior wheat beer was almost unpalatable to him.

The food was similarly simplistic, cooked with the most basic methods—no pepper, MSG, soy sauce, honey, or cream—just boiled or roasted and sprinkled with salt.

In this world, sugar was considered a luxury, and spices were exorbitantly expensive, typically only appearing on the tables of the nobility.

Su Nan ordered the beer and food merely for appearances, to avoid drawing too much attention to himself in the tavern.

Generally speaking, taverns were good places for boasting and showing off, where one could hear all kinds of drunken tales about past glories. So, after arriving in Stone Bell City, Su Nan made it a habit to visit the tavern every evening to gather information.

The rest of the time, he was conducting covert investigations around the Starfire Cult's base, which he had learned about from the black sword knight.

Unfortunately, he had found nothing over the past three days.

"If I can't uncover anything tonight, I'll just grab someone and interrogate them."

Su Nan contemplated silently.

At that moment, the chatter from a nearby table suddenly caught his attention.

"Have you heard? Lord Kubero's estate in the north of the city is haunted."

"Haunted? Don't be ridiculous. How could there be ghosts in this world?"

"I'm serious! My brother-in-law is serving under Lord Kubero, and ever since the haunting started, Lord Kubero moved out. He even sent a few knights inside, but after several days, nobody returned. Now the whole estate is sealed off!"

"Is that true? Did the knights actually die?"

"If it's really a ghost, it's not surprising that knights couldn't handle it."

"By the way, is the ghost male or female?"

"What, Lancel, are you interested in female ghosts?"

"Haha, if she's pretty, it's not a problem."

The group burst into laughter, quickly shifting the topic to women and more risqué matters.

Su Nan wore a contemplative expression.

If ghosts were involved, they certainly existed in this world.

The most common type was the ghostly apparition.

Generally, individuals who died violently were the most likely to become ghosts.

Ghosts typically looked just like they did in life, often bearing marks of the violence they suffered at the time of death.

However, ghosts were relatively harmless; even if they possessed a human, they would only induce a chill.

Normal humans could rarely see ghosts.

Moreover, ghosts couldn't withstand sunlight, becoming weak and fading away if exposed for too long.

Even without sunlight, ghosts usually couldn't last long in the material world.

If ghosts were a harmless type, then vengeful spirits were truly capable of causing harm.

Vengeful spirits usually harbored deep-seated hatred, preventing them from finding peace after death. Instead, they transformed into undead beings solely focused on revenge.

A fully formed vengeful spirit could absorb energy from humans through contact or manipulate the will of weaker individuals through mental hypnosis.

These incorporeal beings were immune to physical damage and posed a significant threat to ordinary people; only knights who had mastered their battle aura could harm them.

If a vengeful spirit killed enough humans and absorbed enough soul energy, it would advance to become a powerful evil spirit.

Evil spirits typically had a binding property, occupying a territory and transforming it into a ghostly realm.

Fully formed evil spirits were not afraid of sunlight or physical damage; even great knights might struggle against them.

Above evil spirits, there existed aberrations and malevolent spirits, the latter being terrifying entities capable of threatening an entire nation.

The appearance of each malevolent spirit often accompanied the downfall of a country.

From the drunken chatter he had overheard, if Lord Kubero's estate was indeed haunted, it was likely by an evil spirit.

"Evil spirits, huh?"

Su Nan felt a flicker of interest.

Evil spirits were excellent materials for creating soul crystals.

If he could obtain a soul crystal, he could craft a puppet even stronger than the Black Rock Panther.

"Forget it; I should focus on the Starfire Cult for now. I can investigate the evil spirit later."

After listening to the gossip for a while longer, Su Nan stood up and walked toward the second floor.

The Golden Wheat Tavern also provided accommodation, and he had been staying in a room there for the past few days.

Nearby, several waitresses whispered as they watched Su Nan ascend the stairs.

"I bet he's a noble. He has more charisma than any of the second sons of Elwyn that I've seen, and he's even more handsome."

"Elwyn's son can't compare to him! Just yesterday, I accidentally brushed against his arm; wow, those muscles are solid! He looks like he wouldn't be very strong, but he's surprisingly well-built."

"Are you feeling it, girl?"

"Pfft! I don't believe you aren't tempted!"

"Hehe, if you really want him, just knock on his door at night and ask if he needs a massage. You might just end up with a little romance."

"That's a good idea! If you don't go for it, I won't hold back!"

"I never said I wouldn't go! Just wait; I'll try my luck with him tonight!"

A group of waitresses erupted in laughter, drawing the attention of many patrons around them.

**Deep in the night.**

Sandi, having changed into a shorter waitress outfit and lowered her neckline, approached the door to Su Nan's room and knocked.

**Tap, tap!**

No response.

"Excuse me, do you need a massage service?" 

She knocked a few more times, but still received no answer.

"Is he asleep?"

Feeling a bit disheartened, Sandi was about to turn away when a door nearby creaked open, and a man leaned out.

Upon seeing Sandi, a lewd smile spread across his face.

"Does your tavern offer massage services? I'd like one too!"

Sandi glanced at the man's coarse face, her expression flat. "Sorry, the tavern doesn't provide that service."

"But I just heard—"

"You must have misheard!"

Before the man could respond, Sandi turned on her heel and walked away.

Meanwhile, in Su Nan's room, he was already long gone.

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