Wizard Bloodline

Old Wills' unexpected suggestion left Ronan momentarily stunned.

He instinctively glanced at the small figure sobbing by the flames and then shook his head.

"You're kidding, right? I'm still a kid myself."

Old Wills explained, "You wouldn't need to do much, just keep her with you. If you agree, you'd inherit half of Porter's estate..."

Ronan considered for a moment but shook his head again.

"No thanks."

Old Wills seemed to have anticipated this response and wasn't surprised. He sighed softly and was about to move on to the next person.

Ronan's eyes flickered, and he called out to Wills.

"How did Porter die?"

He was genuinely curious about this point.

Porter's corpse showed no obvious signs of external injury. The twisted expression suggested a sudden, acute illness, but what kind of disease could so quickly claim the life of an apprentice wizard?

"It appears to be a curse-related spell. Porter must have angered the wrong person," Wills paused and spoke in a low tone. "I suspect there might be a dark wizard from the Black Wizard Lands lurking around. Be extra cautious in the coming days."

Ronan felt a chill, wanting to question Wills further, but the old man was already walking away.

"Curse-related spell... Black Wizard Lands..." Ronan murmured the terms Wills had mentioned, his expression growing serious.

Even as a novice in the wizarding world, he had heard tales of the Black Wizard Lands.

These lands weren't specific places but rather a collective term for areas where dark-robed wizards congregated.

Like most things in the world, wizards had their light and dark sides.

Dark-robed wizards belonged to the evil faction, specializing in dark, necromancy, and curse-related spells. They were often more cruel and eccentric than typical wizards.

In contrast were the white-robed wizards, while Hoddam was a gathering place for grey-robed wizards, leaning towards neutrality.

"Are the curse-related spells from the Black Wizard Lands really that terrifying?" Ronan pondered as he stared at the blazing fire on the ground, recalling Porter's grim death. It was hard to imagine the torment and pain Porter endured before dying.

If such a curse were to befall him...

Ronan shivered, unwilling to dwell on the thought.

At that moment, a figure stepped from the crowd, approaching the little girl, Cheryl, by the fire.

To Ronan's surprise, it was the wizard girl living by the tree spring.

She wore her usual attire, enveloped in a large black robe, with thick bangs obscuring most of her face, making it difficult to discern her features.

She knelt beside Cheryl, gently placing a hand on the girl's head, softly chanting as a faint white glow emanated from her palm.

It seemed to be a spell to soothe the soul, as Cheryl's cries gradually subsided under the white light, eventually falling into a deep sleep against the girl's side.

"Who would've thought she was so kind," Ronan mused, watching the wizard girl tenderly cradle the sleeping Cheryl.

As he reflected, he noticed two figures speaking with Old Wills.

One was tall and robust, with a muscular build, clad in black leather armor, carrying a massive wooden bow and quiver on his back.

The other was shorter, dressed in a light green robe, holding a staff made from a banyan branch, with a slender frame and delicate features.

Both had noticeably pointed ears.

"Could they be the half-elf siblings who just moved in?"

Ronan quickly realized and couldn't help but discreetly observe the delicate female.

Sensing his gaze, she turned and offered him a gentle smile.

Before Ronan could respond, the burly man beside her shot him a fierce glare, even reaching for his bow.

Ronan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly averted his eyes, retreating hastily.

Porter's death caused little stir in the forest community.

The topic of a "suspected dark wizard from the Black Wizard Lands" was a hot topic in the treehouse district for a few days. But with no concrete evidence, the speculation faded away.

Ronan later learned that Cheryl was eventually taken in by the wizard girl by the tree spring and Old Wills, which surprised him.

Town.

At the entrance to the Dwarf Market.

Having just paid the entry fee, Ronan stood before a middle-aged wizard in a sky-blue robe, listening to his instructions.

"With this token, you can freely enter and exit the market for a day. After that, the token will expire. Make sure to manage your time wisely."

"Thank you."

Clutching the faintly glowing brass ring handed to him, Ronan expressed his gratitude repeatedly while stepping into the market.

Once inside, he immediately lamented the cost of a low-grade magic stone he had just spent.

To break even, Ronan would need to engrave and sell two [Cleanse] runes.

There was a way to enter for free: meet one of the two conditions, either being a Level 6 Wizard Apprentice or an official student of the Hoddam Wizard Academy.

Unfortunately, both were far out of reach for Ronan at his current stage.

Shaking off these thoughts, he began to survey his surroundings.

The street, paved with white stone bricks, was wide and smooth, lined with blue and purple dwarf flowers and neat, towering sycamore trees.

Compared to the wizard market, the Dwarf Market resembled a "rich district."

Occasionally, wizards in elegant robes passed by, but there was no sign of the fabled dwarves.

"Well, let's focus on the task at hand!"

Ronan had no time to ponder the absence of dwarves, hurrying down the street until he stopped before a shop named "Weiling Workshop."

Through the shop's transparent glass window, he saw rows of neatly arranged rune stones on display.

Eyeing the shop's polished, bright door, Ronan instinctively wiped his muddy boots on the doorstep before taking a deep breath and stepping inside.

Over an hour later...

"Looking forward to your next visit!"

A sweet, pleasant voice accompanied Ronan as he exited Weiling Workshop, his expression one of amazement.

Gone was the package of rune stones; instead, he carried a bulging pouch of coins.

Inside were eighteen low-grade magic stones!

One more than Ronan had initially expected.

Before entering, Ronan had worried about facing the staff's disdain, being questioned, or having his runes rejected.

Yet everything went smoothly.

As soon as Ronan expressed his intent to sell runes, Weiling Workshop arranged for a professional runesmith.

After evaluating all the [Cleanse] runes Ronan brought, they purchased them at eighty magic stone fragments each, even offering to sell him rune materials at near-cost if needed.

Blank rune stones were priced at three magic stone fragments each, with a free bag of universal powder for every fifty stones purchased.

"How much extra did that market vendor make off me?!"

Ronan now felt vindicated in bypassing the "middleman." Though he spent an extra magic stone on the entry fee, it could easily be saved and even surpassed in transactions.