Chapter 15: Resident Mage

Xia Zhou was taken by the Evil Old Man for medication trials, thereby escaping the bandit raid on the village, and avoiding being reduced to charcoal like his hometown.

He was the only one who managed to escape from the clutches of the Evil Old Man...

Wilson thought for a moment, understood the boy's meaning, and a bitter smile spread across his face:

"Indeed, lad. You are indeed the only survivor of several southern villages."

Xia Zhou looked at Audrey and received a 'continue speaking' look from her.

"Uncle Wilson, were there any child disappearances in the village before they were raided?"

This assumption just simply connects the Evil Old Man with the bandits.

The sequence in which the two appeared before and after might just be a coincidence and is lacking in many supporting instances.

It's hard to consider them definitely acting together.

Xia Zhou stared at the thoughtful Wilson and added a few sentences:

"Their parents probably didn't realize that their children were missing, hence no Bounty Orders for lost children were posted on the bulletin board.

"My cellar buddy Little Nose once said, he came to learn alchemy, wanting to earn the Evil Old Man's approval through medication trials, and become his alchemy apprentice."

Those three charred bodies flashed through his mind.

If only I moved faster before the crucible exploded, dragging Little Nose into the hallway, maybe...

Xia Zhou lowered his eyes in silence, letting out a sigh:

"The buddies I met underground, even on the brink of death, felt that drinking the potion was just the Evil Old Man's test for them, and were extremely compliant with the damn Evil Alchemist."

"They never thought that they would lose their lives underground."

"Little Nose naively thought that if he couldn't bear the toxicity of the potion, the Evil Old Man would send him back to his parents..."

Audrey held the boy's hand under the table to comfort his sorrowful emotions, silently mouthed:

"Take a break. Stay quiet."

Xia Zhou immediately closed his mouth and looked at Wilson again.

The uncle seemed to have entered a strange calm state, his eyes unfocused as if he was lost in thought, looking at the plate on the table.

In the quiet private room, only faint breaths could be heard.

Xia Zhou and Audrey sat in their chairs, not daring to make a sound.

About two minutes later, Wilson took a deep breath. His face regained its serious look, the dullness between his brows swept away, and his eyes were gleaming.

" I have reviewed all the casualty reports, compared their deaths with the village roster in the castle's archives, there were bodies of several children missing in each ruin, and their parents never asked the castle soldiers stationed in the villages for help."

Wilson stared intently at the boy, "Lad, can you go into specifics about that Evil Old Man?"

"Hmm!"

Xia Zhou leaned forward on the table, dipped the spoon in the tea, drew a rough layout of the cellar on the table, detailing everything there.

Since being digitized by the hacker, every piece of information he remembers is deeply ingrained in his mind, and entered the Knowledge Reserve.

The memories of the underground alchemy room are still intact and vivid.

"Do you still have the Evil Old Man's walking stick and those three silver coins?" Wilson asked seriously.

"The walking stick is in the suitcase at the residence, and the silver coins are with my sister." Xia Zhou looked at Audrey beside him.

"The coins of Xia Zhou were kept separately by me, all lying in the layer of the suitcase." Audrey nodded.

A trace of happiness flashed in Wilson's face. With hands clasped together on the table, he asked again:

"Audrey, do you remember the place where you met Xia Zhou?"

"Of course. I approximately located the position of the cellar on the circus map. Xia Zhou said he walked north for two days straight. So, the cellar should be in the forest, northwest of Piyec castle."

Audrey saw the expression of her old comrade, she understood that the information provided by Xia Zhou was very important, and naturally spoke out about everything she knew.

Wilson clapped his hands together and smiled, "Ha, these cunning scoundrels, have finally exposed their tails."

He stood up, with his right hand on his chest:

"Audrey, Xia Zhou, Piyec Castle needs your help, join me in the castle. I'll take you to meet the Resident Mage."

"It's my honor." Audrey stood up and bowed slightly.

As soon as Xia Zhou heard the two words, Mage, his eyes widened instantly, shining with anticipation.

...

Audrey returned to the inn and changed into a leather cuirass while Xia Zhou brought the silver coins and the broken crutch.

The two got on a carriage at the entrance of the inn and, accompanied by Wilson, they entered the castle.

Piyec Fortress is divided into two areas.

One is the city area where the common people live.

The other is the combination of a military camp and a fort - the Castle area.

A low wall, moat, and a large iron gate separate the two areas.

You need a pass or an invitation to enter the Castle area.

Wilson's carriage was checked by the castle guards at the drawbridge.

The soldier in a gray chainmail recognized Wilson, but still stopped the carriage with a spear.

With a poker face beneath the steel helmet, the soldier squeezed out a smile, checked Wilson's pass, and scrutinized Audrey's tall figure and Xia Zhou's rustic face.

"Open the gate! Lord Wilson is back!"

The soldier backed off the road and waved his arm at the silhouette on the fortress wall.

Behind the gate was a relatively gentle slope.

The castle was located at the end of the slope.

With five stories plus the position of this land, Piyec Castle has become the highest building in the whole fortress.

Patrolling soldiers walked past the bustling training field.

In front of the military camp's short shed, the resting soldiers gathered in groups of three or two, playfully adjusting the chessboard and chess pieces.

Wilson and his party went straight to the castle hall.

The floor here was covered with luxurious, deep red carpet, soft in texture and able to absorb footsteps, making the castle quiet and solemn.

The candleholder on the wall shed a mild light, and the guards in the corner were silent like sculptures.

The three of them went up the spiral stairway, stopping briefly on the fourth floor.

Wilson walked into the hallway, stepping into a room for a brief conversation with the fortress commander.

A couple of minutes later, he led Xia Zhou and Audrey to the fifth level of the castle.

The space on this level was vast but cluttered due to the variety of items piled up there.

Apart from a few load-bearing columns, there were no walls and corridors, the entire level was an open floor plan.

Mysterious, intricate oil paintings hung on the walls.

Xia Zhou cast his detection spell towards each painting frame, receiving identical responses:

"Unknown item formula speculation map. Due to insufficient knowledge reserve and perception, more detailed information cannot be obtained."

Beneath the paintings were bookcases filled with books, with languages he could not understand.

"Unknown alchemical text. Due to insufficient knowledge reserve and perception, more detailed information cannot be obtained."

Unsatisfied, Zhou Xia frowned. Was there nothing he could comprehend here?

There were, indeed, a handful.

In a small section cordoned off by curtains, there were a couch and a wardrobe.

A wooden board hid what was a washroom.

In the central area, there was an intricate alchemist platform. Two ordinary crucibles were gently heated by automated stirrers.

A shelf nearby was stacked with various metallic components.

The master of this floor, with his back turned towards everyone, was rubbing something in front of him with covert enthusiasm, occasionally bursting into laughter:

"Ah~ I've found another bandit hideout. A few more and I'll be finished. Waka waka~ The women of Starry Night City are waiting for me."

"Ahem." An embarrassed cough came from Wilson.

The sly figure continued his task, unbothered, and casually said:

"Wilson, find a spot and sit. I'll be done in a jiffy."

"Curvy lady, would you like a drink? There are drinks and snacks on the coffee table."

"And the little brat scanning around everywhere."

"I smell Flame Enhancer Solution on you. Could you tell me how a little guy like you manages to control such a wild potion?"

His robe was greasy, every motion reflected an oily shimmer on his clothings.

This resident mage dresses worse than I do. I thought a so-called resident mage should be a wise old man with a flowing beard...

Xia Zhou grumbled to himself quietly, maintaining an indifferent expression, he cast his Detection Spell on the man.

..

[Character Name] ??

[Identity] Piyec, Fortress Resident Mage

[Health] ??? (Healthy)

[Strength] 3

[Agility] 6

[Stamina] 4

[Vitality] 3

[Perception] 9

[Willpower] 3

[Spirit] 15

[Charisma] 4

[Special Talent] ???

..

15 points in Spirit!

What did this signify?

The description of Spirit was as follows:

"Spirit influences your capacity to control elements and energy. The higher the Spirit, the less your consumption and the lower your difficulty when controlling elements and energy."

If the Spirit reaches 15 points, it certainly means he can become a Mage!

When [Vitality] reached 5 points, it unlocked [Blood Return].

Wouldn't reaching 5 points, 10 points, and 15 points in Spirit also unlock something?

Would 5 points unlock mana points? Magic points? The blue bar?

Based on the resident mage's data, there was a high probability that at 10 points of Spirit, an Elemental Affinity related talent was unlocked.

Xia Zhou glanced at his own character template.

[Spirit] 1.2

He gained 0.2 points of Spirit from reading. He currently had 3 free attribute points

When he's gathered enough, he would put all to Spirit to reach 10 points in one go!

..

"Little brat, you seem to envy me, huh."

The sly figure gave a wiggle, smugly saying:

"My becoming a mage, was all thanks to my own innate talent~"

Talk about innate talent, it's all about Elemental Affinity from birth. When I achieve 10 Spirit points, I'll have it too…

Xia Zhou rolled his eyes at the shifty figure.

The sly figure suddenly intensified his rubbing, letting out grunting exertion noises:

"Don't run, don't run, once these bandits get on a horse, I won't be able to chase them. Damn it... Well, I'll pick this up again in the afternoon."

The sly figure flicked his robe, retracting his hands into his sleeves.

He turned around, revealing a round face as young as Zhou Xia's.

Chubby cheeks, big bright eyes, he looked like a genuinely good-natured fat mage.