Secret

The moons light are like water.

Darkness came much earlier than expected. With the moon hanging in the sky, its gentle light embraces all that is there throughout the land, making everything look serene and clean.

Slowly traveling on top of the highway leading to the capital is Du Wei and his carriages.

On this returning trip back to the capital, Du Wei specifically mentioned not to hurry and spend their time leisurely enjoying the scenery. As long as they can arrive in the capital by the deadline, then it is good.

Touring along the way, Du Wei was extra friendly towards Mage Clark and rode side by side with the old fella when they were on horseback. And if they were tired, Du Wei would even invite Clark to ride inside his carriage.

The cargo carriages of the Rowling household would of course be high quality. Made from a wide array of expensive materials and pulled by the most excellent breed of horses, the expense shouldn't need elaborating. To top it off, Du Wei made a series of modification like the velvet blanket laid on top of the seating's, this way, the riders wouldn't feel any sort of jolting motion.

Inside the carriage, there would certainly be good food and fine wine ready for consumption. Like this, Clark was able to experience quite a lot of good things along the way.

(I'm sorry guys, but this part sounded so homo to me lol)

On the trip, Clark didn't dally around and did his utmost to make their travel go smoother. Conjuring up several wind based attribute spell circles under the carriages, Clark's effort has consumed a large amount of effort and magic material.

Without objecting to Clark's meddling, Du Wei is in fact quite pleased. Stored inside the carriages are in fact magic materials like gems and crystals gifted to him by the magic union. If Clark can somehow aid him in making the coaches' move faster and more stable, he was not one to object.

Seeing the spell circle, Du Wei was secretly turning ideas in his head: "If such a small wind based spell circle can reduce the weight of a heavy carriage, then wouldn't a high tiered spell circle completely lift the horse up into the air?"

After listening to his words, Clark paused for a moment in thought before replying: "In theory it can, but fundamentally, wind based spells still have to rely on the power of the wind. To lift an entire carriage up into the air with just the wind, the amount of energy consumption is too high. Not only will such a spell waste the magic crystal involved, the amount of cost outweighs the benefit by a large margin."

Du Wei nodded with his mouth not saying anything, but he was secretly thinking this through: If a carriage can simply be lifted into the air by a simple magic spell, then it would be for the best. Unfortunately, Clark explained the astronomical cost involved would make this non practical for universal use. But if he can turn this around and find a way to make it viable for universal use, then even if he can't make an aircraft, he can still use this method to create an "air force".

Of course, in reality, it can only be a dream.

Clark was also slightly smiling because in his mind, he was secretly thinking: "Children are children, so whimsical. To make a horse fly in the air, does he know how much magic material he would need to waste? If not for his rich family background and the fact that he recently landed himself with a large number of gifts from the magic union, where would such a kid have the money? Just the material cost for this little endeavor is nearing 10,000 gold coins. If he really did make a horse fly in the air, the cost would no doubt be around 100,000 gold coins, and this doesn't even include the man power involved. For such an advanced magic layout, it would require a group of mages constantly injecting energy into the spell.

In their idol chatters, Du Wei mainly focused his attention on drawing as much information out of Clark as he can. After all, the magic union has shown so much effort in their approach on him, he must get a clear grasp on the situation before entering the capital.

No need to mention the "Magic Scholar" title; Du Wei thought the more benefit he got; the harder it will be for him to reject them in the future.

Unfortunately, Clark is after all a sly old fox that have mingled in the capital for many years. His speech and actions may have been happy and joyous, but no matter how much Du Wei tried, he could get a single word out of him.

That night under the moons light, the convoy was slowly moving on the road while Du Wei and Clark discussed some topics on magic. It was then from the front, Marde came running to the back and gently knocked on his carriage window. Using a whispering voice, Marde said: "Master, in front of us is Timber Town."

Du Wei's heart shook at the name.

Timber town? This place holds some strong memories.

Back when he was kicked out of the imperial capital and sent to the Roland Plains, it was in this place that he met Rolynn and Solskjaer. Now that he is returning to the capital, he once again revisited this place.

Du Wei looked at the sky and smiled: "Very well, we will stay here for the night."

After entering Timber town with the convoy, Marde would of course remember the layout and directly lead the party to the inn they lived in before.

It's Just that when they came up to the place, the former Timber inn could no longer be found. With a fresh paint job and a brand new sign to replace the old rotting one, the name on the sign board no longer spelled Timber Inn. Instead, the name was changed to "Home of the adventurer."

Marde was surprised, thinking how long it could have been and did it change owners?

The door was long open by then and a short, fatty guy – likely the boss – came running out. Seeing a chance for big business, the guy bowed his head in respect and called out several workers from inside the inn to help settle the horses.

Du Wei and Clark walked into the hotel and saw that this time around, the inn was much cleaner than the last visit he made here. It's just that the business doesn't seem to be doing good with so little customer inside the spacious hall.

Those chairs, desks, and counters all looked new. Even some of the paint doesn't seem to be fully dried yet like it was hardly ever used.

The pudgy looking boss was already in front of them so Marde sent him to go feed the horses and clear out a couple of clean rooms for them.

Du Wei was surprised when he took a look at the passing waiters and horse groomers – each and every one of them were strong looking. Frowning slightly, he glanced at Marde so that he would call over the pudgy looking boss.

"I remember this place used to be called Timber Inn and I've even lived here once. Did this place change hands?"

The pudgy looking boss nodded and said: "Sir, the previous owner thought the business here wasn't good, so he simply sold it away."

Du Wei took one look at him: "Your accent, you don't seem to be a native."

The pudgy looking boss smiled: "Sir, I am also a timber town native, but in the past, I have been doing business in the north. It wasn't until a few months ago that I have returned.

Du Wei nodded, but when he glanced at the waiters, he frowned: "Your little inn actually keeps so many employees. These people look so strong, could it be that they were all soldiers?"

The boss nodded, his face revealed a trace of helplessness: "Originally in the North, I was part of a garrison army for a while. It's just that one day when I was rounding up some smuggling mercenary; they managed to injure me so badly that I had to retire from the army. Once I received my retirement fee, I intended to return home. All of the staff you see around us are my friends. Like me, they also suffered some sort of injury and were forced to retire. Although the retirement fee is not small, but there will be a day when it runs out. Thinking it over, I figured it was for the best that we start a business. Recruiting some of the retired veterans like me, I had them come back here with me so we will have something to eat in the future."

Du Wei gave out a loud laugh and nodded. Seeing the boss walk away, Du Wei could tell that the owner was clearly slightly limping.

Although the other waiters are strong and sturdy, but if looked carefully, all of them had some kind of defect on their body.

Du Wei sighed and instructed Marde to tip a few extra gold coins before he headed to his room.

During the night, Du Wei laid on the bed awake, unsure of why he felt so unease by all this. Thinking it over for a long time, he couldn't figure it out and decided to stare at ceiling with his eyes wide open.

Silence filled the room. The only sound he could hear was his own heartbeat and breathing.

Just like this, he kept his eyes open until after midnight when a faint weariness finally overtook him. Turning his body over, Du Wei was about to go to sleep, but then all of a sudden…..

He is a magician with exceptional talent, so his hearing and induction are 10 times better than the average person. From out of nowhere, he could hear a strangely faint noise:

Creek!

As if some decaying old wood was subtly breaking.

Freighted by the sound, a sense of dread suddenly filled his heart as he raised his vigilance.

Du Wei listened for a moment longer, but the noise was already gone. Just when he thought it was only a mouse, something changed!

From above his head, the beam in the ceiling suddenly broke off and a sharp sword instantly came flying down towards him!

The sword was quick and ruthless, obviously wielded by a powerful expert! Luckily for him, his body was no longer the weak and frail body it once was after practicing the Stars Dou Qi basic martial movement set. In the chaotic mess, he uttered a cry of distress and pushed his body to the side.

Just that the other side was ready for a long time and the sword was issued by a master, so how can he completely evade it? Rolling over, he could feel his back was in pain and blood could be seen flowing out.

Covered in cold swear, Du Wei hurriedly crawled under the bed. Unfortunately for him, after a rumbling sound from behind, the bed was easily split in two by the assassin's sword!

From above his head, a shadow could be seen jumping down on him. From top to bottom, the assassin's feature was all black, only the sword in his hand glistened with a cold light. Lying on his back, Du Wei nearly fainted from the pain caused by his wound, but in a life threatening situation, his hidden potential for survival awakened. Without looking back, he conjured up multiple balls of flame in his hand and shot it backward.

With this barrage of fire magic, the assassin didn't dare to recklessly push forward; instead, the assailant performed a somersault to dodge the oncoming fireballs. With a detonating sound, the entire room was lit a bright. From this, Du Wei could finally get a clear look at the enemy. With black clothes and a cast on the face, the eyes of the attacker flashed with murderous intent. With his sword still pointing at Du Wei, the assailant didn't say anything and once again came rushing forward!

Still lying on the floor, Du Wei rolled over in fear and crashed into the room's wardrobe closet. With the assassin's sword drawing near his face, Du Wei couldn't care anymore. Fumbling with his hand, he grabbed onto a clothing corner and threw it out.

Previously when the Lister household gifted him with the precious mithril dagger, he had been carrying it on his body since then. Therefore, since he received the mage robe from the magic union, he had the dagger tucked in the belt that he wore with the mage robe.

Then the assailant made a grunting sound and leaned down towards him,

At that moment, even his body's sweat solidified. With the foes body leaning against his body, Du Wei could feel a prickling sensation on his body.

In such a case, a person would immediately go into a panic. Inside his head, millions of thought started to gush out from his mind.

I'm going to die today?!

It was this little distraction that made him realize the person on top of him wasn't moving. Instead, Du Wei could feel some hot liquid dripping onto his neck and body. From his nose, he could smell a strong pungent bloody scent.

Regaining his composure after being stimulated by the bloody smell, Du Wei pushed against the assailant's body and found that he was already dead. From the killer's chest, Du Wei could see the handle of his dagger sticking out of the area where the heart should be. Realizing what he had done, Du Wei must have unintentionally threw the dagger out with the clothing earlier!

At the same time, loud banging and fighting could be heard from the outside. Occasionally, Du Wei could even hear the frightful screams of people dying. Unsure of what is happening outside, Du Wei clenched his teeth and pushed aside the corpse. Then turning his hand around, he pulled the dagger out from the body and noticed a hint of magic still lingering on the handle.

It was then the door burst open with a bang and Clark rushed inside while still in disarray. Seeing Du Wei covered in blood, Clark was taken aback at the sight. However, when he saw that Du Wei had a dagger in hand, the mage seemed a bit more at ease: "There are assassins, I'll protect you and get you out of here!"

With that, Clark grabbed hold of him and was about to leave before Du Wei whispered in his ears: "We cannot go outside! The enemy must have contingency plans ready!"

Just when he said this, they could hear the screaming cries of the Rowling personal guards dying outside: "Back in! They have crossbows!"

What followed next is the continuous sound of arrows firing through the air.

Straining his face muscle, Clark's enveloped himself in a murderous aura as he began chanting a spell. Surging with power, he lifted a finger and sliced through the fabric of reality and created a gash in the middle of space. From the distortion he made, a black smog floated out from the vortex and started to quickly take on a humanoid appearance.

Fully black and shrouded in a deathly aura, it was a spirit warrior of death!

Du Wei's heart missed a beat. It turned out that Clark is practicing dark magic! This intermediate dark summoning spell managed to summon a spirit warrior of death!

Clark snorted. With a wave of his hand, the undead warrior rushed out of the room through the door.

From the corridor, seven to eight assassins were already closing in on them while hiding in the darkness. Even though most of the Rowling Household guards were living downstairs, they were already killed by the assailants. With the assailants guarding the staircase, the killers had their crossbows aimed and ready as they rushed towards Du Wei's room. Just when they were about to reach the door, a dark shadow suddenly rushed out from inside.

These killers indeed receive strict training. Although they were scared, their hands did not stop moving and had already started shooting at the spirit warrior. As much as they tried, a body of a spirit warrior is after all not physical, so their arrows could not harm it in the least. Like this, the spirit warrior held onto its short sword and rushed towards the assassins. Every time its weapon stabs into one of the attackers, a dark aura would burst forth and spread throughout the body, leaving no trace behind. Within moments, screams of death echoed in the hallway.

The rest of the assassins recognized the attack and shouted: "This undead creature can use Dou Qi!"

With that, a burst of Dou Qi could be seen coming off from the assassins weapons! To be able to muster up the strength of wielding Dou Qi, a warrior must have at least reached the third level!

A spirit warrior of death has no consciousness; their sole motivation for fighting is their residual fighting instinct. With no fear, the undead creature rushed forward and quickly dispatched two more foes with its black flames. But in the end, the assassins managed to pierce through its body with their sword. Uttering a scream, the black flames on the spirit warrior's body began to dim down.

Then with another scream, the spirit warrior managed to dispatch one more assailant before the black flames on its body dispersed. With that, the creature finally disappeared from existence.

Just like this, almost half of the assassins were wiped out or injured in the corridor. No longer able to block off the stairs, the remaining Rowling Household guards began rushing up against them. Seeing the situation, the leader of the group called out: "Retreat!"

Immediately, the group headed towards the end of the corridor. Seeing a window there, the one in the lead raised his fist and smashed the glass apart so that he could jump outside.

Clark had already rushed out from behind. Seeing this, the mage grinned and said: "Think you can run?!"

Before his words even ended, Clark had already raised his finger and created another gash in the air. From the vortex, another two spirit warrior came forth and pursued the escaping attackers that were heading towards the window.

The two assassins that were too slow to escape were quickly engulfed in flames.

Only the leader had managed to jump out the window.

Clark's magic may be bizarre, but to summon three warriors in one breath, his energy reserve is already drained. With a shaky body, Clark quickly retreated to the back because once his magic is depleted; he would be almost defenseless at that point.

Several of the guards from the Rowling Household had already rushed up and immediately headed towards the end of the corridor. But as soon as one of the soldiers looked out the window, the soldier led out a scream and an arrow could be seen protruding from his head. It was obvious that the enemy still had more reinforcements waiting.

Seeing this, the remaining soldiers no long dared to give chase. Retreating to where Du Wei was located, they created a defensive circle around him.

Du Wei's injury is not light. The assassin may have missed his vital point, but the foes Dou Qi wasn't weak either. From where the wound was located, Du Wei could not move any of the muscles that had been effect.

Without delay, Du Wei's subordinate had already brought out the med kit to clean his wound. As for Clark, the mage forcefully refocused his spirit and started to cast a healing spell on his wound. It was only after seeing Du Wei's wound beginning to mend itself that Clark relaxed a bit. With a pale face and heavy breathing, it was obvious Clark has reached his limit.

Combing through the inn, the soldiers could not find a trace of the owner or the staff.

Sitting in a chair with a pale face, Du Wei recalled the scenes from earlier. It truly is a life and death situation, so his heart is secretly scared right now.

Humph! A very ruthless method!

The boss and staffs are indeed killers in disguise! In order to not raise any suspicion, they were even willing to mutilate their own bodies! Such a method is a real eye opener!!

Recovering from their panicking state, the soldiers searched the inn from top to bottom. It was in the cellar that they were able to locate the corpses of the previous owner and waiters.

Du Wei lets out a sigh, his face sullen.

It seems that the other side had already expected him to come through this place. Killing the previous owner and staff so that they could take over their identity, the assailants had set this trap so that they could assassinate him! To go so far as to mutilate their bodies to fit their disguise.....

Who exactly are they?

He himself is only a minor noble. Even if he is Gandalf's apprentice, it shouldn't amount to being targeted for assassination.

The temple?

Shouldn't be. Although he made a contract with the devil and even took in Hussein, but none of this is exposed to the public. Moreover, if the temple wanted to deal with him, they could just reveal his secrets. Once that happens, the temple could openly kill him.

Then, who did he offend?

It was at this moment; his men came into the room and carefully examined the first assassin. Removing all the clothing, they could not find any clue.

But one of the veteran soldiers raised a doubt:

The enemy used crossbows. This handheld contraption may be convenient and highly lethal, but the cost is very high. Even for the mercenaries in the north, it is hard to come by. Normally, only someone with the status of a leader would be equipped with one. And in a noble's private army, the amount is very little.

"Only..." This seasoned veteran seemed to hesitate at this point, seems like he is afraid to say the next part.

Du Wei grunted: "Only what? You say it!"

Working up his courage, the soldier clenched his teeth and said: "In the Roland continent, only the military's main army is uniformed with such weapons."

After a pause, the soldier's face turned ugly as he whispered, "Master, just now, some of the assassins we killed left behind their crossbows. I have already inspected them, and the stamps on them are indeed the army's logo! I do not know where these people are from, but the weapon they used definitely originated from the army!"

Du Wei showed no emotion: "Can that stamp be a fake? You're not wrong?"

The soldier nodded: "I won't be! Following the Earl, I was in the army. Then I returned to the Roland Plains and joined the family's private army. I have seen this type of crossbow before, I definitely won't be wrong."

Du Wei was lost in thought with one word from this veteran soldier...

Army... Military?!