Disappearance of Borrent Family!

After finishing the experiment, Leonard collapsed onto his bed, his body tired but his mind still buzzing with thoughts. He needed to meditate.

Sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes, focused on his breathing, and let his mind drift inward. His thoughts quieted, and he began to focus on the energy circulating within him. Slowly, the image of the earth ring in his mind began to take shape, each ring carefully condensing, layer by layer, until the twelfth one solidified into place.

A cool current of energy flowed through him, and a wave of clarity washed over his mind. He opened his eyes, the familiar panel appearing before him, showing the progress of his meditation. His mental attribute had increased by another 0.1, and the Earth Ring Meditation Method had advanced to 12%.

"It's slow, but it's working," Leonard thought, stretching out his stiff limbs. Condensing an earth ring typically took about three days, so he estimated that it would take him 24 days to reach 20% progress in the meditation method. At that point, the difficulty of meditation would likely spike, but he felt confident that he was making steady progress.

'I wonder how fast other apprentices are progressing?' Leonard thought, tapping his fingers against his legs. He remembered what Teacher Angele had said about wizard apprentices being divided into three levels: first-level, second-level, and third-level. 'What exactly are the criteria for these levels?' Leonard wondered. 'I'd probably be considered a first-level wizard apprentice by now.'

He paused, chewing on the thought. His mind felt clear, but he still didn't fully understand what separated the different levels of apprentices. 'I'll have to ask teacher next time.'

The next day, Leonard returned to the laboratory. His mind buzzed with the summary of the previous night's failure. He had learned from his mistakes and was ready to try again. With a steady hand, he began the experiment, his focus sharper this time.

After a few hours, a dark green potion stood before him. The color still wasn't perfect, but it was much closer than before. Leonard checked the results.

"Daily task completed: Experiment (I)—Completed an experiment of very low difficulty."

Completion level: Pass (︾)

Reward: 10 general experience points, 1% mutation progress.

A wave of energy surged through his mind, and suddenly, a door within his spiritual realm swung open. A rush of new knowledge poured into him, filling his mind with concepts he hadn't yet grasped. Leonard closed his eyes, letting the knowledge flood over him, feeling an overwhelming sense of comfort and satisfaction.

'This is what it feels like to grow,' he thought, his mind racing with the possibilities that the new knowledge brought.

Even though the experiment was only rated "Pass," when Leonard expanded the details, he found that he had made six mistakes. Five of them were small, related to timing and the way he handled the raw materials. But the sixth was a major error in the proportions of the ingredients.

'It's a good thing these mistakes didn't ruin the potion entirely,' Leonard reflected, studying the bottle of dark green liquid in his hands. 'They only affected the quality, not the overall effectiveness.'

But as he examined the test tube, a problem arose. He had no proper container to store the potion. He frowned. 'I can't just leave it in the test tube.' The potion's volatility and oxidizing properties weren't strong, so it would likely last exposed to the air for a while, but Leonard knew it wouldn't be ideal. Without any other option, he plugged the test tube with a stopper, setting it aside for the moment.

After cleaning up the lab, Leonard received his reward for completing the task.

"Daily task completed: Clean the laboratory (II)—Keep the lab clean."

Completion: Pass

Reward: 10 general experience points.

That made a total of 20 experience points for the day. 'That's much better than before,' Leonard mused, wiping down the lab counters. 'If I keep up with the daily tasks, I'll level up in no time.'

But then a thought struck him. 'What if I do two experiments every day?'

He was curious, but a part of him hesitated. He remembered what Teacher Angele had said about daily tasks. Angele had once completed two experiments in one day, and Leonard had also cleaned the lab twice on the same day without receiving double rewards. It seemed that daily tasks could only be completed once per day, no matter how many tasks were actually done. Much like cooking, you could only trigger the reward once, no matter how many meals you made.

Still, Leonard decided to push forward. With the fire of curiosity burning within him, he took some extra time out of his day for another experiment.

By now, his movements were more fluid, his thoughts more organized. The second experiment progressed smoothly, and Leonard was able to complete it five minutes faster than the previous one. When he examined the resulting potion, it was almost perfect. The color of the liquid had shifted to a much closer shade of turquoise.

'It's so close,' Leonard thought, a sense of pride swelling in his chest. 'Almost perfect.'

But when he checked his task completion, he saw that it hadn't triggered the reward.

'It figures,' he thought with a small sigh. 'Tasks of the same type can only be triggered once a day.' He tucked the idea away for future reference but couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. 'Maybe tomorrow will be better.'

"I think tomorrow's experiment might get a higher rating than just passing," Leonard mused quietly to himself as he cleaned up his work area. His fingers brushed against the test tubes, a sense of determination in his chest. 'I'll nail it next time.'

Meanwhile, at the old pier, the night was thick with an eerie quiet. The only light visible was the flickering flame from the lighthouse, casting a cold, lonely glow over the dark waters. A chill wind blew in from the sea, carrying with it the scent of salt and something heavier, more unsettling.

Inside a dimly lit room, Gold Tooth, sat by a dusty window, listening intently as his subordinates reported on recent events. His men spoke in hushed tones, careful not to disturb the grim atmosphere that hung heavy in the air.

"Sir, the hole in the ground… it's been refilled, but the new floor doesn't match the old one," one of the men said nervously, glancing over at Golden Tooth, as if unsure how the boss would react.

Golden Tooth didn't even glance up. Instead, his gaze fixed on the floor, his mind replaying the memories of that day, the day the hole had been dug. 'That damned day…' Every time he saw the uneven patchwork of the floor, the past gnawed at him. It brought back the feeling of something dark and unavoidable.

"That hole... reminds me of how deep the trouble goes," he muttered under his breath. But he didn't need to dwell on it; his mind was already elsewhere, pulled by more recent events.

His subordinate hesitated before continuing, sensing the shift in Golden Tooth's mood. "There's been word... something major happened at the Borrent family's estate a few days ago. Rumor has it that many of the distinguished guests at their banquet never came out."

Golden Tooth's face darkened at the mention of the Borrent family. "What do you mean, 'never came out'?" His voice was low and dangerous.

"Nobody knows exactly what happened," the man replied. "But the word on the street is... many of them died that day. The Borrent patriarch included."

Golden Tooth's hand clenched into a fist, his nails digging into his palm. 'The patriarch's dead?' He had been so close to the Borrent family recently, even more so when a certain someone had asked him about them. 'That guy...' Golden Tooth's mind flashed back to the earlier conversation, the one that now seemed to carry so much weight. 'Could it be…?'

He let out a slow breath, trying to keep his composure. "Do they know who did it?"

"Not exactly, sir, but... there's talk of a connection to someone who's been asking a lot of questions lately." His subordinate glanced around cautiously. "Some say it was a violent event, and there are whispers that whoever's behind it is dangerous."

Golden Tooth's heart raced. His mind conjured a picture of that man, the one who had asked him about the Borrent family not long ago. 'Could he be involved?'

A dark thought crept into Golden Town's mind. 'What if I'm tangled up in something far bigger than I realize?' He rubbed his face with both hands, as though trying to physically wipe away the growing unease.

"I need to make sure no one talks," he said coldly, eyes narrowing. "Especially those who were involved."

His subordinates nodded quickly, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Of course, Boss. We'll take care of it."

But Golden Tooth wasn't so sure. He was beginning to see the connections between the dots, and they painted a troubling picture. He had seen enough in his years at the docks to know that when powerful people were involved, things could spiral out of control fast.

The Borrent family; nobles, powerful and tangled in layers of alliances, was not a family to trifle with. Golden Tooth had learned long ago that the nobility's web of relationships was like a massive tree, with roots so entangled beneath the surface that even the slightest pull could bring everything crashing down. The idea of going against such a network was terrifying. 'Especially after what happened to the patriarch...'

His thoughts turned to the recent developments. The Borrent family had been recruiting ships at the old docks, which was strange. There were countless shipping companies in Bangor Port, all tied to various noble families, but the Borrent family had never seemed interested in leaving the city. 'Why would they suddenly need so many ships?'

He shook his head. Something didn't sit right. 'Maybe it's all just rumors. Maybe they're just preparing for something big...' But as a man who had spent decades in the underground world, Golden Tooth knew better than to ignore these kinds of whispers.

"They're not planning to go out to sea," he muttered under his breath, standing up from his chair. "The Borrent family doesn't need to. Not when the ships and businesses in the port already provide everything they need."

A deep frown furrowed his brow. The ships, the mysterious deaths, the secrecy, it all pointed to something darker, something more dangerous. But Golden Tooth didn't want to get tangled in it. 'Stay out of it. Let them handle their own problems. Just stay out of it, and everything will be fine.'

The man stood by the window for a long while, watching the waves crash against the pier, his thoughts racing. 'But what if I'm already too involved? What if it's already too late?'

The wind outside howled louder, as if in response to his unease, and Golden Tooth turned away from the window, a decision solidifying in his mind. 'Whatever happens, I can't let anyone find out what I know. I need to cover my tracks before it's too late.'