83 - Defect

"So, that's how it is? I see. I've learned something today," Leya said.

Leya looked at Lynn with a somewhat strange expression. He was highly sceptical that Lynn had been a law enforcer before coming to the land of the wizards, as he seemed even more skilled at investigating leads than Leya himself.

"Here are five magic coins. Help me deliver them to Ralph's family," Lynn took out some magic coins from his pocket and handed them to Darren.

Since Ralph was likely attacked due to the airship, he needed to respond in some way. Otherwise, no one would be willing to help him in the future. However, the investigation itself would ultimately be in the hands of Leya, the law enforcer. Lynn didn't have his own intelligence agents, didn't know which apprentices fit the described criteria, and couldn't personally track them down one by one.

Lynn now realized that, despite gaining some reputation over the past half-month, he had few resources at his disposal. Gathering information was proving to be a challenge.

In light of this, Lynn had no choice but to remind Darren, Lydia, and the others to be extra cautious and never act alone. If the other party failed to take Ralph away, they might make their next move. A wizard apprentice was likely just a pawn in the grand scheme.

They spent the morning in the alley but couldn't find more clues, so the group dispersed. As for the body, Leya took it back to the law enforcement office, hoping to find additional clues that had been missed before.

On their way back to the workshop, the moods of Lydia and her companions were quite somber. The joy they had felt from creating the airship and earning a significant number of magic coins had completely dissipated. However, they followed Lynn's instructions and drained the airship's gas bladder.

Then, Lynn personally replaced the hydrogen gas inside the bladder with helium. Both gases could provide enough lift for the airship. Hydrogen was chosen initially because it was easy to obtain, but it was also highly flammable and explosive, which made it suitable for Lydia's trial in Herlram.

Additionally, Lynn had another small idea. If the airship's design plans were leaked, and someone constructed another airship using the same method, it would leave a fatal vulnerability. All someone had to do was puncture the bladder and ignite it, turning the airship into a flaming ball in the sky.

Lynn considered this while leaving the workshop. He was about to return to Iyeta Academy when he spotted someone unexpected waiting outside the door.

"Mr. Laut, is there something you want from me?" Lynn stopped in his tracks, looking at the person waiting at the door and inquiring.

"I have some information that may be of interest to you, Lord Lynn. Would you care to listen?" Laut, hunched over, spoke with great respect. He seemed more like a noble's butler than the leader of a criminal organization.

Lynn stared at Laut for a moment and said indifferently, "Let's find a quieter place to talk."

He didn't choose to return to the academy because, in his eyes, it wasn't a particularly private location.

"Please follow me, Lord Lynn." Laut's face showed a hint of surprise, and he eagerly led the way for Lynn.

The two of them crossed the streets on the west side and the central square, emerging from a narrow alley into the southern district, which Lynn had never visited before.

Lynn looked around at everything. Since he had arrived in Iyeta Harbor, he had seen bustling and orderly scenes everywhere. However, the southern district was different. Here, there were only short buildings and dilapidated wooden shacks. Most of the people wore numb and anxious expressions. For a moment, Lynn even wondered if he had returned to the Sekas Empire.

If there was anything similar to the outside world here, it was the order.

Despite the old and rundown buildings, they were still constructed according to specific patterns.

"I didn't expect Iyeta to have a place like this," Lynn said in astonishment.

What was this? The slums of the city?

"I think it's not just Iyeta Harbor; places like this exist in any city on this continent," Laut said with a touch of nostalgia. "As long as those noble gentlemen continue to live their extravagant lives, these places will persist."

Lynn glanced at him, feeling that there was more to Laut's words because the land of the wizards had no nobility.

Laut also realized the implied meaning in his words and quickly added, "In reality, the situation here is much better than within the Sekas Empire. In Iyeta, very few people starve, and theoretically... even physically handicapped paupers can receive enough relief food to survive."

"Relief food? There's such a welfare system?" Lynn was quite surprised. The entire land of the wizards was essentially a giant island, and there should be limited arable land available.

With Laut's explanation, Lynn finally understood that all the farmland in the land of the wizards was magically developed. Elemental wizards even devised specialized enhancement spells to increase crop yields, so food production was double that of the outside world.

Lynn, dressed in magnificent robes, looked out of place in the entire southern district. Soon, he attracted various types of gazes – envy, jealousy, or inexplicable... hatred.

However, as Lynn's gaze swept over them, everyone on the street became submissive and humble.

One person, in particular, caught Lynn's attention. He was a middle-aged man in his thirties, blind in one eye, with an unevenly developed body – larger on the right side and smaller on the left. His right hand had five fingers that resembled monstrous claws.

Once they had walked some distance away, Lynn turned to Laut and asked, "Who was that person just now?"

Could it be that there were races like half-beasts on this continent?

But why had he never heard of them before?

Laut hesitated for a moment and whispered, "They are what some of the noble wizards call 'defects.'"

"Defects?" Lynn paused.

"I've heard some noble wizards refer to them that way," Laut lowered his voice and explained, "These people are products of the magical workshops, and the rumors say they are connected to a wizard skilled in shapeshifting(morphology) magic... for ten magic coins, anyone can undergo one transformation. However, the success rate is very low, and becoming a 'defect' is already considered very lucky."

Of course, the term 'defects' was just a derogatory nickname among the wizards. In reality, creatures like this could easily slaughter ordinary people, as simple as slaughtering chickens and sheep.

In the southern district, there was no shortage of individuals willing to do anything for power. Magic within the land of the wizards was everything, and if one could succeed in such a transformation, they would ascend to power comparable to an official wizard.