Chapter 196: The Rumor Spreads

As Merlin listened intently to Alina's description of the ancient ruins, his expression grew increasingly grave. He didn't know the exact location of the ruins Samir and the others were planning to explore, but Alina's description matched the details Samir had shared previously. It became clear that the news of the ruins had indeed spread throughout Floating City.

"Well, Mage Merlin?" Mage Golan asked, narrowing his eyes with a confident smile. "There may be risks, but with me, we should be able to navigate the most dangerous areas. The rewards will be more than worth it."

Without responding, Merlin abruptly stood up, shaking his head. "Mage Golan, Alina—I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving. As for the ruins, I won't be joining you."

Merlin turned and left the room without another word, leaving the spellcasters in an awkward silence. Golan's confident smile faltered, replaced with a faint look of embarrassment.

"Heh, Alina," Mage Karen mocked, casting her a derisive glance, "this 'prodigy' you're always praising turns out to be too scared to enter some ruins. How laughable…"

Alina ignored Karen's ridicule, though a shadow of doubt crept into her own expression. She had been certain that Merlin would jump at the opportunity to explore the ruins, yet he had flatly refused.

Golan's face soon settled into a hardened look as he watched Merlin's figure retreat. "Let him go. We won't force him. A six-element mage? He's no match for Kreiss. Such cowardice… he'll never become a first-level spellcaster at this rate. With just the three of us, I'll be able to protect everyone. Frankly, it's better this way."

Seeing Golan's dark expression, Alina opened her mouth as if to say something but ultimately remained silent, her gaze complex as she watched Merlin's retreating form…

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Leaving the Delman estate, Merlin's face was troubled as he gazed over the bustling Floating City, thoughts whirling through his mind. The ruins' location was now common knowledge, which meant Samir and the others had lost their advantage. This matter needed to be discussed with Samir as soon as possible.

With that thought, Merlin headed directly to Samir's residence.

Soon, Merlin reached Samir's courtyard. Upon entering, he immediately called out, "Mage Samir, there's trouble!"

"Ah, Mage Merlin, perfect timing. We were just about to seek you out," came Samir's voice from inside.

Inside, Merlin found Samir, Bren, and Raisen already gathered.

"Why are the two of you here as well?" Merlin asked, casting a particular glance at Raisen.

Without answering, Samir asked, "Mage Merlin, you mentioned trouble—what's going on?"

After a moment's hesitation, Merlin answered, "The ruins' location—it's now all over Floating City. Did you know, Mage Samir?"

"Ah, Mage Merlin, we called this meeting for exactly that reason."

It turned out that Bren and Raisen had come to Samir precisely to discuss this issue.

The four of them entered the sitting room to deliberate on how to handle the spread of information about the ruins.

Samir began, "We don't know how word about the ruins got out. Only the four of us knew, and none of us would have shared it openly. This leaves one possibility: another mage stumbled upon the ruins by chance."

It was a simple conclusion. None of them would have intentionally revealed the ruins' location. Since Raisen had discovered it, it was certainly possible that another spellcaster had done the same, causing the information to spread.

"Now, what do we do?" Samir's gaze swept over the others as he asked, his tone serious.

"What can we do?" Bren scoffed. "The news being out isn't ideal, but it's not unmanageable. With our combined strength, we can enter the ruins with ease, and if anyone dares challenge us, we'll eliminate them."

Raisen nodded in agreement, his voice calm. "True. United as we are, few would dare to oppose us. Still, we need to act quickly. While the ruins are dangerous and may repel weaker spellcasters, a lucky wanderer might make it to the deeper parts. If that happens, it could be disastrous."

The news had already circulated, and some mages had likely entered the ruins. If any of them were fortunate enough to avoid danger, they might reach the inner chambers and plunder the spells, tools, and potions.

Raisen's tone carried a hint of urgency, but Merlin sensed that he wasn't overly concerned. It seemed the artifact Raisen cared about—the Pandora Mana—was likely secure, hidden where ordinary spellcasters wouldn't find it.

"Mage Merlin, what's your take?" Samir asked, turning his attention to Merlin. Since Merlin had demonstrated the terrifying power of his Icefinger spell by killing Mage Dama in a single move, he held a respected position within their group. Samir and the others now regarded him as an equal.

After a moment of thought, Merlin shook his head. "This situation isn't good. The news has been circulating for days, and there may already be fourth-level or higher spellcasters on their way there. While our group of three third-level spellcasters is strong, we'd be at a disadvantage against mages of the fourth or fifth level."

Since learning of the information leak, Merlin had been deeply concerned. If the ruins attracted fourth-level or higher spellcasters, their group's advantage would diminish significantly.

In his mind, Merlin envisioned the powerful mages who might arrive and what could unfold if they learned of the Pandora Mana in the ruins.

Looking up, he saw Samir and the others regarding him with strange expressions.

"What's wrong? Doesn't this seem like a bad situation to you?" Merlin asked, puzzled by their looks.

Finally, Samir chuckled, shaking his head. "Mage Merlin, how many fourth-level mages do you think there are in Floating City?"

"The spellcaster families may have a single fourth-level mage at most. As for Silver Tower, while they're influential, the branch here follows a strict rule—they never send their mages into ruins. Instead, they'll buy whatever is brought out, paying handsomely."

"Beyond the families and Silver Tower, all that's left are wanderers. Mage Merlin, coming from a spellcaster organization, you may not fully understand the struggles of wanderers. For a wandering mage to reach the third level is incredibly rare. Bren, Raisen, and I are among the most powerful wanderers in Floating City. In all my years here, I've never encountered a fourth-level wanderer."

Merlin understood. Samir, Bren, and Raisen were essentially the "top dogs" among Floating City's wandering mages. Through Alina, he had learned a bit about the difficulty wandering mages faced in progressing, and Samir's words only reinforced this notion.

While a few may have stumbled upon opportunities or possessed extraordinary talent, allowing them to reach the fourth level, Floating City had no such powerful wanderers. Samir and his allies were indeed the most formidable among them. Bren's earlier confidence now made sense.

"What about spellcaster organizations?" Merlin asked. "If they hear of this ruin, won't they send powerful mages to investigate?"