The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

Serving as a Law Enforcement Wizard or a City Lord’s Mansion Wizard came with a stipend of Magic Stones and Extraordinary Resources. However, compared to Wizards from the Dark Land Headquarters, their future prospects were practically nonexistent.

Wizards from the headquarters did sometimes hold positions in the Wizard Cities. However, much like Wizard Yi Si’s temporary post as the managing Wizard of Ancient Forest Mountain, these appointments were never long-term.

After using his Wizard Mark to exchange information about the mission with the City Lord’s Mansion Wizard, Wang Ya left the area of the Teleportation Array.

Use of the array was a publicly funded expense, but the various Wizard Cities required proof of travel. The Dark Land Headquarters would then cover the costs of using the Teleportation Array.

The Demon Dragon Territory was located inland, and the environment of Zhen Dan Wizard City was certainly different. The city streets were filled with Wizards—a mix of Wild Wizards, Wizards from the Dark Land, and members of local Wizard Clans. The number of mortals was still disproportionately high, which was unavoidable. In that respect, it was quite similar to Ancient Forest Wizard City.

Most Wizards from the Dark Land, like Wang Ya, were sent to the various Mortal Kingdoms to carry out their assigned Wizard Tasks.

The territory under their jurisdiction was enormous. A single Wizard City might oversee hundreds or even thousands of Mortal Kingdoms. There was no telling when a Wild Wizard or a Wandering Wizard might ruthlessly decide to perform a blood sacrifice on an entire city, grinding up souls to acquire Extraordinary Materials.

Alternatively, an Extraordinary event could occur, causing mass deaths among the mortal population. Since these people were considered property of the Dark Land, such incidents were, as a rule, strictly forbidden.

If a Wizard from the headquarters caused a large number of mortal deaths, they would be required to submit a report; with a sufficient reason, they could avoid being held accountable. If the perpetrator was a Wild Wizard or an Extraordinary Creature, they would simply be annihilated.

The slightest sign of an Extraordinary event had to be snuffed out as quickly as possible. Otherwise, it could easily trigger a greater disaster and lead to heavy mortal casualties.

Because the territory was so vast, such incidents happened frequently, and even the Wizards of the Dark Land struggled to manage it all.

Wang Ya didn’t head directly to the Maya Kingdom. Instead, he first stopped in Zhen Dan Wizard City to purchase a batch of concentrated food blocks. These were created through Extraordinary means, compressing large quantities of meat and vegetables.

They were similar to the compressed biscuits from his past life, but a single thumb-sized piece could sustain a Wizard’s need for Biological Energy for three days.

An ordinary mortal only needed to shave off a bit of powder and mix it with water to cover their Biological Energy needs for an entire day.

After that, he gathered more specific information about the Maya Kingdom and the incident with the Vengeful Spirit.

As Wang Ya walked out of Freedom Street, his brow furrowed. ’Something’s strange,’ he thought. ’There’s very little information available, not even an accurate death toll.’

’Logically, after an Extraordinary event in a Mortal Kingdom is reported, this sort of information should be crystal clear.’

His expression was indecipherable as he subconsciously rubbed his fingers together and glanced at Harak on his left shoulder.

An idea surfaced in his mind.

...

The sun was setting, its last rays touching the tops of the trees before sinking into a distant mountain gorge. A gloomy sky began to emerge from behind the hazy clouds.

A merchant caravan laden with goods traveled along a forest mountain path. Leading them was a middle-aged, bearded man in heavy armor, a Cross Longsword strapped to his back. His sharp, hawk-like eyes scanned their surroundings.

Once they crossed this mountainous stretch, they would reach a smooth, open road. Soldiers from the Maya Kingdom patrolled it regularly, so bandits were not a concern.

Still, Hans was worried. It looked like it was about to rain, which would make the road difficult. More importantly, he was concerned that something might happen to their cargo.

But the thought of the skilled Knights he had hired back in the Pipa Kingdom eased his worries considerably.

Even if they did run into bandits, the strength of ten Knights would be enough to crush any opposition.

The owner of the merchant caravan, a pot-bellied and greasy middle-aged man, rode his horse with great effort to catch up to Hans.

”Captain Hans, I think we should rest for a bit. We’ve been on the road for a long time.”

Hans glanced around and peered into the distance before nodding. ”Chairman Nicotine, we can rest and recover our Physical Strength, but not for long. We have to reach the open road before dark to make camp.”

Nicotine nodded in agreement and immediately gave the order.

The caravan members found places to sit, plopping down to drink water and eat their dried rations.

”Esteemed Knights, this is your food.”

A young, shy-looking girl with freckles, dressed in a simple gray tunic, carried a platter of dried meat to the rear of the caravan.

Four figures were resting there. Some were still on horseback, others leaned against the wagons, and one was sitting on the grass. All wore Light Armor and carried Short Swords.

Seeing the chairman’s daughter bring them food, they didn’t stand on ceremony, simply taking a few pieces of dried meat and starting to eat.

Ras’s heart beat a little faster as she carried the platter to a figure clad in black armor. Unlike the other Knights, this one was very young, with the brilliant golden hair and handsome face of a nobleman.

Wang Ya, in the guise of Arthur, glanced up at the plain-looking girl. He gave a slight nod, took the last piece of dried meat from the platter, and began eating in silence.

”Please enjoy, Knight Arthur,” Ras said, subconsciously clutching the empty platter to her chest.

”Mm,” Wang Ya replied curtly.

CAW! CAW! CAW!

A crow’s caw echoed as a black shadow circled in the sky above.

Wang Ya frowned.

”AH! Help me! Help me!”

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from the front of the caravan.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

The other three Knights gripped their Short Swords, their expressions turning grim.

A commotion broke out within the caravan, the jumble of voices making it impossible to understand what was happening.

Ras stood stunned by the turn of events, then saw ’Knight Arthur’ pick up his Cross Longsword and head toward the front of the caravan.

She subconsciously followed.

The thick stench of blood filled the air. A shocking splash of crimson soaked the earth.

Someone was dead, and their corpse was in a horrific state.

The body looked as if it had been gnawed on by some creature. It was riddled with holes, exposing the bone beneath. Half the man’s face was gone, and his torso had been completely hollowed out.

Hans, the other guards, Nicotine, and the rest of the caravan members surrounded the corpse but dared not approach, keeping a distance of two meters.

Terror and shock were etched on every face.

Just moments before, they had watched in horror as the old man from the caravan died. It was as if an invisible monster had been gnawing on his flesh, eating him alive.

They couldn’t see the attacker. They couldn’t see anything at all.

Standing at the edge of the crowd, Wang Ya’s pupils flickered with a faint blue light.

’Is this an Extraordinary event, or a targeted killing?’

’An Extraordinary technique that doesn’t require Particle Energy... one that even a mortal could use.’

His gaze locked onto a thin figure in the crowd.

’I’m very curious about the principles behind this technique. Judging by the results, it’s no weaker than some forms of Low-tier Witchcraft.’