From the MC's Perspective:
The Verdant City is not as large as the capital city of my holand. It lacks the skyscrapers and beautiful architecture of bigger cities, yet it is still better than my holand's capital.
Many of the locals are high-level wizards, and their businesses and families work for the True Elents Society. There is no foreign investnt here.
Now, I can see where the inco of the True Elents Society cos from. There are various businesses in the city, and I've even heard that they possess many mana stone source mines.
As I appreciate the view, I continue walking toward my destination.
Soon, I arrive at the entrance of the Main Market after crossing several streets. The Main Market is located in the heart of the city and occupies a substantial area.
Surrounded by four large walls, the market has big entrances on all sides. Each entrance is guarded by high-level wizards. Only after a proper screening can one enter.
Looking around, I notice that people are standing in line to get in. I walk to the end of the line and stand behind the last person.
I look over and see a middle-aged man speaking to one of the guards. When he steps forward, a circular device hovers above his head.
Suddenly, a blue ray shoots from the device, scanning the man. After a few seconds, the scanning completes, and the middle-aged man enters.
A glint flashes in my eyes. I expected the screening to be strict, but it turned out to be quite standard. I realize that it's just a market area.
People co here to buy and sell things. If the True Elents Society imposed too many restrictions, it might cause fear and insecurity among the citizens.
Now, I understand how the Transmutation Society wizard was allowed inside. There are many things I don't know, but it seems the True Elents Society turns a blind eye to several issues.
As long as nothing threatens their bottom line, they generally don't care. While waiting in line, I browse through the mission description sent by Elder Paul Lin.
My gaze falls on the smart screen in my left-hand storage bracelet. The mission description is detailed. It states that soone had submitted a suspicious object to the guards. They discovered the object at the stall of an elderly man nad Sam, who sells antiques.
Then the guards reported the incident to Verdant City's administration, which in turn inford the True Elents Society.
"What could the object be?" I ponder. I scroll further down the report and discover that the object was identified as a foreign organ. This organ was enchanted with magic spells to stabilize its cells, allowing it to function.
My heart skips a beat. What kind of magic spell is necessary to maintain a foreign organ in this way? I'm certain that even typical magic healers and doctors would struggle to do sothing like this.
Only wizards who walk the path of Transmutation can conceive of such ideas.
"Transmutation wizard, huh?" I think, feeling a mix of excitent and apprehension.
Currently, the foreign organ is being monitored by the Council Elders. Considering the attention this news has attracted from the Council Elders, I realize I must take action. If I can gather valuable intelligence, I could impress them.
Perhaps they could then protect from the attacks of the aristocratic families. As I drift back to reality, I notice that I am next in line.
As the person in front of enters the market, I step forward. The chanical device hovers above my head, and its blue ray scans from top to bottom.
The system displays no warnings. When the scan concludes, the guard gestures for to go inside. I'm dressed in the common attire of wandering wizards, including a mask.
I noticed the disdain in his eyes, but I ignored it and entered the market.
A cacophony of noise, mixed slls, and varying mana envelops . I sweep my gaze across the area. Multiple stalls are arranged in an orderly fashion, allowing people to co and go without causing a commotion.
I observe that people move continuously, stopping only to purchase items from the stalls.
Next, I need to locate the antique stall owned by Old Man Sam. I casually scan my surroundings. According to the information, Old Man Sam is supposed to be on his deathbed.
I'm unsure whether he has passed away or is still alive, so I decided to ask the stall owners nearby. I casually approach the nearest stall to initiate a conversation.
The stall owner is a middle-aged man with a disability, but I sense a level 6 magic aura emanating from him.
"He must have sustained a grave injury," I think.
As I examine the items, I notice he is selling books. The books are old and worn, not new.
The middle-aged man's gaze falls on , and I nod to him before picking up one of the books to read.
[Chronicles of Wizard Peter]
After reading the title, I realized it was a storybook based on local legends. I flipped through the pages to read more.
The middle-aged man at the stall was excited. Rarely did people stop by to look at his old books, as they were often sold in various local stores throughout the city.
Custors didn't need to co to his shop specifically to buy them, so he was happy to see a new visitor. He noticed that the person appeared young, and he sensed no mana emanating from him.
However, he knew that could not be true, as regular humans wouldn't be present here. It was only possible if soone wore magic artifacts or cast spells to conceal their mana. So, he maintained a dignified expression.
The custor was dressed in wandering wizard robes and wore a mask. The stall owner suspected he was just another pretentious rich person browsing the market for fun, sothing he had seen many tis over the years.
"Custor, did you find anything interesting?" the stall owner asked, nervous about the attention.
When I heard him, I stopped flipping through the pages and turned to face him. "How much is this book?" I asked.
"Fifty low-grade mana stones," the stall owner replied.
I looked at him and sneered inwardly; I knew it was daylight robbery. One could find new children's books at even lower prices in stores. However, since I needed information from him, I decided to play it cool. I took one mid-grade mana stone from my storage bracelet and held it in my palm.
The stall owner's eyes widened, and other stall owners began curiously watching our interaction, eager to see whether I would make a purchase.
"Custor, your paynt..." he began, but I spoke over him.
"Do you know the dying old man, Sam?" I asked.
The stall owner's heart skipped a beat. He was a veteran and quickly understood the implications. "Yes," he replied.
"Good. Tell what happened to him recently and where his stall is," I demanded.
The stall owner glanced around before leaning closer to . "Old man Sam is dead. A few days ago, his antique stall was raided by the authorities, and it was announced that he died during interrogation," he explained. "People don't know the exact reason for the raid; so say he sold sothing illegal."
"Where is his stall?" I pressed.
"His stall is closed down now. Guards are watching over the place," the stall owner inford .
I needed to co up with a plan. I had already thought of so approaches, but first, I needed to clarify sothing. "Is the market open all day long?" I asked.
"Yes, there is a one-hour break in between when no custors are allowed inside, and those who are already inside cannot leave," the stall owner replied. "The next break will start in one hour."
"Interesting," I mumbled under my breath. "Maybe it's the right ti for to inspect the stall," I thought to myself.
"Here, take this and tell old man Sam's stall number," I said, handing him the mid-grade mana stone.
"Stall No: 35," he replied hastily, pocketing the stone discreetly.
I casually tucked the old book into my storage bracelet before leaving the stall. The other stall owners were dumbfounded, unable to believe that soone would buy such old, worn-out books.
Yet, those with discerning eyes could tell there had been a aningful exchange between the stall owner and .
I navigated through the crowd, moving further away from the stalls. I didn't know whether this place was being monitored. Regardless, I had co here on a mission, and no one would dare say anything to .
As ti went on, I wandered around the various stalls. My goal was to inspect old man Sam's stall during break ti. Many items were for sale, including herbs, fruits, and foods. Most of these items were useful for local wizards.
Even though I felt tempted to buy so things, I prioritized my mission. I suspected that the guards monitoring the area would take breaks as well, which would give a chance to slip inside the stall.
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