44: Chapter 44 Arrival, with the Lord

The information among the three of them was almost identical, with no major differences.

First, within the jurisdiction of the Elius Wizard Academy, there were actually quite a few independent personal organizations led by only a single Official Wizard.

These organizations were allowed to stay briefly within the academy's jurisdiction, but they were not permitted to interfere with mortal towns.

Furthermore, across the vast lands of the Elius Wizard Academy, there were numerous kingdoms and even larger mortal empires.

Beyond these, there were many independent lords or mortal towns that did not belong to any kingdom nor swore allegiance to any king.

However, all these mortal organizations had to pledge allegiance to the Elius Wizard Academy.

Boulder Town was an independent territory formed by such a mortal gathering place.

The mortals here built Boulder Town around a rather resource-rich mining area.

In this mining area, there were many naturally growing rare ores.

Aside from ordinary metal ores, there were also magic mineral veins in some mining areas that occasionally yielded magical materials.

Among them, a certain amount of dark gold crystal ore could be steadily mined every month.

That was a magical material much rarer than ordinary minerals.

It could be used as a basic material for alchemy; adding a small amount to ordinary materials could enhance the quality of the forged finished product.

It was also an auxiliary material for some Spell Models and spellcasting, such as an important auxiliary item for the Iron Armor Spell.

When constructing this Spell Model, at least in the early stages of construction, more than twenty catties of this type of ore were needed.

Viewed this way, Boulder Town was a rather important resource town for the Elius Wizard Academy.

However, in the recent report submitted by the lord of this town to the Elius Wizard Academy,

there was a phenomenon where a large number of miners lost their traces after entering the mineshafts.

Furthermore, because the guard force of Boulder Town itself was only at a mortal level and powerless against realms beyond mortals, the lord here dared not deplete their own guard forces.

According to Boulder Town's report and the speculations of the Elius Wizard Academy,

it was believed that some kind of magical beast or demonic mana contamination might have appeared in the mineral veins of Boulder Town, causing the mortals entering the mineshafts to go missing.

Moreover, because this resource town had provided the academy with a large amount of cheap ore resources for a long time, the academy could not simply sit by and do nothing.

Because of this, they issued a commission, and a team of at least three Level 3 Wizard Apprentices showed that they attached considerable importance to it.

This was to prevent Boulder Town from losing further control, causing the mortals entering the mineshafts to mine ores to become unable to maintain their original work or even lose their lives.

Inside the carriage, Ross finished reading the report submitted by the local lord. This report was filled with mortal delusions and arbitrariness, riddled with errors, and he shook his head slightly.

"The lord here does not have Wizard Aptitude and follows the path of activating the Seed of Life and the knight's path. Their own strength and knowledge are insufficient to cope with the complex environment of the mineshaft."

"Coupled with being of the noble class and cherishing their own life while worrying about casualties among subordinates, to be honest, this report on the abnormal phenomenon doesn't have much value for our investigation."

Ross broke the peace inside the carriage and slowly said,

Vera thought for a moment and added,

"Indeed, these mortals are full of their own imaginations regarding some abnormal phenomena in the Wizard World."

"Classifying the disappearance of miners as attacks by magical beasts seems reasonable."

"But upon closer examination, to cause a large-scale disappearance of miners without a single one escaping, it would take at least an entire tribe of magical beasts to achieve such an effect."

Facing the questions raised by Ross and Vera,

Edmund, the only Level 2 Wizard Apprentice here, did not deny it either. From his perspective, he deeply agreed with the guesses of Ross and Vera.

Although this kind of mortal lord was respectful to wizards and would honestly deliver the resources,

in terms of the extraordinary power they grasped and their understanding of the Wizard World, in his eyes, they were foolish and ignorant mortals, even though this lord might also possess the strength of a knight.

Still, there were quite a few shortcomings in their knowledge.

Three days later, Ross and his party arrived at their destination.

Ross's gaze looked towards a mortal town located in a barren mountain range.

The core of the town was the lord's castle composed of several bluestone fortresses.

Surrounding the outside of this castle were numerous streets and wooden houses where ordinary residents lived, circling around each other like rings.

Ross, Vera, and Edmund stepped down from the Centaur's carriage.

After the three of them stepped into the territory's city gate, the local lord received the news and was currently outside the castle.

The lord of this city was already waiting a thousand meters outside the castle to greet their arrival.

Not only did the lord arrive personally, but he also led a team of knights and a crowded mass of people on both sides of the road to welcome Ross and the other two.

This kind of mortal ceremony, etiquette, and awe toward wizards were vividly displayed here.

Amidst the welcome of the soldiers, the lord of Boulder Town bowed and saluted the three of Ross, saying aloud,

"The arrival of the great wizards brings immense honor to Boulder Town."

"In my castle, a grand banquet has already been prepared for you lords to welcome your arrival."

But it was obvious that whether it was Ross, Vera, or Edmund,

none of the three had any interest in such cumbersome mortal etiquette or the so-called banquet.

The expressions of the three were quite indifferent.

The lord of Boulder Town did not wait for a response from the wizards.

He only heard Ross and the others say,

"Take us to the mineshaft where the abnormal phenomenon occurred immediately. Cancel all other cumbersome formalities; none of us three are interested in these."

"Coming here is purely to investigate the anomaly in the mineshaft. With the academy's commission, you don't have to worry about us not giving our all."

"After we investigate it clearly, we will report to the academy and solve the problem that has appeared in your territory."

Although the three of Ross did not accept the lord's treat, hearing Ross say they would solve the abnormal phenomenon in the territory,

the lord of Boulder Town was still very happy, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he said,

"Thank you, esteemed wizard lords. Boulder Town has never experienced such an anomaly before."

"During this period, many residents in the territory have lost their income. Maintaining this for a short time is not critical."

"However, due to the abnormal phenomenon appearing in the mineshaft, no miners dare to enter anymore, and the livelihoods of thousands of families are facing problems."

"Fortunately, you wizard lords were able to arrive. The mineshaft here is hope to the residents of Boulder Town, a hope that must not be cut off."