70: Chapter 0070 Wojnarowski

Li Size's mind was filled with mysterious calculations, his unique blend of deliberation and scheming.

He wanted to reverse-engineer the original formula of the 'brain in a vat' potion, which was rumored to be able to peek into the boundaries of consciousness.

To do so, he had to refine a 'swift spirit' that flowed with stardust luster to exchange with Veselin.

The forbidden knowledge in the hands of this mysterious witch was the key to his entry into the realm of high-level sorcery.

He and Felina purchased the necessary Materials at a market filled with the clear fragrance of Magic Plants.

Clutching the faintly glowing shadow spider silk and Ore embedded with tiny magic crystals in his package.

He looked up at the sun, which hadn't fully set yet; it was still early.

He should still be able to buy a wizardry train ticket to Wojin. He put the crystal bottle containing Magic Flame Grass powder into his Storage Pouch.

Then he mounted the 'Blue Star' motorcycle, its streamlined body shimmering with light blue runes.

The motorcycle engine emitted a low Demonic Energy hum, speeding towards Gele City's train station.

Gele City's wizardry train station wasn't large, its dome carved with ancient protective runes.

It was located at the junction of the Third Ring Industrial Zone and the Second Ring Residential Area, surrounded by scattered discarded Demonic Energy mechanical parts.

There were few passengers in the station because the price of a wizardry train ticket was enough to deter ordinary commoners.

The fare from Gele City to Wojin was as high as 30 silver coins, equivalent to the market price of two bottles of inferior healing potions.

Or the price of a dagger embedded with the lowest-tier fire element rune.

For commoners who relied on cultivating Magic Wheat for a living, this was undoubtedly an astronomical figure.

They would rather ride horses for several days, enduring the bumps, than touch this expensive ticket bearing a Wizard's mark.

Leaving the station, Li Size glimpsed a towering chimney in the distance, nestled close to the residential area.

The smoke rising from the chimney wasn't ordinary black smoke, but a gray mist mixed with trace amounts of Magic Dust, reflecting eerie purple light spots in the sunlight...

He finally realized that Gele City's urban planning held a huge hidden danger.

This was not only the inaction of the rulers but also a blatant disregard for the Crimson Soul Duchy's 'Demonic Energy Pollution Control Regulations'.

Magic Dust was silently eroding the Life Qi of the commoners.

If Gele City's industrial focus was the plantations that nurtured Magic Plant industries, then Wojin's lifeline was the mineral deposits buried deep underground.

The veins there flowed with mysterious metals that could Forging sorcery weapons.

Because Wojin possessed the largest reserve of magic iron Ore veins in the entire Crimson Soul region.

This metal could absorb and reflect sorcery attacks, making it a top-tier Material for defensive armor and a resource coveted by Wizards.

Li Size and Felina sat in the wizardry train compartment...

Through the window embedded with sorcery crystal lenses, they could see Wojin's sky, shrouded in an iron-gray curtain, from afar.

Occasionally, faint Demonic Energy arcs flashed in the clouds.

Combined with ancient rumors about Wojin, it felt as if countless tiny iron filings floated in the hazy sky.

Each particle carried the resentment of miners who had died tragically deep within the Ore veins.

After getting off the train, his guess was confirmed.

The air was thick with the smell of rust, mixed with a faint Demonic Energy radiation.

It caused a slight numbing sensation when inhaled, making one instinctively circulate Demonic Energy within the body to resist it.

What kind of people would be willing to live in this misty city enveloped by Magic Dust and iron filings?

Li Size couldn't help but frown, condensing a trace of Purification Sorcery on his fingertip to dispel the strange odor from his nose.

The 'Duchy City Yearbook' published by the Crimson Soul Duchy recorded:

Wojin City's population was only one-third of Gele City's, but the Demonic Energy concentration per square kilometer was three times that of Gele.

Moreover, its economic volume was even higher than Gele City's; every piece of magic iron could fetch a sky-high price in the black market.

Attracting countless adventurers and smugglers eager to get rich.

Was this why people were willing to endure Magic Dust pollution?

Li Size and Felina just wanted to find the Wizard Apprentice named Fei Li as soon as possible.

Felina's skirt was already covered with a thin layer of iron filings.

She tightly grasped Li Size's wrist, a hint of wariness about the Magic Dust pollution flashing in her eyes; both longed to leave this unhealthy city quickly.

As a Wizard Apprentice who often operated in Wojin City, Fei Li should be a well-known local figure.

But Li Size asked several passersby.

They either shook their heads or vaguely said 'never heard of him' in rusty-sounding voices.

It was as if this name was covered by some invisible mysterious force, exuding an eerie mystery.

Li Size recalled what the apprentice who suggested he come to Wojin had described: Fei Li was deeply in debt...

So that was it!

He found a passerby and, instead of asking about Fei Li, asked:

"Excuse me, where is the largest casino in Wojin City?"

"Cough, cough. In the city center..."

Just like the passerby he had asked before...

His violent coughing was mixed with a faint metallic grinding sound, as if his lungs had long been corroded by Magic Dust into rusty iron mesh.

Every breath he took was accompanied by a grating sound that set one's teeth on edge.

This passerby pointed towards the city center with fingers covered in cracks.

His hoarse voice carried the scent of rust:

"Go that way; the Entertainment City is where the Magic Dust is densest..."

Wizards in this world could easily cure diseases with potions and [Purification Spells], even Rebirth of severed limbs was not an issue.

Therefore, they paid no attention to the Magic Dust pervading the air.

But Li Size, from Blue Star, knew that this gray mist, mixed with black demonic iron fragments, would not only cause lesions similar to tuberculosis.

It would also cause the patient's lungs to gradually crystallize, eventually turning into a lifeless metal Ore.

This was a more bizarre 'Magic Dust Deformation Syndrome' than tuberculosis.

If it reached that stage, only Necromancy System Wizards could perform [Living Metal Transplants].

They would excavate black demonic iron with Life Qi from deep within the Ore veins, Forging it into an organ that matched the patient.

Then use the forbidden [Soul Fusion Art] to Fusion it with the human body.

That was both troublesome and expensive.

Not only did one have to pay a large amount of gold coins to the Necromancy System Wizard, but also endure the excruciating pain of the Soul being corroded by metal during the transplant.

Even more terrifying, the deformed body would gradually lose its humanity, becoming as cold and emotionless as a mineral.

The harm of this Magic Dust pollution had never been truly valued by the rulers of this city.

They cared more about the output of black demonic iron in the Ore veins than the lives of ordinary people.

Li Size guessed that this atmospheric environment indeed had no effect on Wizards.

Their bodies, tempered by magic, could convert the inhaled Magic Dust into weak energy, and even enhance the effects of certain sorcery.

For Metal-Specialized Wizards, this environment was even a 'paradise'.

The metallic energy particles pervading the air could amplify the effects of their sorcery and make their controlled metal weapons more lethal.

But for ordinary people without sorcery protection, this environment was a deadly poison.

Magic Dust would penetrate their pores, corrode their bones and blood, and cause tiny metallic scales to grow on their skin.

Eventually turning them into 'Iron-Shelled People' like walking corpses.

What was the Wojin City Governor thinking?

Did he not know that Magic Dust was devouring the lives of the citizens?

Or had he long been controlled by the mine owners with [Mind Control Runes], becoming their tool for accumulating wealth?

Following the passerby's guidance, Li Size arrived at the center of Wojin City, where a massive six-story building suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Its exterior walls were built of polished obsidian, with the golden shimmering characters 'Entertainment City' carved on the surface, each character emitting faint Demonic Energy fluctuations.

The architectural technology of this world was completely different from Blue Star.

Mysterious sorcery made construction incredibly simple, not even requiring rebar and concrete; just a few Zero-Ring Sorcery spells could create sturdy and durable houses.

Among Earth-Attribute Sorcery, there were two Zero-Ring Sorcery spells that could be called 'architectural miracles': [Turn Mud to Stone] and [Turn Stone to Mud].

They were invented by ancient Earth-Element Wizards and are still widely used in the construction of various cities today.

'Turn Mud to Stone' could instantly solidify soft mud and sand into hard granite.

'Turn Stone to Mud' could turn stubborn rock into a puddle of mud that could be shaped at will.

These two sorcery spells complemented each other and were the cornerstone of Wizard World architecture.

The former could decompose hard rock into fine mud and sand, while the latter could aggregate soft mud and sand into stone even stronger than steel.

When casting, a Wizard only needed to chant a short incantation to witness the marvelous sight of energy particles reorganizing before their eyes.

The [Turn Stone to Mud] sorcery was often used in the construction of ordinary buildings; it was ridiculously convenient.

One only needed to pile mud and sand into the desired shape, chant the incantation, and it would turn into a sturdy house, with even the decoration completed in one go.

If greater Stability was needed, for a price, an alchemist could be hired to engrave [Sturdiness Runes] on the building.

These runes could enable a building to withstand First Ring and lower sorcery attacks, and even remain intact during an earthquake.

Anyone who researched cement and reinforced concrete in the Wizard World would have their brain gnawed by Magic Ants.

Cement would be corroded into powder by Demonic Energy, and rebar could be easily manipulated by metal-element Wizards, making it impossible to guarantee the safety of the building.

The Entertainment City was a hollow, gold coin-shaped circular structure, with gold coins and magic stones carved on every brick and stone of the ring.

Dozens of spherical lamps powered by magic crystals floated in the hollow part, emitting golden light, as if they could draw all the surrounding wealth into the building.

The first floor featured some entertainment games of this world, such as Sorcery Hand Cards, Knight Chess, Football Machines, Billiards, Wizard Board Games, etc.

The second floor was for gambling games like slot machines, Twenty-Five Gates, Lotter Wheel, Sic Bo, Pai Gow, Horse Racing, etc.

The third floor was the arena, the fourth floor was a place boys understood, the fifth floor was the accommodation and rest area, and the sixth floor was the VIP room.

It was simply packed with people, many immersed in their own world of entertainment, some excited to the point of madness, others utterly despairing...

Li Size was somewhat interested in the games on the first floor.

Especially Sorcery Hand Cards and Wizard Board Games seemed to be related to some ancient legendary stories of the Wizard World, allowing a glimpse into the ancient Wizard World.

However, Li Size and Felina were in a hurry to find someone and had no time to research or relax.

Moreover, although the atmosphere and air here had no effect on their Physique, they still didn't like it very much and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Li Size couldn't identify Fei Li one by one, so he had to ask the Entertainment City's service staff for help.

However, although this wasn't a secret about a guest that couldn't be revealed, the service staff didn't know if casually disclosing it would cause trouble, so they didn't tell Li Size.

It wasn't until Li Size placed a gold coin in his hand that the waiter happily said:

"Apprentice Fei Li is our distinguished guest here.

He usually plays in the VIP area on the sixth floor."

Li Size originally wanted to go directly to the sixth floor to find Fei Li, but was stopped by the security guard at the entrance:

"Sir, this is the VIP area. Please show your VIP pass."

"Not even a Wizard Apprentice?"

Li Size asked helplessly, but received the same answer and inquired about how to become a VIP.

Accumulating a total betting amount of one hundred gold coins in the Entertainment City's gambling games would grant one an Entertainment City VIP card.

Li Size helplessly took Felina back to the second-floor gambling area.

Although he had spent a large amount of his gold coins on Pay-to-Win and only had 70 gold coins left, which wasn't enough for 100 gold.

But he wasn't worried; the requirement of accumulating 100 gold coins didn't mean losing 100 gold coins.

As long as the total sum of repeated bets reached 100 gold coins, it would suffice.

Losing 100 gold coins wouldn't severely harm Li Size, but it was still a very large sum.

This could increase his other attributes by nearly 1 point, excluding Mental Energy.

He certainly wouldn't be happy to lose money...

He carefully studied the rules of these gambling games and was quite confident he could win 100 gold coins.

He chose to play Sic Bo, which is a game where one can guess big or small, or the total points of the dice.

The sum of three dice points from 11-17 is called 'Big,' and 4-10 is called 'Small'.

If the sum is 3 or 18, it's invalid, and the dealer wins directly.