Chapter 271 – Intelligence

Punk strode toward the bustling city gate, not a single speck of dust from the stirred-up surroundings touching him. At this moment, dressed mysteriously and impeccably clean, Punk stood out conspicuously among the grimy crowd.

However, Punk had no intention of hiding himself. Long before his arrival, he had used the System to carefully sense the entire city. Only after repeatedly confirming that there was merely a level-twelve warrior stationed here did he boldly approach without concealment, as his Master-Level strength made such caution unnecessary.

As Punk drew closer step by step, the clamor of the crowd at the city gate gradually quieted. Finally, when Punk reached the gate’s vicinity, the thousands of merchants and impoverished people crowded there involuntarily fell silent. Even the most boisterous boat trackers cautiously softened their footsteps.

Though these individuals weren’t professionals, they could still perceive the immense pressure emanating from Punk. The professionals who had been shouting loudly moments ago now dared not even breathe heavily, fearing they might attract the attention of this unfathomable Master-Level powerhouse and invite disaster. After all, in most people’s impressions, the higher a mage’s level, the more neurotic and unpredictable they tended to be.

Punk himself paid no mind to the fact that his conspicuous presence was blocking the gate and disrupting traffic. He stopped right in front of the gate and advanced no further.

He was waiting—waiting for the city’s highest ruler, that Formal-Level warrior, to come and greet him.

This time, Punk merely intended to inquire about local information and intelligence on the Thought of Truth. His purpose was simply to ask for directions, with no plan to enter the city at all.

In truth, before Punk obtained that Eerie Eyeball, he had been eagerly looking forward to entering the city for a lavish meal. It had been over five hundred years since he last tasted delicious fruit, after all.

But now, Punk had far more important matters than eating and drinking—he only wanted to quickly join the Thought of Truth, settle down, and exchange for vast amounts of materials to begin his experiments. As for admiring the scenery along the way or indulging in food and drink, those plans had been decisively canceled by Punk!

Perhaps the city was simply too large, as Punk waited at the gate for over a minute. Just as he was growing impatient, the level-twelve warrior finally rushed over in a fluster.

“Honorable Mage, Yegor-Cargon welcomes your arrival. This city shall mark this day in history, for your coming is the greatest honor for our Ross City…………”

The warrior, who appeared quite young, seemed to keenly sense Punk’s impatience. He promptly bowed with the highest warrior’s salute and delivered a stream of flattery without the slightest hesitation.

It wasn’t that Yegor was overly timid—it was just that Punk didn’t seem like the kind of amicable spellcaster………… His Mage Robe, black with blood-red patterns, looked utterly mysterious, and beneath the hood, only two sapphire-blue eyes were visible. The emerald staff in his hand shimmered with flowing light……… This appearance perfectly matched the image of those unpredictable and enigmatic mages.With Punk’s impatient, icy glare and his overwhelming spellcasting level, it was actually quite brave of Jaeger not to have fled outright.

But for Punk… seeing this guy before him lacking any semblance of a strong demeanor, his only feeling was one of utter speechlessness—why did these people all think he was so intimidating? After all, as a half-Ancient Elf, he had very delicate features… (though who could see them with his hood up?).

Jaeger’s subordinates were somewhat surprised to see their usually arrogant city lord so terrified, but they didn’t say much. After all, being a bit obsequious before a Master-Level powerhouse didn’t seem too shameful, right?

“Enough, I just want to ask some questions. Answer them truthfully.”

Punk impatiently cut off Jaeger’s continued flattery. He estimated this guy could keep praising him nonstop for ten minutes, and right now, Punk wasn’t willing to waste even a single minute:

“Don’t let me catch you playing tricks, or else…”

“Please rest assured, my lord. I will answer truthfully without a single false word.”

Jaeger said respectfully.

“Where is this place? What are the surrounding countries? What cities are nearby? What forces are in the vicinity? What’s the political system? Who are the famous powerhouses? Just tell me all of that!”

Punk fired off a long string of questions. After all, the Formal-Level warrior before him had exceptional memory and wouldn’t forget the content of the questions.

Hearing Punk’s questions, Jaeger couldn’t help but show a bitter smile.

He could answer all of Punk’s questions, but much of this information—such as city distributions and the identities of his country’s powerhouses—was military intelligence and, in principle, not allowed to be disclosed without authorization. But…

“Ah, is this the so-called ‘unexpected disaster’?”

Jaeger glanced at Punk’s sapphire-glowing eyes and quickly lowered his head.

Clearly, if he didn’t speak, Punk wouldn’t leave, and he might even end up dead on the spot. Jaeger wasn’t one of those rigid paladins; without much hesitation, he spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube.

It took some time to organize the information in his mind. After three seconds, Jaeger began answering in a voice just loud enough for Punk to hear but inaudible to those around them:

“This is the alluvial plain at the foot of the Minotaur Mountains in the central part of the Faerûn Plane. From the ‘Toothfall Mountains’ in the north to the ‘Red Rabbit Plains’ in the south, all belong to the territory of the Airo Empire. To the west of the Airo Empire is the Angalun Empire, and to the north, across the Hoth Mountains, are the territories of the three kingdoms: Mila, Kunpei, and Noanda. To the southeast of the Airo Empire is the inland sea known as the ‘Crimson Sands,’ and across the sea lies a powerful empire called the Gray Rain Country.

Our Airo Empire has an autocratic monarchy system. The Kingdom Protector is the Legendary warrior ‘Sharp-Edged Blade’—Bill Kayden. The Angalun Empire also has an autocratic monarchy system. Their Nation-Protecting Legendary Powerhouses are two: ‘Melting Blade’ Hyde—Tranchi, and ‘Ice Chain Sword’—Bieg Babahan.”Three nations beyond the Hoth Mountains are currently embroiled in war, and the treacherous paths through the Hoth Mountains… make intelligence rather scarce. I have only heard that there is a renowned Holy Warrior family there with the surname “Zordas.”

As for the Gray Rain Country across the inland sea of the “Crimson Sands,” it employs a Council system. The resident Legendary Mage protecting the nation is “Incinerator” Ankazan Flamebrow from the Mage Guild. If you seek spellcaster organizations… I believe the Gray Rain Country will surely have information. Due to its abundance of Graymarsh Orchids, multiple spellcaster organizations have established key branches there.

(End of Chapter)