Chapter 480 – Good News

Hypocritical as the Mage Guild might be, it was not an organization to be easily deceived when meddling in affairs. Especially in the current situation where the Mage Guild held a dominant position in Gray Rain Country, it was impossible to dismiss them with a few careless words. If nothing else, were the Mage Guild so easily compromised, it would be unable to account for its genuinely good-aligned members.

However, Punk was not afraid of the Mage Guild making exorbitant demands or extorting him. After all, there was no direct evidence linking him to either the volcanic eruption in the Hoth Mountains or the Demon Sub-Lord’s Projected Claw in the Raging Wave Desert. If anyone questioned Punk about his knowledge of the events, he would not hesitate to pin all the crimes squarely on the black dragon Ovakain.

By then, no one would likely continue to hold Punk accountable. After all… such terrifying disasters that devastated living beings—if they weren’t committed by the “evil, mad, and unrestrained” Chromatic Dragons, could they possibly be the work of the “just, kind, and courageous” Senior Mentor of the Thought of Truth?

What a joke. Anyone daring to suggest such a thing wouldn’t need Punk to object—the Thought of Truth would be the first to defend him. Our Senior Mentor was a hero who went to stop the evil dragon from destroying the world, only the evil dragon was too powerful, and our hero didn’t succeed… What? Some lunatic is defending the undoubtedly evil black dragon? No doubt about it! This fellow must be a spy sent by Tiamat, the Five-Colored Dragon Mother from the Abyss! Execute him on the spot!

Such was the absurdity of black and white. Sometimes, twisting the truth didn’t even require the involved party to expend much effort. Neither legendary organizations nor ordinary people cared about the actual truth of right and wrong.

Ordinary folk only needed some irrelevant dinner-table gossip, while legendary organizations merely required a superficial facade of “goodness.” As for a black dragon who had sacrificed everything—whether it was a demon or a hero… who would care?

It was precisely with this self-assured confidence that Punk, following behind Kirk Weilen, remained composed both outwardly and inwardly. In fact, he was less concerned about his inevitably innocent verdict and more focused on what assets he needed to offer to satisfy the Mage Guild officials handling the matter—he didn’t want repeated disturbances from this idle organization. Offering some wealth could both foster goodwill and demonstrate his strength. Why not do it?

But soon, Punk would no longer need to fret over parting with any of his assets.

As he walked side by side with Kirk Weilen on the muddy road, perhaps because his streak of bad luck had finally ended, the hoarse-voiced Kirk Weilen abruptly shared some good news in his weathered tone:”…Quite a lot has happened in the half year you’ve been away. The conflict between the Mage Guild and the Zhentarim has escalated significantly—this isn’t just the petty squabbles between branches, but a full-scale confrontation between the entire Red Robes faction and the Mage Guild Headquarters. Rumor has it that even the Morningstar Caster of the Zhentarim has clashed with the Morningstar Elder of the Mage Guild. Because of this, the Mage Guild and the Zhentarim have now entered a state of full-scale preparation for war… Though generally, they’d just posture like in the hundreds of previous standoffs to assert their presence, for a small country like Gray Rain Country, both the Mage Guild branch and the Zhentarim branch have no choice but to comply with headquarters’ demands and enter a state of combat readiness.”

“So that means both the Mage Guild and the Zhentarim are now on high alert, in complete chaos and disarray?”

Punk raised an eyebrow, a playful glint appearing in his pupils.

The confrontation between these two behemoths—the Mage Guild and the Zhentarim—was beyond Punk’s current reach, but that didn’t stop him from considering how to profit from the clash of these titans…

Of course, this was all contingent on there being no risks. Getting caught in the crossfire between two giants would be anything but fun.

Kirk Weilen seemed to have guessed Punk’s thoughts. The moment he heard Punk’s response, the old man, who had just reached the entrance of a domed building, immediately turned to fix his gaze on Punk.

With a stern expression, Kirk Weilen warned Punk in an utterly serious tone:

“Don’t get too greedy, young man! Some things are beyond your current reach. Even if you’re looking for trouble yourself, don’t bring disaster to this quiet branch. Besides… you’ve already gained plenty from this incident!”

“Plenty? What do you mean?”

Lightly resting a finger on the hilt of the “Staff of Lament and Hatred” behind his back, Punk eyed Kirk Weilen’s wrinkled face with slight confusion.

But Kirk Weilen seemed entirely unbothered by Punk’s reflexive caution. He simply ignored the question with indifference, then slowly turned to push open the large door, saying:

“Alright, Mr. Cyan, let me introduce you. This young lady who has been waiting at our Thought of Truth branch for over three months is the ‘inquirer’ sent by the Gray Rain Country Mage Guild branch—Scotti Danny. She will inquire about the eruption of the Sleeping Dragon Volcano in the Hoth Mountains and the demonic aura in the Raging Wave Desert. I hope you will answer truthfully, guided by the justice and goodness in your heart…”

As the stone door rumbled open, a modestly sized parlor was revealed before Punk.

The numerous restraint runes carved into the rocky walls made it clear that this hall was originally intended as a “courtroom” for interrogating criminal spellcasters. However, since it was now facing Punk, a powerful Master-Level expert, the name of this building had been tactfully temporarily changed to “Inquiry Room.”

Correspondingly, the room that should have been filled with a crowd of rigid Formal-Level mages for this “court” had been reduced to just one… Apprentice-Level junior mage sent by the Mage Guild?

Yes, Apprentice-Level indeed!At this moment, the exquisitely beautiful young girl sitting on the high platform in the hall was clearly just an ordinary Apprentice-Level spellcaster. In her hands, she held a large stack of heavy magic books – one after another, these dozens-of-centimeters-thick “tomes” formed a visually striking contrast with the slender figure of the young female mage.

Right now, the young mage standing on the high platform seemed somewhat flustered by Kirk Weilen’s sudden door-opening action. Along with her startled delicate exclamation, the magic book she had been holding and consulting instantly erupted with a flash of intense light.

What followed was perhaps due to this Apprentice-Level little mage’s loss of magical control in her panic, or perhaps because these books – which should have been used by Formal-Level Mages to summon magic projections – required too high a level of magical control. Echoing the “Little Girl’s” exclamation, all the magic books began continuously projecting legal clauses like a chain reaction. Within the massive smoke, historical celebrities began appearing one after another, using piles of examples to argue the importance of certain legal provisions.

In less than a few seconds, this small “interrogation room” became completely filled with chaotic light and shadow effects.

The month is ending again, seeking votes~

(End of Chapter)