Chapter 84 – The Visiting Guest

Sitting in the White Tower’s hall, Punk faced a beautifully crafted dining table temporarily conjured by magic. On the table stood several bottles of fine wine (a gift from Lotalan) alongside large portions of… ordinary white bread.

The table was illuminated by dazzling magical lights, woven entirely from green vines that radiated a vibrant vitality. Delicate crimson flowers adorned its edges, and this “rustic pastoral-style” table injected a burst of energy into the gloomy White Tower.

Seated at the head of the table was Punk, who had just finished his experiments, while the guest seat was occupied by a graceful blonde maiden. Had it not been for the “background” behind Punk, this banquet could have been considered magnificent.

The background behind Punk wasn’t particularly extraordinary—it was merely a young man strapped to the experiment table, his skull peeled open to expose his brain. For a mage obsessed with knowledge, this wasn’t really abnormal, was it?

“Miss Elinka Doctore, my experiments keep me quite busy, so I’ll get straight to the point. What brings you here today?”

Punk calmly sipped tea brewed from magical herbs, his profound gaze fixed on Elinka, who was already breaking into a cold sweat.

He found it hard to believe that communications in Doleiz were so poor that they’d delay for over half a year—why hadn’t she visited when he first arrived instead of waiting until now?

“Respected Mage Punk Cyan, I am the Fief Countess of Nielan Town, Aise Town, Lesuosi Town, and Ansha Town. Having heard of your settlement here, I’ve come specifically to pay my respects!”

Elinka pretended not to notice Punk’s cold stare, struggling to keep her eyes from drifting toward the twitching… humanoid figure on the experiment table. She spoke to Punk in as composed and noble a tone as she could muster.

On the surface, her words seemed like a simple greeting, but the underlying message was clear: Nielan Town is the territory of the Doctore Family. According to the unwritten rules of the Nobles on the Faerûn Plane, the Lord theoretically owns all visible assets within their domain. By quietly occupying a piece of “property” in our territory, doesn’t the esteemed mage owe the Doctore Family a small favor?

Punk’s face remained expressionless, but inwardly, he sneered. Nobles from any region loved these convoluted games! If this were a mage of good alignment, they might have apologized and offered a few alchemical potions as compensation by now.

But Punk merely cast a cold glance at Elinka:

“It’s mine now. Does Miss Elinka Doctore have any objections?”

Elinka had been prepared to respond with “generosity” after Punk’s expected apology, but he completely defied convention. All her carefully rehearsed lines were now useless.

Screaming internally, she thought: “As a formal mage, is it really appropriate to brazenly seize property like this?”

“…No, no objections at all!”What else could Elinka say? The young mage before her was clearly not the good-tempered recluse she had imagined. As the saying goes, circumstances are stronger than will. When one has to ask for help, Elinka ultimately resigned herself to compromise.

“Then, Miss Elinka, is there anything else you wish to discuss? I don’t believe your visit is merely a social call.”

Faced with Punk’s communication style that completely defied noble etiquette, Elinka lost all her composure. She opened her mouth but ultimately swallowed back a stream of pleasantries.

“Honored Mage, to be frank, my grandfather—the previous Family Head of the Doctore Family—disappeared in the Lush Forest forty-two years ago. He was once a formal mage of the eleventh level. Our Doctore Family has always upheld the tradition of ‘fallen leaves returning to their roots’… But grandfather… his remains have been left exposed in a cave within the Lush Forest, enduring wind and rain. Due to the decline of the Doctore Family and the incompetence of our two generations of Family Heads, we… we have been unable to find powerful professionals to help retrieve grandfather’s remains. Moreover… most combat professionals show no interest in the notes grandfather left behind in that cave, so…”

The more Elinka spoke, the more sorrowful she became. She played the emotional card masterfully—if this were Earth, her ability to cry on demand could easily win an Oscar. An ordinary young man, seeing such a beautiful girl weeping pitifully before him, might feel a surge of heroic impulse and vow to brave any danger for her!

But Punk was no ordinary young man!

Punk watched Elinka with a faint, mocking smile as she spun her tale, slowly saying:

“So… you came to me!”

“Next, you’re going to tell me that your grandfather simply died from old injuries, that the cave actually poses no danger, and that he carried personal notes recording vast knowledge—and if I retrieve his remains, those notes can be ‘gifted’ to me as reward?”

After finishing Elinka’s intended speech in one breath, Punk lightly picked up his teacup, took a sip, then resumed his cold expression while watching the startled Elinka.

“You… you’re a Divination Mage?”

Elinka was stunned. She felt the situation had completely spiraled beyond her control. Her first thought was that before a Divination Mage, an ordinary person like her could keep no secrets at all!

Punk didn’t respond to Elinka’s astonishment. He wasn’t a specialized Divination Mage, and the information obtained through Divination Spells wasn’t particularly detailed—much had been deduced through reasoning. However, thanks to the System’s powerful analytical capabilities, as long as there weren’t major discrepancies, it appeared as miraculous as if everything had been revealed through spellcasting.

He saw no need to explain. He simply watched as Elinka, after her initial shock, wiped away her tears and dejectedly revealed the truth.

It turned out Elinka’s visit to Punk wasn’t for the absurd reason of retrieving her grandfather’s remains. Though her grandfather’s disappearance was indeed true, the Doctore Family had never actually intended to take the risk to search for him from the beginning.Elinka had no choice but to seek Punk’s help to enter the Lush Forest because, since last year, the number of Duowei Flowers—a major specialty of the Lush Forest—had experienced an extremely abnormal and drastic decline. The extent and speed of this reduction were as bizarre and strange as if a lush grassland one day suddenly had not a single blade of grass left the next. It was clear at a glance that this was no natural phenomenon!

The Duowei Flower is a crucial ingredient for a type of cheap perfume. This perfume targets the majority of low- to middle-class commoners, so even though it is very inexpensive and of poor quality, its widespread sales still make it remarkably profitable!

The Doctore Family has been able to maintain an upper-class noble lifestyle despite having only four small towns as fiefdoms, all thanks to this cheap perfume. Nearly ninety percent of the family’s income comes from the trade of this perfume.

But now, within just a few months, the Duowei Flower—the essential ingredient for the perfume—has become incredibly scarce. It is important to note that this flower was originally ubiquitous in the Lush Forest, yet now it has inexplicably vanished entirely. Anyone could tell there was something wrong with this situation!

Without the Duowei Flower, it is impossible to produce the perfume, and the Doctore Family would lose their livelihood. Desperate, the Doctore Family spent a large portion of their savings to purchase a Formal-Level Divination Scroll. Through the information-gathering ability of the Divination Spell, the family obtained a “minor” clue—the disappearance of the Duowei Flower was greatly linked to a mysterious cave in the Lush Forest called the “Spider Cave.” This very cave was the one Elinka’s Grandfather had vowed to investigate before his disappearance!

The fact that it could claim the life of a Formal-Level Old Mage, even if he did have hidden injuries, was enough to indicate the hidden dangers within this cave. Although Formal-Level spell notes are quite appealing, they are of little use to most combat professionals. Thus, the Formal-Level dwarf warrior in Doleiz City expressed no interest. Under these circumstances, Punk’s presence became the Doctore Family’s last lifeline!

(End of Chapter)