Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

As dusk fell, Lynn arrived at Harold's shop.

Harold was already waiting outside the door. When he saw him arrive, he quickly went to greet him with a broad smile.

"Lord Lynn! We've been waiting for you! We've arranged a wonderful place for tonight; we guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Thomas stood behind him, looking at Lynn with excitement.

He was dressed in a neat apprentice robe and was carrying something that looked like a food box.

Lynn glanced at him. He was a peak second-class apprentice with an extremely stable aura. It seemed that he hadn't wasted his years hanging out with Harold.

"Let's go," Lynn said.

Harold led the way, and after leaving the bustling downtown area of ​​Ghost Market, the three of them walked through several alleys and arrived at a quiet private manor.

Two soul lamps hang at the entrance of the manor, their pale blue light casting a subtle elegance on the bluestone slabs.

"This place was set up by a few old guys in our market, specifically for entertaining distinguished guests."

Harold explained.

"We've booked the whole place for today, just for the few of us."

This was Lynn's first time in a place like this. She used to eat in the apprentice canteen or some high-end wizard canteens. She never expected there to be such a "private kitchen".

He pushed open the gate of the manor, which led to a small courtyard with a few withered black trees dotting the landscape, and tea and snacks laid out on a stone table beneath them.

Seven or eight people were chatting in the courtyard when they heard the door open and turned around.

Old Curry was the first to greet him: "Lord Lynn! We've been waiting for you to return!"

Master Todd followed behind, a simple and honest smile on his face.

The deacon of the Soul-Binding Bell Tower was also present and nodded to Lynn.

There were also a few familiar faces, all of whom were craftsmen and scholars who had sought Lynn's help over the years.

Lynn greeted everyone, his gaze finally settling on a stranger in the corner.

The man remained seated on the stone bench, without getting up.

He wore a dark gray wizard's robe with the badge of a third-ring wizard on his chest, and his face was stern as he scrutinized the young Lynn with a critical gaze.

Harold followed Lynn's gaze, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face, and quickly introduced:

"This is... uh, a friend that Curry brought, and also an acquaintance in the circle."

His circle represents the circle formed by "craftsmen" from various professions, like Lao Keli.

Old Corey leaned closer and explained in a low voice, "Sir, this is Master Kross from the 'Rune Workshop,' specializing in rune arrays."

"I told him about you before, but he was a little... skeptical and insisted on coming to see for himself."

Lynn nodded, suddenly understanding.

Indeed, it's true. A "newbie" who has only been promoted from apprentice to professional in a few years is giving pointers in front of "masters" of various professions. Anyone would be suspicious in that situation.

However, as long as they are in the industry, they are his potential clients. So be it if you're a little cold to him; there will be times when they'll be begging him for help.

The group moved to the banquet hall inside the manor.

The interior was simply but elegantly furnished, with a long table laden with food and wine.

Thomas opened the food box, which contained jugs of fine wine, clearly Harold's personal stash.

Thomas seemed a little uncomfortable in this gathering of "big shots," but he still mustered his spirits and poured drinks for everyone.

After everyone was seated, the atmosphere gradually warmed up. Old Ke was the first to raise his glass:

"Come, let's all toast Lord Lynn! Congratulations on completing your mission and returning safely!"

Everyone raised their glasses.

Lynn picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

After a few rounds of drinks, the aloof third-ring wizard suddenly spoke up: "Lord Lynn, I've heard that many of the problems that you've been unable to solve for years were all guided by you?"

Lynn put down her glass and looked at him: "I was just offering some ideas."

Klose scoffed:

"I heard your mentor is Gregor? That old madman has spent his whole life stuck in the same place, never producing a single decent research result. What real skills could his student possibly have?"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Old Ke looked embarrassed, Master Todd lowered his head and dared not utter a sound, and the deacon of the Soul-Binding Bell Tower froze in mid-air with his wine glass in hand.

Harold opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

On one side was a powerful third-ring wizard, and on the other was Lynn; he didn't want to offend either of them.

Lynn looked at Morris, smiled slightly, and then said nothing.

He wasn't the type to enjoy verbal sparring; there was no need for him to argue.

What others think is their business; what does it have to do with him?

Seeing Lynn's indifferent expression, Cross simply took out a scroll from his pocket and spread it out on the table.

It was a complex array of runes, with intricate lines and densely packed energy nodes that made one's eyes dazzled.

Clearly, this old guy came prepared!

"This is a problem I've been studying for over a decade," Clos said.

"The core energy node of the rune array has been unstable. I've tried dozens of methods, but none of them have worked. If you can solve this, these three thousand magic stones are yours."

He took a spatial bag out of his pocket and slapped it on the table.

Lynn looked at the bag of magic stones, and the anger that had been rising in his heart because of Kross's rudeness instantly dissipated by more than half.

Three thousand magic stones.

This is a big client.

It's not shabby to earn money.

He picked up the scroll and examined it carefully.

On the surface, it appears to be viewing, but in reality, the "analysis" has been initiated, with one hundred workstations simultaneously analyzing this rune array.

Energy flow, node distribution, rune nesting logic... data floods into the sea of ​​consciousness like a tidal wave.

Cross picked up his glass and sipped it slowly, his gaze sweeping over Lynn's face.

Seeing Lynn watching intently, he grew even more disdainful.

It's all just for show. The problem he's been researching for over a decade and still can't solve is something a young person can understand in just a few glances.

"Take your time and see." He put down his wine glass, his tone tinged with sarcasm.

"No rush. I've been researching this problem for over a decade, trying all sorts of methods. If you can figure out the key, I..."

Lynn looked up and interrupted him: "There is an alternative."

Clos's words caught in his throat.

"What?"

Lynn pointed to several nodes on the scroll: "The core problem with your original design was that the energy return paths of the seventh, thirteenth, and twenty-first nodes conflicted with each other."

"You want to use 'phase misalignment' to adjust, but this approach itself has a problem. Phase misalignment can only work at a single frequency, and the energy frequencies of these three nodes are too different."

Klose was stunned.

Lynn continued, "My suggestion is to abandon phase misalignment and instead use a 'multi-layered nested' structure, splitting the core node into three independent smaller nodes, each with its own frequency controlled, and then unifying them with a secondary rune array. This will avoid direct conflicts, and..."

He paused, then pointed to a spot on the blueprint. "Here, we can add another buffer rune to further stabilize the energy output."

Klose opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time.

This kid rattled off a whole bunch of nonsense, not only overturning his original plan but also coming up with a new one.

Is it possible in such a short time?

But... Lynn's words did make sense, at least he pointed out the problem with his rune array.

Lynn pushed the scroll back: "The specific design concept needs time to be drawn up. If you trust me, I'll give you a detailed plan after the banquet."

Kross was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly pushed the bag of magic stones in front of Lynn: "Here's three thousand, you can keep it for now."

Lynn didn't move.

Seeing his expression, Morris added, "What you just said is already worth this price. If the follow-up plan is feasible, I'll add another two thousand."

Lynn nodded and put the magic stone into his ring.

Cross picked up his glass, downed it in one gulp, and then looked at Lynn, his tone much gentler than before.

"I admit I underestimated you. Forget what I just said."

Lynn waved her hand: "It doesn't matter. This isn't the first time I've been questioned. As long as your problem is solved, that's fine."

The atmosphere warmed up again.