Wizard Earl

Chapter 50 Shadow Dagger

"Was the deceased's identity confirmed by the church's arbitrators?" Ignoring the lovesick young men secretly watching her, Margaret frowned slightly and asked seriously.

"Yes, although the deceased was cremated, we have confirmed through the soul lamps in the church that the deceased is White from the fifth squad of the Arbitrators. Two days ago, their squad was sent to a missing informant's home to gather intelligence and confirm the situation, but all three members of the squad went missing. Judging from White's body that has been found, the other two members of their squad should be... May the Storm Goddess protect us!" The middle-aged arbitrator in gray robes spoke in a low and sorrowful voice, making a Storm Church blessing gesture on his chest.

"May the Storm Goddess protect us!" Margaret responded, making a prayer gesture across her rather large chest, hidden beneath her flowing robes. After finishing the gesture, Margaret continued, "Inform Bishop Constantine that someone capable of taking down a squad of one advanced apprentice and two intermediate apprentices, preventing them from even calling for reinforcements, could very well be a formal wizard!"

"A formal wizard...?" The middle-aged gray-robed arbitrator gasped, immediately realizing the seriousness of the situation. He bowed slightly to Margaret, preparing to turn and leave to report to Bishop Constantine.

"Wait a minute, you just said that this small team of arbitrators' purpose is to go to an informant's house to look for clues?" Margaret's beautiful eyes flashed, as if she had noticed something.

After a moment's thought, the middle-aged arbitrator in gray robes gave an affirmative answer: "Yes, sir! Arbitrators keep an action log for every mission, and this is what the fifth group's final action log recorded!"

"Send me a copy of that informant's background information!" Margaret nodded and gave the order.

Upon hearing Margaret's order, a bitter expression appeared on the weathered face of the middle-aged gray-robed arbitrator. He hesitated for a moment but still spoke, "Lady Margaret, you may not know this, but according to the orders of our Bishop Constantine, in Rune, all intelligence information cannot be disclosed to anyone without his permission. I'm sorry, sir, if you want to obtain the informant's background information, I need Lord Constantine's authorization!"

When her order was politely refused, a hint of anger flashed across Margaret's beautiful face. However, she did not vent her anger. Instead, she gave the middle-aged gray-robed arbitrator in front of her a deep look, then calmly left with the words, "Prepare the information. I will go to Constantine," before turning and leaving.

········

········

Although Rune is a port city without other abundant mineral resources, its developed shipping industry and status as the best deep-water port on the west coast of the empire mean that more than 50 percent of cargo ships carrying various ores from the New World to Kaman will stop and unload in Rune. This has directly resulted in Rune having a rich ore market – the Leipzig Super Ore Market.

Walking through this market, which boasts the largest ore market on the west coast of the empire and the third largest ore market in the empire, Connor casually surveyed everything.

Outside the Leipzig Supermarket for Minerals, many workers stood around their necks wearing signs that read "Knows how to operate mining machinery" and "Speaks Hoy language," hoping to find work. Around them were stalls displaying all sorts of strange and unusual ores. Connor could recognize some of them, but he was completely baffled by the vast majority.

Stepping into the supermarket, Connor immediately sensed a sense of order and formality. Shops lined the streets, and signs advertising various minerals were everywhere. However, one could also see well-dressed capitalists arguing loudly with customers over a penny.

After glancing around, Connor's gaze settled on a shop called "Mikhalovich Mineral Company".

After straightening his suit slightly, Connor walked into the store with his head held high.

"Hello sir! How can I help you?" A receptionist dressed in a business suit, showing off her long, beautiful legs, saw Connor walk in, subtly glanced at Connor's attire, and immediately greeted him with a sweet smile.

After glancing at the shop's simple yet elegant decor, Connor nodded, pulled a business card from his pocket, and handed it to the woman. "Give this to your boss. I'm here to buy something from your company on the recommendation of the person who owns this card!"

The receptionist took the business card from Connor with both hands. When she looked down and saw the five words "Sanchez Bank" in English on the card, her pretty face beamed with an even more ingratiating smile.

In a voice so sweet it could smack, she gently said to Connor, "Sir, please sit on the sofa and wait a moment. I'll go find our owner now." With that, she turned and walked up to the second floor of the shop.

Sitting on the soft sofa, Connor squinted and began to think.

The reason he came to the "Mikhalovich Mineral Company" was simple: with the help of the chip, Connor learned the basic principles and methods of making alchemical items in "Reyes Alchemy" in less than a week. Having learned the methods, Connor was naturally itching to test what he had learned would be like in practice.

After careful consideration of the few simple alchemical items he had learned, Connor chose the Shadow Dagger as his practice subject. The main reasons for choosing the Shadow Dagger were its simple and uncomplicated crafting method, the readily available metals used as raw materials, and the ability to be controlled by mental power to injure people from afar, much like the flying swords in fantasy novels from his previous life. Most importantly, the Abyss Secret Techniques Connor practiced included a method for controlling objects remotely using mental power.

After deciding to forge the Shadow Dagger, Connor didn't immediately come here to buy raw materials. Instead, he contacted his best friend, George. Connor was unfamiliar with the mining industry and had limited funds to purchase raw materials. The Leipzig super-ore market was notoriously murky, so he needed a mentor to help him. George, the first in line to inherit the Sanchez Bank fortune, was naturally the best candidate.

(End of this chapter)