Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

Early morning, at the city lord's mansion.

Graham Ironfist sat in his high-backed chair and read the intelligence in his hand over and over again three times.

Then he looked up at Piekson, the city guard commander and first sheriff, who was standing in front of the desk.

"Overnight, the Lord of Thirst's level six priest was killed, the stronghold of Rield was completely wiped out, and even the Lord of Thirst's projection was killed by that half-elf mage..."

"Twelve children were rescued, and the Silver Glow family, in cooperation with that mage, suffered zero casualties."

Graham dropped the intelligence.

"Is that right? I don't even have that ability!"

Pieksson nodded: "The intelligence Ms. Arya sent is as follows, and I have also confirmed it. The priest has indeed disappeared, and all the strongholds have indeed been reduced to ashes."

"As for whether there was truly a divine projection, and how Mage Lance killed it, I have no idea."

"The Silver Glow family has always been loyal, and I have no way of getting information from them."

Graham remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he leaned back in his chair and suddenly laughed.

"What's this mage after...?"

He muttered something to himself.

"Interesting." He put down the battle report and tapped his fingers on the table. "Very interesting."

Pieksson asked cautiously, "Sir, what's next...?"

"The city guards have officially intervened," Graham said.

"Clean up all remaining forces of that 'Thirsty Hand' group in the city. Capture those you can, kill those you can, and leave no future trouble."

"But what about those three families..."

Graham asked in surprise, "Those three families are still alive?"

"Uh... he should still be alive..."

"Hmm..." Graham fell into thought.

"In that case, leave these three families alone for now. Monitor them, and ignore any attempts to harm them. If they try to escape, execute them on the spot."

"If he didn't run away, monitor him for three days. If he's still alive after three days, execute him on the spot."

"Yes."

"besides."

Graham paused, "Publicly commend the Silvershine family and the mage Lance, saying that they eradicated the cult, protected the common people, were a model for the nobility, and were meritorious mages."

Pieksson paused for a moment: "An award?"

"Of course, we should commend him. Our city of Rield has actually welcomed a mage who is so enthusiastic about interacting with the outside world, and is even willing to risk his life to eradicate a cult. What does this say?"

"Um... what does that mean?"

"This shows that our city of Rield is thriving!"

"You're being too..."

"Pieksson, what did you say?"

"I say, Lord City Lord, your insight is brilliant!"

Pieksson nodded quickly, "I'll take care of it right away!"

"Also... tell the Silvershine family that I intend to promote Arya to deputy city lord. As for Lance's position... I'll think about it some more."

Graham sighed.

"Sigh! Even if I'm willing to give it, people might not want it!"

"Huh?" Pieksson hesitated.

"Lord City Lord, we still cannot confirm the accuracy of the information!"

"We can't confirm whether the intelligence is true, but we also can't confirm whether it's false!"

Graham chuckled.

"Based on my understanding of Arya, this information is most likely true."

"Moreover, my intuition as a Paradigm-class warrior tells me that the information is true, and I have always trusted my intuition."

"And if Lance has a way to kill a divine projection—no matter what its strength—then he definitely has a way to kill me!"

"He chose the Silvershine family to cooperate with him again. What that means is self-evident."

"Then why can't I help others achieve their goals?"

"Besides, even if the intelligence is false, it's just a deputy city lord position; once it's given, so be it."

Pieksson, his face full of obsequiousness, said, "...Lord City Lord, your insight is truly remarkable!"

He withdrew.

After Pieksson left, Graham stood up and went to the window.

The City Lord's Mansion is the tallest building in Rield City, and with his Exemplary-level eyesight, he can see the street scene of Rield City outside the window.

The morning market has already started, and the crowds are bustling about.

He looked out the window, lost in thought.

……

Inside the Hagen family's casino, Balfour is tallying up this month's protection money.

Gold coins were piled on the table, gleaming yellow, stacked into several small heaps.

He held one in his hand, examined its color under the light, and nodded in satisfaction.

The door was pushed open very suddenly.

He frowned and looked up, about to curse, when he saw his subordinate's deathly pale face.

"Master! Master! Something terrible has happened!"

Balfour's hand trembled, and the gold coin slipped from his fingers, rolled twice on the table, and fell to the ground with a "thud."

"You bastard! What's all the fuss about?" he cursed, bending down to pick up the gold coin. "Is the sky falling?"

"The old...old textile factory..." The subordinate swallowed hard. "It's been raided! By the Silver Glow family! And that 'mysterious man' too! Bishop Mor's fate is unknown!"

Balfour's movements stopped.

"Oh no, their fate is unknown, so they're probably dead."

He stood there, clutching the gold coin in his hand, so tightly it was almost bent.

After several seconds, he finally spoke: "Is the information reliable?"

"It's reliable! The city guards have already spread the word!"

Balfour remained silent.

He tossed the gold coins onto the table, paced back and forth in the secret room twice, and suddenly stopped: "Go, call Margaret and Corwin here."

"Now, immediately, right now!"

Half an hour later, the three people sat around a low table in the secret room.

Balfour explained the situation. Margaret turned pale, and Corwin's fingers tapped incessantly on the table.

"What do we do?" Margaret asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"What's the panic?" Balfour glared at her. "It's not us who'll die. Even if the Silvershine family is arrogant, can they really touch a noble?"

Corwin's fingers, which were tapping the table, stopped: "That's true, but we're dealing with 'The Thirsty Hand'..."

"It's just business," Balfour interrupted him. "We didn't participate in the sacrifice ourselves, what can they do to us?"

"As for that half-elf... he has already wiped out an entire noble family. The fact that the city lord's mansion hasn't touched him is already a sign of the city lord's mercy."

"Does he dare to lay a hand on other nobles? Does he not respect the City Lord's Mansion at all?!"

Margaret looked at him strangely.

"...You keep talking about the City Lord's Mansion, where were you before...?"

"What's the point of saying this!"

Balfour calmed down a bit: "At worst, we can just send some money to that mage. Aren't these things common in noble circles?"

Corwin nodded, but his brow remained furrowed. "But what about the city lord's mansion?"

"The city lord's mansion?" Balfour sneered. "I know Graham better than anyone. As long as we pay him more than the civilians we arrest, he won't bother with us."

The three of them looked at each other and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.