"Did you notice him too?" Oliver chuckled bitterly, "Yeah, that kid’s rise is unnaturally fast."
Marcus let out a low growl, seemingly in response to Oliver’s words.
Putting down the black crystal, Oliver prepared to leave the secret room.
His recent situation made him feel unprecedentedly oppressed.
Cynthia hardly ever met with him anymore; she seemed to have found her own stable source for obtaining the "Sin Domain Black Crystal."
"Those guys..." Oliver clenched his fists, "They must have bypassed me and contacted Cynthia directly."
What troubled him even more was that his master’s gaze had grown increasingly unusual lately.
That scrutinizing look made his skin crawl, as if all his secrets had been laid bare.
"Am I already in a predicament?" Oliver muttered to himself.
He knew his options were becoming fewer and fewer.
Continuing to rely on the "Sin Domain Black Crystal" to boost his power meant greater risks, and he could be discovered by the school at any time;
But if he stopped using it, his ranking within the candidate wizard sequence would surely drop, which for an ambitious advanced apprentice equated to slow death.
Perhaps fully awakening with the Sin Domain Black Crystal and then defecting from the school was his last choice.
Although this path was fraught with danger, there was at least a glimmer of hope.
Oliver closed his eyes in pain, his temples throbbing.
He felt an unprecedented fatigue and despair, as though standing at the edge of a cliff, with pursuers behind him and an abyss before him.
Meanwhile in the secret room, the mutated Marcus continued to stare intently at the photo of Ron on the wall, with black liquid oozing from all over his body, pooling at the bottom of the cage to form a slithering black lake.
His claws kept scratching the ground, creating sharp metallic sounds, which further irritated Oliver who pressed the shock button with a frown...
"Aoooooo..."
.........
At noon the next day, Ron and Andre met at the south gate as scheduled.
Andre was wearing a light outfit convenient for action today, with a sharp longsword hanging at his waist.
Ron wore a plain dark robe, holding what appeared to be an ordinary wooden staff, but was actually a disguise for the ironwood sword.
"Ready?" Andre asked, a flash of anticipation in his eyes.
Ron nodded, "Everything’s ready. Let’s go."
Leaving the school area, the two chose a little-traveled path towards Lizard Alley.
Compared to their last visit, they were more familiar with the route this time, and moved faster.
On the way, Ron briefly explained his purpose to Andre:
"I need to find that old woman who sent people to attack us last time. She might have information I need."
"Old woman? You mean that terrifying old lady with yellow skin and deep-set eyes?" Andre recalled.
"She didn’t seem special, but if she really sent people to attack us, she must have some unusual abilities."
Ron nodded, affirming his suspicion, "Indeed, but this time we’re well-prepared and won’t be easily tricked."
Passing through a shadowy path, the mycelial network of Peeping Mushrooms spread out like a spider web under their feet.
Ron noticed the mushrooms were more active today than last time, the patterns on their caps flickering with a faint glow as if conveying some message.
At the entrance of Lizard Alley, the multi-headed dragon totem on the stone pillar appeared especially sinister in the dim light.
Passing through the archway, they entered the familiar chaotic marketplace.
Today’s Lizard Alley was noisier and more crowded than on their last visit.
The shouts of alien race vendors rose and fell, and the air was filled with complex scents mixed with spices, herbs, and some unidentified biological fluids.
"We took a shortcut this time; the Sunset Tavern should be farther away." Ron pointed in a direction, "Let’s first find grey dwarf Otto; he should know about that old woman."
The two made their way through the noisy crowd, arriving at the Sunset Tavern.
Compared to last time, the tavern was more packed with customers, and the atmosphere was even more lively.
Passing through the crowded hall, they no longer needed to be held up at the door because of their friendly transaction last time, and they easily found Otto’s compartment.
The grey dwarf was sitting there, with several bottles of potions of different colors in front of him, intently examining them.
Seeing Ron and Andre, he was initially stunned but quickly showed a cunning smile.
"Ah, it’s you!"
Otto greeted in a rough voice, "Long time no see, what good things are you looking for today?"
Ron wasted no time, going straight to the point: "I’m looking for someone."
He took out a sheet of paper with a lifelike portrait of an old woman drawn on it, every wrinkle, every spot perfectly depicted—thanks to his "Extensive Knowledge" trait with a photographic memory.
Otto glanced at the portrait, immediately becoming vigilant, "This old lady... what do you want with her?"
"She wasn’t very friendly to us last time; I want to pay her a visit." Ron said calmly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
Otto shook his head, "Young man, that’s not a wise choice. That old lady’s not ordinary; there aren’t many in Lizard Alley with a greater power than hers."
Ron smiled slightly, taking the alchemist badge from his chest and placing it on the table, "I’m not ordinary either."
The grey dwarf’s eyes widened instantly, "Professional Alchemist?"
His voice was filled with surprise, "Last time you were just..."
"People always grow, don’t they?" Ron said calmly, "Now, about that old woman, how much do you know?"
Otto hesitated for a moment but ultimately shook his head:
"Even with your status now, this information... is still dangerous."
Ron was not in a hurry; he slowly extended his hand, and a circle of golden-red light—the energy configuration of part of the Ring of Brilliance—appeared in his palm.
"I believe we can reach a mutually beneficial agreement."
Ron’s voice remained calm, but Otto keenly sensed the immense magic power in his palm.
Feared that once released, everyone in the tavern would suffer a dire fate.
"I can give you ten Magic Stone Fragments, plus one free identification service as a Professional Alchemist. Those potions you were checking, some seem hard to tell if they’re real or fake, right?"
This kid is truly a lunatic!
The grey dwarf’s expression grew complex, intertwined with surprise, greed, and fear.
Eventually, he took a deep breath and nodded, "Deal."
Under Ron’s appraisal and the lure of ten Magic Stone Fragments, Otto detailed the intelligence on the old woman:
"She’s called Mola, nicknamed ’Old Spider,’ supposedly mastering various bizarre spells. She has a shop named ’Maze Pawnshop’ in the deepest part of Lizard Alley, where all sorts of peculiar items are stored."
Otto lowered his voice, "She has a group of lizardman warriors and various other henchmen, rumored to keep a man-eating wizard, something even advanced apprentices dare not to provoke easily."
"Why did she attack us?" Ron asked directly.
"Old Spider never does a first trade with anyone." Otto explained:
"She always ’tests’ visitors first to see if they’re worth trading with. You managed to escape last time; that was already lucky."
Leaving the Sunset Tavern, the pair headed towards the depths of Lizard Alley.
Andre sneered, "Testing is just a nice way to call robbery... if she wants to play such games this time, I don’t mind treating her hired hands to some Dragon Breath."
The two walked along the narrow cobblestone path deeper in, the surrounding stalls and shops gradually became sparse, and the scent in the air shifted from bustling marketplace aroma to a gloomy, damp smell.
As they turned a corner, Ron suddenly felt a wave of spiritual energy.
He stopped immediately, his spiritual power attentively scanning the surroundings.
"There’s an ambush," he said quietly, his wooden staff ready to morph back into the ironwood sword.
Andre nodded slightly, the golden vertical pupils narrowing to pinpoints: "I smell... some reptilian creature’s scent, possibly lizardmen."
Just as he finished speaking, several figures suddenly emerged from the shadows ahead, blocking the entire path.
They were eight burly lizardmen warriors, fully armed, wielding scimitars and shields.
"Humans, hand over your Magic Stone Fragments and valuables,"
The leading lizardman said in a hoarse voice, flicking his forked tongue: "Or get ready to become our food."
Ron and Andre exchanged a glance, seeing determination in each other’s eyes.