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Wang laughed and said, "How is that possible? I have memorized the way back to the Three Wild Boars from here. I don't have the same directionality as my teacher. But if you want to continue exploring the possible locations of magic in the city, I'll have to trouble you."

Mark patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me. So have you finished looking at this statue?"

"I've read it. There's no magical aura. At least this place has nothing to do with the disappearance of the wild cats and dogs."

"Where to go next?"

Wang pointed to the lower right corner of the map and said, "There is a square here."

Mark glanced at the map. "Gallows Square, where people sentenced to death are executed every Monday. The area around it is the most chaotic neighborhood in the city, so the execution squad must be escorted by a large group of ten knights and their followers.

"Even so, executions still happen frequently. The most recent one was a month ago, when an orc rode on his war wolf and charged at the execution squad alone, carrying twenty-two knives on his back, in order to abduct the prisoners on the prison cart.

"If the escorting wizard hadn't used the Slow Spell, he might have succeeded."

King: "An orc? Riding a wolf? How can his wolf sneak in without being seen by the guards?"

Mark spread his hands: "Who knows?"

"That is to say, in addition to the city gates, there are also passages that allow large four-legged creatures like the War Wolf to enter the city."

"Wait, why are you only concerned with orc wolves?"

"Because from what I've observed, Landon City is the intersection of the Shield Road and the Rhineland River, and has a large population of various races. Orcs are not uncommon. But the orcs' war wolves are very rare. The orcs I saw when I entered the city were also riding horses."

Mark curled his lips: "Well, I have to admit that after you said that, I realized that this wolf is the biggest problem."

Wang: "Right? Let's go. According to the scale of this map, it will take us half an hour to walk to Gallows Square."

"What is a scale? Is it a universal term?"

"It's the common language. How come you don't understand this word? As an adventurer, you should look at maps often, right?"

"Yes, I watch it often."

"But you don't know what a scale is?"

"Do I need to know all this? Isn't it enough to just understand where to go on a map?"

Wang raised an eyebrow. "Indeed, if you don't understand scale... you can know the location as long as there are landmarks on the map to refer to. But how do you plan the march of troops or set up supply routes?"

Mark laughed and put his arm around the wizard's shoulder. "You think I'm involved in this? No, that's for the knights and their followers to worry about. I just need to look at the landmarks to know where I am and where to go."

The king was shocked. "I see. But Miss Drow--the Elf is obviously proficient in cartography. The scale of this map is almost completely correct."

In cities like Landon, elves are quite common, but drow elves are different. Just saying the word drow in public can result in someone reporting you to the city police.

Drow are generally seen as symbols of evil and chaos, and in bards' stories they usually play the role of combatants to the main villain, or even the main villain itself.

Wang almost said Miss Zhuoer.

Mark comforted him: "Don't be so nervous. In fact, there are things in the Wanderer's Guild that are more unusual than the drow. Sunlight and shadow always go hand in hand. Let's go, pay attention to your spell material bag.

"Although I don't think our wanderers will give others the opportunity to covet your things, it's always better to be cautious."

The king nodded, and then he suddenly had an expression of enlightenment: "I know why the young lady doesn't want to find a paladin. The moment the paladin sees the elf lady, he will shout 'Look, that evil is worth fighting', and then attack without any explanation."

Mark frowned: “You just realized it?”

"I just realized that," the king readily admitted, "after all, I had only seen drow elves and paladins in books before."

Mark frowned, speechless: "Oh my God, we actually started to act under the command of a nerd like you. I am beginning to worry about the future of Her Royal Highness the Princess."

The king asked casually, "Is the situation your Highness is facing now very dangerous?"

"It's not dangerous now, because since discovering her talent as a sorcerer, the Duke has invited an old sorcerer to be her teacher. He is a master who can cast sixth-level spells. You should know that the Duke's advisor can only cast seventh-level spells, and the court wizard who visited today has mastered eighth-level magic."

The king frowned and said, "Could it be that... in the outside world, people who can cast nine-ring spells are rare?"

"What you said means that there are Nine Ring Masters everywhere in 'inside'?"

Wang: "Are you referring to my teacher's tower? It's fine. After reaching the level of casting the Nine Rings, mana is no longer the main limitation. Whether or not one can cast the Nine Rings spells, and how many Nine Rings spells one can cast, mainly depends on the mage's own understanding of the world.

“That’s what the book says.

"That's why mages travel to study. 'You can never become a great wizard just by hiding in a tower and reading books.' That's what my teacher said."

Wang paused, and found that Mark looked confused, so he continued to explain: "This... is like the enchantment spell. I am not good at enchantment. I often fail when I cast the simplest charm on humans..."

Mark: "Wait a minute, Charm Person is the simplest spell?"

"Yes, after the spell is successful the target will just see you as a trustworthy friend."

Mark: "God, I thought the target would follow your commands like a construct."

Wang frowned slightly, but didn't take it too seriously. He explained, "You can try to order him around, but just like when you make requests to other friends, he may not listen. Also, once you or your teammates make threatening moves towards him, such as attacking him, the spell will become ineffective."

The apprentice wizard paused, swallowed, and continued, "It is precisely because I am really not good at enchantment that I basically do not prepare enchantment spells. Don't expect me to use spells such as immobilize person in the future."

Mark: "Is it really okay for you to say your weakness like that? Just like you told His Highness that you were afraid of Arcane Missiles. I am a swordsman, and I will be killed by the Immobilize Human spell. It is great news for me that you don't have this spell prepared."

The king stopped and looked at the swordsman: "It seems... that's the case. But you won't attack me, right?"

Mark was silent for two seconds, then laughed: "That's right. Who would betray a lovely young lady?"

Wang: "Wait a minute, from your statement, do you stay in the team because of her beauty?"

"Of course not. When I was at my lowest point, it was the eldest daughter who gave me a piece of bread. She was only five years old at that time."

Wang: "Sounds similar to Miss Elf's story?"

"That's exactly what's going on. In the current situation, those who want to play it safe bet on the eldest prince, and those who want to take a chance bet on the second prince. Only those of us who have emotional reasons will gather around the princess."

Wang: "That sounds good. People who are emotionally loyal are the most loyal."

Mark: "At least more loyal than the guy who wants to fuck the princess."

King: "That is my body's idea, not my soul's choice. So, if the truth is revealed, what are the chances of the princess winning?"

"Zero." Mark blurted out, "Well, let's deal with the missing cats and dogs first. After chatting for a while, we are already halfway there, and Gallows Square is just ahead."

Chapter 6 Hospitality at Swandam Lane

Gallows Square. As soon as Wang entered the square, he saw the gallows standing in the middle.

What surprised Wang the most was that the gallows was perfectly integrated into the scenery of the square, making you feel that such a mixed place should have a gallows, and nothing else would be out of place.

The prisoners who were executed this week were still hanging on the gallows. A group of crows were perched on the top of the gallows as if no one was around, guarding their "meal".

A new crow wanted to join them, but was beaten up by the other crows and left in shame.

The king frowned as he watched the flying crow, and only looked away when it was out of sight.

Mark also noticed his actions and asked, "Isn't that your familiar? That crow."

"Yes."

"Why did you choose a crow? Don't mages usually use bats, cats, or salamanders as their familiars?"

King: "The crow pet can speak."

Mark: “Because of this?”

"Correct."

The swordsman had an expression of disbelief on his face, but he suddenly turned around and yelled at the street kid who had approached him out of nowhere: "Get lost! Your sheepdog Jim would bow and scrape when he saw me!"

The homeless children scattered and disappeared into the inconspicuous alleys near the square.

Wang: "Shepherd dog?"

"Yes, the bastards who make money from these orphans. If these orphans can survive and grow up successfully, they will eventually become the new generation of sheepdogs. By the way, this is also the path I should have taken." Mark said in a low voice.

Wang: "I have read a book from another dimension called "The Wanderings of Tom Sawyer". At the end of the story, the protagonist found his biological mother and discovered that she was a rich girl. In the end..."

Mark interrupted the wizard with a hearty laugh: "This is very similar to me. I met the eldest lady and now I have become her loyal dog. At least I have no worries about food and clothing."

Wang: "Indeed, it is similar to the book in the other dimension..."

"Let's talk about your magical pet." Mark interrupted him.

"Ah, familiar. What happened to the familiar?"

"You chose a crow as your familiar just because it can talk?"

"Yes, according to my teacher, a talking familiar is the only familiar that is commensurate with the status of an archmage. He also gave the example that in legendary stories, all the archmages who wanted to overthrow the world used crow familiars, and they would also let the familiars speak dirty words during the protagonist's adventure."

Mark frowned and looked at Wang: "That master...is he a person with this kind of personality? He is different from the bard's poems."

Wang: "That's right. His favorite thing to do is to use his crow pet to order us apprentices around. So I also got a crow pet, and then I found that it's really convenient to have a pet that can talk. I often use my pet to order food in the cafeteria, and the food is already on the table when I arrive."

Mark: “The cafeteria?”

"Just think of it as the hotel in the tower."

Mark: "It sounds like there's quite a bit of life in your tower."

"I guess so. With more than a hundred wizards living together, it's bound to be lively. Sometimes a half-made golem goes berserk, and sometimes a summoning spell goes wrong and the lava from hell flows in..."

"Stop!" Mark raised his palm and made a stop gesture. "Save this for the young lady. She will probably like it."

Wang: “Will she?”

"Of course. She listened with great interest when I told her about my days as a vagrant. Now, let's get back to business. Is there anything wrong with this gallows?"

Wang: "No. I can indeed sense the magical aura of this square, but it should not be part of any large-scale magic. In fact, as soon as we entered this square, I felt the detection magic directed at me."

Mark: "That's normal. After all, a strange spellcaster appeared in Gallows Square. This is the intersection of Swan Dam Lane and Rat Street. Do you see that rat-like sign over there?

“That’s a pub, and the street behind it is the famous Rat Street.

"Do you see that swan sign in the opposite direction? That's the most famous tobacco shop here. The back door leads to Swan Dam Lane."

As Mark was explaining, a dagger was pressed against the king's neck.

The drow who suddenly appeared pulled his hood up slightly, revealing his lips a little: "Mage, detection and scrying is not a spell that a third-ring apprentice can cast. How did you feel the scrying directed at you? Even the school of prophecy can't do it without casting a spell, right?"

"Successful detection and scrying will allow me to see the image of the person who is scrying on me, or at least let me know the direction he is in." Wang replied calmly, "And I just felt the aura of detection magic. But I don't know where the caster is, or who he is."

"Well, I'll trust you for now. But... you didn't use Mirror Image this time. Did you run out of spells for today? It's too careless to prepare only Mirror Image."

The king grinned. "No, I just don't sense any ill will from you. You also know that the number of spells a wizard can prepare every day is limited, so of course we should try to save as much as possible."

Zhuo Er: "A prophecy mage who can sense malice... I have never seen someone like you."

"My teacher also said that I have a natural talent in the school of prophecy." Wang said in a complete statement tone.