Bloodline of the Wizard-Chapter 237 - 127: Misfortune_2

"From now on, I will be called... Linus."

Ronan confirmed his new identity, waiting until the Magic Ring Wizards he traveled with had gone before disembarking alone.

The valley where White Stone Castle was located was even larger than he had imagined. It stood in the form of a circular town nestled within the valley, with a river encircling it and signs of excavation visible on all four sides of the valley.

There were also some buildings among the forests, and Ronan vaguely saw the hints of a castle on the towering snow mountain directly opposite him.

The entrance to the White Stone Castle town was bustling with people. Besides Wizards, there were a lot of ordinary people, most of whom were wearing thick fur robes to keep out the cold.

The coexistence of Official Wizards and common people was typically only common in small Wizard gathering places.

Although White Stone Castle had Level 3 Wizards, it did not belong to any single Wizard Force. Many Wizard Families flourished inside, relying on ordinary people for reproduction and growth.

Ronan, with his experience in wandering, knew that finding a local guide would save him a lot of trouble when he arrived at a new place.

There were plenty of such people at the entrance of White Stone Castle. Many were also common people, sometimes seen alongside Wizard Apprentices, huddling together in the snow like a group of birds seeking warmth.

When Ronan expressed his desire to hire a guide, a large group of people immediately surrounded him.

He glanced around the crowd and finally chose a simple, honest-looking middle-aged man about forty years old with a face full of thick hair.

After choosing the middle-aged man as his guide, the others immediately dispersed. The chosen man appeared rather excited, and Ronan noticed he kept glancing at one particular spot.

Following his gaze, Ronan saw a plump woman with three children in a corner outside the crowd, who looked over joyfully.

They seemed to be the man’s family.

"Does your family depend on you being a guide to survive?"

Ronan asked casually.

Perhaps because he had altered his appearance, making him look cold and difficult to approach, the man, who introduced himself as Grue, answered Ronan’s every question with deliberate thoughtfulness and caution.

"In this season, yes. The forests are too dangerous now... In another two months, when the snow melts a bit, we usually go into the mountains to hunt."

Ronan nodded, noticing signs that the man had received some basic physical training.

"How much does hiring you for a day usually cost?"

"Just two Silver ears will do."

After answering, the man thought for a moment and couldn’t help but add, "A Silver ear can buy us five days of bread. I usually get a job every three to five days, but half of the earnings must be handed over to the Red Thorn Society... which belongs to the Ababerk family..."

The man’s honesty was written all over his face, and he seemed eager to spill everything he knew like beans from a bamboo tube.

Ronan guessed that the "Silver ear" mentioned by the man was probably similar to a silver coin.

There were many ordinary people in White Stone Castle, so the circulation of common currency was normal, but he had no gold or silver on hand.

Thinking it over, Ronan took a Low-level Magic Stone from his Space Ring, crushed it, and casually passed a few fragments to the man, saying,

"Help me find a decent place to stay for a Wizard. I’m likely to stay here for half a year or possibly longer."

"Certainly."

The man instinctively caught the Magic Stone grains Ronan gave him, and upon realizing what they were, he became quite excited.

He bowed deeply to Ronan and sincerely said, "Thank you for your generosity, sir. This winter season for Griffin’s family will be filled with warmth thanks to you."

With those words, he swiftly got up and led Ronan into the town without a moment’s delay.

Ronan observed something in this man called Grue.

Due to the presence of Wizard Families, the identity gap between top-level Wizards and bottom-level common people was vast. Here, ordinary people showed intense respect and awe for Wizards, and their lives appeared to be even more impoverished.

There was more than one Wizard Family in White Stone Castle, so there must be interest conflicts among them. Even if the high-and-mighty Wizards had no intention to involve commoners, such tensions passed down through the layers were enough to heavily exploit those at the bottom.

In this regard, the Hoddam Wizarding Land of the past seemed relatively comfortable.

The middle-aged man, Grue, led Ronan to a place called the Ice Bat Tavern. The tavern also offered accommodations, and there were guides with higher statuses than Grue, who were well-informed of news within and around White Stone Castle, meeting Ronan’s needs quite well.

The prices here returned to the standard levels of the Wizard Land, not accepting gold or silver payments. The daily room rate was one Intermediate Magic Stone, which included three meals and offered additional intermediary services.

Ronan settled at the Ice Bat Tavern with his identity as a wandering Ice Wizard seeking "Talent Transplant" in White Stone Castle.

He sat in the tavern for a while, listening to the chitchat among the Wizards gathered there, during which a waiter brought him a local specialty dish from White Stone Castle.

It was simply fish cured in ice with some coarse bread and a side salad.

Ronan tasted a few bites; the fish was extremely salty with a strong fishy taste, which slightly diminished with the addition of salad dressing but was still unbearable for someone with heightened senses like him.

The only redeeming quality might have been its texture.

Ronan had no appetite whatsoever. When he discovered that the Wizards in the tavern mostly conversed in the local dialect of White Stone Castle, he simply returned to his room.

He arranged his several goals for this trip with the people at Ice Bat Tavern, and all he had to do now was wait.

Although Kosti had given Ronan two and a half months, he wasn’t in a hurry.

After all, purified spiritual power was still on the rise, and Ronan had a lot to attend to daily.

Five days later, several of Ronan’s inquiries began receiving responses.

The Ice Bat Tavern.

Cold white sunlight penetrated the nearly palm-sized windows covered by thick snow, casting tiny, unremarkable specks of light on the black, thick wooden round table.

Ronan, with ice patterns covering his cheeks, sharp eyes, and a cold demeanor, was sitting at the small round table in a black-gray gown with silver patterns, listening to a husky middle-aged man with brownish-yellow hair respectfully giving a low-voiced report beside him.

"The Tuer family no longer exists?"

Upon hearing this from the middle-aged man, Ronan frowned and coldly glanced at him.

"Don’t try to deceive me. As far as I know, the Tuer family had a Level 3 Wizard among them. How could they cease to exist in just a few decades?"

The middle-aged man turned pale from Ronan’s glance and hurriedly explained, "I wouldn’t dare to deceive such a distinguished lord. The Tuer family did have a Level 3 Wizard, but they’ve been missing for nearly a hundred years. Without a central pillar, the family made many enemies and relocated entirely from White Stone Castle decades ago... You can ask any elder about it, and they’d confirm..."

Ronan’s face grew somber.

He hadn’t expected things to not progress smoothly as soon as he arrived.

Whether Kosti had been out of the tower too long or was simply careless, she hadn’t even realized her friend had been missing for a century and thought merely that contact had been lost.

Thus, the introduction letter from Kosti was entirely useless for accepting the "Talent Transplant," and he’d have to rely on himself.

"..Regarding the person named Soraya you asked us to investigate, we’ve compiled some information for your perusal.."

After the middle-aged man finished reporting about the Tuer family, he handed Ronan a Rune Stone used for recording.

Ronan glanced at it briefly, nodded, and paid it little mind.

As for Soraya, he was simply going through the motions; finding her was like searching for a needle in a haystack, so it didn’t really matter if he succeeded.

Seeing Ronan sit silently at the table for a long time, the middle-aged man with brownish-yellow hair cautiously began, "Sir, if you’re only looking to perform ’Talent Transplant,’ you don’t necessarily have to go through the Tuer family... We could also help."

"Oh?"

Ronan’s eyes flickered with interest at the middle-aged man’s words, and he looked at him, slightly surprised.

Seeing Ronan’s interest, the man quickly began explaining.

After listening to the explanation, Ronan realized that White Stone Castle’s unique "Ice Talent Transplant Technology" was actually quite different from what he had imagined.