Chapter 590: More Missions

Chapter 590 -589: More Missions

Colin asked curiously, “Is this a banquet for the gangs? Why is it happening?”

“This all started last year,” Don said slowly. “During last year’s winter disaster, a huge number of refugees flooded in. To fight back against oppression from some of the local gangs, a few of the tougher ones among them formed a gang called the Northern Faction.”

“I remember the gang wars were incredibly fierce back then. I saw a lot of bodies in the sewers when I was on a job,” Colin said.

“That’s right. The streets were chaotic during that time. Most of the Masked Lords were happy to see them kill each other. In their eyes, too many refugees were a problem, so letting them ‘self-eliminate’ was a pretty good solution.”

Don continued, “But as you’ve seen this year, the City-States Alliance was prepared for the winter disaster, so now they don’t want anyone causing trouble on the streets or in the sewers.

“The City Guard issued a statement: if the conflict between gangs gets too intense, they’ll start a ‘grand cleanup,’ which is definitely not good news for any of the gangs.”

“So now one of the gangs has taken the lead to start peace talks?” Colin pressed his lips together.

Although he could have guessed as much, hearing it confirmed still left a bad taste in his mouth.

He and Kase had nearly been “self-eliminated” back then. The slightest mistake and they would have ended up just like those bodies in the sewers.

And while they were fighting for their lives against monsters, some Masked Lords were hiding in their manors, genuinely happy about the whole thing.

“Colin…”

Colin felt a gentle tug on his arm. He turned to see Ale looking at him with concern.

“I’m fine.” Colin smiled.

He then turned back to Don. “How many people will be at this banquet, and how many Gold Coins are you offering as payment?”

“The leader of every gang will attend, but each is only allowed to bring one bodyguard. The bodyguards who enter the venue can wear Armor, but they can’t carry any weapons other than a single Dagger.”

Don said, “If I make it back alive, I’ll give you two hundred Gold Coins as payment.”

“You’re willing to offer that much, which means you think something is definitely going to happen, right?”

“The one thing every gang leader in Thousand Masts City wants most is for all the other gang leaders to drop dead overnight. I have to be prepared for that. After all, you only get one life.” Don then asked, “So, do you accept these terms?”

Colin mulled it over for a moment before speaking. “In that case, I have a condition of my own. Don’t use my name at the banquet. If you agree, then I accept.”

“Of course, I agree. Come here in the evening three days from now, and we’ll go together.”

Don extended his hand. “A pleasure doing business with you.”

“A pleasure.” Colin shook his hand.

“If you don’t mind, would you stay for breakfast?”

“We already ate on the way here. If there’s nothing else, may I go?” Colin turned toward the exit.

“Of course.”

Once Don agreed, Colin immediately led Ale out of the Hundred Eyes Gang’s territory.

When they reached the main street, Ale asked, “Colin, do you need our help?”

“He said only one person can go. I’ll be fine on my own. I’ve dealt with plenty of monsters, after all. It’s just a gang banquet, nothing to be afraid of,” Colin said. “Shall we go to the Great Dome to read now?”

“Mhm, let’s go together.” Ale nodded.

「The two arrived at the Great Dome.」

After a morning of reading, followed by a meal at the Black Heart Tavern, Colin parted ways with Ale and went to Morel’s magic laboratory.

He walked past an apprentice buried in their work and entered the lab, spotting Morel at a glance.

The man was hunched over some distillation equipment, fiddling with it. Who knew what strange thing he was concocting this time.

‘Maybe he’s trying to brew coffee with that thing.’

While silently joking to himself, Colin spoke up, “Morel, I’m here to learn my Tier Five Magic.”

“Here’s the Spell List I prepared for you. You can see which spells you might want to learn. Once you’ve chosen, I’ll give you a Magic Scroll and all the materials needed to transcribe it. As we agreed, it’s all free,” Morel said.

Colin took the slip of paper and studied the spells listed on it.

Although there weren’t as many as with Tier One Magic, the variety of Tier Five Magic was still considerable. It ranged from the poison-gas-creating Cloudkill to all sorts of Summoning Magic, as well as Support Magic like Teleportation Array.

The sheer variety of Tier Five Magic left Colin momentarily unsure of what he should learn.

To be honest, he was somewhat tempted to learn Teleportation Array.

That way, he could Teleport himself whenever he had to travel far. If he only paid for the materials, it would just cost fifty Gold Coins, saving him a lot of time and travel expenses.

But on second thought, it seemed a bit irrational to waste a precious learning opportunity just to save on travel fees. Besides, Colin felt he wouldn’t have time to stay in Thousand Masts City and make money with Teleportation Array.

“Oh, right. It seems the Weston Clan has been looking for you recently,” Morel muttered while fiddling with a glass beaker.

“Really? I just accepted a job this morning to help the Hundred Eyes Gang,” Colin said with a hint of resignation. “The amount of work I’m getting is almost scary.”

“That’s the trouble that comes with Power. Most powerful Mages are used to a reclusive life, and for good reason. No one wants to be constantly disturbed, especially a Mage who needs to focus all their energy on research.”

Morel continued, “Anyway, to get back on topic, the Orcs in the North have been very active lately. The Weston Clan seems to want to launch a preemptive strike, so this time, the Weston Clan’s young Family Head hopes to hire your squad as bodyguards.”

“Is that so?” Colin glanced down at the slip of paper in his hand again.

‘If I’m going to the Northern Lands, my opponents will be either Barbarians or Orcs. In that case, shouldn’t I prepare for the upcoming mission?’

‘Steel Wind Slash is a Damage spell for a small number of targets, and Hold Monster is a Control Magic for a single target. I’m still missing an area-of-effect spell…’

“Then tell me about the spell Synaptic Freeze.” Colin handed the paper back to him.

“Hm? Are you preparing to deal with Orcs? This spell is designed for low-intelligence creatures.” After saying that, Morel added, “I’m not talking about Kase, you know?”

“Alright, just tell me about it.”