The Wizard's Secret Journey

Chapter 238 Caravan (4k)

When Lynn stepped out of the Black Falcon, a large group of apprentices had already gathered near the entrance of the Horsens camp.

Almost all the wizard apprentices who weren't on patrol came over.

The Graywood Ruins were so remote and desolate that the wizard apprentices spent their days patrolling, resting, and cultivating in the camp, with nothing else to do.

The arrival of the caravan was one of the few times of joy, and all the wizard apprentices looked forward to it.

But in fact, this was not the first time a caravan had arrived at the Horsens School watchtower. Five days earlier, a caravan named Mingguang had been the first to arrive at the Horsens School watchtower.

The watchtower was bustling with activity that day. Lynn and Samuel organized their apprentices to purchase a batch of reasonably priced ingredients, enough for them to use for a month.

"I wonder what this caravan will bring," Lynn thought to himself as he floated toward the camp entrance.

The last time the Mingguang caravan carried supplies, most of which were food and daily necessities. While they did solve their immediate problem, they were still somewhat lacking.

Perhaps it is for this reason that the apprentices are still looking forward to the arrival of a new caravan.

When Lynn arrived at the camp gate, Samuel was already there. He turned around, greeted him, and said:
"This caravan is from the Lanjin Merchant Guild. Tsk tsk, its scale is indeed much larger than the previous Mingguang Caravan."

"Lanjin Chamber of Commerce?" Lynn followed his gaze.

Outside the camp gate, a caravan completely different from the previous "Mingguang" caravan was slowly coming to a stop.

Instead of using common pack animals or ordinary vehicles, they used three uniquely designed hovercraft.

The cargo ship is a dark, deep blue color, with a brass-colored metal frame around its edges. The side of the hull is branded with the "Lanjin" emblem, which consists of intertwined vines and gold coins.

Beside each cargo ship stood several well-trained wizard apprentices, dressed in uniform dark blue robes and exuding a calm demeanor.

After the cargo ships came to a complete stop, the hatch of the lead cargo ship slowly opened, and a slightly plump middle-aged man dressed in an elegant silk robe gracefully flew out.

His gaze swept quickly over the gathered Golden Thorn apprentices, finally landing precisely on Lynn and Samuel, who stood at the camp entrance, their demeanors distinctly different.

Carls approached Lynn and Samuel, his smile widening, and gave a standard finger salute.

"Good day, Your Excellencies Lynn and Samuel!"

"I am Karl Rankin, representing the Rankin Merchant Guild. We have brought the finest and most abundant supplies within the scope permitted by Silver Ring Academy, hoping to meet all your needs!"

"Good day, Lord Karls." Lynn and Samuel responded politely, and after checking the caravan's credentials, they signaled the Golden Thorn apprentices to open the camp gate.

Three sleek cargo ships swayed forward and landed on the open ground. The hatches on their sides opened, revealing neatly stacked cargo inside.

"Please feel free to choose any items; they are all clearly priced and of excellent quality."

Carl casually greeted the apprentices, then went to Lynn and Samuel, speaking warmly.
"Is there anything you two gentlemen need?"
"There are many good things prepared for formal wizards on the cargo ship."

Karls's face was full of smiles. In fact, if they hadn't heard from the previous outpost that there were two first-tier wizards stationed at the 16-8 watchtower, their Rankin caravan would never have included a watchtower in their trade plans.

After all, the Lankin Chamber of Commerce focuses on high-end products, and ordinary wizard apprentices are not among their target audience.

But two first-tier wizards are a different story. A first-tier wizard, especially one like Lynn and Samuel from a university school, has purchasing power far exceeding that of hundreds of wizarding apprentices.

—As an allied school of the Silver Rings, the Horsens School, with a third-tier wizard at its helm, can be considered a major power in the eyes of ordinary forces like the Rankin Merchant Guild.

Carls absolutely could not allow himself to miss out on a client like this.

"Oh, what kind of goods are there?" Samuel asked curiously, intrigued.

Lynn's heart stirred. He had been studying the difference between sub-runes and single-word Black Moon runes for the past few days, but had not made any progress.

He wanted to obtain more Black Moon relics, but he was troubled by the lack of channels.

'Perhaps the Lanjin caravan will bring me some surprises.'

"I'm not bragging, but most of the goods that first-tier wizards can buy in Silver Ring City, our Rankin Caravan has!" Karls said proudly, patting his chest. He then added, "Even if this cargo ship happens not to have them, you can order them from us. They will be delivered to you two when the caravan comes next time."

In business, regardless of whether you have the capability or not, you should talk about it first before discussing anything else. You can't just start by saying you have nothing.

Besides, as long as we have enough leverage, we can always resolve the issue eventually.

"As for the specific cargo on this ship... there are too many kinds to explain in a short time. Why don't you two come aboard and see for yourselves?" Karls continued.

Lynn and Samuel readily agreed and followed Carls toward the last and largest cargo ship.

When heading to the outpost, this cargo ship, laden with fine goods, should be moored at the very front, so that the official wizards can select their desired items immediately.

However, considering the special circumstances of the Horsens School's watchtower, Karls knew he would likely be accompanying Lynn and his companion throughout the shopping trip, so he made some minor adjustments. This way, it would be quite natural for the Golden Thorn apprentice, whose purchasing power was weaker, to shop on the other two cargo ships carrying cheaper goods first, while he would take Lynn and his companion to the main cargo ship.

This separation of the two groups allows Lynn and her partner to have a quieter shopping environment.

Although it is just a small detail and may not have much effect, it is enough to show Karls's meticulousness.

As the group walked past the first two cargo ships, the excited chatter of the Golden Thorn apprentices could be heard from time to time.

Lynn glanced at it, feeling quite emotional.

'I wonder when Silver Ring Academy will end its conscription... Life here is worse than back in Emerald Forest City. At least back then I was freer. Unlike now, I can only move within the area covered by the watchtower, and I have to apply to leave if I want to.'

In some ways, this is not much different from going to jail.

'I just hope Silver Ring Academy will take further action later. Even if they don't end the conscription, they should at least specify the exact duration of the deployment.'

As Lynn thought this, a shadow inevitably fell over her heart.

The recruitment by Silver Ring Academy was exceptionally rushed, and the rules and regulations in various aspects seemed incomplete. Looking back now, even the duration was not specified.

Often, if things are not properly decided at the beginning and there is no strong enough opposition later, they will remain fixed in a muddled way forever.

For ordinary wizarding schools, these two first-tier wizards would be extremely valuable, but for the vast Silver Ring Academy, they were nothing special.

Even if I'm trapped here forever, I can only accept this fact and at most try to escape quietly.

But escaping meant leaving the Silver Ring Academy's sphere of influence forever, and abandoning everything... Samuel and Karls suddenly stopped, and Lynn shook his head, looking at the main cargo ship in front of him.

The main cargo ship of the Rankin caravan was enormous, its interior resembling a small commercial street, with a dazzling array of goods displayed in different cabins.

Lynn glanced over and saw not only common meditation tools, but also potions, and even witchcraft tools and materials for witchcraft arrays for sale.

The key point is that the price of these goods is not much higher than that of Silver Ring City, at most 30%, which can be said to be quite cost-effective.

Lynn hadn't planned to buy anything besides the Black Moon relics, but now he was thinking of replenishing some supplies, especially materials for the witch array.

Although he had stockpiled a large amount of materials for witchcraft arrays before coming here, he still has plenty.

However, judging from the current progress of the research on the Black Moon Rune, the future research will definitely consume a lot of materials for the Witch Array, so stockpiling more is definitely not a bad thing.

After all, no one knows what the price of these goods will be when the caravan arrives next time.

Of course, the price might drop then, but Lynn always tends to think about the worst-case scenario. He's more worried about a price increase than a price drop. If he urgently needs materials for the witch array then, he'll have to spend a fortune.

Samuel stopped in the compartment where potions were stored. After asking Karls, he picked up a bottle of concentration-enhancing potion oil and examined it closely. He couldn't help but sigh:
"The goods from the Lanjin caravan are indeed as you say, of excellent quality and at a very reasonable price."

"I'm glad you like it." Karls smiled.

Lynn watched from the side, pondering the possibility of Kars possessing Black Moon relics.

The Black Moon Relics themselves are not prohibited items that are forbidden to trade; they are just extremely rare. In theory, asking about them directly should not cause any problems.

But that was then. Now, the appearance of the Graywood Ruins has made everything related to the Black Moon Academy sensitive, especially the Black Moon Relics.

Who knows if these Black Moon relics came from the Ashwood ruins?
It should be noted that throughout the Aurora Domain, there have always been wizards attempting to uncover the Black Moon Academy's legacy or some other secrets from the Black Moon relics.

The Black Moon relics found in the newly discovered Gray Forest ruins are more likely to contain knowledge of the Black Moon Academy than those Black Moon relics that have been circulating in the market for a long time!

This seems to lead to more wizards wanting to buy Black Moon relics, making it easier for Lynn to hide them.

However, the attitude of Silver Ring College also needs to be considered.

The Black Moon Exploration Association serves as the best cautionary tale.

Who knows if buying Black Moon relics at this time will attract the attention of Silver Ring Academy?

Ordinary wizards may have nothing to fear if they are upright, but Lynn is different. He truly has a secret and is truly connected to Black Moon Academy.

Therefore, the doubts in one's heart will naturally be much stronger.

'Although the Lanjin Merchant Guild is not small, it is not among the top merchants. There is a high probability that even if I ask, I will not be able to buy the Black Moon Relics from the Lanjin Merchant Guild.' Lynn silently weighed the options in his mind.

The reason he was able to easily obtain Black Moon relics before was mainly because he was in the Black Moon Exploration Association.

It's important to know that the requirement to join the Black Moon Exploration Association is possessing Black Moon relics.

In such an environment, one would certainly not feel that the number of Black Moon relics is particularly scarce.

In reality, the probability of buying Black Moon Relics from any random merchant guild is as small as finding a Tier 3 wizard in any random merchant guild.

'Given such a high probability of failure, even if the risk of speaking up isn't objectively that great, is it still not something worthwhile?' Lynn couldn't help but hesitate.

The three continued to stroll around the cargo ship. Lynn, preoccupied with his troubled thoughts, simply followed behind without looking at anything or buying anything.

Samuel was interested in many items, but perhaps he didn't like any of them, so he didn't buy anything.

Seeing that the cargo ship was about to be toured, Karls was getting a little anxious. He smiled and said, "Actually, in addition to these goods, our Rankin Association also sells knowledge and intelligence."

"Intelligence? What kind of intelligence?" Samuel asked curiously.

“That depends on what you want to know,” Karls said, giving examples such as “recent news from Silver Ring City, and…”

"Do you have any information about the Graywood Ruins?" Samuel interrupted him.

“Greywood Ruins… there are, but…” Karls smiled wryly, but still honestly said, “it’s probably unnecessary for you two to be stationed at Greywood Ruins.”

Samuel suddenly realized that, when it came to information about the Graywood Ruins, aside from the high-ranking wizards, who knew more than the wizards stationed there?

After all, different watchtowers would occasionally communicate with each other on a regular basis.

“Alternatively, you two can sell intelligence or knowledge to our Rankin Association,” Karls added.

"Is information about the Graywood Ruins possible?" Samuel asked.

“I’m afraid… that won’t work.” Kars smiled wryly and explained, “Unless Your Excellency has a post where even the official wizards don’t know anything about the Graywood Ruins.”

“Oh, so you already gathered intelligence at the outpost before,” Samuel said, suddenly realizing.

“Exactly.” Carls nodded, then turned to Lynn, who had remained silent, and asked,

"Lord Lynn, is there anything you need?"

Lynn snapped out of his thoughts and thought for a moment before saying, "I do want to buy some materials for witchcraft arrays."

Karls was thrilled and quickly replied enthusiastically, "Of course, what materials do you need... Hmm, would you like to continue exploring the cargo ship first, or would you like to retrieve those witchcraft array materials first?"

"Let's finish shopping first," Lynn said casually.

At this moment, Samuel, who had been deep in thought, suddenly remembered something and looked at Karls, saying:

"Oh right, I just remembered that I do have some information I want to buy."

“Please say so,” Kars said with a bright smile.

Samuel glanced at Lynn and continued:
"Silver Ring Academy has issued so many trade licenses this time... Does your Lankin Chamber of Commerce know the reason behind this?"

(End of this chapter)