The Wizard's Secret Journey

Chapter 240 Wine Glass (4k)

No matter how disappointed the apprentices were, the French caravan eventually arrived at the camp.

The old, worn-out shuttle slowly came to a stop.

A moment later, a thin, first-tier wizard descended the steps with a hint of surprise. He looked at Lynn and Samuel and greeted them:

"Gentlemen... Good day."

Lynn and his companion were no longer surprised by his appearance; they were mostly surprised that a mere watchtower would be guarded by two first-tier wizards.

"Good day."

After a brief greeting, Lynn and Samuel checked the merchant guild's pass and trade permit as usual, and learned that the thin wizard in front of them was named Gobert and was a first-tier intermediate wizard.

In terms of pure realm, he is a small level higher than Karls, the merchant who was just at the first level.

Such strength seems somewhat mismatched with the caravan he leads.

However, it's not surprising that the caravans that initially didn't even have flying shuttles were led by a first-tier wizard.

After all, the Graywood Ruins are located in a remote area, and caravans that do business here should at least have a first-level wizard accompanying them for safety.

"Welcome to the Horsens School watchtower, Your Excellency Gobert."

After confirming that everything was correct, Lynn and Samuel stepped aside and opened the camp gate.

The old shuttle, not much larger than the Black Falcon, slowly drove in and finally stopped in the open space where the Rankin caravan had previously moored.

Throughout the entire process, the shuttle remained quite stable with minimal movement, indicating that it was well-maintained.

"Welcome everyone to purchase goods from our French caravan. We guarantee high quality and low prices!" Gobert began his opening remarks as usual, but this time it was much shorter than the previous two caravans.

He then instructed his apprentices to turn on the shuttle.

One by one, containers filled with goods floated out under the influence of witchcraft, and in the blink of an eye, a huge stall was set up in the open space in front of the shuttle.

Samuel glanced at it briefly and immediately lost interest.

Most of these stalls displayed food or daily necessities, while the remaining few mainly sold small items for apprentices.

'It seems the French trading company didn't do their research properly and didn't realize they weren't the first caravan to arrive at the watchtower.'

Samuel telepathically communicated with Lynn.

Selling food is not a problem, but the prerequisite is that you have to be the first to arrive. Otherwise, once the stronghold has bought enough food, who will buy more before it is used up?

Lynn smiled but did not reply.

Samuel, feeling disheartened, prepared to call Lynn to go back to the watchtower together.

But Lynn then approached Gobert and asked, "Does the French caravan sell any Black Moon relics?"

Asking once is asking, asking twice is also asking.

Having overcome her inner hesitation, Lynn felt much more relaxed.

"Black Moon... relics?" Gobert smiled awkwardly and shook his head, saying, "Most of the supplies we brought this time are food and daily necessities, so there are no Black Moon relics. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Lynn nodded with an unchanged expression, but a doubt suddenly arose in his heart.

His reason for asking Gobert if he had any Black Moon relics for sale was not simply because he had already started asking and felt it wouldn't hurt to ask again.

Furthermore, when the French caravan's shuttle brushed past him just now, he sensed a faint aura of a Black Moon relic!

In its passive state, the Black Moon Spirit Body can sense the Black Moon Relics within a radius of about ten meters around itself. The sensing effect is no different from that in its active state, except that it cannot be forcibly controlled.

Therefore, Lynn could not be mistaken; the French caravan shuttle in front of him must be carrying Black Moon relics, and two of them at that!

However, Gobert immediately rejected the idea.

“Let’s go,” Samuel said again, while transmitting his thoughts, “Even a large merchant guild like Rankin doesn’t have Black Moon Relics, let alone a small merchant guild like this. If you want to buy Black Moon Relics, I think we should wait for the next large caravan to come.”

Lynn remained silent. The two Black Moon relics were laid out before him. He was truly unwilling to leave like this.

But with Gobert already refusing, his continued insistence on asking was highly suspicious, so Lynn could only say in the end:
"It's alright. If Lord Gobert has any Black Moon relics for sale, please feel free to contact me. The price is negotiable."

“…Okay, okay,” Gobert replied with a smile, though his words sounded somewhat unnatural.

'It's likely that he possesses the Black Moon relics, but is using them himself and doesn't intend to sell them... After all, the Black Moon spirit body can sense those two Black Moon relics, indicating that they are also in an activated state.'

Lynn was disappointed, but there was nothing she could do.

……

The French caravan arrived quickly and left even faster, staying for only a dozen minutes before departing.

It's probably because there's not much business.

Lynn pondered many things during this time, but still couldn't come up with a suitable way to obtain the Black Moon Relics from the French caravan without arousing suspicion. In the end, he could only watch them leave with regret.

Hopefully, the next caravan will bring good news.

Lynn shook his head and turned back to the Black Falcon.

He went to the meditation room as usual, but this time, instead of continuing to study the Black Moon runes, he began to meditate.

Half a day later, Lynn ended his meditation and summoned the Insightful Light Curtain.

[Realm: First-tier advanced wizard (23/100)]

[Black Moon Meditation Method - Level 1 (Complete)]

'You've reached the pinnacle of meditation.' Lynn glanced at the light screen, his face calm.

Of all the knowledge he possessed, the one he spent the most time studying was the Black Moon Meditation Method. Previously, when he advanced to the first-tier advanced level, he was only one step away from the perfect level; now, after so much time had passed, a successful breakthrough was to be expected.

'At this rate, I should reach the peak of the first tier in no more than six months. Then I'll have to consider advancing to the second tier.'

Lynn silently thought about it, and once again he silently thought about the Black Moon Factory, numbered 1679.

To advance to the second tier, the most important thing is the second-tier meditation method.

Hopefully, I can obtain the second-tier Black Moon Meditation Technique from that factory.

Although Lynn comforted himself in this way, he couldn't help but think of the Gray Forest Ruins that were so close at hand.

Several days later, another large caravan from the Levinsa Merchant Guild arrived at the watchtower.

Unlike the French caravan, the Levinsa caravan had clearly conducted a thorough investigation and carried virtually no food.

The goods they carried were mostly for entertainment or cultivation, and unlike the Rankin caravan which mainly targeted formal wizards, the vast majority of these goods were suitable for apprentices, earning unanimous praise from the Golden Thorn apprentices.

Finally, the Levinsa caravan stayed at the watchtower for most of the day, and only slowly left late at night.

However, the Levinsa caravan still had no Black Moon relics for sale. Life continued uneventfully.

No caravans arrived, no invaders came, and even the patrolling wizard apprentices were no longer as vigilant as before, becoming lax.

The trees in the grey forest became even more withered, almost turning it into a black forest.

On this day, another caravan arrived at the Horsens School watchtower.

However, it wasn't a new caravan, but rather the Lankin caravan, which they had met once before.

Lynn was practicing witchcraft in the meditation room when she learned of this news.

A premonition made him immediately end his sorcery practice and leave the Black Falcon.

When Lynn arrived at the camp gate, three familiar and impressive cargo ships were already there.

The amiable-looking Carls had left the shuttle early on, greeting Lynn and Samuel warmly:

"Good day, Your Excellency Lynn, Your Excellency Samuel! We meet again."

Good day, Your Excellency Karls.

Although Lynn was filled with anticipation, he was not in a hurry. After responding together with Samuel, he proceeded to check the caravan's travel permits and trade licenses as usual.

Although it was checked last time, rules are rules, and this is also to avoid danger.

During their time stationed here, they had not encountered any intruders, and the apprentices had become somewhat lax, but Lynn and Samuel remained vigilant.

Finally, the inspection is over.

Carls had the cargo ship sail into the camp, but he himself came up to Lynn with a smile and said warmly:

"Lord Lynn, I've brought you a wonderful surprise this time!"

Lynn was overjoyed, and a smile appeared on his face: "Oh, is it a Black Moon relic?"

“It is indeed a relic of the Black Moon!” Kars grinned and took out a broken silver goblet.

The cup is about the length of a palm, with its stem taking up two-thirds of the length, making it look exceptionally slender.

A small, inconspicuous corner is missing from the top of the cup. The outer wall is slightly rough and engraved with the Black Moon Academy's logo, while the inner wall is as smooth as a mirror, and a dark red gemstone is inlaid at the bottom.

"Can I have a look?" Lynn asked.

“Of course.” Karls nodded, then suggested, “This place isn’t very convenient, why don’t you go to the cargo ship’s lounge for a closer look?”

Lynn nodded and followed behind Carls.

Samuel was also curious, and after Lynn agreed, he followed.

"Come, serve tea to the two gentlemen," Karls instructed the apprentice, then turned back to greet them, "Please make yourselves at home, we're all acquaintances."

As he spoke, he handed the silver cup in his hand to Lynn.

"It was quite a coincidence that I acquired this item from a first-tier wizard from Silver Ring Academy at Camp 27."

“Originally, that first-tier wizard did not intend to sell this Blood Wine Silver Cup, but I thought of the promise I made to you, so I persuaded him repeatedly. I used all my strength and even wore my lips out before I finally convinced the wizard to sell the Blood Wine Silver Cup to me.”

"Thank you for your hard work." Although he knew this was probably just Karls's way of trying to get a better price, Lynn still replied politely.

"It wasn't hard work; I could only say I accomplished my mission." Karls said casually, then pressed on, introducing the blood wine and silver cup.
"Don't be fooled by the cup's unremarkable appearance and the chip it has; it's no ordinary Black Moon relic!"

Lynn raised an eyebrow, and Samuel, standing beside him, asked curiously, "What's different?"

Karls straightened his expression and said, "As you both should know, although the Black Moon Relics come from the Black Moon Academy and their structure differs from common magical tools, their usage is no different from ordinary magical tools. They all require the input of magic power and the consumption of mental energy."

"However, this Blood Wine Silver Cup does not require any magic power or even mental energy to use!"

"Even an ordinary mortal can easily wield the Blood Wine Silver Cup after obtaining it!"

Samuel looked surprised and muttered, "No cost whatsoever?"

“It’s genuine, and I, Karls, am absolutely not lying.” Karls patted his chest and emphasized, “Therefore, the value of this item is self-evident.”

At this moment, Lynn finally spoke up: "Whether it is precious or not depends on its specific function. May I ask, Lord Karls, what exactly is the effect of this Blood Wine Silver Cup?"

Karls glanced at Lynn and realized that although the wizard looked young, he was not someone who could be easily fooled.

Without changing his expression, he smiled mysteriously and said, "You only need to add the blood of extraordinary beasts to it to know the effect of the Blood Wine Silver Cup."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the reception room opened gently, and an apprentice carried in a basin of bright red blood, carefully placing it on the coffee table.

A faint smell of blood wafted up and lingered around the tip of my nose.

"This is the blood from a mid-level 0-rank snake-like magical beast that I hunted on the way here." Kars waved his hand lightly, and the beast blood in front of him flew like swallows returning to their nests, forming a blood-red rainbow bridge in the air, and was all poured into the blood wine silver cup.

The amount of beast blood on the table clearly far exceeded the limit that the Blood Wine Silver Cup could hold. Yet, it contained it all.

Moreover, after all the beast blood disappeared, upon closer inspection, the silver cup of blood wine was still completely empty, without a trace of liquid.

Only the dark red gem at the bottom of the glass seemed to have become brighter.

Karls didn't explain, he just said to wait patiently.

Before long, a drop of clear liquid quietly condensed in the silver cup of blood wine.

At the same time, a faint aroma of wine spread, completely dispelling the lingering stench of blood in the reception room.

Its aroma was so enticing that even someone like Lynn, who doesn't drink, knew it must be a top-notch wine!
"I believe you two have already noticed that the Blood Wine Silver Cup, as its name suggests, transforms various types of blood into wine," Karls said slowly.

Samuel pursed his lips, somewhat disappointed, and muttered to himself, "But I never drink."

Karls felt a little embarrassed, but he frowned and quickly emphasized, "Your Excellency Samuel, this wine is no ordinary wine!"
"As long as the blood provided is of sufficient quality, the wine it produces can even allow a mortal to overcome the barrier to transcendence!"

"...It has such an effect!" Samuel exclaimed in surprise.

But Lynn wasn't falling for it. He picked up his glass again, glanced at it, and said slowly,

"The blood of sufficient quality that you mentioned, could it be referring to a first-tier magical beast?"

Samuel realized it too; a first-tier magical beast is equivalent to a first-tier wizard, and apart from a few species, most of them are extremely valuable.

The blood of many rare monsters is even sold by the drop.

If it were simply to help a mortal cross the threshold of transcendence, it would be a waste to consume a large amount of first-tier beast blood.

Karls gave an awkward smile and didn't reply.

Lynn, unwilling to beat around the bush any longer, asked directly:

"So, how many magic stones do you intend to sell this Blood Wine Silver Cup for?"

(End of this chapter)