A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 276 How to Choose Between the Two Tasks

After the count got into the car, it roared off again. Rorschach couldn't help but wonder where the palace's fuel came from if it burned coal like other cars.

Exchanging a commission for another commission is indeed feasible, but it would be a lengthy negotiation process. With the poet's warning, Rorschach and the dwarf also became more vigilant to avoid being taken advantage of by the Earl.

"I can find someone, but it's rare to find a mage. I need your help too; let's help each other out." Elgin would never say anything about "helping each other out" to a bard and a dwarf. Who are you and who am I? A mage would be more like it.

He sized up the young man. Based on the count's common sense, the arrogant boy should be a low-level mage. At his age, he was probably an apprentice. He had the right to be proud once he became a full-fledged mage.

He had obviously fallen into the underworld quite early and was unaware of a cost-effective spellcaster wholesaler called the "Imperial Royal Magic Academy".

Just as the count was about to speak, the carriage suddenly began to shake violently. The poet lost his balance and fell on his backside, demonstrating the dwarf's combat prowess. Rorschach simply levitated himself and grabbed the handrail.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the count's chaise longue was riveted to the car floor. He gripped the edge of the chair tightly and shouted, "Watch out!"

A tentacle shot out of the window, followed by a second and a third. They roughly pried open the glass, frantically burrowing inside and pounding on the already decaying furniture.

These tentacles were black and smelled foul. Upon closer inspection, Rorschach found that they were similar to the tentacles he had seen when crossing the bridge earlier.

The most terrifying thing was the smell—a powerful stench of garbage dumps and stale toilets assaulted the carriage, making eyes water. Rorschach promptly cast an air filter on himself and then on the dwarf and the poet.

The count used a direct countermeasure, taking a deep breath of the smelling salts, which made the smell in the carriage less unbearable.

He's a ruthless person.

Suddenly, a chilling aura erupted from Rorschach's body, and the others felt a cold wind howl past them, their exposed skin stinging as if cut by a knife. The dwarves felt as if they had returned to their winter homeland.

The tentacles around Rorschach all froze and burst into pieces, exposing the filth from the sewers inside. Fortunately, they were already solidified, otherwise the carpets the Earl had painstakingly collected would have been completely ruined.

"It's water! Just like when we crossed the bridge!" Rorschach realized what it was and sent the ice shards out the window, but the carriage was still shaking, and the shaking was getting worse.

The driver struggled to his feet and scrambled into the engine room, where he worked with the train to unleash its maximum power, blasting out huge plumes of steam.

Rorschach didn't remove all the filth; he collected a small amount of the frozen material as a sample. The Count remained unmoved in his chair, observing Rorschach's behavior. He seemed only concerned with not falling off the chair, not with the tentacles attacking him.

The train finally escaped the attack from the "water" and stumbled into the next station to stop.

"This saves me the trouble of explaining. As you all probably know, I patrol my territory by forming a loop with a portion of the magenta and gray lines. What I just passed was an abandoned line that runs parallel to the main sewer line."

"There have been instances of water tentacles attacking the train before, but recently the water has become increasingly active, restless like springtime. Now I'm constantly worried that the train's water tanks are still full. Although I have the noble authority to not worry about being attacked by tentacles, people like you, my other guests, and my poor loyal servants are not at peace."

"Can't we just keep the train at a fixed station?" The dwarf's idea was straightforward: just avoid going to places where there was a problem.

"Fool! Patrolling the territory is my duty!" Walking on the train, traversing the territory, is perhaps the only job that allows Elgin to truly live up to his title of Earl.

"Therefore, investigating the cause of the sewage turmoil and resolving it is what I expect you to do for me. In return, I will order the people to help you find people. My orders are still effective in the semi-submerged area."

"Count, these two things don't seem to be equal!" Freddy felt that investigating the stinking sewer was dirty, troublesome, and dangerous, and that it wasn't equal to just beckoning with a finger or moving his mouth to the Count.

Elgin was surprisingly agreeable: "Alright, I have a second request. Recently, I've discovered strange beliefs circulating among the people. Although I've repeatedly warned against engaging in religious activities, some people are still violating these rules."

This was what Elgin feared most. Originally, with the authority he had obtained from the Shadow City, violating his carefully issued prohibitions would have resulted in punishment from the Shadowlands. But somehow, the strange activities continued unabated, making the Count feel that his dignity was being offended and filled with fear.

If the rules of Shadow City fail, then he's just a grumpy old man whose neck anyone can crush.

"If you can find out where those suspicious guys came from, who they believe in, and what they plan to do, then I'm willing to help. As long as it's related to the person you're looking for, I'll organize and provide all the information I get."

This was unexpected; Freddie thought it was a good deal and that it could go through.

After all, finding one person is like finding a needle in a haystack, but proselytizing is like broadcasting to a group of people, making it much easier to find them.

"I think we can take the second commission," the poet whispered to his employer. But everyone noticed that Rorschach was daydreaming:

At this moment, Rorschach took out a small frozen sample of "sewage body," held it with [Mage's Hand], and melted it after slightly heating it.

Once activated, the "sewage body" resumed its menacing posture, constantly writhing under control, trying to break free as much as possible.

If liquids like water possess this activity, it would indeed be terrifying.

In Rorschach's Arcane Vision, this small piece of "sewage body" also has a faint green aura, similar to an electric charge. It is not only distributed on the surface, but the aura also concentrates at the tips and becomes brighter after the small tentacles are extended.

He conducted a small experiment, using the "Minor Disintegration Spell" to disperse the tentacles, as if the "sewage body" had temporarily lost its activity and all its aura had disappeared. However, everything quickly returned to normal, baring its fangs and claws once more.

"Do you have any empty bottles? Preferably with stoppers." Rorschach asked the Earl for an empty bottle, forcefully stuffed the "sewage sample" inside, and then attached a blue light barrier to the inner wall of the bottle to prevent the sample from escaping.

After finishing all that, Rorschach said decisively, "We'll take both jobs!"

"good!"

"what?"

The poet grabbed Rorschach's sleeve: "My esteemed mage, are you looking for trouble? Aren't you in a hurry to find your teacher?"

Rorschach shook his head: "I think the teacher entered the Shadow City voluntarily. She's also a spellcaster, so she shouldn't have been driven to such a desperate situation. As for my purpose in coming to Istani this time, it seems I'm getting some leads."

Freddy gritted his teeth: "They only offered me two gold coins? If they want me to be their guide again, they'll have to pay more!"

"Money is no problem." Looking ahead, Rorschach thought the bard was a good guide.

Rorschach held up the "dirty water" sample to the Earl: "Do you have a microscope? I need to analyze this dirty stuff."

(End of this chapter)