Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The Witcher: My Skills Can Be Limitless: Explosive word-of-mouth and rave reviews!

In the shadows, the masked man watched their figures disappear into the night, struggled to his feet, pulled a communication crystal from his pocket, and crushed it with gritted teeth.

The moment the crystal cracked, a dark red halo rose up and condensed in the air into a line of distorted text.

[Target's combat strength is severely underestimated; mission failed. Requesting withdrawal.]

The words flickered twice and then disappeared into the air.

The masked man clutched his shoulder and staggered away in the opposite direction.

Nightingale Bar.

The sign is a wooden carving of a red bird, hanging on the outer wall, with its wings spread and its eyes inlaid with rubies, gleaming eerily in the darkness.

The bar door was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time.

Pushing open the door, the room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the smells of alcohol, tobacco, and cheap perfume.

Behind the bar, a woman was wiping glasses.

She was around thirty years old, with red hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a tight leather vest that revealed her two arms covered in tattoos.

Hearing the door open, she looked up, her eyes sweeping over Ian and Robert, before she lowered her head again to continue wiping the cups.

"We're closed."

His voice was hoarse and slightly nasal.

Ian walked to the bar, pulled out a high stool, and sat down.

"I'm looking for Red Sparrow."

The woman paused as she wiped the cup.

"She's not here," she said.

"Where can I find her?"

Ian took a high-grade magic stone from his dimensional ring, placed it on the bar, and pushed it over.

The magic stone gleamed with a warm luster under the dim light.

The woman glanced at it but didn't move.

"I don't know anything about cardinals," she said. "You've come to the wrong place."

Ian added another ten.

Ten high-grade magic stones—this is a fortune that most people cannot afford.

The woman finally put down her cup.

She looked up, stared at Ian for a few seconds, and then suddenly smiled.

"Boy, do you know the rules?" She reached out, her fingertips tracing the surface of the magic stone.

"At Nightingale Bar, the price for information isn't set with magic stones."

"Then what should we use?"

"Give me your life." The woman leaned forward, resting her elbows on the bar, and approached Ian, her voice low.

"Some people, if you buy their information, you're risking your life. Are you sure you want to buy it?"

Ian looked at her.

"The middleman I'm looking for took on a job this afternoon. The client is from the south and has an aura of decay about him. I need to know who the client is and where he is now."

The woman's smile vanished.

She stared at Ian, her eyes sharpening like knives.

"You are Ian Marcus." She used a declarative sentence.

"Yes."

"That highly popular first-level wizard in the potions department, the creator of the [Starlight Potion]."

"Yes."

The woman was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly straightened up, reached under the bar counter, pulled out a wooden board, and hung it by the door.

The sign on the wooden board read: Temporarily Closed.

She turned around and pushed open a small door on the side of the bar.

"Come in."

Behind the door was a small room, about ten square meters, filled with miscellaneous items.

Dozens of wooden shelves were nailed to the wall, on which were placed all kinds of bottles and jars containing strange things: eyeballs, fingers, and still-wriggling insects.

There was a table and two chairs in the center of the room.

Red Sparrow gestured for Ian to sit down, then sat down opposite him.

"I have the information you're looking for," she said bluntly, "but it's very expensive."

Name your price.

"First, did you kill the people from the Purple Iris Merchant Guild?"

"Eight died, and one escaped," Ian said.

Red Sparrow raised an eyebrow; she knew that two first-level wizards were also involved in the operation.

"That's ruthless." She nodded. "Secondly, did you want this information for revenge, or for negotiation?"

"It depends."

"Third..." Red Sparrow leaned forward, staring into Ian's eyes.

"If I tell you, you have to promise that after you walk out this door tonight, you've never been here before, and you've never seen me before."

"Can."

Cardinal took a deep breath.

"There are two employers, a man and a woman. The man is called 'Ashes' and the woman is called 'Raven.' They are both core deacons of the Withering Council. I only know that Raven is at the peak of level one."

They arrived in Shadowmoon three days ago and stayed at the "Old Oak Inn" in the southeast corner of the black market, booking the two innermost rooms on the top floor.

"What are they looking for?"

Red Sparrow shook his head. "I don't know the specifics, but they've put a bounty on the black market, and the offer is very high."

"Could it be that Hetok had a hidden device, or leaked the information?"

Ian's last shred of hope vanished completely.

How did they find out about me?

"I don't know," Red Sparrow shook its head again.

"But the Withering Council has its own intelligence network, especially when it comes to the death of a core member, they will use any means necessary."

Hector died in the underground world. There were only a few people in the cave at the time, so by checking them one by one, they could eventually find the most suspicious person.

She paused, then added, "Besides, you've been too high-profile lately. [Starlight Potion], a core privilege of the potion system, and you've even opened a shop. With such a large following, it's hard not to attract attention."

Ian remained silent for a few seconds.

He had no choice; resources were limited, and if he didn't fight for them, they would fall into someone else's hands.

"What's their next plan?"

"Cut off your resource channels and force you out," Red Sparrow said.

Ian nodded; the attack they encountered today was merely a test.

If the test fails, they will intensify their efforts.

The suppliers he worked with in the black market have been secretly threatened or eliminated by the other party.

"Do you know any specific details?" Ian asked tentatively.

Red Sparrow hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up, as she also wanted to befriend the potion master in front of her.

"Next, they might target your resource lines within Shadowmoon."

Ian's eyes turned cold.

"Do they dare to touch anyone inside Shadowmoon?"

"Of course we wouldn't dare to do it openly, but if we do it secretly without leaving any evidence, there's nothing anyone can do about it," Red Sparrow said.

"The Withered Council always operates in secrecy; by the time you discover them, they've already vanished."

She looked at Ian with a complicated expression.

"Wizard Marcus, let me give you a piece of advice. The Withering Council acts insidiously, unlike the Crimson Court which is straightforward. They also have a Level 3 Archmage behind them. You alone cannot defeat them."

"So?" Ian asked.

"So, either bow your head, hand over the stuff, and find another way to survive, or..." Red Sparrow paused.

"Leave Shadowmoon, leave the East Coast, go as far away as possible."

Ian sneered inwardly. He had painstakingly accumulated his strength, not so that he could keep running away.

He stood up, took out ten more high-grade magic stones from his dimensional ring, and placed them on the table.

"This is the cost of buying the information."

Red Sparrow stared at the pile of magic stones, but didn't move.

"There's one more thing," Ian said. "If 'Ash' and 'Raven' are dead, won't someone even more powerful come along?"

Red Sparrow paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"……meeting."

"In this region, the Withered Council is notorious for protecting its own. Killing their key figures is tantamount to declaring war. Those who come might be at the second or even third level."

"understood."

Ian turned and walked toward the door.

"Feed him," the redbird called to him. "Are you really going?"

Ian stopped walking, but didn't turn around.

"They messed with my channels and even tried to kill me..." he replied softly.

Push open the door and go outside.

Robert and the others waited outside. When they saw Ian come out, they went to greet him.

"Sir, have you found out?"

"Okay," Ian said. "Go back and tell Kenna that the shop is temporarily closed. All four of you should stay at home and not go out. Wait for my message."

"Yes." Robert paused. "Sir, where are you going?"

Ian looked up, towards the southeast corner of the black market.

There was at least one peak level one wizard, and one escaped mist wizard.

He won't go directly to their door; he can't win against them in a head-on confrontation.

This matter was caused by him personally, and he could not directly rely on the power of the tower to intervene.

"As for private invitations... Alyvia is only at the peak of level one, and Malena has only just advanced, as for the others..."

Forget it, I'll just solve it myself. It's not that hard to solve.

Explore the fantasy novel genre; there's bound to be one that suits you.