How can you become stronger if you don't build up bonds?

To be honest, Lin Wei was quite startled.

For a moment, he even thought the woman was going to attack him.

While the aunt was grabbing strawberries, she accidentally bumped into Lin Wei, and Lin Wei took the opportunity to open her control panel.

[Name: Lynn Ashford] [Level: 9/30]

Human, Merchant, Admiration Level: 50%

[MP: 58/380]

That fire just now consumed most of her mana, showing that her spellcasting aptitude was indeed, as she herself said, barely existing, and far from being a proper mage.

"Auntie, what are you doing?"

"Never eat anything from the woods to the south, it will cause serious problems!"

"What do you mean? Could you explain it in more detail?"

"I don't know how to explain this to someone from out of town like you, but anyway, getting into contact with anything from the woods or staying there for too long will make you unhappy."

"Take my good-for-nothing son for example. When he was little, he wouldn't listen to the adults and went to play in the woods over there. Later, he got sick and couldn't get better." Shopkeeper Lin looked frightened.

"Isn't it due to my own physical condition?"

"No, my mother has learned the basic method of controlling variables. My son may be a little slow-witted, but he's always been in good health. The only exception was that one time he got sick, which almost scared me to death!"

"Haven't you seen a doctor or a pastor at your church?"

"Of course I saw it, and both methods were effective. But a day later, his condition worsened again. It was just a common cold, but he stayed in bed for more than half a month before he got better."

Seeing that Lin Wei had no further reaction, Shop Owner Lin continued:

"The problem isn't just about injuries; woodcutters who went there to chop firewood will frequently injure themselves for a long time afterward, and the blacksmiths will produce tools with a very high defect rate..."

Shop owner Lin gave Lin Wei a series of examples in one go.

Lin Wei then asked her the specific time when this situation occurred.

Shop owner Lin couldn't give a particularly precise answer because she was just an ordinary person with limited sources of information.

If Lin Wei was really interested in this matter, she suggested asking the mayor of Scar Town, and enthusiastically pointed out the location of the mayor's house to Lin Wei.

In short, from her perspective, "misfortune" is the commonality that the people of Scar Town have summarized from these examples.

But Lin Wei still felt it was a bit far-fetched.

At this moment, Lin's daughter came over and told her that the clothes had been washed. In the end, Lin exhausted all her remaining magic power and dried all the clothes that Lin Wei had bought on the spot.

"Then I'll take my leave." Just then, Lin Wei saw Tina and Luya at the end of the street.

"Take care, buddy!"

……

A very strange piece of news—neither of the two inns in Scar Town had any record of Lillian staying overnight.

After booking a hotel and changing his clothes, Lin Wei, accompanied by two maids, went to the largest tavern in Scar Town to further investigate Lillian's whereabouts.

This tavern, named "Crystal Brew," is quite large, with an interior area that Lin Wei estimates to be around two or three hundred square meters.

The sun was just beginning to set, but more than half of the tables in the tavern were already occupied by customers. The air was thick with the smell of alcohol. Five or six waiters carried trays and walked around under the deep orange lights, while two bartenders stood at the front desk.

Lin Wei had never actually entered a tavern in this world, and his understanding of tavern service models remained at the game level.

Lin Wei glanced at Tina casually and realized that it wasn't her first time at the tavern, so he decided to let her take the lead.

Just as he was about to give the order, a slightly pungent fragrance swept past him, and at the same time, Lin Wei felt a gentle pat on his shoulder.

"Do you need help, sir?"

When Lin Wei came to his senses, a waitress with a sweet, sticky voice was already standing in front of him.

But compared to her sickeningly sweet voice, it was her appearance that left a more direct and profound impression on Lin Wei.

She's a bit too seductive.

The upper body was a low-cut waitress top that exposed both the shoulders and half of the breasts, while the lower body was a leather skirt that was so short that it barely covered the buttocks.

Her long, dark red hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and she wore an alluring smile that struck right to the heart.

If Lin Wei wasn't mistaken, she should be the only waitress in this tavern.

And her hot and alluring body continued to attract the attention of the men in the tavern.

"Hmm, I'd like to order some drinks."

Lin Wei was certainly not as repressed as the other men around him. Although the waitress was "alluring" enough overall, in terms of looks and skills, she was still quite different from his two personal maids.

"This way, sir and madam~ You can call me Doss~"

Lin Wei's indifferent reaction seemed to pique Duo Si's interest even more. She walked ahead and led the way, her lithe waist causing her leather skirt to sway up and down, once again making the men around her stare wide-eyed.

Thanks to Lin Wei's foresight, Tina and Luya both wore masks that Boss Lin had specially provided, so they did not become the targets of these oppressive gazes.

After Lin Wei and the other two sat down, Duo Si began to introduce the shop's signature drinks to Lin Wei with great enthusiasm.

"Wait a minute, we're not drinking alcohol. Let me suggest some other drinks," Lin Wei said, raising his hand to interrupt her.

"I don't drink..." Doss's eyes darted around.

"So that customer is here at the tavern to gather information, right?"

Hmm? Is it that obvious?

Seeing that Lin Wei remained silent, Duo Si covered her mouth and smiled:

"If you could buy me a glass of top-quality tequila, I would be happy to answer your question."

Lin Wei raised his chin: "Won't this affect your work?"

"Sir, you really care about me~ No, I get paid even if I don't do anything while I'm in the shop~"

As she spoke, Doss gestured to her surroundings with her eyes.

So it was "Little Bee" (a nickname for a bee), Lin Wei understood quickly.

"Okay, no problem." Lin Wei felt this deal was worthwhile.

"Sir, aren't you going to ask me about the price of my top-of-the-line tequila?"

"There's no need."

If you exceed my tolerance, I will simply have someone take you and this tavern down with me.

Whether I deal with one or two families in Ska town makes no difference to me.

"Sir, you are so generous! Doss is almost smitten with you!"

Doss no longer hid her admiration for Lin Wei, but Lin Wei just kept urging her to order.

Finally, Lin Wei ordered a mint melon juice for himself and Lucia Tina, plus Doss's tequila, which cost less than 2 gold coins in total.

After the messy foreplay, Lin Wei finally got down to business.

First, there was Lillian's whereabouts. After carefully searching through her memories, Doss finally shook her head at Lin Wei:

"I haven't seen the little girl you mentioned."

Seeing Lin Wei's expression change slightly, Duo Si quickly added:

"Well then, Mr. Alberta, I'll ask my friends later. If she's ever been to Scarborough, I'm sure I can find any trace of her."

"Okay, thank you."

"Lin Alberta" is Lin Wei's alias in Scar Town. Old Man Green's surname was directly "requisitioned" by Lin Wei.

Then, Lin Wei asked about the strange occurrences in the southern part of Ska Town.

"What a misfortune! This is something every speculator from out of town asks."

"Wait, you call that place the Land of Misfortune?"

"Yes, it's a cursed place, just like Lyca Town many years ago, or perhaps it spread from Lyca Town."

Doss's words elicited a clear reaction from both Lin Wei and Tina.

Hearing about her destroyed hometown from others, and knowing that even after more than a decade, the label of "cursed land" still clings to it, is something Tina finds hard to accept.

"Luya".

Luya and Lin Wei were of one mind. Luya reached out and grabbed Tina's arm, using her soul to force her to calm down.

Dos glanced at Tina, puzzled, not understanding what had happened.

"It's alright, please continue talking about the spread."

"Well, because I'm usually quite free, and I'm especially afraid that my hometown will be abandoned by the kingdom like Lyca Town, so I've done some research on this."

I had my friends conduct experiments with mice and insects, and they eventually discovered that the area of ​​the doomed land was expanding year by year.

Ten years ago, it had only just spread to the south side of that forest, but now, unfortunately, it has encompassed the entire forest.

At this rate, it would take approximately 50 years for it to spread to the southern border of Scar Town.

Although I have no intention of getting married and having children in this life, the fact that misfortune will befall me in my lifetime is still terrifying!

At this point, Doss's originally charming expression turned serious.

Lin Wei was filled with surprise at this moment. He never expected that Doss had such detailed information.

"Didn't you report these findings?"

"Of course it was reported. Otherwise, how could the south side of Ska Town be so desolate? No matter how afraid the farmers are of the land of misfortune, they still have a glimmer of hope."

As long as misfortune doesn't spread to their immediate vicinity, they will cling to their land, which they consider a money tree, and hold on to it until the very end.

Only when His Majesty the King ordered that the natural sorcerers cease casting spells to bless the southern lands did the farmers obediently accept the reality of having to abandon their land.

It turns out that my uncle already knew about the situation here.

Is Lillian's training route also related to this matter...?

Lin Wei suddenly understood many things.

And, this Miss Doss is really much smarter than Lin Wei imagined.

"I have another question. Will you tell all of this to other out-of-towners who ask you for information?"

Lin Wei felt that this kind of news should not be spread casually.

"No, I'll only touch on it briefly with other people, telling them that it's really dangerous over there."

In fact, the concepts of "doomsday land" and "spread" had not even spread in Scar Town yet, and putting some things out in the open too blatantly would cause collective panic.

Our wise and mighty King would certainly not want to see this situation.

This Miss Doss seems to be quite patriotic...?

"Then why did you tell me right away?" Lin Wei finally asked the crucial question.

"That's because..."

Doss picked up the tequila in front of her, which exuded a rich herbal aroma, and took a small sip. Then, she narrowed her right eye and gave Lin Wei a wink full of happiness:

"That's because I really like Mr. Alberta!"

Mr. Alberta seems to have a mysterious attraction to me from birth~

Well...

What is she saying...?

Keep reciting your lines. Normally, the next step would be for me to order two more drinks, right?

But Doss didn't; she simply gazed at Lin Wei's face with a slightly tipsy and affectionate expression.

"Does Mr. Alberta think that Doss is a promiscuous woman who talks like that to everyone?"

That's not a correct idea...

Doss simply didn't want to work hard or travel far from home, so she chose to sell a little bit of her body to earn money to make a living.

In fact, Doss has never been with a man before...

Lin Wei's doubts grew stronger.

Finally, he couldn't resist and gently touched Doss's knee under the table.

When in doubt, checking the card panel is always a safe bet!

[Name: Doss Fernandez] [Level: 0/40]

Human "Wallis", Admiration Level: 90%

Strength C, Agility C+, Constitution C+, Intelligence C+, Perception B+, Charisma B-

The panel is completely unsuspecting.

Doss was not a disguised spy.

But... there are really too many flaws, aren't there?

The level cap of 40 and her decent six-dimensional stats indicate that her basic attributes are quite good.

Lin Wei speculated that people with intelligence and perception above level C are very likely to have the qualifications of a spellcaster.

With her C+ intelligence and B+ perception, she's practically guaranteed to be a spellcaster.

In short, Doss's qualifications are far superior to those of Lin, the owner of the clothing store.

But her level is 0!

A complete lazy dog!

But while she was extremely lazy, she was also incredibly patriotic.

Although she delegated many of the execution steps to her friends, she did make a real contribution to her country and hometown.

Finally, her "admiration" for Lin Wei Kreddy was a staggering 90%!

This explains the strange attraction she mentioned earlier...

……

"Mr. Alberta really has no feelings for me at all...?" Seeing that Lin Wei was completely unwilling to express his opinion, Doss gradually became a little anxious.

This was the first time in her life that she had confessed her feelings to a man so passionately.

After a while, Lin Wei slowly spoke: "I don't believe you've never liked another person of the opposite sex."

"This..." Doss choked up.

"I... I admit I did have someone I liked, but... that person was special, so they can't be counted..."

"There are no special people in this world; all men are the same."

"But, but he really, really is different from other people!" Doss was now really anxious.

"Then tell me who that man is! You won't even tell me his name, how am I supposed to believe you?!" Lin Wei's voice grew louder.

Finally, Dorsey had no choice but to give up, and her usually sweet voice was now filled with a pitiful tone:

"That person... is Prince Lin Wei. I was just daydreaming. How could Prince Lin Wei, who is like a god descended to earth, possibly be interested in a lowly and ordinary girl like me..."

So, Mr. Alberta, can you believe now...?

"I'm sorry, but I have a kind of mental fastidiousness, and even the greatest prince in the world, Lin Wei, is not exempt."

So, let's remain friends.