Exploring Technology in a Wizard World

Explosions and screams filled the air, one body after another plummeted from midair and crashed onto the ground outside the Blue Lake Estate, scattering corpses all over like dumplings being dropped into boiling water.

"Glug!"

Bobbobovic watched the scene and couldn't help but swallow hard. Although he was stronger than any of the enemies, he still didn't have confidence that he could survive the same attack.

Because this was unlike any attack he had encountered before, it was too... violent.

Yes, too violent. That was the only word that came to mind to describe it.

Then, he saw the person responsible for this violence—Richard.

The "Fire Cloud" gradually dissipated, and Richard's silhouette appeared in the sky, slowly descending toward the ground.

"Richard!"

Bobbobovic greeted him quickly.

But Richard didn't acknowledge the salutation, his face grim as he descended to the ground, landing amidst the bodies and starting to examine them.

Bobbobovic's expression stiffened for a moment as he followed Richard to the ground, offering an awkward look before addressing him again, "Uh… Richard, thank you. You saved me."

By then, Richard had finished checking the bodies. He stood up, his expression showing a touch of incredulity as if he had encountered something unbelievable, but he quickly returned to his usual demeanor.

Turning to Bobbobovic, Richard responded, "You can skip the thanks, but I need an explanation."

Pointing at the corpses, Richard spoke, "I want to know who these bodies are. Why did they come here? Though they attacked my estate and I had every reason to counterattack, it cannot be denied that it seems like you intentionally drew them here."

"Ah, well, cough cough!" Bobbobovic looked aggrieved, "You can't blame me entirely. Honestly, I don't know who they are. After we split up, I encountered them on my way back. They attacked without giving any explanation. I couldn't beat them, so I had to come to you for help.

Um, I also know you hate trouble, so how about this: You love researching, so I'll give you a portion of the 'Blood Spirit' potion that I use to increase my wizard level for you to study, as compensation."

As he spoke, Bobbobovic pulled out several vials the size of fingertips from his garment and handed them to Richard.

Richard took the potions without refusal, tucking them away, and said, "Alright, I'll take your potions as payment for my intervention. However, speaking of which, the estate you've damaged, shouldn't you also pay for the repairs?"

At that moment, flames were still burning in the estate, and although they hadn't destroyed vital places like the Wind Tunnel Laboratory or the Stone Building, the warehouse and stables had been ruined, and the repairs would cost a significant amount of money.

Bobbobovic glanced at the burning estate and cautiously asked, "How much do you think would be appropriate?"

"A thousand gold coins," Richard stated calmly, giving him a friendly rate.

"A thousand gold coins?!" Bobbobovic's mouth dropped open before he forcefully closed it, nodding his head with a mix of sadness and anger, "Alright, a thousand gold coins it is."

"That's settled then," Richard said. "And, one more thing, you'd better make sure no more trouble follows, or else I'll still be seeking compensation from you."

Bobbobovic: "…" Suddenly, he felt that turning to Richard for help was really not a good choice—it was far more expensive than he thought.

Richard had nothing more to say. He turned his head slightly toward the direction of the distant night and glanced around a few times, then waved his hand to Bobbobovic and walked back to the estate.

Inside the estate, the workers, under the direction of the butler Jia Lie, were frantically scooping buckets of water from a small lake to douse the flames, preventing the fire from spreading. Richard waved his hand, releasing several spells to help reduce the blaze. After ensuring the fire was under control, he returned to the Stone Building that had been spared from the flames.

...

Outside the estate, Bobbobovic stood with a bitter expression, pondering how to gather a thousand gold coins to pay Richard.

Although he wasn't poor, he definitely wasn't rich either. Most of his money had been transformed into magic tools and the 'Blood Spirit' potions he consumed. If it had been five hundred gold coins, he could have managed with the tuition fee from Marquis Vian, but a thousand gold coins would likely mean he had to sell off his assets.

Ah, why was he so unlucky?!

He had merely stepped out, and not only was he almost killed, but he had also incurred a substantial debt. Speaking of which, what exactly was the assailant's identity?

Could it have been the Blood Teeth Thief Group?

He had indeed had some conflicts with the Blood Teeth Thief Group before, but so much time had passed—wasn't it a bit too late for revenge?

Full of doubts, Bobbobovic strode over to the corpse, only to find that the body was either contorted beyond recognition or charred to a crisp, offering no clues that could hint at its identity.

Just as he was about to give up, a tattoo on a male corpse caught his eye.

The corpse was that of the middle-aged male wizard who had first attacked him, and the tattoo was on the man's shoulder. Previously, the attacker's shoulder had been wrapped in a white cloth with a rather unique texture. As a result, during the process in which Richard killed him with bizarre arrows, the white cloth was burned away, but the skin underneath remained perfectly preserved.

So, there he saw it: an image of an eye inked onto the skin, an eye tattoo that was both eerie and lifelike.

The eye was elongated, and the pupil within it was nearly triangular. Staring at it for too long, one might get an illusion—that the pupil was rotating, seemingly trying to absorb the entire world.

This!

Bobbobovic clenched his fist tightly, his eyes widened, and he felt a dryness in his throat as an indescribable emotion surged within him. It wasn't fear, but rather... he had seen this pattern before.

Indeed, he had seen it, and it was crucial for him; the purpose of his stay in Jialan City was closely related to it!

Years ago, the investigation had come to a halt due to the disappearance of this "eye" clue, and he had been forced to stay in Jialan City up until now, almost forgetting his original mission.

Unexpectedly, the pattern had reemerged.

Could it mean that this adversary had realized he was investigating and was attempting to kill him to silence him?

No, that would be just as illogical as the theory about the Blood Teeth Thief Group. Too much time had passed; if the adversary really noticed, wouldn't their reaction be too sluggish?

Then what was the real reason?

Bobbobovic stood among the pile of bodies, his eyes moving rapidly, his mind racing, and his fists clenching tighter and tighter.

He was filled with doubt and growing increasingly irritable, wanting desperately to yell out loud and vent his frustration.

After a moment, however, he took a deep breath, striving to calm himself down.

He was well aware that his usual behavior was erratic and unreliable, often laughable. That's because he saw most things as trivial, not worth worrying about—as long as it was fun and to his liking. That's why he had inexplicably quarreled with Richard, vying for the educational rights of the two students Harry and Cathy.

But this was different.

The pattern he had seen was a thorn in his heart, a matter of great significance, and he had to investigate thoroughly.

So...

"Whew—"

Bobbobovic took a deep breath, flames flared in his palm, and he pressed it against the tattoo, burning it off. Casting a quick glance around and seeing no one had noticed, he hastened away, preparing to take his time in formulating a plan.

...

Shortly after Bobbobovic had left, a man emerged from the darkness, approaching from the direction which Richard had been previously observing.

He was shrouded in a thick black robe, his skin pallid as if he were dead, and his eyes were like two ice balls, occasionally glinting.

He did not approach the dead bodies; he merely looked at them from a distance, then twisted his head towards Blue Lake Estate and in the direction Bobbobovic had departed. Frowning in thought, his expression showed surprise and puzzlement; thereafter, he carefully retreated into the darkness, disappearing without a trace.

...