Chapter 574: Chapter 574: Mission

Torch City is a crucial gateway for the Seville Empire facing the West Coast.

The buildings here mostly use massive white stone and dark metal frames, with crisp lines and grand structures, exuding a sense of power and order.

The city streets are wide, bustling with crowds.

Besides the various Wizards and Apprentices, one can also see many Knights wearing enchanted armor, with a keen presence moving through the city.

On the East Coast, the integration between the Knight system and the Wizard system is far tighter than on the West Coast, where powerful Knights have social status comparable to Official Wizards.

Duke did not pause to admire; with a clear objective, he headed straight for the Knight Hall located in the center of Torch City.

The Knight Hall is an iconic building of Torch City; the entire structure is built with stone as white as jade, resembling a high tower that stands tall in the city center, visible from afar.

Duke stepped into the hall, his gaze sweeping over the Knights who were either checking missions or conversing, first heading to the inquiry counter.

“Hello, I’d like to inquire whether Mr. Bell is present? I had an exchange with him during my last visit,” Duke said to a staff member behind the counter.

He was somewhat acquainted with Bell; if Bell were still there, it would be much more convenient to handle matters.

After checking the record, the staff member looked up and replied apologetically, “I’m sorry, Wizard sir. Deacon Bell was reassigned half a year ago to the Frost Wolf Fortress branch in the Northern Territory of the Empire and is currently no longer handling affairs in Torch City.”

Upon hearing this, Duke understood; it seems relying on old ties for convenience won’t be easy.

He nodded: “Got it, thank you.”

Duke’s purpose for coming to the Knight Hall was to legally acquire a High-tier Breathing Technique, but it requires contribution points from the Knight Hall for exchange, it can’t be bought even with Magic Stones.

Most ordinary Knights take a long time to accumulate enough contribution points to exchange for the High-tier Breathing Technique; it’s also a form of training and test for them.

The more difficult the mission, the higher the contribution points; the missions ordinary Knights can complete are usually relatively general, not earning much contribution.

For Duke, it’s different; his strength has long surpassed that of ordinary Knights, allowing him to easily complete high-level missions to earn a substantial amount of contribution points.

If Bell were still here, Duke could have asked him to recommend some tasks with good value, but now that opportunity is lost.

Since this path is blocked, he didn’t dwell on it, instead moving towards the mission release and acceptance area.

What he needed was a mission with high contribution points that could be completed quickly and suited his ability range.

As a Level 1 Crystalized Mage, his prowess was sufficient to handle most First-level Knights, even those tricky problems at the Level 2 Knight level.

Soon, a task caught his attention:

Publisher: Earl of Laurent

Location: Red Rock City, Tulip District, Laurent Earl’s Mansion

Task Description: In the past three months, there have been four consecutive abnormal death incidents within the Earl’s mansion. The deceased were all personnel from within, their deaths bizarre, without obvious external wounds. Preliminary investigation by the city guards found no signs of external intrusion nor clear curse or evil spirit traces. The events occur randomly, causing unease among the mansion’s residents.

Task Requirement: Uncover the truth behind the deaths and resolve the hidden dangers.

Task Difficulty: Evaluated as Level 2 (possibly involving eerie curses, special toxins, or lurking paranormal creatures)

Contribution Reward: At least 3000 points.

Note: Task requires at least Official Wizard or First-level Knight certification and a direct meeting with Earl of Laurent.

Three thousand points of contribution are extremely high, already equivalent to tasks that only Level 2 Knights can accept.

This task was released here seemingly for half a month, yet remained unsolved.

Previously, several First-level Knights attempted but had no leads, never solving the issue.

Ordinary Knights and Great Knights hardly dare to accept such tasks; they might directly kill bandits or demons, but addressing these bizarre and troublesome issues isn’t as easy.

The task’s eerie nature might be challenging for conventional Knights, but for Wizards, especially those with powerful Spiritual Power and keen perception, it’s quite suitable.

After looking around, Duke considered this task the most suitable, so he approached the task acceptance counter, presented his Black Sail Badge, indicating his identity as an Official Wizard.

After verifying his identity, the staff behind the counter respectfully handled his task acceptance procedure and provided the address of the Laurent Earl’s Mansion and an introduction letter.

“Wizard Sir, Earl Laurent has authorized us, with an introduction letter you may visit the Red Rock City Earl’s Mansion, wishing you success in your mission.”

Duke put away the introduction letter and left the Knight Hall’s power-filled hall.

The Earl of Laurent is located 300 kilometers away in Red Rock City, quite a distance from Torch City.

A distance of 300 kilometers, although he could ride a Storm Dragon Eagle, its safety doesn’t compare to that of a Floating Airship.

Given the options, Duke still opted for the safer method; he specifically inquired and found out Torch City has a Floating Airship to Red Rock City, thus he headed directly to the floating airship terminal in Torch City operating short-distance routes.

Compared to the Cloud Whale, short-distance floating airships are much smaller, with more agile lines and simpler runic plates on the gasbag.

Duke purchased a one-way ticket to Red Rock City and boarded a short-distance airship named Wind Bird.

The cabin facilities are simple; passengers are mostly merchants traveling between the two places and some low-level Knights and Wizard Apprentices.

The flight was smooth and rapid; through the porthole, one could clearly see the changing landscapes below, transitioning from the relatively flat coastal plains surrounding Torch City to the hilly terrains filled with red rocks and low shrubs.

After just over two hours, the Wind Bird began to descend, and Red Rock City’s outline came into view.

This city, true to its name, most buildings are constructed with locally sourced reddish-brown rocks, with a warm and rugged overall tone, distinctly different from Torch City’s black iron and white stone style. The airship gently landed at the special terminal outside the city.

Not wasting time, Duke hired a lightweight carriage drawn by locally unique and extremely enduring two-legged land birds, and reported the name of Laurent Earl’s Mansion.

The coachman seemed to have heard of the recent events at the Earl’s Mansion; his expression subtly changed but asked no further questions, just silently steered the land bird along a winding ascent path, heading towards the city’s higher nobility district.

The Laurent Earl’s Mansion is not an independent estate but a small castle built against a steep red rock mountain.

The towering walls are entirely made of massive reddish-brown slabs, weathered over time, its color deepened. The castle towers soar, resembling spikes growing from the red giant rock, overlooking the city below.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep