Scientific Wizard

"Mart, how dare you betray me?"

The moment William laid eyes on Lynn, everything became clear, yet he couldn't believe that one of his most trusted subordinates would betray him.

How is this possible? How dare he?

"Have you forgotten about your parents and family? Mart, they're all in my hands," William threatened harshly.

"Now the communication hawk isn't by your side..." Mart replied in a low voice.

As long as William died here, naturally, no one would issue commands.

"You probably don't know, Mr. Mart actually possesses quite a decent wizard talent," Lynn said with a smile. "After witnessing higher landscapes, how could anyone endure lurking in the mire?"

Of course, he employed a few additional tactics, otherwise, how could he trust an enemy's confidant?

"You're courting death." William slammed the table in anger. A dozen or so mechanical amplifiers immediately sounded, sharp crossbow arrows flying out from under two obese feet, aimed at Lynn and the others.

[Eletromagnetic Manipulation]

Lynn extended his hand, the speeding arrows freezing right in front of him. Subsequently, flashes of lightning appeared on the iron tips. With a flick of his hand, the wooden shafts immediately shattered, the iron heads flying out even faster, piercing William's obese body, and erupting a mist of blood.

William's agonizing cries resounded throughout the room, but the splattered blood mist didn't touch the ground; it encircled him under some force's gathering.

Amidst horrifying flashes of blood light, William's figure began to rapidly swell. His fat disappeared swiftly, eventually forming a blood-red figure over two meters tall, incredibly muscular, with crimson eyes emitting a terrifying aura, a violent, murderous intent permeating the entire room.

The stripped blood spontaneously formed a barrier, blocking the incoming [Chain Lightning].

"Quite a skill," Lynn remarked lightly. He intentionally controlled the intensity of the electric current, yet he hadn't expected the other party to easily block it.

It seemed that during the ten-plus years working for Herlram, William hadn't refrained from making underhanded moves.

Previously, Lynn had been curious about which fleet brought that statue of the evil god into the wizard's land. There was no clear record of it at Iyeta Harbor. Now it seemed it must have been brought in by the fleet from "Hadralata"

Mart was also incredibly surprised by William's sudden eruption. This was information even he wasn't aware of, so he hurriedly reminded.

"Lord Lynn, ever since five years ago, William has been brewing and consuming a peculiar red wine. I suspect it may contain some kind of monster's blood..."

"Traitor." William, upon hearing Mart's words, filled his eyes with a bloodthirsty gaze, charging at the two like a colossal bull.

Phosphorus - [Flame Demon's Hand]

Lynn refrained from using the recently acquired, still unskilled electromagnetic magic. Fiery streams surged from his palm, instantly engulfing William.

The blood-red barrier surrounding him became the best fuel; the intense white phosphorus flames swiftly pierced the barrier, turning William into a blazing torch.

Yet, William ignored the searing pain of being roasted by flames, flesh torn and devoured. He only had one thought in mind: kill the two in front of him.

Unfortunately, it was just wishful thinking. In the next moment, the flames Lynn conjured in his palm transformed abruptly into an extremely cold stream.

Liquid Nitrogen - [Ice Domain]

William immediately experienced the contrast of fire and ice. His already blurred flesh burst into pieces, rapidly disintegrating into tiny ice shards that fell to the ground.

A mere four or five meters separated them, but ultimately, William fell in front of Lynn, as if his entire rush was merely to perform a grand gesture.

Mart looked at William with pity. He could easily tell that the robust physique was the side effect of some strange ritual; undoubtedly, the power gained was formidable, but in the presence of a true wizard, it appeared laughable.

This further proved his own choice was correct.

"Decent physical quality..." Lynn praised, then disregarded William's bloody, blurry body, placing his magical palm on the latter's head.

[Memory Retrieval]

Due to being just a projection, Lynn's access to mental power was limited. However, with William already driven somewhat insane by the intrusion, not much effort was needed. Lynn effortlessly obtained the information he desired.

The stimulation from the mental intrusion woke William from the pain of flames and ice, shouting frantically.

"Wait, you absolutely can't kill me. My every confidant knows about the Misty Sea's information. If I die, they'll spread the news. I don't want the profits from trade anymore, it's all yours, everything."

"No need to worry so much, William," Lynn smirked. "Don't you have a decent decoy? I believe he'll live well in your place."

William's pupils contracted, yet before he could say anything, his entire being was frozen into an ugly ice sculpture.

"Lord Lynn, there's a hidden passage directly to the hall here. Mr Laut should be there," Mart said urgently.

"Let's go, don't keep him waiting." Lynn nodded.

Though Mart was his inside man, time was too pressing. Cody visited in the morning, issuing the invitation in the afternoon, making it impossible for real-time communication.

So, when Mart suddenly appeared before Laut, requesting the handover of the "Arcane Ring," Lynn knew something had gone wrong, prompting Laut to surrender the ring.

Dealing with William altogether had taken no more than ten minutes. If Laut was clever enough, he should be enjoying dinner with the decoy right now.

Upon reaching the hall, Lynn realized things seemed different from his expectations. Wine stains and scattered dishes littered the floor, a scene best described as chaotic.

After dispatching a dozen guards with a [Chain Lightning], Lynn and Mart rescued the disheveled Laut from the trap.

Laut stared resentfully at Mart.

"Mr. Laut, there were many people outside just now. Please forgive my previous offense," Mart apologized awkwardly, then handed the "Arcane Ring" to Laut. "I've always said I'd protect it with my life."