Then they walked into the fence surrounding the wooden hut. A bell hung on the arched door, but Brand knew the rules of this place. Turaman would surely have already noticed them through some alert spell unless he was napping. Therefore, ringing the bell would only annoy him.
Brand knew that the bell should only be used in urgent situations.
He remembered the only time in the game it was used was when a dragon attacked the nearby village.
Just at that moment, he felt Frey touch his elbow. He turned his head and saw Frey looking puzzled. She asked, "Brand, what is this place?"
She had realized that Brand was here to meet someone, but who could be living in such a place?
"Just an old man’s house," Brand replied, as he directed his gaze back to the door of the hut.
"Yes, he is a wizard."
Frey let out a low exclamation, almost dropping the sword in her hand. In fact, it wasn’t just her; even Batom, who was more experienced and stood to the side, couldn’t help but puff out his chest when he heard Brand’s words. A wizard was a wizard, after all, even though Char was an apprentice wizard, he was still far inferior to a real wizard.
In truth, wizards were always the most mysterious characters in bedtime stories across Erune, and indeed, throughout the wilds of Vorn. Many grew up hearing legends about them, which often associated these figures with spirits and deities.
But in reality, Brand knew that in truly prosperous areas, large cities, or densely populated towns, wizards were a common presence. Many kingdoms even had royal academies that trained court wizards, so fundamentally, these individuals were not particularly mysterious.
Of course, if we’re talking about black wizards, witches, or undead wizards, then they are just like the characters in the legends.
Brand glanced back at Little Roman and noticed that the merchant lady seemed a bit nervous at that moment. He couldn’t help but ask, "What are you nervous about?"
"Aunt said that when dealing with wizards, one must be polite, otherwise it might cause unnecessary trouble," Roman answered as if it was a matter of course.
Before Brand could respond, a light sound came from inside the house. Then the wooden door creaked open: "That’s not just a folk tale, little girl. Who is your aunt?"
The aged voice blended with the opening door, revealing an elderly man with silver hair, snow-white beard flowing down to his waist, wearing a grey robe, and tortoiseshell-framed glasses perched on his nose. He stepped into the sensory perception of the four present.
Not only Roman and Frey, but it was also Brand’s first time seeing Turaman, the legendary Level 120 scholar.
"Aunt is just Aunt," Roman answered without a hint of shyness.
The old man glanced at the others, seemingly scrutinizing them. His somewhat cloudy eyes swept over Brand and Batom without pause, but lingered on Frey, surprising him.
Finally, he gave Little Roman a look and smacked his lips, saying, "Little girl, seeing you, I know who your aunt is. Hmph, that temper is just like hers."
Upon hearing him speak, both Frey and Brand were shocked. Frey was surprised that this old man knew Roman’s aunt, while Brand was even more stunned because he had mentioned that he was a wizard! Brand was surprised on a different level—
A person known by a wizard is very different from a person known by the master of Secret Silver Castle and the Twelve-Circle Magic Society’s Silver Leader.
"Have you met Roman’s aunt, old man?"
"You know Aunt Jenny?" Both spoke simultaneously.
Turaman was planning to turn back into the house, but he stopped upon hearing this. He first glanced at Frey without answering, then fixed his gaze on Brand, and replied, "Young man, don’t you know what manners are?"
Brand coughed once, being used to dealing with NPCs and having been too shocked to hold his tongue earlier. He could only laugh sheepishly and act the fool: "Wasting life is a shameful act, old man. I was merely trying to save time—"