"The level of a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice, judging by his direction, he should be heading towards Luoya Town as well."
Seeing the result given by Shenlan, Herag had an idea in his mind.
It’s easy to recognize wizards; the magic power fluctuations on them are hard to fully conceal unless with special means.
That kind of kindred aura, Herag could tell at a glance from afar.
The man seemed to sense that Herag wasn’t easy to deal with, so he voluntarily kept a distance and sped up, remaining wary of Herag the whole time.
Herag didn’t approach to provoke him, maintaining the distance to show he had no hostile intentions.
Along the way, Herag encountered many other wizard apprentices, all heading to the market just like him.
Among them, most were First-Class Wizard Apprentices, with Second-Class Wizard Apprentices being relatively rare, and Third-Class Wizard Apprentices even rarer.
For these scattered wizard apprentices, advancing to a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice is extremely difficult without training resources.
Since they couldn’t join the major wizard organizations due to inadequate aptitude, trying to advance to a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice on their own is like reaching for the stars.
As for becoming an Official Wizard, it was something these scattered wizard apprentices scarcely dared to dream of, unless they had some fortuitous encounter.
A day later, Herag arrived at Luoya Town with a group of people.
Luoya Town is quite a large town, nestled in a valley.
There’s a large stone at the entrance, covered in moss without any inscriptions.
If ordinary people came here, they’d only see this large stone and the towering cliff behind it.
Even if they climbed the cliff, they’d only see the forest, unable to find a trace of Luoya Town.
The way to enter Luoya Town is to channel magic power into the large stone, which then transports you into the town.
Inside Luoya Town, fighting is forbidden. Anyone who causes trouble and fights will be punished and expelled from the town, and blacklisted, never to enter Luoya Town again.
This is quite a serious consequence for these wizard apprentices, as the market in Luoya Town is their important avenue for resource exchange.
Nobody is sure who the management of Luoya Town is, but it’s certain that an Official Wizard oversees each market opening.
Most people speculate it’s the wizards from Dream Island, as it’s under Dream Island’s jurisdiction.
These scattered wizard apprentices are actually unstable elements; Dream Island probably employs this method to manage them within its jurisdiction.
After entering, Herag found himself on a street lined with many shops, some empty and some with goods being set up for sale.
Various transactions had already begun, but whether they were buying or selling, most people hadn’t left Luoya Town.
At the center of Luoya Town, there’s a large stone. When the market officially opens, wizard apprentices can activate this stone to randomly teleport to nearby places.
This measure was established to protect the market participants’ safety, to prevent instances of murder and treasure theft.
However, this still cannot entirely prevent occurrences of murder and robbery, as wizards have many tricks, and some strange marking methods always exist.
The teleportation only covers a thirty-kilometer radius, and once outside, targets can generally be found through marking methods.
Hence, after entering, these wizard apprentices remain cautious of each other, keeping their distance and avoiding any physical contact.
"Shenlan, constantly monitor the magic power fluctuations around and anyone’s actions. Warn me immediately if there’s any potential threat to me." Herag was also very cautious, instructing Shenlan to start monitoring immediately to avoid unknowingly being marked.
"Are you new here? You look unfamiliar." A chubby, round-faced wizard apprentice approached, standing several meters from Herag.
Herag glanced at him and said, "Yes."
"Shenlan, check his vital stats."
"Power 3.2, Agility 3.5, Constitution 4.1, Spirit 9.5."
"Second-Class Wizard Apprentice..." Herag glanced at the data.
The round-faced wizard smiled, "I come to this market every year, and it’s easy to spot newcomers. My name is Calis. How about five Gold Coins to tell you about this place? There are many things to watch out for, or you’ll get scammed."
"Five Gold Coins? You sure know how to make money." Herag chuckled.
Calis sighed, "Well, making money isn’t easy. Rest assured; those five coins will definitely be worth it."
Herag thought for a moment, then took out five Gold Coins, "Alright then..."
"Detected abnormal magic power fluctuation." Shenlan immediately alerted.
Herag, who thought five Gold Coins weren’t much and some information was worth the expense, now had second thoughts when Shenlan warned him.
In his vision, Shenlan marked a blue magic power fluctuation emitting from Calis.
"Shenlan, what’s going on?" Herag asked.
"Analysis complete. There’s an 87.3% chance it’s some kind of ritual. If the subject hands over the coins, the ritual will complete." Shenlan replied.
Herag weighed the coins in his hand, looked at Calis, and smiled, "Interesting."
He guessed this was likely a marking ritual; if he handed over the coins to complete the ritual, this wizard apprentice named Calis might be able to monitor his whereabouts anytime.
The ritual itself is unlikely to be harmful, as there’s not enough magic power, and Calis isn’t strong enough.
A deadly harmful ritual wouldn’t be completed so easily; surely it would require a greater price.
Herag took a deep breath, feeling the complexity of the situation, almost falling for a trick just upon entering.
No wonder these wizard apprentices avoid lengthy conversations with each other. Without Shenlan and adequate experience, someone else would surely get marked by Calis.
Although Herag isn’t afraid of him with his power, Calis might not be alone.
"What’s interesting? Give me the coins, and I’ll start explaining. You must be extremely cautious here." Calis appeared earnest and sincere.
Herag nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly, "Indeed, one must be extremely cautious here. So, to be a little cautious, I won’t give these five Gold Coins, and I won’t trouble you for introductions. I’ll explore on my own."
Calis’ expression froze; seeing Herag’s knowing smile, he realized Herag had seen through him.
He immediately switched to a cold, indifferent demeanor, "Not bad, newcomer."
Herag spared him a glance, chuckled, and walked down the street, intending to visit the various shops.
Calis, seeing he couldn’t deceive Herag, wandered around, seemingly waiting for the next newcomer.