Translator: AnubisTL
After settling in Golden Harbor, Jieming quickly adapted to life there.
Though the city was noisy, it gave him a long-lost sense of freedom.
He rented a simple room, spending his days wandering the streets and alleys as "Jack," a low-level adventurer. At night, he returned to his lodgings to study intelligence reports while quietly cultivating his magic.
After dealing with Karl, the man surprisingly didn't retaliate, perhaps genuinely frightened by Jieming's methods.
Jieming paid little attention to this. Through Jack's memories, he knew that Golden Harbor was guarded by only five "legendary" figures.
If nothing went wrong, the "low-level adventurer Jack" would naturally avoid trouble. But if something did happen, the "first-tier official wizard Jieming" would step forward.
At that point, killing a mere two people wouldn't solve the problem.
Part of the reason Jieming had spared Karl earlier was to see if he could use him as bait.
He'd been somewhat excited in the first few days, but Karl never took the bait, leaving Jieming slightly disappointed.
Still, his earlier display of power had been effective.
The second time he entered the Drunken Dolphin tavern, the half-orc bartender's face showed less impatience and more awe.
When Jieming requested a small task to gather materials from magical beasts, the bartender pointed with his stubby, thick fingers toward the wooden staircase at the back of the tavern.
"Hey, Jack," the bartender said in a low voice, a hint of flattery in his tone, "a tough guy like you shouldn't be taking on these low-level jobs. The second floor is where the real 'powerful' adventurers like you belong. There's bigger fish to fry up there."
Jieming glanced at him impassively before striding up the stairs.
The second floor was noticeably cleaner and brighter than the ground floor.
A massive wooden board displayed various quest scrolls. Unlike the tasks downstairs, which offered rewards ranging from a dozen copper coins to a few silver coins, the quests here offered rewards ranging from a dozen gold coins to over a hundred.
The adventurers here were clearly more seasoned: muscular warriors, agile rangers, and cunning thieves were everywhere.
They gathered in small groups, discussing quests in hushed tones, or stood alone, their sharp eyes scanning the quest board.
Jieming noticed that most quests involved exploring dangerous magical beast lairs, investigating ancient ruins, or conducting reconnaissance in perilous territories.
Occasionally, an adventurer party would return from completing a high-difficulty quest, drawing envious or resentful glances from others.
Jieming noticed that magic-wielding professions were exceedingly rare, both downstairs and upstairs.
Even in a bustling city like Golden Harbor, he could count on one hand the number of spellcasters he'd seen.
According to Jack's memories, most spellcasters were retainers of noble families and would never appear in a motley adventurer's guild like this.
After visiting the guild frequently, Jieming struck up a friendship with a middle-aged adventurer nicknamed "Old Grey."
Old Grey was a seasoned warrior, weathered by years of hardship, with a sword scar across his left eye.
He always sat in a corner of the bar, silently sipping malt ale.
Among the generally low-quality adventurer crowd, Old Grey, though meticulous about money, was one of the few "decent" characters.
Jieming enjoyed his company, occasionally treating him to a glass of fine rum or sharing rare materials he'd discovered in the wilderness. This would loosen Old Grey's tongue.
"Hey, Jack, you're a real freak," Old Grey said, draining his glass in one gulp, his breath tinged with alcohol. "Those little fry don't stand a chance against you for more than three seconds. But you need to understand, the adventurer's life is deep water. On the surface, it's just about getting paid for a job, but in reality, there are two kinds of us."
He lowered his voice, his tone filled with bitterness. "One type is us—the ones who risk our lives in the wilderness for a meager living, for a few gold coins. Even if you're skilled, some people will still see you as bottom-tier."
"Oh?" Jieming swirled his wine glass, intrigued. "Then what qualifies as top-tier? Is it the other type you mentioned?"
Old Grey's voice dripped with disdain. "The other type... hmph, those are the big adventurer guilds. They're the black gloves who do the dirty work for the human kingdoms. You know, the adventurer's guild doesn't just hand out missions randomly. Every task, especially the major ones, requires approval from local government officials. These missions often involve strategic resources or politics. Do you think the nobles would entrust such crucial matters to some unknown mercenaries?"
Jieming stroked his chin, realizing he'd never considered this before. Jack's memories contained no such insights either.
After all... "Jack" had always been a bottom-tier adventurer himself.
Despite Old Grey's contemptuous tone, Jieming detected a hint of suppressed envy in his voice.
"So, these advanced adventurer guilds are basically private armies for nobles and kings, just operating under the guise of the adventurer's guild... Isn't that just being a dog for the nobility?"
"Shh! How dare you say that so loudly? Are you tired of living?" Old Grey glanced around nervously.
Seeing that no one was paying attention, he finally relaxed and smacked his lips. "Well, you're not wrong, but... not just anyone can be a dog. At least to us commoners, they're still high and mighty lords."
Old Grey couldn't help but puff up with pride again. "But being a 'black glove' isn't easy. They earn a lot, but they're always the first ones sent into danger."
"Like now. Ever since those 'otherworld demons' (wizards) invaded, the major adventurer guilds have been conscripted by the kingdoms and sent to the frontlines as elite forces. This has actually given us small fries a chance to shine—snagging jobs isn't nearly as tough anymore."
"That's good news, then," Jieming nodded in agreement.
Old Grey, already tipsy, slumped over the table, muttering, "It's good, but the situation's completely chaotic now. Even this place is getting more dangerous..."
Seeing the man completely passed out, Jieming said nothing more. He tossed down a few copper coins to cover his drink, turned, and left.
Over the past few weeks, through tavern gossip, adventurer guild postings, and discreet observation of the townspeople's behavior, Jieming had pieced together the current state of affairs in the Elosia Plane:
First, the human kingdoms had long been at war with the orc empire to the north and the elven kingdom to the west, while internal strife among the nobles kept them in constant turmoil.
After the wizard invasion, forced by overwhelming external pressure, the human kingdoms signed peace treaties with the other two nations, uniting to resist the common enemy.
However, this peace was fragile, with undercurrents of conflict persisting.
Recently, as the wizards' offensive had eased somewhat, border skirmishes between humans and orcs had intensified, with small-scale clashes becoming increasingly frequent.
The elven kingdom remained relatively isolated, dwelling deep within ancient forests and maintaining high vigilance against external threats.
However, the internal factions were far from unified. Two distinct groups existed: those who favored harmony with nature and isolation for self-preservation, and those who advocated actively resisting external enemies to maintain the plane's purity. A subtle tension simmered between them.
The dwarves, true to their stereotypes, remained stubbornly steadfast, guarding their ancient mines and the ancestral forging techniques passed down through generations. They maintained a high state of alert against invaders.
Their mountain fortresses were virtually impregnable, yet they rarely launched offensive strikes, preferring to defend themselves against the wizards' incursions.
The orc empire had always revered primal and powerful divine beings, valuing strength and warfare above all else.
After the wizards' invasion, the orcs, with their astonishing ferocity, became the primary military force resisting the wizards' advance.
Initially, the orcs had agreed to fight the wizards because the Human Empire promised to supply them with resources. However, as the wizards' offensive waned, some short-sighted human nobles began plotting to renege on their debts.
The core that sustained the entire plane's operation was the divine system.
The gods of Elosia had clearly defined roles: the God of Life oversaw life and abundance, the God of Death controlled death and souls, the God of War symbolized strength and conquest, and the God of Wealth brought prosperity and trade, among others.
With the exception of the Supreme God, the other deities were not primordial beings. They required the continuous flow of faith power, generated by the devout prayers and offerings of their followers, to directly manifest divine arts and intervene in the mortal realm.
On his first day in Golden Harbor, Jieming chose a small, ancient church with few worshippers. After pretending to be a devout believer, he began making small, regular donations.
Each time, he donated only a few silver coins while expressing a keen interest in the divine teachings. Over half a month, he cultivated simple relationships with the church's lower-ranking priests and pastors.
Through casual conversations, Jieming gradually gleaned deeper insights.
For example, the divine beings were indeed highly vigilant against the wizard invasion, viewing it as a grave threat.
However, the primary concern of most gods wasn't the fall of the mortal world, but rather the fear that the wizards would usurp their faith.
After all, once the source of faith was severed, even a powerful divine being would gradually weaken.
Jieming inwardly sneered at this, as it perfectly aligned with the intelligence he had gathered in the workshop.
This was precisely the "weakness" and "objective" the wizards deliberately projected during their invasion. By intentionally showcasing their intense corruption of the plane's laws and their covetousness for faith power, they aimed to partially mitigate the gods' self-destructive tendencies.
The goal was to make the gods weigh the costs and benefits, preventing them from recklessly unleashing the plane's origin in a desperate, all-or-nothing final battle against the wizards.
(End of the Chapter)
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