Chapter 52: The Silver-robed Woman

Boka was a small town, a place without special products and not very wealthy. Like all small towns on the continent, the lives of its residents revolved entirely around the little matters of their own fields and homes.

In fact, in everyone’s eyes, Boka could hardly be considered an independent town. This was not just because of its small population of just over a thousand, or its pitiful few hundred acres of poor farmland… but because it was only about forty miles away from Hayton City. Although it was nominally the territory of a Count, in reality, whether it was the travelers passing through or the townsfolk themselves, everyone saw it as an extension of Hayton.

The Month of Decaying Leaves was nearing its end. Having moved on early from the busyness of harvest, the town enjoyed a rare peace and tranquility. The sun had just dipped below the hills, and few people could be seen on the streets. Even though it was close to a big city, these simple folk who lived by the daylight still did not have the habits of those in the big city.

The only thing that showed the influence of the continent’s number one city here was the tavern at the far end of town.

Like most taverns on the continent, it was also the only inn in the town. Its biggest customers were still the small merchants traveling to and from Hayton City and some low-level Adventurers. They were also the only source of various news here. So, sometimes young farmers, in their free time, would come here to order a cup of poor-quality ale, using the rumors, jokes, and insults from these people to add a little fun to their monotonous lives.

“The biggest recent event in Hayton City is the vengeance of the Undead and Demons…” A tall fellow had a table to himself. A row of large mugs was already on the table. His face was now flushed red, and the alcohol on his breath made his words a bit slurred, but his voice was still very loud. His bloodshot eyes swept over the crowd around him, giving him quite an imposing air. “It’s said to be a Demon that escaped from the Abyss. It possessed the body of a Noble’s son. It summoned countless Undead to serve it, intending to establish its own kingdom in the mortal world…”

The tavern was now packed, and at least half the people were looking at him. His words immediately sparked discussion. “A Demon? Oh my! A Demon appears in Hayton? Does that mean a holy war is going to break out on the continent?”

“Idiots, do you never go to Hayton City? How could a Demon cause any trouble in such a big city? It’s protected by the King’s elite Knights! The spears in the hands of those honorable lords can pierce through wood as thick as a person with one strike! Even Demons, their bodies aren’t made of iron, right?”

“But I remember the elders saying that Demons can’t be killed… They have bodies that can stick back together however they want, and they use child sacrifices to become taller than mountains!”

“Two fools, what do you think the Paladins of the Three Gods and the Priests are for? Don’t say one Demon, even ten, a hundred, they’re just ashes under the radiance of the Deity! Not to mention, there are those Mage lords… They say they can talk to Demons, even enslave them. For them, Demons are just like little puppies!” The farmer’s way of thinking filled this figure, who seemed to be an Adventurer, with contempt, making him reveal his own cards ahead of time.

Laughter immediately spread through the entire tavern.

But suddenly, the laughter died down. The temperature in the tavern dropped several degrees! Everyone couldn’t help but shiver. Even the warmth from the alcohol seemed unable to resist this cold. So, inexplicably, everyone turned their gaze to the doorway.

There, a pale gray figure was slowly walking in. But when this figure stepped a little into the light of the wall lamps, everyone’s eyes suddenly burst with a flash of silvery white—that robe of pure white seemed to have a metallic sheen… Even the shiny silver coins on the owner’s counter weren’t as dazzling as this glow.

By the time everyone noticed, this person had already crossed the crowded hall and reached the bar counter… From the door to the bar, the distance was at least several dozen feet, but it seemed no one knew how she crossed it, especially with several tables and dozens of people crowded between.

“H-h-honored guest, w-w-what would you like? We have the best newly brewed ale, and genuine distilled grain liquor…” The tavern owner squeezed out a stuttered greeting from deep in his throat. Somehow, this phrase he had said millions of times now seemed like he had just learned it.

“Distilled liquor… the strongest kind. Also, tell me how far Hayton City is…” A voice came from under the silver hood. Then, several small golden-red disks slid from the robe onto the bar counter.

For a moment, the tavern fell silent. Even the sound of breathing seemed to have vanished.

This was not just because the things used for payment were gold coins rarely seen by the villagers, but also because of that voice.

Without a doubt, it was a woman’s voice. But was it clear, melodious, or gentle and beautiful? Whether they were small merchants or Adventurers, they found the words in their minds insufficient to describe this voice. And those farmers, who for generations had dealt with the land, could only stare dumbly now… Only a few who had seen a bit more of the world could barely notice the beauty of this being.

Although the loose robe and deep hood hid her figure and face, they couldn’t conceal her beauty… Some sharp-eyed fellows had already noticed the chin and lips revealed under the hood. Though it was only a few inches of skin, its fineness and fairness were enough to imagine how breathtakingly beautiful this face must be.

“H-Hayton City is v-very close, just about forty miles to the east, south… just leave the town, head toward the place with the lights and you’ll see it… This, that, only the sky is already so…” The already somewhat incoherent owner hurriedly brought out a small keg, not much bigger than a cup, from the very back of the shelf behind him. But before he could pour this ten-year-old distilled liquor into a cup, the other person took the keg from his hands.

So he could only stare dumbly as the liquor in the keg, like a water line, flew out seemingly from nowhere from the keg’s opening, slipping between the two lips under the silver hood.

Someone suddenly cried out, “It’s Magic! He’s a Mage!”

The tavern immediately erupted!

For ordinary people on the Western Continent, Mages were undoubtedly extremely mysterious figures. Even in Boka Town, so close to Hayton, in its hundreds of years of history, the number of people who had supposedly seen a Mage wouldn’t exceed ten.

So people in the tavern began pushing and shoving, trying to get to the front to see that mysterious spell, to see a real Mage. People were extremely excited. A Mage! What did a Mage mean? That was something you could boast about to your grandchildren later. Moreover, this Mage before them was a stunning beauty!

The tavern owner didn’t know what he was thinking anymore. His head, happy enough to faint, vaguely decided to change the tavern’s sign to ‘The Tavern where the Mage Stayed’. No, should it be ‘The Tavern Visited by the Beautiful Sorceress’?

“One more thing…” The noise of the crowd seemed to disgust this mysterious figure. She spoke softly and turned around.

The face under the hood was still hidden in darkness, but all the onlookers seemed to clearly feel a sense of helplessness and panic, like a frog stared at by a snake. A few guys closest to the bar instantly became like mummies, their faces pale, large beads of sweat constantly seeping from their faces, their bodies trembling slightly!

“Has anyone seen this person?” The silver-robed Sorceress extended a hand from under her robe. Her white, slender fingers moved slightly. A cup of water on the bar suddenly swirled, instantly turning into rising mist, which then gradually condensed in the air into a transparent image of a person.

It was a young face… Actually, rather than young, it could be called childish. Even in the boldest guess, the owner of this face wouldn’t be over fifteen. Ordinary features seemed extra pale, perhaps because of the watery color. His hairstyle was a bit messy, especially the slightly heavy color under his eyes, making him look lacking in the vitality a youth should have… instead, he had a strange, middle-aged air about him.

…

In the underground laboratory of the black-robed Mage Vernal on the first floor of the Mage Tower.

“This thing doesn’t seem suitable for battlefield use… It could only add a bit of power in the hunts of those Noble ladies…” The black-robed Mage Vernal gave a blunt judgment. He was holding a bow in his hand… or rather, something resembling a bow. Its shape had never appeared in this Plane before. The bow limbs showed a strange S-shaped curve. Three or four bowstrings passed over two small wheel-like structures, fixed to the bow limbs. Plus a strange protruding part made this bow look very… hmm, futuristic in style.

The bow limbs sparkled with metallic luster, seeming to possess extremely formidable power. But the Mage parted his arms and drew it without expending much force.

“Indeed very easy, mixed with—”

Although not a professional craftsman, as an Alchemist, he was well aware of the function of bows and crossbows in various countries. He had even heard of a few uncommon specialized bows made by Elves. But this thing called a Pulley Bow by its maker, he had never seen before.

“One should think carefully about all aspects before commenting, Master Vernal. You must know that for certain special archer units, stability and bow limb power are treasures.” Constantine casually brushed a viscous solution onto a small piece of metal, then carefully sprinkled fine diamond powder on it, responding absentmindedly. “I guarantee, even if His Majesty the King cannot understand the superiority of this bow, there will be clever Generals who see the secret in it. They would be very happy to pay you piles of gold coins for the manufacturing method of this bow.”

A few days of interaction were enough for the youth to figure out a bit of the temperament of the black-robed Archmage before him—though he looked fierce, had a moody personality, and liked to use violent means to achieve his goals, there was one thing about this black-robed Archmage that Constantine was quite sure of: his desire for knowledge, especially for new things, was a soft spot he could never overcome.

The common ailment of Alchemists… no, perhaps this was a common flaw of all qualified Mages… Mages were forever slaves to knowledge.

Mastering this point was enough to ensure Constantine could chat happily with this reportedly most eccentric Archmage.

The Pulley Bow wasn’t a particularly rare invention. In terms of theory, it was just a design based on a straight-draw bow, using reinforced bow limbs, then introducing eccentric pulleys to increase rebound force, store energy, reduce draw weight, and facilitate aiming and shooting. Its structure wasn’t that complicated. It was just that nobody here had thought of using this method. In fact, due to the development of Magic and the social system, certain technological advancements that should have appeared had been relatively delayed.

Of course, few people would think about how to utilize the advantages of this bow—the Pulley Bow might not be as easy to use as an ordinary longbow, but for beginners, the eccentric wheel of the Pulley Bow could reduce the force needed to draw the bow, making it easier to maintain balance and aim. Of course, more advanced Pulley Bows would use longer strings and more complex pulley sets, but such bows had higher costs and increased maintenance difficulty. But besides that, this thing was also suitable for another type of archer—

Powerful penetration and range, plus the steadily provided extra accuracy, made this weapon a suitable tool for special military units… For snipers specifically used to assassinate enemy officers and important targets, the Pulley Bow was almost tailor-made for them…

Constantine wasn’t worried that the proliferation of this weapon would cause any era-defining changes. Like the Roman large shield, although the Pulley Bow was a relatively advanced military piece of equipment for this era, in this Magic world, the role it could ultimately play was limited. And we know that once those big shots get the design of certain weapons, they would shelve it immediately, only producing a small amount to equip their personal guards. So, developing it on a large scale wasn’t something that could be done in a day or two.

“So, speak, you cunning little rascal, what do you want…”

Whether it was a smile or annoyance, the scar-covered face of Vernal twitched. The youth before him would definitely not give him anything for free. Even if it was an unseen leaf, he would set an appropriate price… This was the understanding Archmage Vernal had developed of Constantine over the past few days.

“Nothing much, just a half-finished product I need your help with…” The youth carefully installed the small wheel he was holding onto a connecting rod, then looked at his work with satisfaction… a small hand-cranked grinding wheel. Though crude in appearance, thanks to the effect of a magic creation called Supreme Glue, it seemed sturdier than mechanical creations from Earth. On the other side, a magic blowtorch that could reach temperatures to soften gold was also satisfactory… though it had a daily usage limit. But it was sufficient.

Although he had finished carving the Magic Array on that Gemstone, making a Magic Item wasn’t that simple. The exhausted youth finally found that with his own strength, he could no longer activate the array on the item. According to the Lich, if he Meditated a few more times, he would have enough power to activate this array. But after consideration, the youth decided to ask the Archmage for help.

“What a rarely seen, ugly array… though the carving is fairly good… seems like a few mind-based spells. You used up a Bequli Gemstone for this thing?” The Archmage took the carved Gemstone and let out a disdainful snort.

“Just help me finish it, and the bow-making technique is yours… or is this too difficult for you?” Constantine urged without changing his expression. The array carved on the Gemstone looked at first glance like a fusion of several mental spells, but in fact, the central part was an out-and-out Soul array. Only, Hartdiel had pounded his chest bone and guaranteed that this array had been lost for at least a few hundred years, and ordinary Mages couldn’t recognize it at a glance.

Still, it was very risky. No one knew the attitude of the black-robed one before him toward Necromancy. So although the youth was calmly tinkering with his machine on the surface, his heartbeat had sped up several times…

“Hmph!” The right kind of challenge was indeed always effective for hot-tempered people. The black-robed Mage snorted coldly. The surrounding Magic Power fluctuations immediately surged like a tide! Countless gray-white energies separated from the air, converging into the small green Gemstone! In an instant, the green light blazed brightly, then dimmed until it couldn’t be seen clearly…

Take it!

The black-robed Mage threw the now dark green Gemstone to the youth. Constantine couldn’t help but feel extremely joyful. But just as he shifted his gaze to that Gemstone, he suddenly felt dizzy!

The youth didn’t pay it much mind at first. But when he turned around, his body swayed involuntarily, and then… Constantine clutched his chest. In an instant, he felt something was wrong with his heartbeat… The earlier excitement seemed to have amplified. The heart rate not only didn’t slow down, but kept accelerating. The force of his blood pressure made him feel the world was spinning, his ears seemed to be pounding with the beat of a giant drum!

Hartdiel, what exactly is… The youth tried to ask his magic advisor for an explanation. But before his mental message finished, he felt darkness before his eyes… and fainted!