End of the Magic Era

How could Lin Yun not know that this was one of the most dangerous areas of Noscent? Even Heaven Mages couldn’t escape unscathed. So why were High Mages like Ross Merlin and Stan Watson thinking of going there?

‘Are they tired of living? Or is there another reason?’

Lin Yun couldn’t help becoming a bit interested as he thought of that, because he recalled that in that future disaster, the famous Flame Ruler managed to come out unscathed. ‘Is this related to that?’

As Lin Yun thought about these issues, the carriage they were riding reached the bustling Dragon Street.

This was the core of Okland, the most populated and crowded area. The Black Horn chamber of commerce, the Mercenary Guild, and many other forces converged there. This street was so huge that it could hold a few dozen carriages side by side. The street was filled with people and carriages, and in the middle stood a building that was ten floors tall. The Black Horn chamber of commerce was situated there, and right now, several dozen carriages were parked outside of it. Most of the carriages were emblazoned with crests, only a few of which Lin Yun actually recognized, but William gave out some introductions that made even Lin Yun gasp. A few of these forces were extremely famous.

“It looks like it’s too late…” William noticed the gates of the auction house being closed, with a dozen guards standing in front blocking the way. Okland’s Black Horn Auction was like this; before the auction started, anyone could enter, provided they had a crystal card from the Black Horn chamber of commerce. But once the auction started, guests wouldn’t be allowed in unless they had a high-status VIP card.

But only the upper echelons of Okland held such VIP cards. Let alone William, even the outstanding Ross or Aube, or going further, even the genius Stan Watson didn’t hold such a VIP card.

Someone like Lin Yun, who came from Thousand Sails City, would definitely not have such a card.

“Forget it, let me talk to the guards and see if they can be flexible for us…” William thought for a while, but couldn’t come up with any other solution, so he immediately strode off.

“You-” Lin Yun was about to tell William that he had a ring from Cadgar that should let them move through the Black Horn chamber of commerce unimpeded…

But William was too fast. Before Lin Yun could say anything, William had already approached them, so Lin Yun could only sigh.

After all, William wasn’t one of the more famous members of the Merlin Family, and he had left for Thousand Sails City for six months. He was bound to have been forgotten by many.

Such as the auction’s guards…

Lin Yun saw William wasting his time over there, smiling and talking for a while, only to be met with a poker face. Needless to say, he had been rejected.

Sure enough, not long after, William came back while cursing.

“Shit, these bastards are blind. He said that he could recognize all the Merlins, yet he doesn’t recognize me. Am I blurry today?”

“…” Lin Yun felt amused by this. William’s temper was very interesting… He could become so pissed because of a mere guard, no wonder he spent his days fighting with Faleau.

“Cousin, you should wait here. I’ll go fetch my father and use his VIP card. It’s unbelievable, I left Okland for half a year and I can’t even enter an auction…”

Rage filled William’s face. He said these words while climbing on the carriage, apparently planning to quickly fetch the VIP card.

“It’s fine, there is no need to go that far.” Lin Yun smiled as he beckoned. He was about to call out to the leader of the guards…

But he was interrupted by boisterous laughter coming from behind.

“Hahahaha, William Merlin, this is quite interesting. The auction has already started, yet you still stand outside. Do you like the scenery of Dragon Street?” A tall young man in his late twenties drew near. He wore flashy silver knight armor and carried a longsword sheath decorated with jewelry at his waist. He looked to be the kind of guy that would deceive ignorant girls. As he spoke, only sharp words came out of his mouth. “Well, well, William, what do you plan to do from the street… Could it be? You were stopped at the door? Hahaha, I haven’t seen you for years, but it looks like you still don’t have enough connections to get a VIP card of the Black Horn chamber of commerce. You are truly a stain to your Merlin Family’s reputation, hahaha…”

That person laughed at William while handing a crystal card to a guard.

Just as the guard took the crystal card, a respectful expression appeared on his face. He bowed to greet that young man before welcoming him in. When the angry William saw this, he almost burst out in anger. If not for Lin Yun pulling him back, William would have truly pounced on that man.

“Okay, calm down.” Lin Yun appeased William before taking the ring Cadgar had given him from his pocket and handing it to the leader of the guards. “Can we go in with this?”

“Ah?” The guard leader took the ring and was surprised at first, before his face suddenly became filled with shock. He looked closely at Lin Yun for a long time before using a respectful tone to say, “Sir, can you wait a moment? I… I need to ask my superior…”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“Thank you Sir, I’ll return immediately.” After saying that, the guard leader rushed inside under the suspicious gazes of his subordinates.

After walking a hundred meters, the guard paled. His heart was beating crazily fast because the ring in his hand was too important… It was too important for a mere guard leader like him. In fact, let alone a guard leader in charge of security, even those big shots of the Black Horn chamber of commerce wouldn’t have the qualifications to touch this ring.

He only knew a bit about because he had coincidentally heard some people talking about it before.

Now, he had to quickly report this matter to his higher-ups. Whether that ring was genuine or not, this matter had to be handled by the higher-ups of the Black Horn chamber of commerce.

Two minutes later, the guard leader reached the auction hall and whispered a few words in the ears of a young man. The young man listened calmly at first, before his eyes widened and he instantly got up. “Shit, take me to him, quick!”

After saying this, he didn’t wait for the guard’s reaction and apologized to his guests before hurriedly leaving the auction hall.

“Just now, Salen of the Charlotte Family seemed to have been quite disagreeable to them…” As they walked over together, the guard leader recounted the brief interlude to the young man.

“That idiot, Salen…” The young man’s eyes widened when he heard that. After cursing under his breath, he shook his head. “Forget it, we don’t have much relations with that idiot. It should be fine as long as we take care of our own matters.”

“Understood.”

As the two rushed outside, the young man put on a warm smiled and walked straight towards Lin Yun. “Greetings, High Mage Merlin. Welcome to our Black Horn chamber of commerce. I am one of the people in charge of today’s auction. You can call me Ritch. Nice to meet you, High Mage Merlin.”

“Hello, Ritch.” Lin Yun reached out his hand. “Well, I was thinking of participating in today’s Black Horn Auction, would this make things difficult for all of you?”

“Naturally not, High Mage Merlin, you are a most welcome VIP. If there is anything you require, the Black Horn chamber of commerce will do its best to satisfy your needs. If you wish to participate, I’ll immediately send someone to arrange the best private room…”

“There is no need to trouble yourself, I only want to take a look.” Lin Yun shook his head. He had received the highest treatment in Thousand Sails City, and while it made some things easier, it also gave him some headaches.

Each time Cadgar arranged a private room, he would continue with the sentence: “I wonder if Master Alchemist Merlin wants to entrust something to the Black Horn Auction?”

Thus, Lin Yun had no choice but to bring out some good stuff to repay that favor, once, twice, thrice… In the end, Cadgar got many good things from Lin Yun.

Lin Yun had come to watch today. He hadn’t decided whether he would buy something or not, so he promptly refused when that young man offered him the private room.

“Then I shall lead High Mage Merlin in…” The young man knew how to conduct himself, so he didn’t insist after hearing Lin Yun’s refusal. He was even more enthusiastic to lead Lin Yun inside.

The seat the young man arranged for Lin Yun was in the fifth row, next to five merchants. From William’s introductions, they were rich merchants in Okland, but although they were wealthy, they didn’t have high status. Those with high status were sitting in the private rooms on the upper floor.

After making arrangements for the two, the young man tactfully took his leave.

Firstly because he was worried that this important person wasn’t willing to be disturbed, and secondly because he had to report today’s matter to his superiors.

As a result, the young man barely got out of the auction hall when he bumped into the rushed Ross.

“Ross! You just arrived?” The young man had always had a very good relationship with Ross.

“Ritch?” Ross was stunned when he saw that young man at the entrance of the auction hall. He couldn’t help feeling suspicious, as that young man’s identity was quite special. Ritch Holland’s parents were both senior alchemists of the Black Horn chamber of commerce, and he had even studied under the famous Archmage of the Black Horn, Hulad. Although he was in his early twenties, he was still a 5th Rank High Mage. He was considered Hulad’s successor.

The Merlin Family had many chances to cooperate with the Black Horn chamber of commerce. It was in one such cooperative venture that the two young geniuses got to know each other and formed a certain friendship. How could Ross not know of Ritch’s identity? ‘He would usually be inside presiding over the auction, so why is he at the door like a doorman?’

Seeing Ross’s strange expression, Ritch immediately said, “Oh, I was just welcoming a VIP, I’m about to go over now. What? Suddenly want to participate in the auction?”

“You personally welcomed a VIP?” Hearing this, amazement appeared on Ross’ face.

Ritch might even enter the core circle of the Black Horn chamber of commerce due to his status as the disciple of the famous Archmage Hulad… The honored guests that he would welcome wouldn’t be ordinary…

“Yes, he is a very special VIP. I’ve been paying attention to this matter for almost a year…” Ritch didn’t hide the truth, because although this was a secret, it was loosely guarded.

“No way…” Ross held his breath. The Black Horn chamber of commerce no ordinary power. It was considered a peak force in the entirety of Noscent.

The Cloud Tower, the Black Tower, and Okland Magic School were the three major forces of Okland only because their power was centralized here. In contrast, the Black Horn chamber of commerce was a truly frightening existence. Their power infiltrated every corner of Noscent, making their influence far greater than anyone could imagine.

Moreover, the Merlin Family and the Watson Family both believed that the Black Horn chamber of commerce was hiding its true strength and was far from being as simple as most people imagined.

“Nothing I can do about it, today’s VIP is truly extraordinary. He is Master Alchemist that hasn’t even turned 22…”

“A Master!” Ross’ eyes widened. A Master Alchemist at 22 years… If nothing unexpected happened, he was bound to become an Artisan. In other words, Ritch had just welcomed a future Artisan!

“Indeed, Master Alchemist…” Ritch smiled, but it was a bitter smile. He was reviewing the information he had on this young High Mage. High Mage Merlin had been shrouded in a mysterious radiance. After all, they were more or less the same age. Ritch was only a few years older than him, yet the gap was unbreachable. It would be wrong to say that there was no envy or admiration in Ritch’s heart.

But Ritch’s strong point in the Black Horn chamber of commerce was that he could accept many unbelievable truths if the evidence pointed to it. He was already used to dealing with these seemingly impossible matters, so after bitterly smiling, he quickly recovered. “Moreover, it was said that this young Master Alchemist was only a Magic Apprentice a year ago who rose up overnight for some unknown reason and crushed all his opponents in a domineering way. I even heard that a month ago, that young Master Alchemist defeated an Archmage…”

“An Arc… Archmage!” Ross froze. A young Master Alchemist that also defeated an Archmage… How could this sound real? It felt like the main character of a fantasy novel, how could there be such an abnormal person?

In the past, Ross always felt that Stan Watson was already an abnormal one. He crushed all the young geniuses in Okland and became an 8th Rank High Mage before the age of thirty, making everyone despair. At that time, Ross even felt that he would never see someone as abnormal as Stan Watson again in his life.

But he hadn’t expected that Ritch would talk about someone even more bizarre that was in his early twenties…

“Oh right, I forgot to say, that man defeated an Archmage when he was still a 9th Rank Great Mage, and has already advanced to the High Mage realm now…”

“…” Ross was frozen on the spot. He didn’t know how he should react. A 9th Rank Great Mage defeating an Archmage truly sounded like a fantasy. For a while, Ross only stared at Ritch with a blank gaze, unable to hear or respond to anything.

“Ross, Ross…”

“Ah?” After Ritch called out to him, Ross woke up from his dream. He realized that he’d forgotten himself and awkwardly laughed. “Sorry, my mind wandered. Right, what did you say?”

“I said, how come you came to participate in the auction today? Didn’t you always say that auctions were places where only foolish upstarts would squander money?”

“I…” Ross hesitated for a bit before pressing on. “I’m looking for someone, I want to discuss a transaction with him…”

“Oh?”

“It’s simple, I have a distant younger cousin who is holding something that is very important to me, but is useless to him. I spoke to him at the Merlin Family Manor and offered to exchange him magic knowledge and alchemy techniques for it. I even offered to act for him three times. But for some reason, he refused such generous conditions…”

“Haha…” Ritch chuckled when he heard this, “This younger cousin of yours is quite interesting. Didn’t you tell him who you were? Who in Okland doesn’t know of all the planar expeditions you have been on in the past few years? I don’t know how many people are envious and greedy. I’m very interested, I want to see what kind of expression your younger cousin will show later after learning what kind of opportunity he passed on.”

“Hey, don’t say that…” Ross was vexed enough to begin with. “This thing is very important to me, I absolutely must get it even if I have to spend a huge sum on it.”

“Okay, okay, tell me your younger cousin’s name and I’ll help you search through the guest information. Once I put you in the same room, you can slowly discuss this…”

“Thanks Ritch, I’ll definitely remember this favor.” A grateful expression appeared on Ross’ face. He clearly understood what this meant. Ritch was one of the people in charge of this auction, and helping him was overstepping his boundaries. This might even hinder his path in the Black Horn chamber of commerce in the future.

“It’s okay, you can thank others, but we don’t need these kinds of things between us. If it hadn’t been for your help, I would have been in big trouble in the Raging Flame Plane. Alright, tell me your cousin’s name …”

“Mafa Merlin.”

“Oh, Mafa Merlin…” Ritch nodded while noting it down. He was in the middle of writing that name when he noticed that this name seemed awfully familiar. “Mafa Merlin, Mafa Merlin…”

“What is it?” Ross was puzzled.

“Ma… Mafa Merlin…” Ritch was stunned as he looked at Ross, seeming a bit frightened. “Mafa Merlin… He wouldn’t be from Thousand Sails City, right?”

“That’s right, he came from Thousand Sails City and is the owner of Thousand Sails City’s Gilded Rose… Why?”

“The distant cousin who is holding something very important to you and that you want to trade magic knowledge and alchemy techniques to… That’s Mafa Merlin?” Ritch gulped as he said with difficulty.

“Yes… It’s him…”

“…” Ritch’s legs slightly shook. He watched Ross for a long time before putting down his quill and paper. “Hmm, Ross, does your cousin look young, perhaps in his early twenties? Is he wearing a black robe?”

“That should be him.”

“… Have you ever sent for a background check?”

“Background check?” Ross was stunned by the odd question. “I did. I heard that his grandfather was Patriarch Ofran’s older brother, Judd Merlin. For some reason, he had suddenly given up on everything and gone to Thousand Sails City. Later, his son was born there, Locke Merlin. I heard that this Locke Merlin was very amazing and established the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce in a dozen years, monopolizing Thousand Sails City’s alchemy market. He was considered quite wealthy. As for that Mafa Merlin, I’m not too sure. I only heard that his life wasn’t in a very good state after Locke Merlin’s death. Once the family learnt about it, they sent William over to help him rebuild the Gilded Rose. I also heard that the Gilded Rose’s financial resources are quite terrifying, it is already the largest alchemy store in Thousand Sails City…”

“You… That’s the background check you made?!” Ritch was both angered and amused by this answer. ‘Why are you asking about Judd Merlin and Locke Merlin? You should be checking Mafa Merlin…’