Advent of the Archmage

In order to not seem strange, Link ordered some food from the server.

This place was quite far from Scorched City, and he’d cast an Invisibility spell on his Assassin’s Robe. He wasn’t that attractive either, so no one recognized him.

While waiting for his food, Link snapped his fingers and activated a small-scale Soundproof Barrier.

Vance started introducing the young man’s ring. "It’s a bit far, and I can’t tell if it’s a replica or the real thing. Eight hundred years ago, this ring was called ’Gewell’s Hidden Seal.’ It was used for disguises. Not only could it completely cover one’s aura, but it could also replicate someone else’s Mana aura."

"Why did he make that ring?" Link asked curiously. "To be a thief?"

Vance nodded. "Yes."

Link arched an eyebrow. "Please explain." It was interesting for a Legendary Magician to become a thief.

"Apparently, Magician Gewell made a bet with his friend that he could sneak into the Dragon Valley and steal something from the Red Dragon Queen’s bedroom. Then he made this Hidden Seal and did it. More importantly, he actually succeeded. The dragons were obviously furious, thinking that Gewell had humiliated their queen. To resolve this, the High Elf Queen personally apologized."

A server brought some alcohol over. Vance quickly poured a cup for him and gulped it down. He sighed in satisfaction. "This is the taste of life."

Link’s interest was piqued. He continued to ask, "What exactly did Gewell steal?"

"I don’t know, but it was a big event. I was living in the underground palace by the sea and saw a 200-foot-long dragon fly towards the Isle of Dawn with my own eyes. Tsk, Gewell was even imprisoned by the High Elf Queen for ten years because of this. The queen sold his Hidden Seal too. I saw it on the black market once and made a note of it."

Link grew curious about the young man too. He wanted to know if the man’s ring was real or not. If it was fake, there would be no problem. But if it was real, he was definitely in Ferde for a reason.

He couldn’t alarm the man because he didn’t know how powerful someone with a Legendary ring could be.

Thinking for a bit, Link reached out and formed a circle with his thumb and forefinger. He guided his power out and the light between his fingers distorted. Link glanced at his fingers. The young man’s image appeared in it.

His movement was hidden, and no power waves appeared. Even Vance, sitting across from him, didn’t notice anything. This was a small achievement Link made after creating the spell Despair.

In the image, the young man was also waiting for the server to bring the food. He seemed to be telling a joke, making the girl giggle. After a while, Link didn’t find anything interesting and canceled the spell for now.

The server brought over the food just then. It was a tasty cuttlefish broth. Vance took in the smell and sighed deeply. "It’s been so many years. I must eat well today." He spooned the milky broth and sipped before sighing again. "My tongue is going to melt. This is the greatest enjoyment of life."

Hearing this, Link smiled. He knew that Vance didn’t have any money, so he pushed over a bulging pouch. "Here. The money inside is enough for you to live well for a few days. If you’re interested, you can come to my Mage Tower after that."

"Heh, you know me well." Vance drank another mouthful and accepted the gold coins. "I’ll help you."

With that, he stood up.

"What are you doing?" Link didn’t understand.

Vance smirked. Without explaining, he walked towards that young man. When he got there, he smiled at the girl across from the handsome young man and asked, "Miss, may I enjoy dinner with you?"

"Hey, what are you doing?" The young man arched an eyebrow.

Vance ignored him and continued looking intently at the girl. His clothes were prepared by Link. Though subtle, the material was expensive black velvet and clearly worn by the upper class. His temperament was mature and reliable. It was extremely effective with the ladies.

As expected, not only was the girl not upset, she even looked interested. "But I don’t know you," she said.

Vance smiled. He suddenly extended the hand that had been behind his back. There was a pure gold rose in his hand now. "My name is Vance. What is your name, miss?"

He was a master at enchantments, around the same level as Link. The rose he created was realistic and beautiful. It instantly mesmerized the girl.

"Oh, my name is Anna." The girl kept staring at the rose. Not only was it beautiful, but it was also pure gold.

"Then, Anna, now we know each other. May I have the honor of inviting you to dinner with me?"

"Umm..." She looked to the young man with some hesitation. But the hesitation only lasted three seconds before she smiled and said, "Okay."

The young man couldn’t believe this. "Hey, Anna, how can you do this?"

Anna sighed sadly. "Borote, we only met by coincidence. Now, I’m more interested in this gentleman."

No man could stand having his girl get taken away. With a whoosh, the man named Borote shot up and glared at Vance. "Hey, old man, you’re pushing it."

Vance shook his head. "No, no, this is Anna’s own choice. I respect her choice. If she isn’t willing, I won’t force her." As he spoke, he handed the rose to Anna and smiled. "This is for you, beauty."

The girl smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

Vance reached out, and she naturally hooked her arm around his. They ignored the young man and turned to leave.

When they went past Link, Vance secretly made a hand gesture. There were two meanings.

First, The man’s ring is real. Be careful. The second was, This girl is pretty good. I have a companion tonight, so you don’t have to worry about me.

Link nodded, and Vance walked past with a cheery smile. "I have a mansion in Scorched Ridge," he said gently. "It’s missing a woman in charge."

This shameless guy turned out to be an expert at flirting... Link pretended he didn’t hear anything and continued observing the young man.

Livid, the man exhaled deeply and forced it down. He sat down and drank some wine. Then he walked out.

Link didn’t move. His spells could now reach 1000 feet. Even if the man walked out of the restaurant, he could still distort light and follow him.

He watched as the man walked to the street and looked left and right. After a while, he seemed to get interested in another girl and walked over to chat. A while later, he held hands with the girl and returned to the restaurant.

"Lily, you’re as beautiful as the stars in the sky," he complimented the girl. "When I first saw you, my entire world brightened..."

This girl was even more innocent than Anna and blushed profusely at the praises. She seemed to have never entered a high-class restaurant before. After entering, she looked around in cautious wonder.

After sitting down, the man started telling the same joke he’d told Anna. The girl named Lily kept giggling.

Link realized that the man was planning something and the girl was going to be his cover. However, he was someone who could get a Legendary Magician’s ring. Why would he disguise himself and come to Ferde?

Link was curious. He enjoyed his meal while observing. After around half an hour, the man was already getting affectionate with Lily and started feeding each other... Alright, they started kissing. This guy was a love expert too!

A while later, he left with the girl.

This time, Link followed too, but he didn’t follow too closely. Using the distorted light spell, he stayed a block away.

The young man brought the girl shopping. After walking for a bit, he walked into a tailor shop to buy the girl some clothes. Then, they went to the jeweler and bought suitable accessories. He was spending as if he was made of money.

When they left the jeweler, Link could tell the girl had completely fallen for the man. She looked at him with eyes full of wonder and called him "my dear Wally."

Yes, the young man had called himself Borote earlier. Now, he was Wally. Clearly, Wally was an alias too.

After that, the girl brought Wally into her own home. Link followed, obviously. The girl’s parents were local farmers and lived average lives. "Wally" took out 50 gold coins and they were instantly won over, allowing their daughter to be with him.

Without wasting time, Wally got in a carriage and drove towards Scorched City. He claimed that he had a mansion in Scorched Ridge.

He was quite a fast learner.

Link just wanted to know why this man went through all this trouble just to get a girl into a carriage with him.

After following him all this time, he had figured out the man’s skills. He was quite powerful. Judging from his steps, he was probably a Level-6 thief. Someone like him couldn’t threaten Scorched Ridge.

In that case, Link decided not to uncover him. He followed behind to see what the man could do.