A new day has dawned in the city of Bribando, and like the countless moons and SUNS that

have passed through here, each day is a new beginning.

It's not a good day for Johnny. If he had the choice, he wished it would never come.

But such a wish is impossible for even the most powerful of gods. Space, time and magic are

the basic elements of this world, and no divine power can change their nature.

Johnny pulled his cloak tight over his trembling body. The cold morning wind swept through

the silent cave of the Grey Dwarves, bringing the peculiar chill of the underworld to all corners.

He was not very old, but his body was not as strong as it had been through long battles, and

the cold wind was beginning to make him uncomfortable.

But what makes Johnny uncomfortable is today's inquiry from the governing Council.

Although it sounds like the word "inquiry" only means to ask questions or to consult, the Grey

Dwarf knows it well: He had been in this position for a long time, and many new blood had

to be brought in, while the oldest blood was so deeply rooted that the only thing that needed

to be changed was his own element.

"Ah-choo! Johnny rubbed his nose. He wasn't complaining about the system, after all, it had

been tried and tested for thousands of years -- each time cleaning out the weak gray Dwarf

elements from the core, leaving only the most stable and the most dynamic.

It was not as if he hadn't been involved in such things himself before. What could he do to

become a member of the Council of Consuls?

Walking slowly towards the council hall, Johnny could not help complaining about his bad

luck. If the interview could be put off for half a month, he would be able to get through it. But

the production of the north mine has caused him an immeasurable loss as the biggest boss

behind the scenes. Johnny's money bag has already become empty and nothing can be taken

out.

Just the lack of money is nothing, his life will not be affected by what, as usual can eat and

drink. However, his original intention to use part of the red income from the mine to exchange

for the support of a senator and secure his position was ruined by a mysterious death.

The arrival of the Mages gives Johnny hope that if these powerful guys solve the problems in

the mine, then the money, marriage, and status will be back in their hands again, and

everything will be back on track.

But his enemies don't give him the time. On the second day after the Master left the city, his

rivals began to attack him.

The reason: "Unauthorized use of valuable public historical resources of the city of Bribando."

By historical resources, I mean the scribes and scrolls that the Dwarves promised to pay the

mage as part of their payment.

Without his greatest source of income, he had nothing of value on hand, and this was the

only way to convince the mage.

"Humph! Johnny kicked a rock at his feet into the gutter by the side of the road. "What, don't

you have any profits in the north pit? You would have made so much money if I hadn't offered

you the ore at such a low price?" It was too late for the underground mercenaries he had

hired to investigate the mines. All Johnny could hope for was that the Wizard would return

soon.

But it was no use complaining now. He took out a shining stone and looked at it. There was

not much time left before the governing meeting began. He had to speed up.

Vincent, Hardy, and Mark are also hurrying through the Dark Cave. They are now desperate

to know the whereabouts of the captured angel. From the marks and style of fighting at the

scene, it must be the work of an elite Dark Elf squad. The fighting there does not appear to

be very intense, and there is little blood and bodies, typical of ambushes and raids. But the

two things that are left behind at the scene are very suspicious, and the style of the dark elves

is always careful and thoughtful. How could something as big as the abduction of an angel

leave such an obvious flaw? If the parents of the little angel had seen this, they would have

been very angry, and would have inquired about the whereabouts of their child and killed the

owners of the two objects. A dark elf would never get into trouble, but a murder by sword

would be quite possible.

Vincent, of course, would not let that anger go to his head, and he was only a little anxious.

What purpose did the dark elves have in capturing the little angel without killing it at once?

It was impossible, of course, to bring her up well, or even to think of her as a slave -- they

were not the kind of people who would ignore the purgation of heaven. It would have been

in their best interest to make the angel a ritual offering to please their evil gods.

The only thing the wizards could rest assured of was that the dark elves, given such a precious

offering, would not simply bleed her to death. A successful ritual requires a lot of preparation,

so Vincent had some time.

But this time will not be wasted on the road. The three quickly navigate a complex network

of underground caves. Guided by a local guide, Soul Valentine, they encounter no obstacles

and are not afraid to get lost. For in thousands of years of wandering life, Valentine had

mastered a mining area, knowing every shortcut and secret passageway as well as his own

bedroom.

In less than half a day, they were back on the main trade route to the city of Bribando. At this

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point, Vincent's map came into play. Valentine only said hello and then returned to rest in the

master's golden arm.

Hardy followed the wizard merrily humming. He was in a very good mood. For one thing, he

had a double-headed sword that cut iron, though he had not quite mastered how to use it,

and now he had a weapon with which to defeat his enemies. For another, some of the

treasures of the room had been put in a huge parcel behind him, and he was back in the City

of the Grey Dwarves a very rich man.

So a happy Hardy even put the slow-walking Mark on his back, and trotted after the often

hurried mage without saying a word, except for a little laugh.

Mark later said that the warrior's laughter had always sounded like a little bit of a triumph.

This feeling was especially evident when he used his double-headed sword to easily chop up

a few dim-eyed bear-goblin robbers on the road.

Having experienced this strange fantasy, Vincent also began to develop a greater interest in

the ancient mysteries of Ofa. He had only studied them in order to regain his ability to cast

spells, but now he became more and more attracted to the power of magic at its source. As

he used more and more spells, the master learned more and more about the nature of

magical power -- pure, powerful, but manic. As one of the three primary powers, magical

primary powers represent unpredictability.

He is now beginning to recover his magic abilities, and more and more spells are slowly being

interpreted by him. The number of spells he can cast has improved both in terms of total

amount and complexity.

But what pleased him most was that his understanding of the Law of Creation had improved

further. It turned out that the magic effects Vincent could only achieve with great power had

become less complicated and difficult since he had learned the trick. If the dwarf Grini were

here, he would be surprised to find that the magical powers he has dreamed of all his life

have appeared in Vincent, mastered by the young wizard.

From time to time there was a dull rumble behind him, and the cave trembled slightly, shaking

dust from the cracks in the rocks. There was only one possibility that so much noise could

have been made in the Underdark -- that two angels had found the Snake Man's cave and

were now killing there. Vincent was not at all worried about the question of victory and defeat.

There were only a few things on this earth that could fight with the two higher angels. But in

the Serpent Man, there is absolutely nothing that can stop the power of the two high order

warriors. The only thing that remains to be seen is whether the serpents will be blessed with

even one chance to fight back before they are destroyed.

The gates of the city of Bribando are in their sights.

At the Council of Consuls, Johnny looked coldly at the chaos that had become the result of

the quarrel, and changed his position so that he could sit more comfortably in the damned

wooden chair, which had been made to look awkward in order to make the person being

questioned more "uncomfortable" and give out the information that the council clerks wanted.

It was always a terrible thing to sit on.

The men sitting opposite him now were not arguing about what to do with Johnny -- the

decision had been made the moment the Grey Dwarf had received the call for the interview

-- the men above were arguing only about how to get Johnny's "illegal" property back into

the hands of the "inhabitants of Hanmesidon."

In fact, there were times when Johnny preferred the Dark Elf's decisive and vicious way of

doing things.

The whole chamber was like a pot of boiling water, which stirred to the surface all the intrigue,

ambition, viciousness and cunning that normally lay under the water.

A kobold hurried in from outside the hall, ignoring the rule that only gray dwarves were

allowed in and out, and not even the guards standing in the corridor tried to stop him. He

stepped three and then two up to the President of the Council, and whispered a few words

in his ear.

The Speaker's brow furrowed, and it was clear that the kobold had brought him some

disturbing news. Johnny looked into the Speaker's face, and the Speaker looked into Johnny's

eyes.

"Ahem! Let me say something. ' The Speaker cleared his throat, and the cacophony of the

chamber was quickly silenced. "The mage, he's back. Now that one of the parties is here, it

seems rather inappropriate to discuss Johnny's conduct. We should go and see the magical

wizard first."

In an instant all the grey dwarves present turned pale. They considered every possibility, but

the only thing that seemed impossible was that the Wizard would come back alive. An entire

squadron of fighters they had sent -- complete with priests, wanderers, and plenty of elite

warriors -- had not made it back alive. In this light, the power of this mage is truly terrifying.

And Johnny, sitting in the "torture chair", suddenly appears to have extraordinary potential.

After all, the wizard has the best relationship with him.

All the archons, looking embarrassed, avoided Johnny's glance and followed the Grand

Chancellor quickly out of the hall.

When the consuls had all left, Johnny got up from the chair that had battered his butt and

waist. He patted a little dust off his pants. He looked slowly at the hall, smiled, and kicked the

chair over, and followed.