After saying that, the Old Master of Vizren fell silent. He sat still in his chair and melted into

the darkness. It was as if he had disappeared into the room, and you could not even feel a

ripple of air where he was.

Vincent looked at the old Wizard. Although darkness could not block his vision, Vincent could

never see into a person's heart. It is true that the young mage can predict a person's mood

swings by watching his heart beat through his perspective. But the heart of the dark elf in

front of him was beating steadily and vigorously.

Perhaps he was merely paraphrasing a fact when he said it. No matter what will eventually

become, it will have no effect on him, and this feeling of detachment will naturally not cause

any emotional change.

"Thank you for telling me that. As with all prophecies, it is always vague, but thank you all the

same." Vincent bowed slightly. 'We have some work to do here in Prudence. So we are leaving

this arena, and now you take your leave. '

'Young men are always in a hurry, but this is how they are alive.' Vizlen stood up, and with a

slight wave of his left hand, the box door opened itself. "By the way, Vincent, I want to tell you

one last thing. I don't want you to go to the Crystal Tower, it would be bad for you..."

Vincent looked at the Drow mage, and though he was very surprised in his own heart and

wondered how he had come to know the purpose of his visit, he tried not to show any

emotion in his face and kept his eyes fixed on the door of the room -- he did not look into

Vizren's eyes now for fear that they would reveal the information in his own head.

"Well, people who choose to hide their answers in silence do as you do, Master Vincent," he

said. Vizlen continued. "Did a surface mage go through all this trouble to become a slave to

the dark elves? Or better yet, to be a plaything in the bed of some mistress? It is easy to guess

the purpose of your visit by simply thinking of the famous architecture of the city of Prudence,

and of the stories of dark elves which may even be told on the surface."

"Therefore, when you are clever enough to think that others do not know, you are showing

your own folly. Of course, the Crystal Tower is not mine, and I have nothing of value in it --

and if it were, it would mean nothing to me as a dying man. I won't stop you from entering

the tower, but I won't stop my students from stopping you either. Take my words and let

them blow like a breeze, and let them disappear forever."

With these words, Vizlen literally disappeared into thin air, like the breeze.

Mark quickly followed Vincent as he left the room, while Hardy walked frowning as he tried

to make sense of the events of the last few days and consider his actions.

Outside the gates of the arena, it was night in the Underdark. In the caverns outside, it was

possible to tell when it was night and when it was "day" by the number and frequency of the

creatures. But at the city of Prudence, if it were not possible to produce the sense of

alternating day and night, it would be almost impossible to discern subtle variations.

The only way anyone can tell the time is by the great shining stone in the Black Crystal Tower.

As we have seen before, the art of this secret collection of objects, kept by the Gnomes,

produces this crystal, which changes colour with the passing of time, to remind its holder of

the time. In the Tower of the Black Crystal there is a stone of this kind. The difference is that

this one is so huge that you can see it from almost every corner of your city.

It is also the brightest spot in Dark Elf City. His light was almost as strong as any Drow could

stand.

Back at the Tavern, Vincent went straight upstairs to his room alone, while Hardy dragged

Mark into a chair at the bar on the first floor to talk to the stone-legged owner. According to

him, being on good terms with the innkeeper could lead to a discount on drinks -- I don't

know where he got the theory from. Mark is waiting for them to negotiate a "discount" so he

can buy some lizard food.

The room where the three of them live is not entirely silent. A Dark elf woman is rolling over

in excitement on the big bed.

When Vincent opened the door, she sprang to her feet and walked quickly to the wizard.

"Shelley? What are you doing here again? Just parted at the city gate earlier today? Besides,

how did you get in?"

'Vincent, have you become stupid? This is the City of the Dark Elves, so of course I go wherever

I want. ' Shelley yawned and assumed a lazy posture that showed off her curves. But when

she saw Vincent's unresponsive face, still very serious, she felt a little lost.Master, don't be so cold all the time. I haven't done anything wrong to you. Why do I always

turn people away?"

"Because you are a dark elf."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"If I were a real dark elf, I'd have stabbed your heart right through and I wouldn't be sitting

here talking to you. Don't you think it's a little strange that you don't look at the color of my

skin?"

Vincent looked at Shelley. Her skin was indeed uniquely white, with a slight tinge of blue.

Vincent had never believed her claim that she was a dark elf, but judging from the awe she

was held in the city, the chances of her not being a Drow were very low.

But Vincent, who was not a halfling, was not that curious. "Is it important to me to know this,

Miss Shelley?"

"Do you..." Shelley pointed to Vincent's nose. "Well, I don't want to. I just came to ask you

again, have you decided to join our first family? You know... '

'I can be an adviser to your first family, but I will not follow your orders like a slave to your

family.'

'Why don't you join us? We have the whole Prudence... ' Shelley, in the middle of her sentence,

suddenly freezes. "You say you're in? That's great. I've got plenty of reasons to convince you."

"Then, Miss Drow, I have a question. Why do you come to me twice in one day and put this

question to me?"

"Oh, well." Shelley sat down on the table, her little feet swinging gently, "because if I can

convince a mage to join the family, it's good for me. Vincent, you must promise me that you

will work under my command. Because if you end up in the hands of my mistres s or sister, it

could be very miserable. Especially my sister Zeena, you must be careful."

'Since I am not one of your dark Elves, there must be a lot of trouble in your family. But... '

Vincent shook his staff, "I am not without the ability to protect myself."

"I know, I know." Shelley waved her hand with a slightly impatient look on her face. "Is this the

thing that beat me? Really, regardless of my mood."

"Shelley, your moods change all the time. Who knew?" Vincent moved over to a chair and sat

down opposite the girl. "It's too much thinking and not much use to ponder your thoughts.

I'm lazy sometimes."

"It doesn't matter..." Shelley jumped down from her desk and walked slowly toward the door.

"Now, keep your official appointment as First family advisor to yourself. I want to see what

the other families are up to. Besides, my mother will want to see you in five days. You must

come."

Then she opened the door and began to leave.

"Wait, Shelley, don't leave yet. I have one more thing to do."

The Drow turned with an excited expression on his face. "What is it, mage? Don't want me to

leave? But your bed here is not very comfortable... '

Vincent rolled his eyes. He didn't expect the fellow to think of it in that way. Dark elves are

wild and live up to their reputation. He took out the black square badge and threw it at Shelley.

"Isn't that your family signature?"

"Oh, that's the thing..." Vincent is confused by Shelley's lack of disappointment on her face.

"Isn't this the family emblem I gave you? Why did you give it back to me... Doesn't everything

you just said count?"

"No, I have a better idea." Vincent felt it best not to tell them about the angel abduction until

he understood how it was connected to their family. His intuition told him that doing so would

help him in his future actions. "Anyway, I have joined your family as a consultant, so you can

always return the brand to me. But if you want to pit the other families against each other, it's

better to create a false impression. '

"Huh? What illusion?" Shelley looked puzzled.

"That's the illusion. Oh, and for the last word, see you in five days!"

Vincent raised his staff and a debilitating ray flew over Shelley, who was unprepared. Although

the Dark Elves have a good spell resistance, they are not sufficiently protected against this

long-ago spell energy when they are not prepared. Shelley lost her strength instantly, turning

a faint purple and fading into a state of weakness.

The mage unleashes a low-grade magic lightning bolt behind Shelley. This small spell has no

chance of doing any damage to her. But the little lightning bolt can be adjusted to its user's

will, and now it's hovering just behind the Dark fairy woman's rear.

"Wait, wait... What are you doing?" "You're not going to explode, are you?" said Shelley, under

the spell.

"You're very clever." Vincent went to the corner of the room, and facing the hotel window

was a ball of fire.

The night is so quiet in Prudence that the explosion of the fireball could be heard several

streets away. The Windows of the inn were blown to pieces, and the walls flew up in flames

toward the houses opposite. In the thick of the smoke, Shelley came out, livid and clutching

her hips.

"You fellow! I will avenge you! ' 'she cried, grimy, as she struggled to climb out of the dusty

rubble, rubbing the part of her body that had just been hit by the lightning bolt.

"It's a good idea, though..."