บท 84: 84 - Blood-Red Thorns
"This is it, Sir Lynn."
Laut led Lynn to a somewhat dilapidated mansion in the southern district.
The house had clearly been abandoned for a long time, with ivy creeping up its outer walls, and the courtyard overrun with weeds. A few dead trees stood alone, rustling in the wind.
Inside, however, it was bustling with activity. About a hundred people crowded into the small front hall. Lynn immediately recognized these individuals as the sailors who had accompanied Laut on their journey across the sea. However, after over two weeks apart, they looked even worse for wear than when they had endured the rough seas.
Many had dishevelled clothes, pallid complexions, and visible bandages, and a few severely injured sailors lay unconscious on stretchers.
"It's Sir Lynn."
As soon as they spotted Lynn, the sailors rushed towards him in excitement, but Laut quickly intervened.
"Calm down, all of you. I have some matters to discuss with Sir Lynn." Laut managed to redirect their enthusiasm and then turned to Lynn.
"Please follow me."
They entered a reception room. Despite its outward appearance of decay, the interior had been meticulously cleaned. The tables and chairs were spotless.
"Can you now tell me what you've learned?" Lynn asked as he took a seat.
"Earlier today, one of my sailors stumbled upon a peculiar wizard's apprentice near the residence of Doctor Radak," Laut began in detail. "I believe he is the one responsible for attacking the halfling named Ralph."
"The apprentice wore a black robe, appeared to be in his mid-thirties, and stood at approximately 1.7 meters tall. His gait was unsteady, suggesting a leg injury, and there were signs of acid corrosion on the hem of his robe."
Lynn pondered. Could it be that the apprentice had used the Corrosion spell at close range to kill Ralph, inadvertently injuring himself in the process? It wasn't uncommon for an apprentice to make such a mistake.
"Furthermore," Laut continued with hesitation, "he is likely a member of the Blood-Red Thorns."
"Blood-Red Thorns?" Lynn furrowed his brows. If he remembered correctly, this was an unusual type of magical herb that required a large quantity of fresh blood to bloom into its most vibrant flower. But the reference here clearly meant something else.
"I heard from some well-informed informants called 'whistles' about this. As for which wizard gave the orders, I'm not entirely sure," Laut admitted, shaking his head.
"So, what exactly is this 'Blood-Red Thorns'?" Lynn leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. He found it strange that someone would want his airship blueprint, yet they hadn't approached him openly for negotiations.
After a moment, he began to form a hypothesis. To him, the airship technology was not as valuable, but others might not see it that way. It was, in a sense, a strategic weapon, a hidden treasure in any alchemical workshop, symbolizing a continuous source of wealth. Normally, no one would willingly sell it.
Even he, before developing the internal combustion engine, had no intention of selling airships.
In response to Lynn's inquiry, Laut quickly began to explain. The leader of the Blood-Red Thorns remained a mystery, but it was known to be an organization formed by a large number of disillusioned wizard apprentices. It had complex internal power dynamics and even managed to attract formal wizards. Rumors suggested that they have deep connections with many alchemical workshops.
There was a rumor that, with enough contributions, the Blood-Red Thorns could make anyone a full-fledged wizard.
Hearing this, Lynn couldn't help but be moved. From the information he had gathered at Iyeta Academy in recent days, a person's magical talent greatly determined their chances of becoming a full-fledged wizard. For example, apprentices who reached the age of thirty at Iyeta Academy and hadn't completed their studies were considered to lack magical talent, and their chances of further advancement were minuscule.
Even if they completed their studies and successfully allowed their bodies to overflow with magic, the success rate of advancement after consuming the Source of Magic was still far from one hundred percent. Typically, only about forty percent of apprentices could successfully become full-fledged wizards.
The selection process was undoubtedly challenging.
The Blood-Red Thorns claimed to have the power to turn anyone into a full-fledged wizard. If this claim was not a lie, it was likely the reason why so many had joined.
However, after seeing the so-called "defects," Lynn didn't naively believe this was a normal method. Otherwise, it would have become mainstream long ago.
The Wizard Council had always advocated using the Source of Magic for advancement, at least without any side effects. Many apprentices who had consumed magical elixirs were still healthy and active, proving this point.
"So, do you know why they want my airship?" Lynn tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair.
A machine as large as his airship couldn't be kept hidden forever. Sooner or later, he would find out about it, and he had already started preparing to apply for a patent from the Alchemical Guild. Even if they managed to obtain the airship blueprint, it would be useless.
Unless they had never intended to use it openly.
Not long after their test flight yesterday afternoon, word had already spread about their desire to examine the blueprint. These people seemed to be in a desperate hurry for an airship for some reason.
"I don't know that either; only someone inside the Blood-Red Thorns might have that information," Laut replied with a helpless shake of his head.
Lynn's last question remained, "So, why did you come here to tell me all this? What do you want in return?"
Laut's face shifted through numerous expressions, countless words almost left his lips, but he eventually sighed and answered with a bitter smile, "In truth, we only want a way to survive."
"I recall you had about three hundred people with you when we crossed the sea," Lynn asked curiously. He remembered that all these sailors were strong young men, but after just half a month, they had turned into what looked like a group of refugees.
It was surprising that they had fallen so far.
"You might not understand, but the land of wizards is different from the outside world," Laut sighed. "What we have in abundance here is people, or I should say, those of us who can't do magic – the impoverished masses..."
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