Pine Towers Town.
As the last human settlement east of the Elovis region, it was the only way to enter or exit the Black Forest. Due to the frequent appearance of monsters in the forest, it was one of the most dangerous areas that the Scattered Pagoda Forest Association had marked out.
It was almost evening, and the sky was gloomy.
In a black carriage heading towards Pine Towers Town, Grim opened the curtains and carefully observed his surroundings.
As far as the eye could see, there was a large stretch of rolling mountains. The mountains were covered with lush green trees that reached the sky. Between the mountains and hills was a winding double carriageway.
The carriage he hired was on this mountain road.
When he turned around and saw Grim, the middle-aged man with short hair could not help but remind him, "Sir Wizard, please sit tight. We have to speed up. This mountain road was safe during the day, but once night fell, it became very dangerous. We have to get to Pine Towers Town before nightfall! "
Grim nodded and did not speak.
He could see that as the sky gradually darkened, the carriages traveling on this mountain road also began to pick up speed. When two carriages passed each other, the coachmen no longer had the mood to talk. They all lowered their heads and hurried on their way.
The carriage moved quickly along the mountain road. The condition of the road worsened the further they went, and the more bumpy it became. But everything went smoothly. Before the sky turned completely dark, the carriage arrived at its destination, Pine Towers Town.
Pine Towers Town was called a human town, but it was more like a military stronghold.
It was a military stronghold surrounded by tall, thick wooden fences!
Grim had visited countless human villages and towns, but he had never seen one with such tight security.
The thick wooden fences were made of thick logs cut from the nearby forest. They were three meters tall, and the top was sharpened, revealing the white stubble. The wooden gate was covered with a thick layer of metal plates, which were fastened together by large copper rivets.
The fences' battlements, turrets, and arrow towers were all there, and there were people patrolling on top of them.
When Grim's black carriage slowly entered the town, the entirety of Pine Towers Town appeared in front of him.
This was a relatively deserted and remote town.
There was only one street in total, and hundreds of tall wooden houses and houses were arranged on both sides of the street, forming the main body of the town. A few particularly tall buildings had wooden signboards hanging outside, barely revealing their functions.
A tavern, an inn, a blacksmith's shop, a grocery store, and a small magic shop …
Seeing a magic shop here, Grim could not help but sigh. The power of witchcraft was indeed omnipresent!
The black carriage quickly stopped in front of a simple two-story wooden building. This was also the only inn in the town.
When Grim got off the carriage, he saw an innkeeper who was rubbing his hands nervously and trying to please him. He was a middle-aged man with short brown hair, dressed in coarse gray linen clothes, and always had a smile on his face.
Seeing Grimm's signature wizard robe, the smile on the man's face grew wider. Although his expression was stiff, he was not cowering. Obviously, he was also a guy who often dealt with wizards.
"I need a clean and comfortable room!" Grimm stood in front of the owner of the inn with his staff in hand. The shadow cast by his two-meter-tall body almost covered the owner of the inn. "Also, I want to recruit a small local exploration team. Help me spread the word …" Grimm said.
"Everything will be as you wish!" The innkeeper nodded and bowed, "Please follow me!"
The arrival of an official Magus had obviously caused a stir in the town. Especially after the innkeeper Jack's announcement, the mercenaries, adventurers, and acolytes who were still in the town immediately became restless.
Although Pine Towers Town did not look very impressive, it was extremely famous in the Elovis region.
After leaving the town, one would reach the edge of the Black Forest in less than 10 miles north-east of the forest. If one were to go further in, they would encounter all sorts of strange creatures, plants, and beasts that were difficult to find in regular forests.
Hence, Pine Towers Town was the last resupply point near the Black Forest. It was also a place that people who wanted to explore the Black Forest had to stop at or pass through.
Although the Black Forest was extremely dangerous, as long as one did not go too deep and only wandered around the periphery, it was still possible to find some strange magic plants and beasts. Experienced adventurers would have a high chance of obtaining some spoils of war as long as they had the right combination of Professions.
The arcane magic shop in the town was a shop that provided basic magic items for adventurers entering and exiting the Dark Forest, as well as a large number of magic items.
… …
In a room that was less than 10 square metres, there was nothing else apart from a bed, a wooden table, and a chair. The table, chair, and bed seemed to be made of mountain wood. They were not meticulously carved or polished, and they even had a trace of the unique fragrance of wood.
The conditions of the accommodation were very simple.
But considering the environment here, Grim wasn't picky about anything.
In comparison, the food provided by the inn was not bad.
Soft bread, green and viscous vegetable soup, and a piece of grilled golden rib from an unknown beast … Grimm tasted it and found that it was not bad. It had the flavor of the mountains, and the energy provided by the rib was also sufficient.
Grimm did not discuss the price with the owner of the inn, Jack, and Jack just presented everything to him according to the best standards.
As for the price?
Wizards did not care about money. They only cared about enjoyment.
This was also the main reason why Jack was so excited when he saw a wizard.
Compared to those haggling adventurers, compared to those stingy sorcerer-apprentices who pretended to be generous but were actually stingy, real sorcerers never put gold coins in their eyes.
When Grimm was full, he pushed away the plate in front of him and gently wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. Jack, who had been serving by the side, signaled the maid to remove the utensils with his eyes and said respectfully in a low voice, "Sir Wizard, the people you need are waiting downstairs. You see … "
"Bring me down to have a look!" Grimm reached for the 'Destructive Flame' staff on the table and led the way out of the room.
The living room on the first floor was already filled with 50 to 60 adventurers who had come to apply for the job. Some of them were dressed like wizard apprentices. Those who could make a living in the Black Forest were all strong and sturdy, and their words and actions were filled with killing intent.
Grimm did not go down the stairs. Instead, he stood by the railing on the second floor and looked down at the people in front of him. His eyes were filled with a terrifying pressure that could make people tremble in fear.
"I need a small exploration team of five to seven people. It's best if they are veterans with rich experience in the forest." Grimm slowly stated his request, "This time, you don't need to hunt any fierce monsters. You just need to accompany me to explore an area. I'll leave the ordinary beasts to you. If there are really powerful monsters, I'll naturally deal with them. You can keep whatever you get from the journey, but you must complete my exploration mission first. That's the entire mission! "
There was a slight clamor in the living room.
The faces of the people were filled with excitement. Obviously, they did not expect this wizard to promise them such a generous condition. However, Grimm noticed that a few of the adventurers with strong auras had serious and thoughtful expressions on their faces.
"I wonder if you can tell us the general area you want to explore?" An experienced adventurer put his hand on his chest and said, "I'm not trying to pry into your secrets. I just want to estimate the risk of this mission!"
Hearing this adventurer's words, the originally restless crowd once again quieted down. They all focused their attention on the mysterious wizard, Grimm.
"The area I want to explore is near the Diseased Forest!" Grimm replied calmly.
As soon as the name 'Diseased Forest' came out, the crowd on the first floor gasped loudly.
Most of them had a look of shock on their faces.
Sure enough, it was not that easy to take the money from wizards!
Although they did not care about money and usually paid five to ten times more than normal adventuring missions, the areas they frequented were usually ten to a hundred times more dangerous than normal missions.
Diseased Forest?
As adventurers who often made a living in the Black Forest, they were very familiar with this name. It was located 300 miles northeast of Pine Tower Town. This meant that if they wanted to reach there, they would have to go 290 miles into the Black Forest.
This … could already be considered a very dangerous area!
Seeing that the adventurers in front of him were frightened by the name of the Diseased Forest, Grimm pressed his right hand on the railing and announced another piece of information.
"Because this mission is more dangerous, I am willing to pay 200 magic crystals!"
Grimm's words immediately set off a new storm in the crowd. All the adventurers' eyes turned red as they discussed fervently. The hall was in an uproar.
Grimm could see clearly from his high vantage point. Some of the new mercenaries with young faces shook their heads and left the hall. Some of the older mercenaries also left after careful consideration.
Soon, there were less than ten people left in the hall.
"My name is Lowi, my lord. I am a level 2 swordsman and shield warrior. I am willing to join your team." Lowi was a tall and sturdy young swordsman. He turned around and pointed at the two people behind him, "This is my sister, Fara, a level 3 archer. This is Rhodes, a level 3 thief. "
Grimm's pupils scanned them and scanned their basic data almost instantly.
In the Sorcerer World, sorcerers were respected, and the other professions were undoubtedly suppressed.
The level 2 and level 3 that Lowi mentioned were just a symbolic title for ordinary fighters in the human world. It was almost the same as the rank of wizard apprentices.
Level 1 was equivalent to a quasi-wizard apprentice, level 2 was equivalent to a high-level apprentice, level 3 was equivalent to an intermediate apprentice, and level 4 was equivalent to a beginner apprentice … Almost all ordinary fighters were divided like this.
As for a fighter who could stand shoulder to shoulder with a wizard, sorry, there had never been one in the Sorcerer Continent!
Lowi, who had stepped forward, was only about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Without any elemental talent, he was able to reach Level-2 with just his battle techniques and physical training. He could be considered a genius.
As for the two behind him, their physical qualities were unprecedented. Grimm could not help but nod slightly.
It was obvious that the other party was a mature adventurer team. This kind of team was easier to use!
Since the rest of the adventurers dared to stay, they were naturally full of confidence in themselves. They all reported their professions and abilities to Grimm. Grimm nodded and shook his head. In the end, only a level 4 hunter called Neil and an intermediate potion apprentice called Anthony were left.
The reason why he chose a level 4 hunter was purely because of Jack's introduction.
Neil's fighting skills were not that great, but he was a good cook. The taste of his barbecue was widely praised.
Lowi and the other two could only shrug helplessly at Grimm's choice.
As expected of a noble wizard. Even when he went on an adventure in the Black Forest, the most important thing he had to consider was how not to torture his stomach!
However, at this time, apart from the five people Grimm had chosen, there was only a mysterious person covered in a black robe sitting alone in the corner of the hall.
When Grimm's eyes slowly fell on 'him', the mysterious person stood up and took off his hood. He bowed and said, "Lord Wizard, we meet again!"
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