"Dragon King? Zimorman was infected with the water plague?" Carl stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Even though Susan and the others were being evasive, the identity of the patient in bed could be guessed with some certainty.

However, there had never been any Knights at Freedom Port infected with the water plague, let alone a top-level Great Knight. Zimorman's condition was also very special—so special that Carl had never encountered anything like it before.

If the patient really is Zimorman, his death will definitely throw the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce into chaos.

Dragon King Chamber of Commerce!

Dragon King Zimorman!

The fact that the Chamber of Commerce was named after his title showed how important Zimorman was to it.

Lula is still too young and unable to handle such a significant responsibility. Her mother's personality is also too peculiar to win people over. The two deputy chairmen are even more ambitious. Not to mention the Sea God Assembly and the Sickle Brotherhood; they wouldn't just stand by and watch the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce rally. If the news leaks...

Carl shook his head gently. No wonder people had been watching the vicinity of his house. They were anxious, fearing that information about Zimorman's condition might leak from him.

SZZZ...

The red-hot iron plate was plunged into the water, instantly billowing thick smoke.

CLANG!

THUD...

Carl pulled out the iron plate and, swinging the heavy hammer, started to pound it. Gradually, a brand-new sword blank took shape.

He planned to forge another broad sword for himself. He was now using dual swords more and more fluidly, and the Magic Materials he had recently obtained happened to be perfect for incorporating into them.

「Swamp Alliance.」

Headquarters.

Carl followed Bunian, heading towards a dense forest. This forest grew a special type of paulownia tree, which grew extremely rapidly, often requiring several people to span its girth. Through wizardry, these trees were made even broader, unfathomably so, like towering walls. Some Wizards had carved out rooms in these paulownia trees and lived inside them.

Firstly, it was close to the headquarters, making travel convenient. Secondly, the giant paulownia trees, enchanted by spells, allowed many Witchcraft Traps to be set, ensuring safety.

The Advanced Wizard Apprentice Arthur lived here.

In the depths of the forest, several giant paulownia trees stood close together, with interconnected rooms carved out of them. Surrounded by the trees was a sizable courtyard.

At this moment, the courtyard was filled with people. Carl looked around and sat down next to the Bloodline Wizard Bach.

"Carl," Bach said, sitting up straight and nodding in greeting, "I haven't seen you for some days now."

"I've been studying the 'Gamp Transformation Method' you gave me and doing some Bloodline research on the side," Carl replied, rubbing his temples and looking haggard. "The path of a Bloodline Wizard is not an easy one."

"Of course," Bach shrugged. "Our path relies too much on Magic Creatures and Magic Materials. Some experiments have to be conducted by ourselves, and Magic Creatures are too rare. Without enough Magic Stones, this path leads to a dead end."

"HEH..."

"Other Wizards have many Advanced Wizard Apprentices. How many Advanced Wizard Apprentices of Bloodline Wizards have you seen?"

Carl slowly nodded.

"Speaking of experiments, I have some questions." He lowered his voice and discussed the knowledge of Bloodline Wizards with Bach.

At first, Bach only intended to give perfunctory answers, since truly useful knowledge was supposed to be paid for. The other party had only recently started on the path of a Bloodline Wizard and wasn't, in theory, qualified to discuss it with him.

Unexpectedly, many pieces of knowledge that Carl possessed greatly moved Bach, and before they knew it, their discussion had become deeper and deeper.

Until...

DING!

A crisp, clear bell rang out.

Arthur, an Advanced Wizard Apprentice dressed in a Wizard Robe and with a face full of wrinkles, walked out of the room slowly.

He nodded to the people in the hall, squeezing out a smile as he said, "Thank you for waiting. I have cleared up my belongings, and now we will officially begin the auction."

"HMM..."

"There will be a few items that will be dealt with privately, so please bear with me."

"Senior Arthur," a voice from the crowd asked, "did you really fail to break through?"

"...Yes." Arthur's face was tinged with bitterness as he nodded. "Becoming an Official Wizard is far from as simple as one imagines. No wonder some friends have lost their lives for it."

"I'm still okay, at least I'm alive."

Carl sat upright.

Not long ago, Arthur had exchanged points for a Green Potion from the Alliance in an attempt to make a breakthrough. Many people had been waiting for the result.

Unfortunately, the attempt had failed. Advanced Wizard Apprentice Arthur had even been seriously injured. His Spiritual Inner Sea was unstable, and without proper treatment, the consequences would be unimaginable. Since the Potions necessary for treatment were costly, Arthur had decided to organize an auction to dispose of his belongings.

The people present had all come upon hearing the news.

"I have a piece of advice for you all," Arthur said. "If you want to become an Official Wizard, relying solely on the Green Potion offers a low chance of success. There are too many beings in the Star Realm that can contaminate our spirituality. It's best to be assisted with a Silence Potion."

A Silence Potion could shield a being's spirituality, preventing one's own from being contaminated, but it was expensive. The crux of the matter was, its effectiveness was also said to be not that great.

"Just for a Green Potion, who knows how long one has to save up, not to mention adding a Silence Potion..." someone sighed, "In this lifetime, I'm afraid there's no hope!"

"You're still okay; you have a chance to challenge the Official Wizard Realm. We who are less talented don't even dare to dream about it."

"Sometimes, not having the opportunity can make you feel more at ease."

"Right!"

"..."

The crowd sighed repeatedly. Since the establishment of the Swamp Alliance, four Advanced Wizard Apprentices had already tried to break into the Official Wizard Realm.

Unfortunately, not one of them had succeeded. Adolf, the most promising among them, not only failed but also had his head explode, dying on the spot.

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