Woking

Lizer's mind lingered on mysterious calculations, a weighing and plotting uniquely his own.

He wanted to reverse-engineer the original formula from the finished "Brain in a Vat" potion, which was said to be able to pry into the boundaries of consciousness.

To do so, he had to brew the "Spirit of Swiftness," a potion flowing with the luster of stardust, to exchange with Vesserin.

The forbidden knowledge held by this mysterious witch was his key to stepping into the realm of high-tier witchcraft.

He and Felina had purchased the necessary raw materials in a market permeated with the faint fragrance of magical plants.

He tightly gripped the bundle containing faintly glowing shadow spider silk and ores embedded with shattered magic crystals.

He looked up at the sun that had not yet fully set on the horizon; it was still early.

They should still be able to buy witchcraft train tickets to Wokin. He stored the crystal vial containing magic flame grass powder into his storage bag.

Then, he mounted the "Blue Star" motorcycle, its streamlined body flickering with pale blue runes.

The motorcycle's engine let out a low, magical hum as it sped toward the train station in Gele City.

The witchcraft train station in Gele City was not large, its dome carved with ancient protective runes.

It was located at the border between the third-ring industrial zone and the second-ring residential area, surrounded by scattered, abandoned magical mechanical parts.

There were very few passengers inside the station, as the price of a witchcraft train ticket was enough to deter ordinary commoners.

The fare from Gele City to Wokin was as high as thirty silver coins, equivalent to the market price of two inferior healing potions.

Or the price of a dagger embedded with the lowest-tier fire element rune.

For commoners who made a living by planting magic wheat, this was undoubtedly an astronomical figure.

They would rather ride on horseback and endure days of bumping than touch this expensive ticket bearing a wizard's mark.

Upon leaving the station, Lizer caught a glimpse of towering chimneys in the distance, situated right next to the residential area.

What billowed from the chimneys was not ordinary black smoke, but a gray mist mixed with trace amounts of magic dust, refracting eerie purple light spots under the sun.

He finally realized that Gele City's urban planning harbored a massive hidden danger.

This was not just the inaction of the rulers, but a blatant disregard for the Crimson Soul Principality's "Magical Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations."

The magic dust was silently eroding the vitality of the commoners.

If the industrial core of Gele City was the plantations that nourished the magical plant industry, then the lifeblood of Wokin was the minerals buried deep underground.

The mineral veins there flowed with mysterious metals capable of forging witchcraft weapons.

Because Wokin possessed the magic iron veins with the largest reserves in the entire Crimson Soul region.

This metal could absorb and reflect witchcraft attacks, making it a top-tier material for crafting defensive armor and a highly sought-after resource for wizards.

Lizer and Felina sat in a compartment of the witchcraft train.

Through the train window inlaid with witchcraft crystal lenses, they could see from afar the sky of Wokin shrouded in an iron-gray curtain.

The faint glow of magical electrical arcs occasionally flashed through the clouds.

Combined with the ancient rumors about Wokin, one could almost feel the countless fine iron shavings floating in that gray sky.

Every single particle carried the resentment of the souls of miners who had died tragically deep within the veins.

After getting off the train, their speculation was confirmed.

The air was thick with the smell of rust, mixed with a faint aura of magical radiation.

Inhaling it into the nasal cavity brought a trace of numbness, making one unable to resist circulating the magical energy within their body to defend against it.

What kind of person would be willing to live in this foggy city wrapped in magic dust and iron shavings?

Lizer could not help but frown, condensing a trace of purification witchcraft at his fingertips to dispel the strange odor at the tip of his nose.

It was recorded in the "Principality City Yearbook" issued by the Crimson Soul Principality:

The population of Wokin City was only one-third of Gele City's, but the magical energy concentration per square kilometer was three times that of Gele's.

Moreover, its economic volume was even higher than Gele City's; every piece of magic iron could be sold for a sky-high price on the black market.

It attracted countless adventurers and smugglers eager to strike it rich.

Was this the reason why people were willing to endure the magic dust pollution?

Lizer and Felina only wanted to quickly find the wizard apprentice named Fili.

Felina's skirt hem was already stained with a fine layer of iron shavings.

She tightly grasped Lizer's wrist, a trace of vigilance against the magic dust pollution flashing in her eyes; both of them hoped to leave this unhealthy city as soon as possible.

As a wizard apprentice who frequently operated in Wokin City, Fili should be a well-known local figure.

Yet Lizer asked a few passersby.

They either shook their heads or vaguely said "never heard of him" with voices smelling of rust.

It was as if this name had been concealed by some formless, mysterious power, revealing an eerie mystery.

Lizer recalled the description given by the apprentice who suggested he come to Wokin: Fili was deeply in debt.

So that was it!

He found a passerby and stopped asking about Fili, instead asking:

"Excuse me, where is the largest casino in Wokin City?"

"Cough, cough. In the center of the city."

Just like the passersby he had asked earlier.

His violent coughing was mixed with the faint sound of metal friction, as if his lungs had long been eroded by the magic dust into a rust-covered iron mesh.

Every breath he took carried a teeth-aching creaking sound.

This passerby pointed toward the city center with fingers covered in cracked lines.

His hoarse voice carried the scent of rust:

"Walk that way. The entertainment city is right where the magic dust is the thickest."

Wizards in this world relied on potions and the Purification Spell to easily cure plagues; even regenerating severed limbs was a breeze.

Therefore, they cared nothing about the magic dust permeating the air.

But Lizer, who came from the Blue Star, knew clearly that this gray mist mixed with black magic iron fragments would not only trigger pathological changes similar to tuberculosis.

It would also cause the patient's lungs to gradually crystallize, ultimately turning into a lifeless piece of metal ore.

This was the "Magic Dust Mutation Disease," which was far more bizarre than tuberculosis.

If it reached that point, only necromancers could perform a Living Metal Transplant.

They would dig up black magic iron carrying an aura of life from deep within the mineral veins and forge it into organs matching the patient.

Then, using the forbidden Soul Smelting Spell, they would fuse it with the human body.

That was a troublesome and money-burning affair.

Not only did one have to pay a massive amount of gold coins to the necromancers, but they also had to endure the excruciating pain of their soul being eroded by metal during the transplant process.

What was even more terrifying was that the mutated body would gradually lose its humanity, becoming as cold and ruthless as an ore.

The harm of this magic dust pollution had never been truly valued by the rulers of this city.

They cared more about the output of black magic iron in the veins rather than the life or death of ordinary people.

Lizer guessed that this atmospheric environment indeed had no effect on wizards.

Their bodies, tempered by magic power, could convert the inhaled magic dust into faint energy, and could even enhance the effects of certain witchcrafts.

For wizards specializing in the metal element, this environment could even be called a "paradise."

The metal energy particles permeating the air could amplify the effects of their witchcraft and make the metal weapons they controlled more lethal.

But for ordinary people without any witchcraft protection, this environment was a deadly poison.

The magic dust would drill into their pores, erode their bones and blood, and cause fine metal scales to grow on their skin.

Ultimately turning them into walking corpses known as "Iron Shells."

What exactly was the archon of Vol'jin City thinking?

Did he not know that the magic dust was consuming the citizens' lives?

Or had he already been controlled by the mine owners using a [Mind Control Rune], becoming their tool for accumulating wealth?

Following the directions of passersby, Lizer arrived at the center of Vol'jin City, where a massive six-story building suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Its exterior walls were built from smoothly polished obsidian, and the surface was carved with three glittering golden words, "Entertainment City," with each letter emitting a faint fluctuation of magic energy.

The architectural technology of this world was completely different from that of the Blue Planet.

Mysterious witchcraft made construction exceptionally simple. It didn't even require steel reinforcement and concrete; just a few zero-circle spells could create a sturdy and durable house.

Among the earth-attribute spells, there were two zero-circle spells that could be called architectural miracles: [Mud to Stone] and [Stone to Mud].

Invented by ancient earth wizards, they were still widely used in the construction of various cities today.

Mud to Stone could make soft mud and sand instantly solidify into hard granite.

Stone to Mud could turn stubborn rocks into a puddle of mud that could be shaped at will.

These two spells complemented each other and were the cornerstones of architecture in the wizarding world.

The former could decompose hard rock into fine sand, while the latter could aggregate soft sand into stone harder than steel.

When casting, the wizard only needed to chant a short incantation to see the wondrous sight of energy particles recombining before their eyes.

The [Stone to Mud] spell was commonly used in the construction of ordinary buildings, and it was ridiculously convenient.

One only needed to pile the mud and sand into the desired shape and chant the incantation to turn it into a sturdy house, and even the interior decoration could be completed at the same time.

If higher stability was required, as long as one could afford the price, an alchemist could be hired to carve a [Sturdiness Rune] onto the building.

This kind of rune could allow the building to withstand spell attacks below the first circle, and even remain completely intact during an earthquake.

Anyone who studied cement and reinforced concrete in the wizarding world simply had their brains gnawed by magic ants.

Cement would be corroded into powder by magic energy, and steel rebars would be easily manipulated by metal-attribute wizards, making it completely impossible to guarantee the safety of the building.

The Entertainment City was a hollow, coin-shaped ring structure. Every brick and stone of the ring was carved with gold coins and magic stones.

Dozens of spherical lights driven by magic crystals floated in the hollow section, emitting a golden glow, as if they could suck all the surrounding wealth into the building.

The first floor featured some of this world's entertainment games, such as Witchcraft Hand Cards, Knight's War Chess, Foosball, Billiards, and Wizard Board Games.

The second floor housed gambling games like slot machines, Twenty-Five Doors, Lotte Roulette, Sic Bo, Pai Gow, and horse racing.

The third floor was an arena, the fourth floor was a place all boys understood, the fifth floor was the accommodation and rest area, and the sixth floor contained the VIP rooms.

It was absolutely packed with people here. A massive crowd was immersed in their own worlds of entertainment; some were mad with excitement, while others were in absolute despair...

Lizer had some interest in the games on the first floor.

In particular, Witchcraft Hand Cards and Wizard Board Games seemed to be related to some ancient legends of the wizarding world, allowing one to glean a glimpse of the ancient wizarding world from them.

However, Lizer and Felina were currently in a hurry to find someone, so they had no time to study them or relax.

Moreover, although the atmosphere and air here had no effect on their constitutions, the two of them still didn't really like it and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Lizer had no way to identify whether each person was Fili one by one, so he could only seek help from the Entertainment City's service staff.

Although this wasn't exactly a guest secret that couldn't be leaked, the service staff didn't know if casually revealing it would bring trouble, so they didn't disclose it to Lizer.

It wasn't until Lizer took out a gold coin and placed it in his hand that the waiter said happily:

Apprentice Fili is a VIP here. He usually plays in the VIP area on the sixth floor.

Lizer originally wanted to go straight up to the sixth floor to find Fili, but he was stopped by the security guard at the entrance:

Sir, this is the VIP area. Please show your VIP card.

Not even a wizard apprentice?

Lizer asked helplessly, but received the same answer, and he also inquired about the method to become a VIP.

By accumulating a total betting amount of one hundred gold coins at the Entertainment City, one could obtain an Entertainment City VIP card.

Helplessly, Lizer took Felina back to the gambling area on the second floor.

Although a large amount of his gold coins had been used for pay-to-win mechanics and he only had 70 gold coins on him at the moment, which was less than the 100 gold requirement.

He wasn't worried, however. The requirement to accumulate 100 gold coins didn't mean he had to lose 100 gold coins.

It would be enough as long as the total sum of his repeated bets reached 100 gold coins.

Although losing 100 gold coins wouldn't cripple Lizer, it was still a very large amount.

This could increase almost 1 point in Lizer's other attributes besides spiritual power.

He certainly wasn't willing to lose money...

After carefully studying the rules of these gambling games, he still had a certain degree of confidence in winning up to 100 gold coins.

He chose to play Sic Bo, which was a game where one could guess big or small, or guess the points of the dice.

A total sum of 11 to 17 points from the three dice was called Big, while 4 to 10 points was called Small.

A total sum of 3 or 18 was invalid, and the dealer would be directly declared the winner.