Chapter 163: The Dream Marketplace

Chapter 163: The Dream Marketplace

"Krahe used the Nelson Family as bait and lured out all of Andrew's enemies with the grudges they held against his family. Then, he set up an ambush and eliminated them all in one fell swoop."

"Impressive!"

A few days later, the situation became clearer.

Upon learning of the recent developments, Karl couldn't help but applaud and also sighed at Milly's unfortunate circumstances.

"Krahe is indeed the most outstanding wizard in the Andrew Family for the past millennium. No one would have expected him to help a Nelson Family wizard reach the Second Circle, effectively creating a rival faction within his own family."

"No!"

"The Andrew and Nelson Families must have secretly signed a contract and formed an alliance."

"So..."

"The Andrew Family gained an ally in the form of a Second Circle power, and they also resolved a centuries-old nuisance."

"Amazing!"

Indeed, the plan unfolded just as Krahe had predicted. This time, at least twenty formal wizards with grudges against the Andrew Family were killed, and even a Second Circle wizard met their end.

If it weren't for Karl's intervention, Milly and Sheridan would have also been in grave danger.

After a brief period of chaos, the marketplace outside the shop returned to its peaceful state, and the passersby's faces regained their composure.

"Conflicts between powers may create opportunities for sudden wealth, but they also bring disorder, which doesn't align with the public's interests."

Karl rested his chin in his hand, deep in thought.

"For the people of Leipzig Marketplace, it doesn't matter who the ruler is, as long as there's no chaos."

"Now that the situation is clear and the situation is stable, people's minds will naturally be at ease."

"That's good!"

He nodded and turned to head towards the backyard, but his eyebrows twitched, and he looked up at the sky.

Flying was prohibited in the marketplace, but a few individuals had special privileges.

One of them was Daniel, the representative of the Sixth Circle Tower.

"Karl!"

Daniel, dressed in white robes, landed in front of the shop and called out to Karl. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke softly, "After careful consideration, the Tower has decided to relieve you of your position as shop manager, and June Wizard will take over."

"What?" Karl was taken aback. "Does June Wizard have the time with the mine to manage?"

"We can make it work," Daniel sighed. "From now on, be careful."

Karl frowned, sensing an underlying meaning in his words, especially with the sudden removal of his position...

"Is this Gold's decision?"

"..." Daniel's face turned awkward, and he nodded. "A few days ago, we received the usual message from the Calim Continent, and this time, they inquired about Lance's situation."

"So..."

"You should be grateful that this is the Magic Forest. If you were in Calim, you might not be alive right now."

Karl's expression darkened. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Actually..." Daniel spoke in a low voice. "Gold proposed to expel you from the Sixth Circle Tower, but Vulcan Wizard objected."

"However, from now on, the Tower won't assign you any tasks, and the lessons from the other wizards will be suspended. Everything... will be up to you."

Huh?

What's the difference between this and being expelled from the Sixth Circle Tower?

"How can this be?" Karl couldn't help but ask angrily. "Lance's death has nothing to do with me!"

"Yes, I believe that too," Daniel nodded. "But his identity is not ordinary, and Gold needs someone to share the family's anger."

"Then..." Karl made one last plea. "Can I still go to the Calim Continent?"

"Are you sure you want to go there?" Daniel's expression was complex. "It might not be the best choice for you."

Karl fell silent.

Indeed, the Green Family's influence was limited here, and it would be difficult to guarantee his safety if he went to the Calim Continent.

"Daniel Wizard!" Karl took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice. "No matter where Lance went, with his personality, he would have caused trouble. I only did what I had to do. Does the Tower have to protect him?"

"Karl," Daniel frowned. "You must understand that we all have to return, and the Green Family holds a special position in the Tower. No one wants to offend them."

"Hmm..."

Seemingly feeling guilty, he spoke slowly, "If there's anything you need, I'll try my best to fulfill it."

"Need?" Karl smiled bitterly. "Without my position, I can't attend classes, and going to the Calim Continent... I'm still a member of the Sixth Circle Tower."

"This is what I want!"

He clenched his teeth and said, "I hope to learn the complete method of constructing a wizard tower, and I'm willing to pay the appropriate magic stones for it."

A wizard tower? Daniel's eyes flickered.

Given Karl's current situation, he definitely couldn't go to the Calim Continent. If he stayed here, building a wizard tower was only natural.

"Sure."

Daniel nodded and said, "I have three methods for constructing wizard towers. If you want them... three hundred magic stones."

"But you'll need to sign a contract. You can build your own wizard tower, but you can't teach the method to others."

Three hundred magic stones! Karl's eyes lit up.

This was almost like getting it for free, and the non-disclosure agreement was a standard rule of the Tower.

"Great!"

He nodded firmly. "Also, I'll need some time to pack my things. Can I leave the shop in a couple of days?"

"It's fine," Daniel smiled. "Today, I'm just relieving you of your duties. I'm not kicking you out; the High Tower isn't that cold-hearted."

Karl managed a dry laugh.

"Don't be too upset," Daniel consoled him in a low voice. "These punishments are temporary. In a few years, Gould will return, and everything will be fine."

"After a few decades, when people have forgotten about Lance's death, you can go back to the Calim Continent."

"I hope so!" Karl sighed softly.

As he was packing his belongings, a message from Omega appeared on the magic paper. She had also learned about Karl's situation and offered him a place to stay for a while.

Karl shook his head gently. Omega was one of his few friends, and staying with her might anger Gould, which he didn't want to risk.

The next day, Karl visited Ined.

"Sit down," Ined said, her demeanor relaxed as she stirred tea with a spoon. She gestured for Karl to find a seat. "Thank you for taking care of Zoe during this time."

With the birth of a Second Tier Wizard in the family and the alliance with the Anderson family, the tension and anxiety that once plagued Ined as a member of the Nelson clan had vanished, replaced by ease and tranquility. Even her skin seemed to glow with vitality.

"It's nothing," Karl sighed. "You must have heard about my situation, right?"

"Yes," Ined nodded. "I never thought the Sixth Circle Tower would be so... powerful. It was Zoe who got you into this trouble."

"It doesn't matter how it started now that it's happened," Karl said, taking the tea from her. "I want to know if the Nelson family can take in a homeless person like me."

"You're joking," Ined chuckled. "You're still a First Tier Wizard, and any faction would welcome you with open arms."

"By the way, we've teamed up with the Anderson family and taken down many wizards. We have quite a few spoils of war. Are you interested?"

Karl tapped the table gently and shook his head. Her words were polite, but she was clearly changing the subject. This 'friend' couldn't be relied upon.

That's right! The Nelson family was right next to the High Tower, and their leader might be friends with Gould. There was no need to offend him because of Karl.

"Wizard Karl," Ined said softly. "If you want, I can offer you a discount on some items. It's the best I can do."

This seemed to be the limit of what she could offer.

"Forget it!" Karl stood up. "I'll go look for another place."

"Wait!" Ined clenched her teeth. "Karl, while the Nelson family doesn't plan to take you in, I can help you find a safe place."

"Hmm..."

"I have a place in the marketplace. It's patrolled daily, and no one dares to cause trouble there."

"Karl, my friend," she smiled wryly. "I hope you understand. I really can't do more."

"It's okay," Karl's tone softened. "Having a place to stay is enough for me."

Although Karl still held the title of a Sixth Circle Tower disciple, his situation was almost as bad as losing his identity.

However, taking things this far and then completely destroying him would be difficult to explain, even for Gould.

After all, the Magic Forest wasn't the Calim Continent.

The Green family didn't have that much power yet.

Hiding in the residence introduced by Ined, Karl closed the door to visitors and took the opportunity to focus on his cultivation.

The materials for the concentrated life potion were not yet complete, so he decided to prioritize building a wizard tower.

Having a wizard tower of one's own was the dream of every wizard, and Karl was no exception.

Wizard towers varied based on the owner's school of magic, such as nature wizard towers, shadow wizard towers, and more...

Of course, some also referred to them as bloodline research towers or nightmare gardens.

Depending on their location, they were further categorized as floating wizard towers, cavern wizard towers, and the most common type built on mountains.

Daniel had provided three methods for constructing wizard towers, one of which was for a floating wizard tower.

The other two were for more conventional wizard towers.

"Within a wizard tower, the wizard can harness the power of the astral plane and magic stones to greatly enhance their spells. The mental energy consumed is reduced, and even a First Tier Wizard can cast Second Tier spells."

"This is like learning Second Tier spells in advance, making it easier to break through boundaries. Not to mention other benefits; this alone is hard to refuse."

Flipping through the book's records about wizard towers, Karl's eyes shone with anticipation. "To build a wizard tower, an insight eye and a starglow disc are essential. The insight eye allows the wizard to observe everything around the tower, and the starglow disc connects to the astral plane."

"The starglow disc here is similar to the one used in spell traps, but it's more complex and expensive. The cheapest starglow disc costs thousands of magic stones, and the better ones require tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands."

"No wonder!"

"No wonder wizard towers are mostly built by families. It's almost impossible for an individual to succeed."

After some thought, he summoned his data panel.

Name: Karl

Constitution: 12

Mental Power: 7.1

Origin Essence: 0

Level: Legendary Knight, Rank 1 Wizard

Abyssal Bloodline Fusion: 37%

"The value change is not significant, placing him at the bottom of Rank 1 Mid-Tier, but this doesn't necessarily reflect his true combat strength."

"Holy Breath has evolved his Battle Qi, and he has also cultivated the second layer of Divine Demon Transformation. With the means of a wizard, even against Gold, there might still be a chance."

"Hmm..."

"It's time to venture out."

...

Karl couldn't hide in the Leipzig Market forever. To him, the identity of a Six Circle Tower disciple was dispensable.

What he needed was a fixed place for cultivation and a sustainable source of income.

At the very least, he required a suitable location to build a Wizard Tower, even if he planned to construct a floating one.

"They think they can get rid of me by kicking me out of the Six Circle Tower? How naive."

"I'm not the newcomer who knew nothing when I first arrived at the Magic Forest. Even the locals might not be as familiar with the surroundings as I am now."

Karl packed his belongings and teleported to the outskirts of the market.

Most of the local natives he had killed were disposed of without a trace, their souls taken to the fragments of the Divine Realm.

Through the memories of others, he uncovered many secrets.

For instance,

The Dream Marketplace.

This was a market located several hundred kilometers outside of Leipzig Market, hidden within an unstable demiplane.

"Whoosh!"

Karl's figure appeared near a valley.

Dense fog enveloped the valley, and two wizard apprentices stood at the entrance, greeting him as they noticed his arrival.

"Honored Wizard, to enter the Dream Marketplace, you'll need a Mana Crystal. Please avoid any drastic emotional fluctuations, or you might be expelled."

"Hmm."

Karl tossed a Mana Crystal and strode into the valley, his figure gradually fading into the mist.

"It's like a dream within a dream!"

When his vision cleared, Karl found himself on a dilapidated street, everything around him slightly blurred.

Just like a dream,

At a glance, everything seemed normal, but upon closer inspection, the details were distorted, twisted from reality.

Yet his physical body had undoubtedly entered this place.

"No wonder it's called the Dream Marketplace. I wonder what principle this demiplane follows, but here, the mental power of a Rank 2 Wizard is suppressed, and even a Rank 1 Wizard would be expelled by the force of the law if they attempted to cast spells forcibly. At least safety is guaranteed."

His gaze shifted, and he located the person in charge, spending five Mana Crystals before heading further into the market.

The Oddities Shop of the Blind One.

"Knock knock!"

A knock sounded at the door.

"Enter!"

A hoarse voice echoed from within the room.

Karl pushed the door open and was met with a pungent, sour smell that made him frown instinctively.

"Do dreams have smells too?"

"This is not a real dream." An elderly wizard with empty eye sockets sat in the center of the room, his hands cradling a skull with ghostly flames for eyes, 'examining' Karl with his head tilted to the side.

A peculiar smile spread across his face.

"It's the esteemed Wizard Karl. I've never met a disciple of the Six Circle Tower here before."

Despite having no eyes, he could 'see' the visitor clearly, even with Karl's disguise.

The Blind One, Old Blin,

a wizard with a unique perception ability.

"Hmph!" Karl scoffed,

"This market is not exactly legitimate, managed by a few late-stage Rank 1 Wizards with good connections. It's not as safe as Leipzig Market, so it's no wonder disciples of the Six Circle Tower wouldn't come here."

"Heh..." Old Blin chuckled,

"Not necessarily."

"The Dream Marketplace has been operating for over two hundred years, with only a few instances of chaos. In contrast, Leipzig Market has experienced several disturbances in recent years."

"True." Karl nodded,

"Since you know me, you must have heard about my situation. I can no longer be considered a disciple of the Six Circle Tower."

"I've heard you're well-informed. Do you know where I can purchase materials to build a Wizard Tower?"

"A Starglow Disk?" The elderly wizard pondered for a moment, then said,

"I'll inquire about it and let you know when I have news."

"Okay."

Karl nodded and shared the location of the shop he had rented, not staying long before leaving.

Upon returning to his shop, he hadn't had time to tidy up when a visitor arrived.

"Excuse me, what price do you offer for Floating Stones?"

The visitor's voice was cautious, her hand subconsciously blocking a pouch tied to her waist, while her other hand tightly gripped a staff.

Although her face was veiled with added sorcery and she wore loose clothing, it couldn't conceal her feminine identity.

Three other individuals accompanied her, forming the most common small group in the Magic Forest.

There were wizard apprentices and a Great Knight.

Karl's gaze casually swept over them as he spoke,

"One hundred Mana Crystals per piece."

"One hundred?" The visitor hesitated, exchanging glances with her friends, and asked in a low voice,

"Can you offer a higher price?"

"Heh..." Karl smiled,

"Bring the Floating Stones first, and we can discuss the price afterward. As long as you have the stones, we can negotiate."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end