Chapter 80: Elf Ruins

A tall, thin man wearing leather armor walked in, looked at the middle-aged man leaning on a crutch surrounded by the crowd, and said disdainfully:

"Have you really killed an Orc? How come I heard that someone survived by playing dead, and even the quartermaster refused to pay for the treatment of his broken leg because he fell and broke it himself? What's wrong, no money to go to the Temple to heal your wounds? Thinking of coming here to swindle money?"

The tall, thin man wanted to say something more, but seeing Lao Nier beckoning to him repeatedly, he stopped and walked toward the bar.

The middle-aged man with the crutch, hearing his "glorious achievements" exposed, was suddenly annoyed and ashamed, yet he was wary of being in the Old Neil Inn.

He could only give a sheepish smile, acting as if the tall, thin man had never appeared, and continued to talk eloquently; perhaps his eloquence was quite good, as not a single one of the young men around him left.

At the bar, Lao Nier asked the tall, thin man in a low voice, "Any news?"

"That person is back, and he might go out again tomorrow."

"Is the news accurate?"

"It shouldn't be fake; it will take some time for the heavy snow to arrive, and this should be the last opportunity. Our lord certainly won't let his Apprentice fight in snowy weather," the tall, thin man said pointedly.

Lao Nier was silent for a moment and asked, "Are you willing to make a move?"

The tall, thin man chuckled, "I would like to, but there are always two squads of soldiers by that person's side, plus a High-level Rogue; I wouldn't dare."

"A High-level Rogue?" Lao Nier only then remembered that he had persuaded Mage Kenni to attack and kill Xia Duo last time, but was told that a servant had been lost. At the time, he only thought it was an excuse Mage Kenni made because he wanted that Friendship Necklace; now it seemed it was very likely true.

It was just that it had been dealt with by the High-level Rogue on Xia Duo's side.

"It is indeed a High-level Rogue. Although their own strength is limited, Rogues have never relied on strength to win. I advise you not to set your sights on them. With that High-level Rogue there, you won't have a chance."

The tall, thin man's highly pessimistic attitude made Lao Nier feel annoyed, but he did not show it, instead following the tall, thin man's words.

"I was just asking. I am a law-abiding resident; how could I do anything to harm the lord's Apprentice!"

The tall, thin man looked deeply at Lao Nier, but said nothing more, took his payment, and left.

After the tall, thin man left, Lao Nier, behind the bar, fell into silence. If he could, he would rather turn back time to before he met Xia Duo; then there wouldn't be so many troubles now.

Even everything that followed would not have happened, including meeting that dangerous foreign Mage upstairs.

The expression on Lao Nier's face shifted uncertainly, and finally, he made up his mind and came to the second floor again.

"Lord Kenni, Lao Nier would like to make a deal with you."

"What deal?" Kenni said coldly, very dissatisfied with Lao Nier's repeated interruptions. "If you cannot satisfy me, you should know—"

"My lord, I guarantee you will be satisfied with this deal."

"Speak!"

"Yes, my lord."

It worked! A gleam of light flashed in Lao Nier's eyes. "I would like to ask you to personally make a move to kill that Apprentice."

Lao Nier emphasized the word "personally," but this time Kenni was not dissatisfied; instead, he asked with interest, "And the price?"

He wanted to know what trump card Lao Nier had that could move him, a 7th-level Mage.

"Does my lord know about the Elf Ruins?"

"Elf Ruins?!" Kenni did not notice his voice trembling slightly. "What do you know? Don't tell me it's some common knowledge!"

Lao Nier said somewhat proudly, "I know a team of Elf Adventurers who come to Savi Territory every winter to look for something!"

"Oh?" Kenni finally regained his composure, instantly entering a state of Spellcasting, silently casting a Suggestion Spell, and said calmly, "Look at me and tell me properly about that team of Elf Adventurers."

Lao Nier subconsciously raised his head, meeting Kenni's eyes, which were flickering with an eerie light. Words he had intended to say only after the deal was completed slipped out before he knew it—

"That team of Elf Adventurers is very generous and very mysterious. I followed them and discovered they seemed to be looking for something. I can't think of anything else besides the Elf Ruins."

Hearing this, if Kenni hadn't already cast the Suggestion, he would have thought Lao Nier was lying. A commoner following a team of Elves—how could that be possible!

"How did you follow them?" Kenni asked.

"I went into the forest to look for green plants immediately after they left."

"Why?"

"I heard that the fruits Elves eat grow on the spot."

"..."

Kenni did not expect a commoner to track the traces of Elves because of a legend of unknown truth. As a Mage, he knew more than Lao Nier; Elves who could eat fruits that grew on the spot were no ordinary Elves!

This also made him believe in the existence of the so-called "Elf Ruins."

Once, the Elf Kingdom covered all the major forests of Faerûn. It was perfectly normal for there to be Elf Ruins in the forest near Savile Territory, and any Elf Ruins, even if "cleaned out" by Elves once, were still of immense value to humans.

And if one could beat the Elves to visit them, then—

Kenni dared not think further, fearing he would not be able to control his desires and go compete with the Elves.

"Have the Elves found the ruins?"

"No."

Knowing the Elves hadn't found the ruins yet made Kenni both pleasantly surprised and somewhat worried. For some reason, he asked another question, "Do you know where the ruins are?"

"I do."

What! Kenni almost jumped out of his chair. Ruins that the Elves hadn't discovered had actually been found by a common human!

"My friend, tell me, where are the Elf Ruins?" Kenni asked impatiently.

To prevent triggering Lao Nier's Subconscious resistance, he specifically softened his tone and increased the suggestive component of the Spell. At this moment, in Lao Nier's heart, he was an old friend of decades.

"The Elf Ruins, the Elf Ruins are, are—"

The following words could never be spoken. Lao Nier's expression began to twist gradually, until he let out a painful groan, without revealing another word.

The expression on Kenni's face was not good either. He had originally wanted to tell the other party after Lao Nier regained consciousness that he knew too little about Mages; now it seemed he knew too little about commoners.

A commoner who could think to track Elves and discover a secret before the Elves—was he still a commoner?

Kenni could even guess that Lao Nier must have determined the location of the Elf Ruins several years ago, but he had endured and not sold the secret to the Elves.

If it were Kenni, he admitted he could not do that.

Thinking this, Kenni dispelled the Suggestion. Lao Nier collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. He struggled to raise his head and looked at Kenni, "My lord, can the deal continue?"

"Yes!"

Lao Nier heard this and fainted on the spot.

Looking at the unconscious Lao Nier, Kenni felt that something was wrong, but he could not put his finger on it; after carefully recalling everything, he still did not discover any loopholes.

He could only attribute it to his own anxiety over the Elf Ruins.