"Someone else is missing?"
Damian wanted to talk to him immediately.
He picked up the enchanted quill and wrote in the ledger, "Come to Private Parlor No. 26. — Damian."
After a short while, a polite knock sounded at the door.
Link and Anna arrived together.
"You two really are inseparable. You're together every time we meet," Damian noted with a slight smile.
Anna's face flushed slightly. Despite her usually impetuous and fiery personality in combat, she appeared rather shy when it came to personal teasing.
Link still wore his hair tied back in a messy ponytail, looking as relaxed and lazy as ever. He waved a hand casually. "It helps improve our coordination."
Damian got straight to the point. "Has there been another disappearance in White Stone Town?"
Link nodded, his lazy tone dropping into something more serious. "Yes, we are currently investigating it. The owner of the West Street Tavern has vanished.
No one has seen him since he closed up the pub a few days ago. Neither the Night Watchmen nor the gatekeepers saw him leave the town. I heavily suspect this case is linked to the previous disappearance of the Night Watchman."
Link seemed to suddenly remember something and looked at Damian with genuine interest. "Are you interested in joining the Court Wizards? With your strength, there definitely won't be any problem joining.
The Court Wizards are divided into two main career tracks: Investigators and Administrators. Investigators are primarily responsible for handling internal commissions and matters involving external Wizards, while Administrators mainly handle kingdom government affairs and internal Court Wizard business.
I am the captain of a Court Wizard Investigator squad, a Level 7 Investigator. I have the authority to hire temporary Investigators."
Link elaborated that internal positions within the Court Wizards were divided into nine distinct tiers. Levels 7 to 9 were Investigators, Levels 4 to 6 were Inquisitors, and Levels 1 to 3 were High Inquisitors. The Administrator track followed a similar hierarchical logic.
Damian raised an eyebrow. He had learned recently that the kingdoms in the northern region were all ruled by members of the Northern Wizard Alliance. The Blizzard Kingdom, where White Stone Town was located, was controlled by the Blizzard Kingdom's Court Wizards, and the Speaker of the Court Wizards was also the King of the Blizzard Kingdom.
He was somewhat interested in the offer. "Are there any strict magical binding contracts for temporary investigators? And how does one become a formal, ranked Court Wizard?"
"There aren't many restrictions for temporary investigators, as long as you don't violate the Wizard Regulations issued by the Blizzard Kingdom," Link assured him. "You can quit at any time without penalty.
Once you've accumulated enough contribution points, you can apply for an official evaluation. Pass that, and you become a formal Court Wizard.
There are many ways for Investigators to earn contribution points, mostly by completing internal commissions," Link continued. "Within the Court Wizards, we can exchange contribution points for magical artifacts, magic, Meditation Methods, potion recipes, alchemy materials, and other Wizard supplies. Of course, you can also buy them outright with money."
Damian realized that temporary investigators were essentially magical mercenaries. They worked for pay and access to restricted resources, but retained a fair amount of personal freedom.
"I see. I've decided to join as a temporary investigator," Damian agreed. He was actively looking to collect more Runic Magic and Meditation Methods, so joining the Court Wizards was a perfect opportunity.
Link reached out and shook Damian's hand firmly. "Welcome aboard. Lady Alsha has just issued an official internal commission for the White Stone Town disappearance case.
You should investigate this case with us," Link offered. "Completing it will grant you your first batch of contribution points."
Lady Alsha was a Level 5 Adjutant of the Court Wizards. White Stone Town fell directly under her jurisdiction, giving her the authority to issue internal commissions.
The next day, at noon.
Link had arranged to meet Damian at the tavern. Although the owner was missing, the pub was still operating as usual, currently being managed by the missing man's son.
Damian arrived a bit early. Link and Anna hadn't reached the tavern yet.
Business was surprisingly booming today, with many patrons already packed inside. As Damian entered, several wizards looked him over with scrutinizing, guarded eyes. The noisy chatter in the room completely stopped for a tense moment before gradually returning to its usual bustling volume.
It was said that this tavern had been open for decades. Usually, younger people preferred the newly opened taverns on East Street. The West Street Tavern mostly served grizzled, older regulars who liked to come for a few drinks at dinner time.
Today, however, the atmosphere was very different. There were far more young patrons than usual.
Damian listened carefully, his senses sharpened. He could hear many people around him loudly discussing the tavern owner's sudden disappearance.
"Damn it! How could that old geezer just vanish? He hasn't finished paying back the money he owes me!" cursed a young man at a table near the door.
A drunken, bearded man chimed in. "If you ask me, a gang of human traffickers has come to White Stone Town recently. A Night Watchman disappeared not long ago, too! I suspect they've all been sold to the Royal Capital. I heard they found a massive mine there and are short on miners."
It seems most of them are just onlookers, Damian thought to himself, picking a random table in the corner to sit down.
Just as he took his seat, Damian spotted movement by the door. He waved his hand as Link and Anna finally arrived.
Link walked over with an easy grin. "You absolutely must try this tavern's White Stone Fruit wine. It's the specialty of White Stone Town."
White Stone Town got its name from the abundance of a plant called the White Stone Fruit—a magical plant that only flowers and bears fruit after the snow stops in winter.
Before long, a waiter scurried over with a notepad. "What would you like to order? Today for meat we have... for fruits and vegetables we have..."
This tavern didn't have a fixed menu; only the drinks were set and listed on the bar counter.
Link waved a hand. "It's currently the season for White Stone Fruit. We'll take one order of baked White Stone Fruit with cheese, one order of..."
After listing off a few hearty dishes, he looked at Damian, who said:
"The same for me."
After the waiter scurried off, Link casually snapped his fingers, and an invisible dome enveloped them. This was a type of magic that blocked sound. "We can speak freely now; no sound will leak out."
Damian leaned forward. "Are there any clues in the tavern owner's disappearance case?"
Anna nodded, pulling out a piece of parchment. "There was a response to the bounty posted at Lady Alsha's gathering yesterday. Someone provided information saying that the tavern owner had run up a large debt before he disappeared.
The one providing the loan service was Ryan," Anna revealed. "I think we can start by investigating him."
Damian's expression shifted slightly. He had overheard others talking about the tavern owner's debt when he first walked in. He quickly shared this detail with the two of them.
Link rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It seems the tavern owner owed more than just Ryan. We'll go investigate why he was so heavily in debt later."
Just then, the waiter began serving the food. The group immediately dropped the serious subject and began to eat.
Damian took a small bite of the baked White Stone Fruit. It was slightly sour upon entry, but the flavor immediately turned into a hint of sweetness, with a crisp and refreshing texture. The aroma of the cheese blended in perfectly.
The flavor of the White Stone Fruit wine was also quite unique, though its alcohol content wasn't high; those who preferred strong spirits probably wouldn't like it.
[75 STONES] - Unlock1 Bonus Chapter
[150 STONES] - Unlock 2 Bonus Chapters
[300 STONES] - Unlock 3 Bonus Chapters