Chapter 301: 014: The Prospect of Creating a Power

The western region of the Orendale Kingdom, Forest Edge Territory.

Forest Edge Territory is the largest Count-level noble estate in western Orendale. It is under the rule of the Aisenberg family, with its main city located in the center of the territory—Feiyan City. The city has a population of approximately 300,000, making it a medium-to-large-sized town.

Currently, at the city gate of Feiyan City, soldiers were inspecting those entering the city.

“What are you up to?”

A soldier, full of authority, shouted at a suspicious group approaching the gate—a peculiar combination of two grown men with a little girl. That was odd enough on its own, but the key issue was that while everyone else was lining up, they were walking brazenly ahead, skipping the line and not even bothering with bribery. And they expected to enter the city just like that?

Before the soldier could stride over, one of the young men in the group turned his head to glance at him. Instantly, the soldier heard the man’s voice: “Waiting in line is dull. Why don’t you go over there and dance to liven things up for everyone?”

Indeed, why not?

The soldier thought the man’s words made so much sense that he immediately dropped his spear, ran over to the queue of people, and started clapping, swaying his hips, and shouting:

“Everyone, look over here, look this way!”

“Travelers from afar, please wait; fiery love is on its way…”

The crowd in the queue stared in stunned silence, and chaos broke out at the city gate.

Using the resulting commotion, Lynch led Barton and Annie unhindered through the gate and into the city.

Lynch turned his head, surveying the surroundings.

It wasn’t bad—just a typical medieval town with narrow streets paved in uneven stone slabs. On either side stood low structures built from wood and stone, their roofs covered with thatch or tiles. The air carried a mix of smoke, manure, and the warm aroma of freshly baked bread.

But compared to other towns, it appeared more rundown and brutal. The peeling walls revealed dull bricks beneath, and a few desiccated corpses hung from the city walls—evidence of frequent turmoil.

“Let’s find a place to settle first,” Lynch said.

Retracting his gaze, he continued deeper into the city.

Before long, he reached a tavern that looked like it had a decent environment. Its outer walls seemed cleaner, and the sign hanging outside had been meticulously tidied. The name was appealing as well: Traveler’s House.

Alright, this will do.

With Annie and Barton in tow, Lynch entered.

“Welcome!”

The innkeeper, a middle-aged woman accompanied by a dwarf, quickly stepped forward to greet them as soon as she noticed Lynch’s arrival. “What can I do to serve you, dear guest?”

While speaking, she glanced at Annie, her eyes showing visible suspicion.

Even her soul exhibited noticeable changes.

Lynch initially thought she might interrogate them—it was a rather conspicuous trio, after all.

However, she didn’t. She merely gave Annie a quick once-over before withdrawing her gaze and enthusiastically continued, “This is the finest inn in Feiyan City. Here, you’ll enjoy the most attentive service.”

Lynch nodded. “A large room, preferably a suite, with a private washroom. Do you have that?”

“Of course.”

After a bit of negotiation, Lynch was settled into a room on the second floor, to the left—a suite with its own washroom. The innkeeper claimed it was the most soundproof room in the establishment. Regardless of whether a brawl broke out downstairs in the tavern or if things heated up next door at the brothel, he wouldn’t hear a thing. Comfortable and secure—a perfect choice.

After wandering for so long, he finally had a proper place to rest!

Stretching out on the bed, Lynch felt immensely relaxed.

“Go on, take a bath. Make sure you clean up properly,” he said after resting for a moment. Handing Annie a dress he had just purchased—a cute little frock for a young girl—he motioned her towards the washroom. At the moment, she was still wearing tattered rags, her body covered in grime.

“Yes, teacher,” Annie obediently replied, taking the dress and heading into the washroom. Shortly afterward, the sound of running water filled the air.

Lying on the bed, Lynch rested while also beginning to think.

Ever since discovering knowledge fragments in an Underground City, he had decided to operate in the region temporarily. His goal was to unearth those fragments to enrich his knowledge reserves, enabling him to ascend to Second Tier.

Only after obtaining a legal identity or finding a safe and appropriate route would he consider heading to the Land of Freedom; going now without preparation would be akin to outright ignoring the Supreme Council.

So, how should he go about excavating these knowledge fragments?

The billion-population metropolis of Acadia had been shifted underground, with all its knowledge scattered across countless souls. The Underground Cities and labyrinths below were nearly innumerable. Relying solely on his own efforts would lead to exhaustion with limited gains…

He needed manpower, an organization, perhaps even an entire Witch Domain—ideally one akin to the Ancient Ruins.

So, what should he do?

Back in the Ancient Ruins, Lynch would have been hard-pressed to think of solutions. That land’s hierarchy was completely fixed, its vested interest groups tightly intertwined—overturning them would require wiping them all out, rewriting rules from the Human World to the Wizard World itself.

But here, he saw a possibility.

The Jade Land had gained his attention even back in the Ancient Ruins, where he’d heard rumors of issues brewing there. Word had it that the Witch Master had died unexpectedly, leaving the wizard organizations leaderless and at odds with each other, resulting in chaos.

His prior understanding came from hearsay from wandering merchants, given the distance involved. However, having personally arrived, Lynch had gradually glimpsed some of the Jade Land’s current state over the past few days.

True, chaos brought disaster—mountains of corpses, seas of blood, hordes of bones.

Yet chaos also created opportunity. By shattering old, entrenched rules, it granted people from every social stratum a chance to rise.

“First and foremost, I need a base of operations.”

To Lynch, Feiyan City seemed promising. Its 300,000 population wasn’t huge, but proportionally, it could still yield anywhere from ten to several dozen Talents—enough to establish a small-scale Wizard Tower.

More crucially, it offered an abundant supply of mortals. Out of 300,000 residents, the proportion of physically able men aged 15–35 was at least 50,000. These 50,000 could translate to 50,000 Knights—cutting that down to a mere tenth through selection still meant a robust force of 5,000 Knights.

Indeed,

Having apprentices excavate ruins was an inefficient slog. Lynch’s plan revolved around leveraging mortals—essentially, producing Knights in bulk. While they wouldn’t rival wizards, their numbers would make up for it. Training wouldn’t rely too heavily on innate talent; with proper methods, most could meet the criteria.

Of course, there were still many challenges to address—like who would handle societal production after withdrawing so much manpower? Where would resources to train 50,000 Knights come from? And how could such large-scale population mobilization be carried out?

“I’ll also need some talent,” Lynch murmured to himself, stroking his chin as he pondered.

Controlling a Witch Domain wasn’t a one-man job. He’d need someone to manage the Wizard Tower, others to tend the resource fields and mine Magic Stones, and still more to administer human settlements. He couldn’t do it all alone.

“Better go out and gather some intelligence first.”

Summoning Frankenstein to guard Annie at the inn, Lynch left with Barton. He needed more information regarding this unfamiliar land—reliable intel to formulate his plans.

…

Meanwhile, shortly after Lynch entered his room…

The innkeeper stealthily loitered in front of Lynch’s room before muttering quietly:

“Silver-gray hair, accompanied by a strange-looking servant… it’s them!”

She immediately reached under her skirt and yanked out the dwarf lurking beneath it, snapping, “Bardo, you idiot! Stop scratching my feet. Go! Head to the Commerce and notify the boss—the person they’re looking for might be here.”

Traveler’s House Inn.

The largest inn in Feiyan City, connected to the Dark Tide Commerce.

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