Chapter 12

The necromancer was defeated, and Sun Ran successfully leveled up, which made him very happy.

He shook the ice shards off his right hand, which had been numbed from casting frost runes. It would probably take half a day for the sensation to return.

Approaching the necromancer’s corpse, Sun Ran first picked up the ebony staff that had dropped.

A staff is an extension of a mage’s hand, capable of casting spells without the need for hands, and is an essential tool for high-level mages.

Since the owner was dead, the necromantic orb at the top of the ebony staff had dissipated, leaving it dull and lifeless.

Sun Ran took the staff, and a white light appeared in his hand. Frost data flowed along the staff’s patterns to the top, quickly forming a frost ball that emitted a white cold mist.

From now on, he could use this frost ball to cast spells up to level two without harming his body.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have any legal level two spells, so he couldn’t fully utilize the staff’s power.

Although he knew level two spells, even legendary and mythic level spells, those were not something he could openly use.

Never mind, to live in the Sky Peak Zone in the future, he would have to endure for now.

He tried casting an Ice Spike spell, checked the effect, and then pursed his lips. This staff had no additional abilities; it was just a basic level two staff.

The alchemy level of this staff was truly disappointing.

Sun Ran put the staff away and searched the necromancer’s corpse, but was disappointed. The mage was poor, and apart from a blood-stained black robe, there was nothing left for Sun Ran.

Looking up at the sky, it was already late. Sun Ran didn’t delay and continued his journey to White Cloud City.

White Cloud City had a population of about 30,000, which was not small in the Dragon World.

Although it had recently been attacked by a dragon, causing multiple fires, fortunately, with Shur’s protection, the casualties were not high, just over a hundred.

More fortunately, the dragon was slain by the Baron, giving the residents of White Cloud City a great sense of security.

So in less than half a day, White Cloud City had calmed down from the chaos and returned to its usual bustling state.

By evening, Sun Ran arrived at White Cloud City.

At the city gate, he saw a bloody dragon head hanging from the gate with thick iron chains. The dragon head still looked fierce, making a very impressive display.

Sun Ran looked up and saw that the dragon’s head had a smooth, clean cut, showing that it had been severed by a powerful force.

"Pretty good strength," Sun Ran smiled.

At the gate, he was stopped by the guards and required to pay an entry tax, which would be used to help White Cloud City recover faster.

It was a form of exploitation.

Since he didn’t have any money, Sun Ran had to hand over a rabbit from his waist to pay the entry tax and was then allowed to enter the city.

As soon as he entered, he heard many stories about Baron Charles slaying the dragon, all filled with praise and admiration.

Sun Ran had been worried about finding Charles, but now it would be much easier.

He asked a passerby for directions and got the address of the Baron’s mansion. He then offered a mountain chicken as a reward, and the passerby became his guide, leading him to the Baron’s mansion.

The guide sighed while walking, "The Baron’s mansion was also destroyed by the dragon. Although the Baron avenged the dragon, he hasn’t shown up yet, and even the mayor can’t find him. I hope nothing has happened to him."

Sun Ran understood. Charles must know that the dragon attack was not a coincidence, and after slaying the dragon, he naturally went into hiding.

As for where he was hiding, it was unknown, but he wouldn’t have left White Cloud City.

The guide led Sun Ran to the ruins of the Baron’s mansion and happily left with the mountain chicken.

Sun Ran stood before the broken wood and debris, looking around carefully, trying to find some clues.

Charles knew that help would come to find him. Now that he was in hiding, he might have left some hints.

"Don’t bother looking. It’s been burned clean, with no clues left," a woman’s voice said.

Sun Ran followed the voice and saw a woman in a plain gray dress looking at him from another direction of the Baron’s mansion.

The woman was around 24 or 25 years old, with above-average looks. Her figure was hidden by the dress, but her legs were very long. Her most striking feature was her eyes, which exuded a sharp intelligence.

Sun Ran glanced at her, narrowed his eyes to hide a faint golden light, and then looked away, glancing at a secluded corner nearby before quickly turning back.

He had quietly used a Daoist spell, "Fire Eye Golden Vision," a level one auxiliary spell that could see through illusions.

There was someone in the corner, but they were using an invisibility spell to hide.

"My name is Russell. What’s yours?" Sun Ran asked, not planning to expose her. Russell was his name in this world.

"Jasmine. I’m also a guard," the woman introduced herself.

Sun Ran searched the ruins again, confirming there were no clues, and then smiled, "We’ve both traveled a long way and must be tired. Why don’t we find a place to rest?"

"Sure," Jasmine nodded, but instead of walking towards Sun Ran, she went to the corner he had looked at earlier. After a pause, she walked towards Sun Ran.

"Sorry, that was just an illusion," Jasmine apologized, her real body having used an invisibility spell to hide in the corner. The illusion had walked over and merged with her real body, canceling the illusion without anyone noticing.

Her illusion was quite clever, and Sun Ran appreciated it, "Being cautious is a virtue."

They walked together to a nearby tavern. Along the way, Sun Ran stopped people to ask about Baron Charles’s whereabouts, even asking several guards, though he received no useful information. He didn’t mind, though.

Jasmine was puzzled, "You won’t get an answer. Charles is a Bronze Ordainer; if he’s hiding, they won’t know."

Sun Ran smiled, "I know. But we’re in the open, and Charles is in hiding. He might be waiting for us. By asking around, I’m letting him know we’re here."

"Oh, probing the way," Jasmine understood but then frowned, "But this also tells our enemies where we are."

No one could guarantee that there weren’t assassins sent by the Destroyers in White Cloud City.

"Even if we hide, our enemies will find us," Sun Ran smiled.

At that moment, the sky over White Cloud City was filled with dark clouds, and divine punishment was hidden. Here, attacks like the dragon’s were impossible, and the city had many guards maintaining order. The enemy could only attempt a secret assassination.

Such assassinations could be handled carefully, with little danger.

When they reached the tavern, Sun Ran felt his pockets and said awkwardly, "I don’t have any money."

He still had a few hunted animals, but no money. The player he had possessed was a hunter, and hunters naturally wouldn’t carry money when hunting.

Jasmine smiled, "Don’t worry, I have it."

She pulled out a bulging money bag, which she had taken from a bandit’s hideout, filled with gold coins.

Inside the tavern, Sun Ran ordered some drinks and handed the rabbits and mountain chicken to the tavern owner.

"Please prepare them. The rabbit’s fur and the mountain chicken’s tail feathers are yours as a processing fee. We’ll eat the meat later," Sun Ran said.

"Sure," the owner agreed, as it was common for guests to bring their own game.

After Jasmine paid for the drinks, they found a seat.

Before drinking, Jasmine’s fingertips glowed with a faint blue light, which she flicked into the drink. Seeing no abnormal reaction, she handed the drink to Sun Ran.

"I used ‘Detect Poison.’ The drink is safe, don’t worry," she said.

"Thanks."

"Detect Poison" is a level zero auxiliary spell that can detect existing poisons but has obvious flaws and can be easily avoided.

They drank and waited patiently.

"How long do we have to wait here?" Jasmine asked after a while.

The noisy environment of the tavern made her uneasy. Besides illusions, she had no offensive skills, and if someone attacked, she would be in trouble.

"Until Charles finds us," Sun Ran was very calm.

"Are you sure he’ll come? The longer we wait, the more dangerous it gets. Assassins will find us soon," Jasmine was worried.

Sun Ran gently shook his drink and said softly, "The assassins are already here, just waiting for the right moment to strike."

A qualified Destroyer needed extremely sharp observation skills, which Sun Ran possessed. He had already noticed the assassin’s presence but hadn’t said anything.

"What? Where? Where is he?" Jasmine’s voice was low, her tone panicked, her eyes darting around, and her body instinctively began to transform to hide.

But her transformation was interrupted by Sun Ran’s hand on her shoulder, "Don’t worry, little girl. Everything will be fine."

In this short time, Sun Ran had roughly assessed Jasmine’s capabilities. She was clever and quick to react, but lacked experience. Her real age was probably not much older than the body he possessed.

"Sir, Madam, your food."

A tavern waitress approached with a tray. One plate had fragrant rabbit meat, and the other had a plump mountain chicken with a golden-brown crust.

The waitress was very attractive, and Sun Ran looked at her, then at the food, and paused before extending his hand to Jasmine, "Give me a gold coin."

"What for?" Jasmine was puzzled but complied.

Sun Ran took the gold coin and suddenly slapped the waitress’s firm buttocks hard, then threw the coin to her before she could get angry, "Your tip."

The waitress immediately turned from angry to pleased, gave Sun Ran a flirtatious look, and walked away.

Jasmine was unhappy, "You used my money to flirt with a woman. I’ll make you pay it back!"

"I’ll save your life," Sun Ran smiled.

"What do you mean?" Jasmine’s attention was diverted.

"Can you use your spell to detect the rabbit and chicken?" Sun Ran smiled.

Jasmine did as he asked and used her spell, then said in confusion, "There’s no poison."

If there was poison, her spell would show green light, with stronger poison causing a more intense green glow.

"Mix them and test again."

Jasmine rubbed the rabbit meat on the chicken and used her spell again. The area where they touched immediately showed a strong green glow, indicating a highly toxic substance.

"..." Jasmine’s eyes widened in shock, "How did you know?"

In fact, Sun Ran had seen it with "Fire Eye Golden Vision," but he didn’t explain. He took out a paper packet, opened it, and poured the gray powder into the drinks, stirring them.

"This is the antidote, taken from the waitress. Drink this, and then eat the food, and you’ll be fine."

After saying this, he drank some himself and tore off a chicken leg, eating it with relish.

Seeing him eat so happily and remain unharmed, Jasmine finally felt reassured. She took a sip of the drink and began to enjoy the food.

After all, this was a game, and if Sun Ran harmed her, she could complain about him when she left the game.

After finishing the food, neither of them showed any signs of poisoning, and the attractive waitress had already disappeared.

This was enough to prove Sun Ran’s words.

Jasmine asked curiously, "How did you know the waitress was an assassin?"

"Guess," Sun Ran smiled mysteriously.

"Fine, smart guy!" Jasmine said in a huff.

At that moment, the back door of the tavern opened, and a man in a gray cloak, dressed like a Jedi, walked in.

He scanned the room and, seeing Sun Ran and Jasmine in the corner, walked straight over.

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