Annan narrowed his eyes slightly, with a clear understanding in his heart.
He was well aware that since arriving in this world, he had hardly offended anyone.
If this were retaliation, it could only come from one person.
From Viscount Alvin Barber of Roth Fort.
Although Annan didn't know what his true objective was... from the very beginning, he had shown obvious hostility towards Frostwater Harbor.
When he first sent those men disguised as robbers to plunder, Tan Juan Geraint had no intention of coming here yet.
In other words, the old viscount's hostility wasn't directed at Tan Juan himself.
Roth Fort was theoretically also part of the Northern Sea's domain. This place was also under Earl Geraint's jurisdiction... and he himself was a vassal to Tan Juan's father.
Setting aside what he intended to do.
"...As a vassal, yet daring to set fire to his own lord's ships—"
Annan issued a cold and imposing reprimand, his face frosty, "I'm curious, where did he get such courage? Who gave him such confidence?"
This matter was something that Annan would—
...certainly enjoy witnessing.
The moment that old fool ordered the burning of the ship, all previous evidence was destroyed. Everything that had been left on the ship, all the people who had come aboard, and all traces of the struggle, had vanished without a trace.
The entire ship was burnt clean.
It meant that they could no longer find any evidence that Annan wasn't Tan Juan Geraint.
Of course, Annan had to put on a very angry facade. Because he needed to express a certain attitude... and it was just that, an attitude.
With his status, no one would expect him to go there and handle it directly.
The only potential exposure was Tan Juan's body. The body should still be near the ship... after three or four days, the body might still be recognizable.
As for John's body, that was something Annan had intentionally left on the ship to mislead others—or rather, to provide clues to others.
After all, he died due to the ritual "Tongue in the Mirror" initiated by the chief guard. Annan believed that the Church should at least be able to detect traces of such ritual crimes... otherwise, they would certainly be under strict supervision.
"Is there anyone that died near there?"
Hence, after giving it some thought, Annan inquired of Salvatore, "Or to put it another way, are there any bodies on the ship?"
"Don't know, not sure, can't see clearly."
Salvatore shook his head, poured himself a glass of water, and then drank it in one gulp.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and explain, "Because what was burned wasn't just the ship. Even the water around the ship was on fire..."
"The water was on fire?"
"Yes, it's a special type of fuel. It's a liquid fuel transformed from the gas stored in the swamps by the transforming wizards from our Heath Tower of Black. There's a stable version for civilian supply that we call Green Fire; but what sells more is a type of fire oil barrel used for defending the city... It has stronger adhesion and is known as Black Fire."
Salvatore sat down across from Annan, glanced down to see what book he was reading, drank another glass of water thud thud thud, and then said through clenched teeth, "I took some samples... it was scorching hot. That idiot will pay the price! Once I analyze this, I will know which damned fool sold them this stuff."
"...You seem very angry, senior."
Annan watched Salvatore, with the corners of his mouth turning up slightly in a pleasant smile.
He raised an eyebrow, returned to his calm expression and said in a cool voice, "Were you burned?"
"I'm not so weak that I'd get burned by something like that."
Salvatore said grumpily, "Tan Juan, perhaps your father never told you about these things... Black fire is a strategic material and is not allowed to be sold in non-wartime, much less trafficked. After all, its destructive power is too great. It can only be sold to the marshals on the wartime border, and any unused portion must be recovered after the war because ordinary people don't have the facilities to store this substance."
"At room temperature, black fire will explode upon a violent impact or if it comes into contact with an open flame after a leak. Once ignited, black fire will create an extremely difficult-to-extinguish blaze around it for tens of meters... Just a touch of it can burn a person alive. Other strategic materials stored with it would naturally be burned up as well."
"So, no matter who was previously on your ship or what was stored on board... everything is gone now. It's only just now that I've extinguished all that black fire."
The young mayor was extremely tired, and his dark circles were more pronounced than ever.
He slammed the table irritably, "Damn it, there's no end to this! The forest is just nearby; did they want to start a massive forest fire?!"
"...Such a fierce fire."
Annan frowned slightly, then relaxed his expression, "Fortunately, I didn't leave anyone on the ship. I've dispatched my guards."
He expressed his heartfelt thanks.
The reason he mentioned those non-existent guards was that Annan intended to provide the players with a legitimate identity—since he wasn't sure how the players would appear, he dared not confirm this directly to Salvatore.
After all, he would find out in a few hours... There's no need to rush.
"...If you've already eaten dinner, perhaps you should go to sleep now."
Annan, seeing the bloodshot eyes of Salvatore, couldn't help but advise, "You look like you're about to pass out."
"I can't go to sleep so early; if I pass out, it's all over."
Salvatore sighed, "Don't look at me like that... It's not that I want to stay up late; it's because of my Curse Binding. It's better if you don't ask."
Annan shrugged and said no more.
"It's been so annoying lately..."
Salvatore scratched his exceptionally soft hair and lay down on the table, worn out, murmuring, "I'm so sleepy...
"Hey, Tan Juan. Have you chosen your spells yet? I might have to leave soon."
Annan answered calmly and coolly, "But I don't need your help anymore—I've learned them. I'm just waiting for you to help me advance."
His current wizard apprentice occupation was now as follows:
Wizard Apprentice LV10 (Eligible for advancement): [Instant Spells LV2 (Cold Touch, Lazy Eye)], [Guided Spells LV2 (Wall of Stagnation, Frost Nova)]
He had just enough experience to elevate his wizard apprentice occupation to level ten. This was the highest level for a wizard apprentice before advancement.
His spell slots could accommodate four spells in total. Two instant spells and two guided spells.
To put it simply, the difference lay between those that could be switched on and off at will, and those that required guiding to release—
[Lazy Eye (Instant): Curse your own eyes, allowing them to infect the minds of others through eye contact. Anyone who makes eye contact will immediately feel a sense of laziness, and their limbs will become weak. The effect increases when used on the tired. Consumes 1 Power of Order every 2s (depends on the total level of the wizard occupation/5)]
[Wall of Stagnation (Guided): Depressurizes a specified area of air, causing any object passing through to lose its original speed instantly. The effect dramatically increases when used on inanimate objects. The larger the area, the greater the consumption of Power of Order, but at a minimum of 1 per second]
[Frost Nova (Guided): Rapidly decreases the temperature of a specified medium (air/water/earth) within thirty meters, and can instantly transmit a curse akin to the instant spell "Cold Touch". The effects of the curse increase at the edges. Consumes 8 Power of Order every two waves of nova (depends on the total level of wizard occupation/5), can be continuously cast]
Annan chose the most broadly applicable spells from the Crippling School, which could complement each other, as he didn't know if he could respec his points.
His combat ability was finally taking shape—