The Low-key Evil Wizard BOSS-Chapter 48 - 44: Transcendent Gathering

’A decent reflection!’

Zorn, standing in the shade of a tree, watched the steam car carrying Madam Mable away and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

’Just a bit impolite, staring at me like that.’

’Clearly, this is a reflection that has yet to suffer a beating from Extraordinary Power.’

’Once it’s been scorched by the terrifying gaze of an Evil Spirit, it should learn how to be polite and humble. Oh, and courteous!’

’According to the original timeline, terrifying legends about Evil Spirits should have started spreading throughout Ogrande City by now.’

’Transcendent beings would have also begun to fear them.’

’Currently, although there are many Evil Spirits in Ogrande City, the timeline... seems to have changed somehow.’

Zorn took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, unable to resist rubbing his brow again.

’Without a certain someone to use the Evil Spirits’ power to unleash a Catastrophe and raise the curtain, all the other Evil Spirits seem to be keeping an unusually low profile.’

’Just a little more time...’

Zorn murmured to himself.

’Unleashing the terrifying power of the Evil Spirits on stage right now would be suicide.’

’I need to wait until I can hide my true identity, until I can avoid being spied on by those hidden existences.’

’Then, it will be time to make Ogrande City remember the fear of being dominated by Evil Spirits!’

’That moment... is coming soon.’

Lost in thought, Zorn toyed with the Golden Card in his hand.

Information about the Clover Club surfaced in his mind.

’That’s... where the high-stakes game begins.’

’I’m not qualified to go to the Clover Club yet. At the very least, I’ll barely have the right to go discreetly after I’ve dealt with the Rat Plague and stirred up more of the Black Mist.’

’After all... Duke Mu Huo is also a member of that club.’

As he mused, Zorn’s gaze swept past the horse-drawn carriages that occasionally crossed Geluo Long Street, landing on a patch of grass on the other side.

That was Zorn’s entrance to the sewers.

Zorn would have annihilated the rat swarms even if Madam Mable hadn’t mentioned it.

He couldn’t afford to miss out on the flesh and blood of an Evil Spirit Knight.

It was the key to an Evil Spirit Calamity.

However, the Evil God Organization known as the Forbidden Bloodline had tapped into the Forbidden Blood of the Double-Ringed Snake.

The Catastrophe Power was transforming the underground passages.

Once it stabilized, the area would become a Border Region between the Dark Realm and the real world.

Although Zorn had reached Level Two, he still needed to prepare thoroughly.

Moreover, he had to wait for the Catastrophe Power below to become more stable before he could go down and reap greater rewards.

When confronting a Catastrophe, timing is crucial.

...

「The next morning.」

After breakfast, Zorn took a carriage to the border between the Fog Zone and the Bay Area.

He paid the 24-Copper-Coin fare, got out, and scanned his surroundings.

Carrying a gray monster suitcase, Zorn entered a secluded, shadowy alley.

A few minutes later, Zorn had completely changed his appearance.

He was slightly taller, with broader shoulders.

He wore a dark brown trench coat and a wide-brimmed, brown woven hat that covered most of his face.

His features had also transformed from those of a callow sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy to those of a cold and languid young man of twenty-three or twenty-four.

It was an Extraordinary Artifact for changing one’s appearance: the Witch’s Mask.

This was an unexpected gift Zorn had received from Bishop Teresa.

The last time Zorn had gone to the Monastery to purchase some necessary ritual materials, he had requested to buy a Witch’s Mask.

For Witches, crafting a Witch’s Mask was not difficult.

Moreover, a Witch’s Mask wasn’t too expensive, costing between 50 and 80 gold pounds.

So, Bishop Teresa had gifted one to Zorn.

By using the Witch’s Mask to change his appearance and his Gang Qi to alter his voice, he could conceal his true identity almost perfectly.

’A gathering of Transcendents has too many people and prying eyes; it’s best to be cautious.’

Following the dark and silent narrow alley, Zorn soon found his destination.

He silently pushed open an iron door.

"Good afternoon, sir!"

A well-dressed man in his early forties, standing guard behind the door, greeted Zorn in a steady tone.

Zorn gave a slight nod.

The middle-aged man opened a staircase for Zorn that descended at an angle.

Throughout the process, he only glanced at Zorn’s suitcase, making no other superfluous movements.

’Quite professional,’ Zorn thought.

After passing through the darkness-shrouded corridor, the view suddenly opened up before him.

It was a relatively spacious area resembling a castle’s basement.

Gas lamps on the arched pillars kept the underground area fairly bright.

At this time, the wide basement area was lined on both sides with numerous stalls laid out on the ground.

Lanterns cast an orange-yellow glow, weighing down stall cloths made of canvas or thick blankets.

On these deceptively simple stalls, the goods for sale were anything but cheap.

A single random item could cost an ordinary resident of Ogrande City a whole month’s salary.

And that was to say nothing of the more expensive wares.

Ritual materials, Alchemy Potions, special artifacts, Extraordinary Weapons, and so on.

Most of the people here were like Zorn.

They concealed their faces with masks or, in some cases, Extraordinary Magic.

While hiding their identities, they all carried "monster suitcases" of various sizes.

Compared to a regular suitcase, a "monster suitcase" had five to six times the capacity.

Properly disguised, it looked no different from an ordinary one.

After a moment’s thought, Zorn began to look for the stall owners he needed.

At these gatherings of Transcendents, some came to exchange information and others to seek help, but most were there to trade resources.

Among them were many Craftsmanship Masters who could forge a variety of special artifacts.

Soon, Zorn found his target.

Four relatively exquisite Lanterns weighed down the four corners of a white canvas sheet.

The stall primarily featured various small gadgets and equipment.

For example, there were items with special uses like eyeball hats, custom-made timepieces, and weaponized canes.

Behind the stall was a woman wearing an orange-yellow blouse and a pair of brownish-gray summer trousers.

She wore a lady’s veiled hat, and one could faintly make out that she had a fair complexion, though no further details were visible.

However, Zorn could roughly guess her identity.

This young woman from a remote craftsman’s town, named Lydia Daniel, had a certain probability of becoming a Legendary Artisan in the future.

At this point in time, Ogrande City was home to quite a few important figures of the future.

"Do you take commissions for custom equipment?"

Zorn asked after pausing for a moment.

"Ah!"

She was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting such a request from the young man.

"May I ask what kind of custom artifact it is?" she asked tentatively, clearly not wanting to lose this opportunity.

It seemed the Transcendents of Ogrande City weren’t particularly fond of the artifacts she made, and as a result, her income hadn’t improved for a long time.

"An Invisibility Cloak with a Spiritual Ratman Crystal Core from an Invisibility Night Ratman as its core component."

"I have materials for three Spiritual Ratman Crystal Cores. If possible, I’d also like to incorporate a Spiritual Rat King Crystal Core into it." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"If you can do it, the payment will be higher."

"No problem!"

After a moment’s thought, Lydia replied with certainty. She needed this commission to increase her earnings.

Otherwise, her landlord would be kicking her out next month.

"Additionally, I need a Spiritual Statue forged, also using three Spiritual Ratman Crystal Cores. That shouldn’t be too difficult for you."

Compared to the Invisibility Cloak, the latter was much less difficult to make.

Lydia had no reason to refuse.

Once she completed this Extraordinary Artifact, she wouldn’t have to worry about rent or daily expenses for some time.

After settling on a time and place for the exchange, Zorn handed the materials to the Level Two Craftsmanship Master.

Zorn wasn’t worried that Lydia Daniel, the woman from the craftsman’s town, would run off with his materials.

For one, the female Craftsmanship Master had excellent character.

Secondly, he knew everything there was to know about this Craftsmanship Master.

After handing over the items, Zorn breathed a small sigh of relief.

The Invisibility Cloak would help him move about more freely.

As for the Spiritual Statue made by the Craftsmanship Master, it could replace the simple one Zorn had constructed, allowing the power of his Authority to function more effectively.

After waiting in the underground area for about half an hour, the crowd began to move toward the far end of the basement.

This area was just a temporary trading zone.

The far end of the basement... that was the true gathering place for Transcendents.