The scene shifted to an earlier time, in another region of the Lingyuan Plane.At the edge of a vast marshland, Bert Villa Ashford led a small squad through the thick mud, struggling to make their way across the treacherous terrain.Aside from Ashford herself, the squad consisted of two equally talented apprentices from Skyrim Academy No. 13. She had personally selected both of them, and each possessed exceptional talent in their respective fields.A few years earlier, Ashford's squad would never have been so small. However, during her years of dedicated study, Horn had poached most of her followers, leaving only these two behind. They had remained partly because they also belonged to the Ashford Family.By now, Ashford no longer cared much about the loss.After arriving in the Lingyuan Plane, she had secretly gathered intelligence and successfully advanced to become a First Level Wizard while making her way toward the camp.Unlike Rayn's squad, Ashford had quickly established herself

Every collision sent a Second Level Creature coughing up blood, their defenses crumbling under the relentless impacts.As her control over Electromagnetic Control became more refined, Ashford discovered that she could heat the metallic sand through electromagnetic induction until it melted into molten metal. She could then manipulate the scorching liquid metal as easily as the solid particles, using it for both offense and defense as though it were a living creature responding to her commands.The battle became a completely one-sided massacre.Faced with Ashford's overwhelming assault, the ambushers quickly began to lose their composure. Their carefully prepared trap had turned against them, and the longer they fought, the more desperate their situation became.However, Ashford had no intention of allowing any of them to escape.Whenever an enemy attempted to flee, she condensed the metallic sand or molten metal into high-density projectiles and launched them through electromagnetic p

As Rayn stepped through the gates of Golden Harbor, a wave of noise instantly engulfed him.Massive stone buildings intertwined with wooden piers, stretching in an endless line towards the coastline.The sea breeze was filled with a mixture of saltiness, fishiness, and the rich aroma of spices, saturating every corner.From afar, rough songs and chatter spilled out from the taverns, rising and falling.The door to the Magic Guild glimmered with Arcane Runes, mysterious and enticing, while the towering Divine Hall of the Gods gave off a holy radiance, starkly contrasting with the worldly clamor.Rayn walked silently down the street, observing the surrounding crowd.The bustling stream of people on the street was a mix of fish and dragons, displaying all kinds of colors and personalities.Luxuriously dressed human noble merchants, graceful and sharp-eyed, brushed past rugged pirates with scimitars at their waists and fierce, bloodthirsty glances on their faces.Loud Dwarf traders hawked

After settling in Golden Harbor, Rayn quickly adapted to life in the city. Although the streets were noisy and constantly filled with activity, the place gave him a long-lost sense of freedom. He rented a simple room where he could rest and carry out his private activities. During the day, he wandered through the streets under the guise of "Jack," while at night, he returned to his room to quietly study the intelligence he had gathered and continue his training.After dealing with Carl, Rayn was somewhat surprised that the man did not continue causing trouble. Perhaps he had genuinely been frightened by Rayn's tactics and decided it was better to leave him alone. Whatever the reason, Carl had not made another move against him.Rayn did not pay much attention to the matter. According to Jack's memories, there were only "merely" five "legends" residing throughout Golden Harbor. As long as nothing happened, "Mr. Jack, the Low-Rank Adventurer," naturally had no reason to stir up trouble.

After settling down in Golden Harbor, Rayn began planning his next moves. Without the restrictions imposed by contribution points, he had more freedom to pursue his own objectives. After making a few quick calculations, he identified two main goals that he needed to accomplish.The first was to collect certain special materials that were extremely rare and unsuitable for collection in the Wizard World, especially in pure "Wizard Cultivation Dishes" like Nolun Workshop. The second was to investigate the Divine Power Faith Network of the Lingyuan Plane. This network was an exceptionally valuable research subject for any wizard and potentially the most precious thing in the entire plane.To make his research and secret experiments more convenient, Rayn decided to acquire a suitable residence in Golden Harbor. Through an agent, he quickly identified a target: a luxurious villa on the outskirts of the city that belonged to a minor noble who was planning to flee."Lord Jack, you truly have