Chapter 59: Aestry’s Information
Lynn listened to the beaked apprentice's words, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.
The Lord of the Furnace personally arriving at Emerald Island's Great Forest to rescue his student was understandable.
However, what puzzled him was that with the Lord of the Furnace's power, he should have been able to sweep through all the extraordinary forces of the Great Forest effortlessly. Yet, in reality, the battle had reached a stalemate.
In the world of wizards, the difference in rank was as vast as the heavens and the earth. Every three levels marked a qualitative leap.
The gap between a Third-Level wizard apprentice and a full-fledged wizard was like that between mud and the clouds.
It was no exaggeration to say that a full-fledged wizard could instantly kill the strongest Third-Level apprentice.
And the gap between a Third-Level full-fledged wizard and a Level 4 Morning Star wizard was even greater, akin to an insurmountable chasm. Even if ten Third-Level wizards joined forces, they would struggle to contend against a single Level 4 Morning Star wizard.
Thus, with the Lord of the Furnace personally taking action, he should have been able to crush all opposition effortlessly.
Yet, the current stalemate was highly unusual.
"Could it be because of Aestry?" Lynn muttered under his breath.
He had now learned the true name of the Lord of the Furnace's student, the Black Dragon Witch Aestry.
If the enemies in the Great Forest had control over Aestry, forcing the Lord of the Furnace to act cautiously, that might explain the deadlock.
"Oh? Seems like you know quite a bit..."
The beaked apprentice was slightly surprised to hear Lynn mention Aestry, responding casually.
He was unaware that Lynn had personally witnessed the battle and even seen Aestry fall into the depths of the Emerald Island's Great Forest.
"It is indeed because of her..."
The beaked apprentice started speaking but then suddenly fell silent. He leaned back onto the sofa, looking relaxed.
Lynn was engrossed in listening when the sudden pause left him irritated.
"What a miser… Charging a bottle of potion for every answer, every word costing a fortune…"
Lynn cursed inwardly but knew that this beaked apprentice never spoke without benefit.
To learn more about Aestry, he would have to pay another "consultation fee."
With no choice, Lynn took out another bottle of potion and casually tossed it over.
This beaked apprentice had an unusual method of payment he didn't take points or magic stones, only a rare potion called "Aether's Mark."
This was a highly obscure hallucinogenic potion. It was said that even wizard apprentices with strong spiritual power would fall into an illusory dreamscape after consuming it, dreaming of the fabled celestial realm.
Rare potions were always expensive, and sometimes even high prices couldn't guarantee their availability.
Fortunately, Lynn was a potion master. After purchasing the recipe, he was able to craft it himself.
The owl swallowed the potion in one gulp, and the beaked apprentice finally continued speaking:
"The Furnace is encountering a mysterious and formidable resistance while trying to rescue Aestry. Their opponents are somehow able to withstand the Furnace's assault, causing the battle to reach a standstill…"
He paused before adding a crucial detail: "If it weren't for Aestry, the great one would have already annihilated the entire Emerald Island Great Forest."
Lynn immediately understood that more payment was needed for further information.
Helpless, he threw over another bottle of "Aether's Mark," which the owl swallowed again.
The beaked apprentice then continued:
"Aestry's identity is far from ordinary. She carries noble blood, being born into the royal family of the Eluria Kingdom. To be precise, she is the current king's biological daughter…"
Lynn's gaze sharpened, suddenly realizing the implications.
No wonder people jokingly called her 'the little princess of the Furnace' she was, in fact, a real princess.
"Heh, but to the great one, a kingdom's princess wouldn't be enough for him to value her so much. Even if the king himself died, it wouldn't matter to him…"
Lynn was already accustomed to this miserly apprentice speaking in half-truths, so he once again handed over another bottle of potion.
The other party smiled slightly and revealed yet another piece of shocking information:
"Rumor has it that Aestry is not the king's bloodline, but rather the daughter of the great one himself and the bewitching queen. She carries the blood of a mighty wizard, which is why she is so favored…"
Hearing this, Lynn's pupils contracted.
Aestry was the daughter of a Level 4 Morning Star wizard?!
If this rumor was true, then her extraordinary talent was likely inherited from the Lord of the Furnace himself.
No wonder the Lord of the Furnace would personally travel to the Emerald Island Great Forest, willing to go to any lengths to rescue her.
Everything suddenly made a lot more sense.
The stronger a being was, the harder it was to leave behind descendants especially ones with exceptional talent.
Perhaps this was one of the reasons why the Lord of the Furnace had yet to wipe out the Great Forest's resistance.
But the beaked apprentice had only said it was a rumor, so Lynn remained skeptical.
After extracting a few more scattered pieces of intelligence from him, Lynn ran out of potions and decided to leave.
As Lynn got up, the beaked apprentice showed an unexpected bit of "kindness," offering an additional piece of advice:
"Friend, since you look familiar, I'll give you a free tip you might have been scammed. I suggest you blacklist the potion seller or alchemist you've been buying from. He's probably cutting corners, so don't buy from him again."
If just one bottle of potion was subpar, the beaked apprentice might have let it slide after all, even wizards made mistakes. But for every bottle to be subpar? That was an issue with the potion maker…
Hearing this, Lynn sneered and replied, "Heh, thanks a lot."
Then, without looking back, he left and immediately blacklisted the beaked apprentice. That guy was too wicked he had insulted Lynn right to his face!
"What's wrong with my potions? They're just a little weaker than usual, but they still work! As long as they work, what's the problem? It's not like I'm drinking them myself…"
Lynn didn't take it to heart, suppressing his annoyance.
After leaving, he lingered at the banquet for a while, checking the prices of extraordinary knowledge.
However, after a glance, he came to one conclusion: he couldn't afford it.
Extraordinary knowledge here was exorbitantly priced, but it had one advantage once purchased, it could be freely shared.
In contrast, knowledge sold within the Furnace was somewhat cheaper but could only be learned once. Buyers also had to sign strict confidentiality contracts.
Any leak would result in a contractual punishment.
Lynn looked at his wallet, sighed in resignation, and decided to settle for the one-time learning option from the Furnace.
At least today hadn't been a wasted trip he had learned about the Furnace's current situation.
The Furnace's siege of the Emerald Island Great Forest was at a stalemate, but the Furnace still held the advantage, and the battle might continue for some time.
This meant that Lynn could continue developing within the Furnace. However, he remained cautious, filling two spatial artifacts with escape essentials.
After all, he had experienced this before when he entered the Nightshadow Fortress, the Black Dragon Witch had been dominant.
But by the time he left, the Furnace army had been crushed, and he had been forced to flee.
Lynn hoped the Furnace could hold out at least until he became a full-fledged wizard and had time to grow stronger.
"Hopefully, the great Lord of the Furnace won't end up as his daughter or student defeated…"
With that thought, Lynn hurried back to his quarters in the alchemy garden to rest. He had another full day of potion-making ahead of him.
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