The Most Arbitrary Wizard

’No, it’s because people are on patrol!’

’Several families are involved in this commission, and each has a Grand Mage stationed there. If I were on my own, it’d be one thing—I could operate in secret. But if I want to take the statue? Not a chance. I wouldn’t make it three blocks before being discovered.’

’By my calculations, the Florist Family should be the ones guarding the restricted zone right now. As an Imperial Viscount, that old coot Robes is not someone to be trifled with. In a few months, it’ll switch to another family...’

’And they’ll be even harder to deal with.’

’The Viscount is just the lowest-ranking title among those families.’

Lauden couldn’t help but get annoyed. "I feel like you’re messing with me."

’If that statue could be brought back, someone would have done it ages ago. Why would it be my turn?’

Sean said unhurriedly, "And what if I told you the Florist Family has been completely wiped out?"

Lauden: "Huh?"

’Wiped out??’

"Impossible." Lauden thought he must have misheard. "Do you have any idea what it means to wipe out a Viscount Family?"

"Although a Viscount Family isn’t quite considered one of the High Nobles and doesn’t possess hereditary rights, they still control one to three cities. To annihilate a Viscount Family is tantamount to forcibly seizing those cities. In this peaceful era ’without’ Heretics, that’s a massive affair. The Church Court would never allow something like that to happen."

"Besides, when Grand Mages fight, the commotion is usually immense. It’s not unheard of for an entire city to be wiped out. It’s impossible for Blake City not to have heard a single whisper about it."

"Is it possible the news was suppressed?" Sean asked.

Lauden scoffed. "Who has that kind of power? To eliminate a Viscount Family without anyone noticing, and then manage to suppress the news?"

"The Blazing Angels," Sean answered.

Lauden: "Even the Blazing Angels..."

Huh?

’Wait, the Blazing Angel Family??’

Lauden sucked in a sharp breath. ’If it was them, then it really is possible.’

The Blazing Angel Family was one of the few Grand Duke Families in the Empire, their power second only to the Church Court. To them, a Viscount—a figure unattainable in the eyes of common people—could be crushed at will. This wasn’t just a matter of status, but a genuine, massive gap in power. The Blazing Angels were an ancient family that truly possessed Tier Ten masters—and more than one at that.

But there was one problem.

"Why would the Blazing Angel Family make a move against the Florist Family?" Lauden asked.

"They’re both on the side of the Church Court. Their territories are far apart, not to mention there’s no competition between them—because the Florist Family isn’t worthy. A mere Viscount could never hope to threaten the position of a Duke Family. Unless a genius like Mr. Blake came along, they wouldn’t stand a chance, not in this lifetime, not in the next, not even in several hundred years."

"That’s not for you to worry about," Sean said.

The main reason was that he didn’t know the specifics either.

Sean couldn’t be bothered to invent a reason, so he just said, "Anyway, I’ve given you the intel. Whether you go or not is up to you."

Lauden was at a loss for words.

’Why does this guy seem so confident?’

’Did the Blazing Angel Family really take out the Florist Family?’

’But why?’

"Sean, what are you doing?" Eleanor called, poking her head out of the car window.

Sean patted Lauden on the shoulder. "I’ve gotta go. Take your time thinking it over."

"Wait."

Lauden called out to stop him, unable to resist asking one last time, "Is your information really reliable?"

"I’m starting to think you’re a little slow," Sean said. "I’m not telling you to go straight to Kovri. Why don’t you swing by Selona City first? Then you’ll know, won’t you?"

Lauden: "..."

’Oh, right.’

The truth will out. ’No matter how hard they try to cover things up, there are bound to be traces left at the scene.’

Still, Lauden couldn’t understand why the Blazing Angel Family would risk the Church Court’s wrath to annihilate the Florist Family. In his view, it would be child’s play for a Duke Family to get rid of a Viscount Family. Even he, someone who knew nothing about politics, could think of a hundred ways to ruin them. Even if there was a personal vendetta, there was no need to resort to such extreme measures. There had to be some hidden secret behind it all.

’It might even be a trap.’

But after thinking it over... Lauden decided to take some time off and check it out anyway.

’The three thousand Gold Coins weren’t the main point.’

’He wasn’t a man who loved money.’

’The statue was the important thing.’

’His reverence for Mr. Blake was as deep and bottomless as the Winterless Sea. If there was even a chance, he would do everything in his power to reclaim Mr. Blake’s statue!’

Meanwhile.

Sean got into the car, humming a little tune.

"Buckle up, I’m about to punch it," Johnson said, glancing over his shoulder.

Eleanor, sitting next to Sean in the back row, said, "You seem happy."

Sean: "I am."

’He was planning to pull off something big this time.’

It wasn’t just a matter of winking and saying a few words. He was going to give his friends—and his enemies—in the "New World" a little taste of the Blake shock. And the first step of his plan was now complete.

Sean trusted his own judgment.

A man like Mr. Lauden, who’d try to skim thirty Silver Coins, would one hundred percent be unable to resist the temptation of three thousand Gold Coins.

’He will definitely go, and there’s a very high probability he’ll succeed in bringing the statue back.’

’After all, the Florist Family was well and truly gone.’

’At least, they were no longer in Selona City.’

"So, it looks like you two aren’t on bad terms after all?" Eleanor said, blinking.

She didn’t ask what Sean and Lauden had discussed; they weren’t that close yet. Eleanor was more concerned that she might have misunderstood the situation. It seemed Sean and Lauden were actually friends.

"We’ve always gotten along great." Sean said this without a hint of a blush, shooting a sidelong glance at Tony in the front seat. "Unlike some people, who only know how to bully the new guy."

Tony leaned against the window with his eyes closed. "Leave me out of it."

He needed to sleep, or else he’d get carsick.

The road from Vernadu to Pilgrimage City, which bordered Elderidge, was long. The drive would take them through several cities and could truly be considered a journey far from home. If anything happened, there would be no one to help them. Thus, they had to conserve their energy, stay in peak condition, and be prepared to face enemies at a moment’s notice.

In reality, however, the trip wasn’t as arduous as they had imagined.

Sean, at least, felt no sense of crisis.

They traveled in fits and starts, chatting as they drove. Aside from Sean and Tony, who didn’t get along and would occasionally trade barbs, the atmosphere was generally relaxed and harmonious. They talked about everything from personal hobbies to life’s ambitions, from ex-girlfriends to current ones. They were all getting to know each other better, and nothing came to disturb the peace.

No one was a rookie anymore. Whether intentionally or not, they all avoided stirring up trouble.

And as long as they didn’t cause trouble, their enemies wouldn’t notice them.

This cushy work-trip vibe lasted until the ninth day.

They arrived in Old Mundo City.

Pilgrimage City was less than two hundred kilometers ahead.

Since cars weren’t allowed in Elderidge—you had to take a carriage—Pilgrimage City was the final destination for their vehicle. Old Mundo City was the last stop before the end, and their last chance to enjoy this "trip."

The number of people in Old Mundo City was unexpectedly high.

Sean and his companions got stuck in traffic on a stretch of road right before the highway exit.

Eleanor hated traffic jams more than anything. She complained under her breath, "The Day of Abstinence is over, isn’t it? Why are there still so many people?"

They’d been stuck for nearly an hour, barely moving an inch. As far as the eye could see, there were countless cars both in front of them and behind.

Kave unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. "I’ll go ask what’s going on."

Usually, a traffic jam meant there was an accident ahead. Sean assumed this was the case and didn’t think much of it. But when Kave returned, he reported that there was no accident—it was just sheer volume of people.

Tony was instantly on alert. "Don’t tell me they’re all here for us."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "You think too highly of yourself."

’A Tier Six isn’t that big of a deal. Would they really need to mobilize on this scale for that?’

Kave said, "Apparently, there’s going to be a Mysticism ball in the city soon, and a lot of nobles have come for it."

"Mysticism? A ball?"

"Do those two words even go together?"

Sean was completely baffled. The two words just didn’t seem to fit together. ’These people must have too much time on their hands,’ he thought. ’Instead of focusing on Meditation and Cultivation, they’ve run all the way to Old Mundo City to go dancing.’

"There’s an even more mismatched word," Kave added. "Art exhibition."

"People are saying a painting by the First Saintess, Olivia, will be on display at the ball. The ink was supposedly mixed with water from the Spring of Enlightenment, which can help people learn Meditation. Later, another Grand Mage imbued it with even more Magic Power. Now, anyone below Tier Seven can supposedly gain some insight just by looking at it."

Eleanor was astonished. "A single painting can have such a miraculous effect?"

Sean, however, was lost in thought.

’Painted by the First Saintess Olivia, and then imbued with Magic Power by "another Grand Mage"...’

’Why does that painting sound so familiar?’

...

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!