Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree

The shock from the day had not yet dissipated.

They watched with their own eyes as the white-robed youth defeated four mages single-handedly, watched as the banners of the Four Gods Sect fell one after another, and watched as those always arrogant priests left in disgrace.

They didn’t know exactly how strong the Duke was, but they knew that from today onwards, the Light Sect was no longer the sect that only retreated.

Dali stood in the center of the camp, her golden hair shimmering faintly in the firelight.

She crossed her hands in front of her chest, closed her eyes, her lips moving softly as she chanted a prayer for blessings.

Though Dali’s voice was light, it was audible amidst the night breeze, like a gentle stream flowing to every corner of the camp.

The followers of the Light Sect were also praying, the firelight flickering on their faces, illuminating the young and resolute faces in light and shadow.

The Duke stood at the edge of the camp, looking at the outline of Stonehammer City in the distance, not speaking.

Behind him, Robert emerged from the night, his armor casting a cold light in the fire’s glow.

Three hundred players did not enter the camp but remained scattered in the darkness around it, like a pack of wolves hidden in the night.

They were the Duke’s contingency plan to prevent the Four Gods Sect from breaking the rules.

During the day, they had lurked in the woods surrounding the open fields, ready to rush out at a moment’s notice if the Four Gods Sect decided to break their word and bully with numbers, showing the Four Gods Sect what "Undying Body" meant in their own way.

But the Four Gods Sect did not break the rules; rules were rules, ancient oaths made before the gods, and no one dared to say otherwise.

The Duke withdrew his gaze, looking at Robert: "Thank you for your hard work."

Robert shook his head: "My lord, we didn’t do anything."

The Duke spoke: "Starting tomorrow, Star Embers will set up a branch in Stonehammer City. The power dynamics in Azure Vault City are too complex, with people from the Four Gods Sect, Shadow Council operatives, and various other factions, making many things inconvenient. Here is different; from now on, this will be our territory."

A glimmer of light flashed in Robert’s eyes: "Yes, my lord. I will personally lead the brothers to take care of it."

The Duke nodded: "Go on."

Robert turned and walked into the night, his armor quickly disappearing into the darkness beyond the fire’s reach.

The next morning, sunlight spilled over the walls of Stonehammer City, tinting the gray stone a pale gold.

Dali stood at the city gate, holding a roll of parchment containing the construction plans drafted overnight.

Around her were several sect managers, some responsible for construction, others for finance, and others for personnel allocation.

Dali’s voice was clear and firm, with command after command being issued from her mouth and noted down by the managers.

"All four temples in the eastern district should be converted into chapels for the Light Sect. Remove all existing insignias of the Four Gods and replace them with the sun emblem. The main structure doesn’t need major changes, but the internal layout should be reorganized according to the Light Sect’s standards." Dali spread out the parchment, her fingers gliding across it.

"Build a church on the vacant land in the south district, larger in scale than the chapels, to serve as the main church of the Light Sect in Stonehammer City. Leave space around it for a future school and medical facility. Retain the market in the west district but erect a Divine Statue of Light at the market entrance. Leave the north district as is for now; plan it after the main church is built."

The managers nodded, each accepting their task and leaving.

Dali put away the parchment and turned to look at the temples undergoing transformation.

The banners of the Four Gods Sect had been taken down and replaced with the Light Sect’s Sun Flag.

On the white flag, the golden sun glistened in the sunlight, like an eye overseeing the earth.

The Duke stood on the city wall, watching everything within the city.

The transformation of the four temples had already begun. Workers climbed on scaffolding, chiseling away the insignias of the Four Gods and replacing them with new stone.

Craftsmen from the Light Sect were measuring dimensions within the temples, planning the layout of the chapels.

Dali rode a horse from one construction site to another, accompanied by several knights and mages responsible for coordination and deployment. Everything proceeded according to plan.

Robert chose a location within the city, a piece of open land in the south district near the main church, large with ample space for expansion.

He took the blueprint from his Space Ring, given to him by the Duke the night before, depicting the structure of a three-story stone building: simple, practical, and easy to defend.

The ground floor was a hall, the second floor an office area and warehouse, and the third floor accommodations for core members.

Space around the building had been reserved, allowing for the future construction of a training ground, stables, warehouses, even the expansion of additional buildings.

Robert handed the blueprint to a player beside him.

"Build according to this. Don’t worry about materials; the Duke has already prepared them." The player took the blueprint, glanced at it, and nodded. "President, this place is really nice, much more spacious than in Azure Vault City."

Robert did not speak, watching as the workers and players worked busily. Scaffolding quickly went up on the open ground, with stone, timber, and tools being unloaded from carts, piling up in a corner of the site.

This was to be Star Embers Guild’s headquarters in Stonehammer City and their main base of operations on the Oracle Plane.

In Azure Vault City, the power dynamics were too complex, with the Four Gods Sect, Shadow Council, and various factions, making it difficult to accomplish anything.

But here, it was different.

Here, there was only the Light Sect, only the Light Sect’s church and chapels, and only the Light Sect’s banners flying in the wind.

Within a few days, the news spread.

Players inside and outside Stonehammer City were discussing the "Child of Light."

Someone posted on the forums, with the title "Mysterious NPC Appears in Stonehammer City, Single-handedly Defeats Four Magic Masters, Level All Question Marks."

Hundreds of replies followed the post, some discussing the Duke’s real identity, others analyzing his skills, and some speculating what questline might lie behind him.

But no matter the discussion, everyone reached the same conclusion: this NPC must have a major quest.

Thus, people began trying to contact the Duke.

The first player came, circled the outskirts of the camp several times, trying to find an opportunity to approach the Light Sect’s tents.

He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a knight from the Light Sect stopped him.

"Who are you?" The knight’s voice was cold, his eyes beneath the faceplate expressionless.

"I want to meet the Child of Light." The player said earnestly.

"The Child of Light has said, ’No visitors.’" The knight replied coldly.

The player was about to say more, but the knight’s hand was already on his sword hilt, and the player wisely retreated.

In the following days, more and more players came, offering increasingly bizarre reasons.

Some wanted to take on quests, some wanted to become disciples, some wanted to recruit the Duke into their guild, and even some wanted to spar with him.

Without exception, all were stopped outside the camp.

The knights always gave the same reply: "The Child of Light does not see visitors."

Their attitude was cold, their tone firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

A few days later, in a newly opened tavern in Stonehammer City, several players gathered around a wooden table, with a few bubbling mugs of ale on top.

They were all ones turned away by the Duke, now venting their grievances together.

"What do you think is the deal with this Child of Light? I scoured the forums for half a day and couldn’t find any useful information." The speaker was a warrior-type player, burly, wearing half-old chain armor, his shield leaning against the table leg.

"Who knows. I asked around, but the Light Sect is very tight-lipped, not even the NPC priests willing to say much." The response came from a rogue-type player, hood partially concealing his face, fingers lightly tapping the tabletop. "But I heard that Star Embers seems to be connected with him. Did you notice that on the open field that day, Star Embers people were present, and their president Robert seemed to have an unusual relationship with the Child of Light."

"Star Embers?" The warrior player frowned, "That’s a professional player guild; they work for a living. It’s probably hard to get anything out of them."

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