Exploring Technology in a Wizard World
Chapter 518 - 516: Fire Scene

Chapter 518: Chapter 516: Fire Scene

Lawrence paused, then spoke, "Because of such matters, my ancestors had warned me: They said there would be a group of evil wizards who would stop at nothing to prevent the resurgence of the Black Spirit Empire in this world.

It was for this reason that many in my family, who were capable of producing the items depicted in the blueprints, chose not to do so. My ancestors and father had been extremely cautious when they first started manufacturing.

Instead, it was I, out of arrogance and carelessness, who forgot this warning and ended up with the current outcome.

Actually, even if I died, it was just death, but I regret involving my two students. Come to think of it, they should have died several winters ago, but I saved them, extending their lives. In a way, I merely postponed their deaths by a few years. That’s fate."

"You seem to have thought it through, Master Lawrence," Franklin said softly, "It seems you’re not scared at all now."

"What should I be afraid of?" Upon hearing Franklin’s comment, Lawrence’s body seemed to surge with extra strength, his eyes gleamed with resolution, and he turned to look at Franklin.

Lawrence continued, "You should be the ones afraid! You know, besides leaving warnings, my ancestor also left another piece of advice. It was that, as long as we were careful to hide, there would come a day when you group of evil wizards would be eliminated, and then we could do whatever we wanted."

"Ha, eliminate us?" Franklin laughed, "I’m afraid that won’t be easy."

"Like the rats, cockroaches, and bedbugs in the gutters?" Lawrence retorted.

"You!" Franklin’s smile instantly turned cold, and he spoke deliberately, "Wrong, like gods! Do you understand, gods!"

With that, he held a slender awl and suddenly thrust it down, easily piercing through the back of the wheelchair and into Lawrence’s heart.

"Uh!"

Lawrence’s body shuddered violently, he began to convulse, and after a moment, his head tilted, and he moved no more.

"Phew!"

Franklin pulled out the awl, casually threw it into a corner, looked at Lawrence’s corpse, and snorted coldly, "Hmph, you’re the rat, the cockroach, and the bedbug in the gutter, understand! Even lower than that, an ant!"

Having said that, Franklin strode out, followed by his two subordinates.

The "Fire Spirit" Promi lagged a few steps behind, chanting a spell, his palm erupting with intense flames, igniting the house, and then leaving a mark. After doing this, he left with Franklin.

Not long after that, the entire courtyard where Lawrence was located was ablaze, visible from half of Florence, with cries of "Fire!" ringing out around.

Some wizards in various corners were alarmed, their bodies swept through the air, coming to investigate.

That night was very eventful. However, it had nothing to do with Richard, as he was deeply engaged in his studies...

...

In the blink of an eye, it was dawn.

Richard, who had been studying all night, walked out of Eden, out of the courtyard, onto the street, ready to move his body and relax his tired mind.

But on the street, not having gone far, he saw a group of soldiers appear, post a paper resembling a notice on a wall, and then quickly leave.

Many people out of curiosity crowded to read the paper’s content; Richard, with his excellent vision, didn’t need to join them, but from afar, he clearly saw the writing on the paper and his expression slightly changed.

On the paper, it starkly read, "Last night, the Rotten Pine Alley in the north of Florence was maliciously set on fire, causing the deaths of several civilians, creating chaos, and affecting the stable order of Florence. Therefore, if anyone possesses relevant clues, they must report them in a timely manner..."

This!

Richard’s eyes narrowed as the image of Lawrence surfaced in his mind.

Night.

The pitch-black night enveloped Florence, and Rotten Pine Alley in the north of the city was eerily silent.

Richard arrived there, and, out of caution, activated the Concealing Breath Skill and the Shadow Cloak, merging completely with the darkness, without letting any breath leak out.

Hidden in the night, Richard surveyed the burnt remains of Rotten Pine Alley. It was evident that the fire had started from the deepest part of Lawrence’s courtyard and then spread, nearly burning down half the alley. Midway down the alley, the fire had abruptly stopped as if it had been sliced by a knife.

Richard could imagine what had happened:

After the fire broke out, it quickly consumed Lawrence’s courtyard and then the neighboring houses—after all, this world lacked modern firefighting equipment like fire extinguishers and high-pressure water guns, leaving ordinary people helpless to do anything but watch as the flames grew more intense. Later, the wizards from Florence City arrived, perhaps out of a sense of duty, or for other reasons, and cast spells that instantly extinguished the fierce flames.

Everything appeared ordinary, but how had the flames in Lawrence’s courtyard started?

The official notice stated that someone had committed arson, but who could the arsonist be?

Richard walked noiselessly to where Lawrence’s courtyard once stood, now just a pile of ruins, with the buildings all collapsed but a patch in the middle of the yard still seeming relatively intact.

His eyes scanned this space, and Richard’s eyebrows suddenly shot up when he saw a clearly marked symbol on the ground—a large triangle with an inscribed circle and a vertical line.

This was a very familiar symbol of the Black Spirit Empire, seen in White Stone City and in the books of the Black Holy Mountain Kingdom’s library, and now once again in Florence.

This symbol of the Black Spirit Empire didn’t necessarily represent the Black Spirit Empire itself; here, it was obviously left by the arsonist. According to the information he had gathered so far, those who would deliberately leave such symbols seemed to be members of the Mysterious Organization like Suo Men and Mu Konni.

But hadn’t he wiped them all out in White Stone City, once and for all? With the appearance of the symbol now, could it be the work of another group within the Mysterious Organization? Or perhaps Suo Men, Mu Konni, and the others had resurrected once again?

Either scenario was not good news.

Richard frowned deeply, guessing that the people of the Mysterious Organization appeared to have a complicated and unpleasant relationship with the Black Spirit Empire, as they always misused its symbols for their nefarious deeds.

The late Lawrence, according to his own accounts, had been a carrier of the knowledge of the Black Spirit Empire, perhaps making him a target of the Mysterious Organization for this reason.

And he was preparing to continue exploring the secrets of the Black Spirit Empire, which would likely entangle him with the Mysterious Organization once again.

This was something he did not want to see, but—it seemed unavoidable.

So—

Richard pursed his lips.