Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 609 Carson's Story

Having just recovered from a serious illness, Carson, though puzzled, still took Dinaria back to the city. Although he had just spent all his wealth the day before, for Carson, a well-known information broker, making money wasn't difficult. Sure enough, as soon as he dropped Dinaria off at home, many people came to his door, wanting to buy information from him.

Another year passed, and Carson not only recouped his losses but also made a considerable amount more. Leveraging his connections with the local law enforcement officer, Carson bought a large house for a pittance in the northwest corner of the city, near the city cemetery. Ordinary people wouldn't care about living near a cemetery, but the wealthy and powerful would avoid it, not only for hygiene reasons but also for good luck. Carson, however, was different. He knew living near a cemetery wasn't auspicious, but he chose this location for a reason: through his network, he had learned a secret—the king's second son frequently visited this cemetery. Carson reasoned that if he could establish a connection with this person, he would not only be safer but might also hear secrets known only to royalty.

Leveraging Carson's years of experience in intelligence gathering and his exceptional interpersonal skills, he successfully established contact with the second prince within two months. The second prince was passionate about occult knowledge and, having long demonstrated no ambition for the throne, maintained good relationships with the other princes. Towards his unassuming older brother and younger brother, who seemed to only care about studying strange and unusual things, the other princes would occasionally confide royal secrets to him. Initially, these were just rumors, but after discovering the second prince's complete disregard for such information, they even began revealing political secrets. Again, the second prince showed no interest, remaining engrossed in his occult pursuits. Over time, the other princes and ministers gradually lowered their guard against him and began to tell him some real secrets. Since he didn't care and didn't enjoy talking to his brothers, he naturally wouldn't reveal these secrets.

As a successful information broker, Carson's network of connections spanned various industries. Among those who had purchased information from him were naturally some he had met, even practitioners of the occult. After discovering the Second Prince's near-obsessive interest in the occult, Carson proactively contacted some of his old clients who had previously discussed occult matters. He obtained considerable information from them and then relayed it to the Second Prince. Of course, Carson's communication skills were superb; he didn't simply deliver all the information to the Second Prince but rather revealed it gradually during conversations.

Over time, the second prince's interest and curiosity were piqued by Carson. Carson, who valued intelligence highly, delivered the occult information he always revealed with unerring accuracy. After several such encounters, the second prince trusted Carson more than anyone else he knew, and Carson's consistently respectful attitude earned the prince's admiration. In less than a year, the two became staunch friends.

Five months after Carson and the Second Prince became close friends, at the Prince's invitation, Carson accompanied him to a dilapidated castle to confirm some information related to the occult. However, this place was not Bastinburg, but another castle 50 kilometers away. The Second Prince had no trusted guards, so Carson offered to hire some reliable people for security. The Second Prince, who trusted Carson implicitly, agreed without hesitation.

Although the second prince had absolutely no interest in politics, lacking both official support and even trusted guards, Carson's attitude towards him remained unchanged even after learning this. This impressed the second prince, who at the time was unaware of the immense wealth he had acquired. But he would soon find out.

On the way to the dilapidated castle, during their conversation, the second prince suddenly revealed a great deal of confidential information about the kingdom. The importance of this information even shocked the worldly-wise Carson. From petty scandals in the royal court or the homes of the powerful, to major events such as marching routes and political struggles, the second prince knew everything, and knew it all clearly, as if he had been involved in every single event.

Although the second prince had absolutely no interest in these things, he possessed a unique talent: an extraordinary memory. He could memorize even the most complex information verbatim, having heard or seen it before. Carson even kindly reminded the second prince to stop talking, because if a third person knew some of the information he had revealed, Carson's best fate would be to be hacked to death. Even the second prince himself might not survive.

But the second prince didn't care. To him, Carson was a close friend, and he knew that Carson was involved in intelligence. So, as a friend, it was only natural for him to help his friend live a comfortable life.

The investigation into the occult went very smoothly. Based on the information provided by Carson, the Second Prince found a genuine spellbook in the dilapidated castle dungeon. According to the Second Prince, the spells recorded in the book were a powerful and terrifying form of dark magic. This kind of dark magic had extremely demanding conditions for use and required a large blood sacrifice to succeed. However, the spellbook found through Carson's information possessed immense energy, capable of casting dark magic without following the proper casting steps. This discovery greatly pleased the Second Prince. After returning to the royal city with the spellbook, he immediately gave Carson a chest full of gold and silver treasures, as well as what Carson desired most: connections within the royal family.

Although the second prince had no interest in the throne, this did not mean he was a bookworm. On the contrary, the second prince was probably more cunning than all his brothers combined. Once, his younger brother, the fourth prince, plotted to kill his eldest brother, who was the most likely to inherit the throne. At the time, the second prince was very close to the eldest prince, so the fourth prince planned to kill the second prince first to test the waters. However, not only was his plot exposed, but the second prince also managed to eradicate the fourth prince's power with just a little maneuvering. What's more, the most terrifying thing is that until the fourth prince was sentenced to exile by the old king, no one knew that the second prince was the one who orchestrated everything.

Although the second prince had no true confidants in the royal court, his network of connections was formidable. With a little effort, he could stir up trouble throughout the entire court. Among these people were some truly intelligent individuals who had roughly guessed the fourth prince's situation and thus understood how formidable the second prince was. Therefore, to avoid following in the fourth prince's footsteps, they would undoubtedly be ready to grant any request the second prince might make.

These connections were quickly handed over to Carson by the second prince, who considered Carson far superior to his short-sighted brothers and the scheming nobles and ministers. Upon receiving the prince's authorization, Carson immediately declared his allegiance, agreeing to follow the prince's lead in everything. Before long, Carson became a well-known intelligence broker, even in neighboring countries, and his connections and wealth naturally grew. And that year, Carson was not yet thirty.

With financial freedom and a higher social status, Carson had more free time. Instead of indulging in pleasure, he continued to travel with the second prince. During his time with the prince, Carson also developed a fascination with the occult. Whenever he discovered new occult clues, he would immediately inform the prince.

The discovery of Bastienburg coincided with the peak of Carson's and the second prince's relationship. That year, the old king abdicated, passing the throne to the eldest prince and ending the silent war between the princes. Because of their good personal relationship, the second prince's life remained largely unchanged after the new king ascended the throne, and may even have improved. To avoid suspicion, the second prince even moved out of the palace and rebuilt his own residence in the city, and Carson also moved her family to live next to the second prince's residence.

That year, Denalia's grandfather, the old apothecary, passed away. To protect Denalia from being mistreated, Carson took her into his home and made her his housekeeper, responsible for looking after the house when he was away. Because of Carson's connections, the maids and servants naturally respected Denalia greatly, giving her a sense of dignity she had never experienced before. Denalia did not disappoint Carson; she managed the household impeccably. Carson was completely at ease.

That same winter, Carson received a letter from a sorcerer. This sorcerer had saved his life with Carson's information and had since provided him with numerous accurate occult tidbits. The letter stated that he had discovered a strange place with an extremely high concentration of magic, and that periodic, prolonged anomalies occurred there. Based on his experience, the sorcerer believed the place held some treasure or secret. Inside the envelope was also a slightly worn gem. The Second Prince, upon examination, determined that this thumb-sized gem contained immense energy capable of instantly destroying a castle.

Upon receiving this news, both of them were very excited. After instructing their servants and Dinaria, Carson, along with his many skilled guards who had followed him for years, and some truly elite adventurers, formed a guard force to protect the second prince. They set off with supplies and great enthusiasm toward the location of Bastienburg, although at that time it was not yet called Bastienburg.

At that time, Bastienburg was not as dangerous as it is now, but it was not a paradise either. The adventurers responsible for protecting the second prince and Carson, as well as Carson's own guards, were almost completely wiped out after entering Bastienburg. They encountered all sorts of enemies, and even the second prince and Carson were injured.

However, their long-standing understanding of the occult did not deter them; on the contrary, it fueled their fighting spirit and interest. The more dangerous the place, the more worthwhile the adventure would be.

Having lost all their guards and nearly exhausted their supplies, Carson and the Second Prince discovered the deepest secret location within Bastinburg, about two hundred meters underground. This secret place was several times larger than the entire Bastinburg, and contained far more numerous and diverse monsters, making it extremely dangerous. The two men stealthily made their way to the heart of this secret area, where they found a...

"Why does it always disappear at the crucial moment?"

The scroll in Han Zu's hand stopped abruptly. It wasn't that the scroll was damaged or contaminated, making the content illegible; rather, the text on this bag of scrolls simply ended there.

"This place is so big, there must be something with the following text written on it. I have to look for it."

There are still many places in the library that haven't been searched. Han Zu believes that he will definitely be able to find relevant clues. However, in order not to be distracted, he needs to deal with all the monsters in the library first to prevent them from disturbing him or damaging the clues or information while he is searching for clues.

After a brief observation, it was clear that there were quite a few monsters in the library. There were many living armored figures that remained motionless, some skeletons draped in tattered cloth that resembled mages, and some giant bats hanging upside down in various high places throughout the library. In addition, there were many monsters that had obviously been brought in from outside, including some abnormally sized beetles, giant centipedes that were more than two people long, and several things that looked like either hunting dogs or giant wolves, which also resembled some kind of undead or magical creatures.

If a fight breaks out in the library, many of the surviving books and scrolls will definitely be destroyed. To continue searching for clues inside the library, the monsters in the library need to be eliminated as quickly as possible. In order not to damage those clues, it is best to lure them all out of the library before taking action.

The library has three floors, and the monsters are scattered, so Han Zu needs to proceed carefully one by one. He plans to lure out the monsters on his floor, the third floor, first. This is relatively simple, as this floor only contains some large bats and strange insects. Han Zu picked up some fragments of the walls and floor to attract their attention, then kept his distance and led them all out of the third floor of the library.

"Alright, I need to think of a way to get rid of these unlucky things. It's not very reliable to knock them down one by one with the Morning Star Hammer."