Starting with the sentries on the frontier

Chapter 69 I am your father

"Haha, that's right. The advisor of the Abnormal Events Handling Association in the neighboring Cabbage Town is named Liam, but that's his first name, and that's my surname. Besides, we probably have no connection whatsoever. It's just a coincidence."

"Zag Liam" spoke with such naturalness that it sounded like the real thing!

Snowball was panting heavily, its voice trembling with anger: "You're talking nonsense! Nonsense! Damn it! Stupid dragon! Let me go! Let's destroy him! Let him talk nonsense! He's not even a beginner mage! One Fireball spell will destroy him! You know that 'Dragon Roar' thing, right? Let's just destroy him! Meow! Destroy him!"

"Is there really such a coincidence?"

Zag's expression was perfect, showing no sign of anything amiss.

The two returned to the tavern's main hall, one after the other. It was the tavern's liveliest time of day, with bards singing "The Sleeping Giant" and various voices rising from the crowd. Some boasted of their sea adventures, while others touted their connections to the Golden Helmet family of the Eastern Frontier. But Zag was oblivious to everything else; his mind was consumed with how to capture the alchemist before him and deliver him to the guild's headquarters in Eastern Frontier Port.

"Yes, I was shocked when I first heard it!"

"Zag Liam" spoke as naturally as ever, which almost made Zag laugh in exasperation.

He really wanted to question the other party: "It's one thing for you to share the same name as 'Liam,' but what's with sharing my name as 'Zag'?!"

So you're just going to use whoever comes to mind, huh?

"Would you like a drink? It's on me."

"Zag Liam," he said, walking over to the bar, slapping a few pennies on the table, and telling the bartender, "A glass of Heywen wine."

Then he turned to Zag and asked, "What do you want?"

"A glass of Bone-Transplanting Flower Dew, please."

At such a crucial moment, Zag dared not touch any alcoholic beverages—not even wine or mead, whose alcohol content was perhaps lower than that of egg yolk pie or Huoxiang Zhengqi Water.

"Zag Liam" was somewhat surprised: "You don't drink?"

"I don't like to drink," Zag replied. "Alcohol will interfere with my exploration of magical knowledge."

He decided to adopt the persona of a bookworm in order to lower the guard of the person opposite him.

"A glass of Seawin wine."

The bartender poured the wine into the empty glass in front of Zag Liam, then said to Zag, "Wait a moment, I'll go get the Bone-Moving Flower Nectar."

Zag nodded in response to the bartender, while "Zag Liam" picked up his wine and said, "But sometimes it can inspire you. Perhaps you could give it a try."

Zag remained stubborn: "Thanks, but never mind."

"Of course, I always respect my friends."

"Zag Liam" shrugged, lightly clinking his glass of Seawin wine against Zag's still-empty glass: "A toast in advance to our newfound friendship."

Snowball, who had already run out of steam with his insults, got even more agitated: "Bullshit! Who's friends with you! Disgusting Mordo! Trash alchemist! I hate alchemists more than anything! I hate them even more than crows!"

Snowball had long been released by Zag and knew he couldn't do anything to actually affect Zag's plans.

The two of them do have that much in common.

But this doesn't stop it from expressing its emotions.

"You wait! I'll bite you to death one of these days! Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting! Meow!"

While Snowball was ranting and raving, the bartender returned carrying two large glass bottles.

"Please give me the Bone-Transplanting Flower Dew, would you like it sparkling or still?"

Zag glanced at the two glass bottles. The one with bubbles on it was labeled "Haiwen Winery," while the other was labeled "Fairy Lake Brewery."

"No bubbles, please, thank you."

After the bartender poured the still liqueur into the glasses, Zag also raised his glass and gave a slight nod to "Zag Liam": "Cheers to our newfound friendship."

After exchanging a few polite sips of their drinks, "Zag Liam" finally asked his "new friend's" name: "By the way, I still don't know your name?"

I'm your dad!

Zag cursed inwardly, but his face remained impassive, and he even smiled as he replied, "Odin, Odin Elohim."

One is the father of all gods, and the other is the creator god; they're both your fathers anyway!

"Odin! My brother! From now on, we are friends!"

"Zag Liam" chuckled and said, "You're the first mage friend I've made here! I also have quite a few friends who study magic; we can exchange ideas sometime! Oh, by the way, we're currently conducting research on how to fundamentally alter living beings. It involves the very nature of this world. If you're interested, why not join us?"

Zag recalled the few pages of manuscript he had just read and, putting his newfound knowledge to use, asked, "'Experiments that fundamentally alter living beings'? You mean something like illusion magic?"

"No, no, no, it's not illusion magic! That's too superficial! All illusion magic is just an illusion, deception, and falsehood! What we study is a subject that can truly change the world! Believe me, we can bring about remarkable changes to the Dawn Continent and usher in a brand new era! This is absolutely the greatest and noblest cause!"

The fervor in Zag Liam's eyes sent a chill down Zag's spine.

It seems that the "nerd" persona he created has convinced the other party, who even wants to recruit him into their cult.

So, should he follow the original plan and try to capture the alchemist in front of him first, and hand him over to the association's headquarters, or should he remain calm for the time being, avoid alerting the enemy, and then secretly contact the association's headquarters to catch them all in one fell swoop at the end?

To be honest, he didn't really want to get involved in something so dangerous, but anyone would be annoyed to be attacked head-on, especially since this person had several lives on his hands, including Rosa and her father, whom he knew well!

He took over a hundred shillings of Rosa's inheritance; he can't just pretend to be deaf and dumb, can he?

Zag tried to convince himself, then echoed, "It does sound like a remarkable project, but... excuse my bluntness, is this a project of the Golden Palace? You know, our Dawn Mage Tower and the Golden Palace have never gotten along very well."

These words made Zag's image more credible, since anyone who knows anything about the occult world knows that the Dawn Mage Tower and the Golden Palace are at odds.

Meanwhile, "Zag Liam" continued to reassure Zag: "Yes, I know, don't worry, we are all people who are passionate about the arrival of a new world with true freedom. Without those old fogies in the Golden Palace, you can rest assured!"

————————————Divider Line————————————

【The Sleeping Giant】: One of the oldest songs and one of the most popular bard verses, the full text of which is included in the Easter egg chapter.