Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam

On this day, Ethan discovered the fourth way to enter the small town—being escorted as a pimp into the town’s guardhouse. The only downside was the limited activity range, as he was almost confined to the narrow interrogation room. freewēbnoveℓ.com

However, he was not alone; the old butler who had previously questioned him was in the adjacent interrogation room undergoing interrogation.

Although Fireplace Bay was full of darkness and illicit deals, most of the town’s guards were once members of the Kingdom Army. They still adhered to certain principles, such as prohibiting any unlawful and immoral acts in front of minors. To this, Ethan, the youth filled with positive energy, raised both hands in approval.

"Look, I’m really an Elemental Shaper."

Ethan snapped his fingers at the guard responsible for interrogating him, watching as flames ignited in his palm. The guard finally believed him somewhat and proceeded to carefully review the advertisement card again.

Despite the suggestive imagery, the registered information on it was legitimate.

The guard rubbed his forehead and said, "Next time, don’t use such easily misleading cards."

"Brother, business is tough these days. You have to add some flair, don’t you?"

Upon hearing this, the guard could only nod helplessly.

They’re all just ordinary folks trying to make a living in this place, so why make things difficult for each other?

He waved his hand, "Alright, you’re clear."

"Thanks, bro."

Ethan saluted him, though the old butler who was escorted in with him wasn’t as lucky. As Ethan left, the old butler was talking about his 12th visit to the Pink Lady this month, while a girl with an obviously distinguished background waited for him at the guardhouse door. Seeing this, Ethan walked straight toward her, "Look, the guards released me. Now do you believe I’m not some weird bad guy?"

It could be considered a blessing in disguise, as after this ordeal, Ethan was recognized as an officially certified good guy by Fireplace Bay authorities, and he suggested others treat him with more respect.

However, the girl had her head lowered with her eyes cast down, her golden bangs covering half of her face, seemingly experiencing grief inappropriate for her age.

"If you’re troubled, feel free to tell me. My prices are fair, honest to all."

"Sigh, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you."

The girl finally glanced back at him, saying with premature maturity, "You’ll understand when you reach my age."

?

Ethan stood solemnly, could it be that this girl is an elf or some other long-lived species? Although she appears a little over ten, she might have actually lived for hundreds of years?

He asked, "Miss, how old are you?"

"I’ll be eleven this year."

No wonder.

Ethan understood—eleven is an age fraught with sentimentality. It reminded him of his own youthful days, when he was often filled with sorrow, spending nights dejected because he couldn’t draw the ’dad’ role in the playhouse games.

"It’s precisely because I don’t understand that I need you to explain it to me; maybe I can help. Look at this."

Ethan ignited a flame in his palm in front of the girl, who was indeed attracted by the flickering flame, her eyes lighting up. But soon after, sad memories seemed to wash over her, and she said faintly, "It seems you haven’t been in love; let me kindly explain it to you."

?

I’ve no enmity with you, why resort to hurtful words?

At the same time, Ethan fell into deep self-doubt, having to reread the advertisement card information. He, noble Heisenberg, the name itself suggested a daring figure walking the perilous path of smuggling dangerous goods; why was it that all the requests he received were related to love?

Do I really look like someone adept at love?

The girl said, "The one I like is about to go to the front line, and I want to see him once more. But an evil magician has barged into my home, preventing me from going to see him."

Ethan had to admit, from the moment the girl began speaking, each sentence she said required him to mull over for a good while to decipher the astonishing amount of information within. When these words were combined, they formed an unexpectedly impactful revelation.

"How old is your beloved?"

"Fourteen years old." As soon as she mentioned her beloved, a blush appeared on the girl’s fair cheeks, "He’s already a capable Kingdom Knight."

During her narrative, Ethan began automatically piecing together the truth.

This customer is likely the young lady of some great noble family, who has fallen for a pauper struggling in the Kingdom Army. Upon discovery, she was charged with multiple offenses like early romance and dereliction, leading to her family hiring a magician to keep an eye on her, preventing her from going to the military camp to find her beloved.

"So you came to Fireplace Bay to find a way to defeat the evil magician?"

"All the magicians here claim to be experts and masters, yet as soon as they hear the name of that evil magician, they hide away like cowards—a bunch of scammers!"

"What name is so intimidating?"

"The servants in the mansion all call him ’Silver Fox’ sir."

"Hmm, that is indeed quite tricky."

Although Ethan had never heard of the ’Silver Fox’ title, if it was bestowed by the Empire or Astrology Association, it meant he made some notable contributions or had very high prestige among Magic Masters. It’s understandable that the Fireplace Bay experts avoid provoking a well-known Great Mage.

The girl immediately gave a disdainful look, "See, you’re also intimidated by his title."

"I’m just saying this request is a bit tricky, so it can’t be priced as originally planned."

"Miss, he’s a fraud, don’t waste time on him."

Coming out of the interrogation room just in time to witness this scene, the old butler adjusted his slightly messy tailcoat and spoke.

Though the pimp accusation against this kid was unfair, hearing him raise the price upon hearing the ’Silver Fox’ name showed he was a con artist planning to take the money and run.

Creating a flame in one’s palm is nothing special; it’s a trick any novice Elemental Shaper can do.

"I can make nine magical scrolls for you, and you can pay me after it’s done if you don’t trust me. Moreover, the payment for this request isn’t money."

The butler was indeed intimidated by Ethan’s words, signaling "let’s discuss outside" with his eyes, and Ethan understood immediately, stepping outside the barrack’s door first.

Before the old butler could speak, Ethan preemptively asked, "Before that, answer me a question: if I haven’t misunderstood, the ’evil magician’ was hired by her parents to discipline her, did bringing her here defy their wishes?"

This matter reeked of suspicion; he couldn’t fathom what kind of butler would dare oppose the head of the household.

If the girl truly escaped the magician’s grasp, revenge would certainly fall on the butler, as an eleven-year-old sheltered young lady could hardly initiate teleportation magic, arriving at a place like Fireplace Bay.

"That’s because the master didn’t tell the young miss the truth."

The old butler’s face was a blend of complex emotions, and after a long sigh, he said, "They received a mission with no return; that child is destined not to come back."