Wizard: My Skills Can Infinitely Break Through

The East District of East City.

Edwin sat in the main seat, his body sunk into the high-backed chair.

The firelight from the hearth cast half his face in a dark red glow, while the other half was buried in shadow.

He fiddled with a Thunder Eagle Badge, his fingertips stroking the cold metal surface.

Adrian paced back and forth in the room.

He made three circuits, paused, then made three more. Finally, he stopped in front of the fireplace and stared at the dancing embers.

"Brother, we can’t wait any longer."

Edwin didn’t look up, his gaze fixed on the badge. A flash of lightning flickered deep within his pupils, then vanished.

"What’s the rush?" His voice was calm. "We wait."

Adrian’s face darkened, and he lowered his voice.

"Ever since she returned from her quest for a Potion in the Extreme North Ice Sea, bringing back that Wild Wizard... everything has changed."

"First, the attempted assassination. We lost a Level Two Wizard, and we couldn’t even find all of his remains."

"Then came the assessment. She used that damn Bloodline Potion to shatter three Tier Two Late Stage Demons."

"The Elder Council confiscated one of our core businesses and confined us for three months..."

He paused, his lips pressing into a thin, pale line.

"And now? Edmund has fallen, Titus’s contamination has been stabilized, and more than half of the Elders in the clan... are siding with her."

He spoke the last few words very slowly, as if forcing them through his teeth.

Edwin finally looked up.

The firelight danced in his pupils, reflecting his utterly grim expression.

"That Magic Potion Alchemist, Ian... have we learned anything definitive?"

"No."

Adrian shook his head, his voice laced with uncontrollable frustration.

"Level Two Initial Stage, from some small island in the east, knows Alchemy, can handle contamination from the Abyss..."

"That’s it?"

"The East Sea is too vast and far away, with countless islands. This is all we could find."

Adrian sounded resigned.

"But Aidele hangs on his every word, trusting him more than her own steward."

He walked to the window and lifted a corner of the curtain.

Outside, the street was deserted in the dead of night. Only a lone streetlight on a distant corner cast a pale, stark light.

"Brother, no matter where he came from..."

Adrian let go, and the curtain fell, blocking the light from outside.

"He is Aidele’s greatest trump card."

He turned to look at Edwin, his gaze as cold as a poisoned dagger.

"If we get rid of him, it’ll be like cutting off Aidele’s right arm."

The room fell silent, leaving only the sound of their breathing.

Just then, the door slid open without a sound.

The newcomer was dressed in a dark blue long robe. He looked to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with handsome features and the faint, fleeting hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth.

Collins Hawke Wood.

He stepped into the room, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the two brothers.

He raised a hand lightly, and the door closed silently behind him.

"My two esteemed brothers, summoning me so late at night... I wonder what urgent matter this could be?"

Collins walked over to the low table by the fireplace, sat down without waiting for an invitation, and tapped a finger on an empty wine glass.

His voice was gentle, as if catching up with old friends, but his eyes held not a shred of warmth.

Edwin sat up straight in his chair and set down the Thunder Eagle Badge.

The metal made a soft "CLACK" as it landed on the wooden table.

"I have some good news to share with you."

Collins chuckled, picked up the bottle, and poured himself half a glass of the dark red liquid, swirling it gently.

"Oh? Do tell."

He remained noncommittal, his eyes fixed on the swirling wine in his glass.

Adrian took a step forward, his voice full of temptation.

"If my brother becomes the Clan Leader... the Hawkwood Clan’s three trade routes in the Eastern Territory."

"Tariffs waived for ten years."

Collins froze for a moment. "What do you need me to do?"

"Cooperation. Full cooperation in the name of the Hawkwood Clan to help me win the election."

Edwin looked at Collins. "You wouldn’t want... your previous investments to go down the drain, would you?"

Collins fell silent for a moment, his gaze shifting from Edwin to Adrian.

He raised his glass to the two brothers. "Done."

Edwin’s pupils contracted slightly. He knew Collins all too well.

This "playmate" he had grown up with never made a losing deal.

’Three trade routes, ten years of waived tariffs...’

’It wasn’t much to the Hawkwood Clan, but for Collins himself, it was a considerable sum.’

’But Collins... he had agreed too readily, as if he had been waiting here all along for them to make the offer.’

’He hadn’t been this decisive before.’

"You’ve investigated Ian?" Edwin asked, a sudden thought striking him.

Collins took a sip of wine and set the glass down.

"Six months ago, we met once on the Skybound. We had a small conflict."

"Later, he became Aidele’s Honored Guest Elder. As for his origin... I heard it was some small island in the east."

He paused, his fingertip tapping gently against the rim of the glass.

"But recently, I discovered his real hiding place isn’t on Golden Oak Street."

Adrian leaned forward. "Where is it?"

"No. 7 Wisteria Lane," Collins said, his voice low.

"On the surface, it’s an abandoned old residence, but Aidele’s people have been frequenting it lately."

"Delia, Naseng... they’ve all been there in secret."

Adrian looked at Edwin, seemingly surprised.

Even they didn’t know this information, yet an outsider had investigated it so thoroughly.

"Brother, should we send someone... to raid his den directly?"

Edwin didn’t answer immediately.

His mind went back to the last mediation, to the Elder Wizard’s cold voice.

"From this day forward, no casualties at or above the rank of a Level Two Wizard will be permitted among the heirs in succession."

’That being said, as long as we handle it cleanly and don’t let the Elder Council find any evidence...’

"It’s not out of the question," Edwin said slowly.

But Collins shook his head in denial. "No, that’s too direct."