That's right, that's what adventure is like!

What is magic?

This question has been discussed by countless scholars and monks, but no definitive conclusion has been reached.

Some consider it the "base color of the world" or the "origin of all things," while others see it as a "guided, orderly flow of energy" similar to fire or frost.

But regardless of the interpretation, its nature remains unchanged: it is a substance hidden deep within the air, yet omnipresent.

There are countless ways to sense it, but the method recorded in Roland's notebook is probably the most orthodox and purest.

The white crystal shimmered in the firelight, while the manuscript, heavy and cold, contained murky, cloud-like impurities—a tangible manifestation of invisible magic.

What Roland had to do was use this magic storage item, worth about 2 silver coins, to enter a state called "relaxed focus".

This is not easy. The real challenge is not "focusing," but "relaxing."

His strong sense of purpose made him subconsciously search for some kind of flow or vibration within the crystal, but the manifestation of magic was always chaotic and obscure, like the traces left after light was projected.

Roland tried to abandon his preconceived expectations and instead focused on perceiving the white crystal itself, how its coldness was replaced by the warmth of his palm, and how its colors changed when illuminated by firelight...

For several moments, he seemed to vaguely sense something amiss, but when his consciousness instinctively rushed toward the source, all that remained was emptiness.

The initial attempt turned into a tug-of-war, with beads of sweat constantly seeping from the forehead, a result of the mental strain caused by repeatedly switching between two mental states.

After an unknown amount of time, Roland opened his eyes. The crystal in his hand remained silent, offering no response.

He failed.

This is normal. According to the annotation in the corner of the notebook, "Those who succeed on the first try are either geniuses or experiencing a mental illusion."

The best approach to this is to "learn to recognize what is 'invisible' before 'seeing' it."

Reality is different from games. Spellcasters and similar professions require a great deal of talent, and it seems he is still lacking in some areas.

Fortunately, Roland was very patient.

I got up and walked to the window. The sound of rain had gradually weakened, and a thin mist spread out, shrouding the street in an alluring veil.

The woman in the distance, her robes soaked, persisted in tidying up the jars and pots, trying to secure the possible copper coin income for her husband's shop.

However, in such weather, most adventurers would choose to stay in the tavern.

Just like now, as he slightly pushed open the door, the noise from downstairs poured into the corridor like boiling oil, mixed with laughter and clinking glasses.

The enticing aroma lingered in the air, making the area downstairs even more appealing, but Roland had just finished dinner in his room and had no intention of going down for a while.

He had something else to do.

Ding--

The bell outside the room jingled as the rope swayed, startling the red-haired waiter by the stairs, who swayed his body and walked over.

He called out from a distance.

"Honorable guest, would you prefer a male or female? Human or some other race?"

What does that mean?

Roland blinked, and after a brief moment of confusion, he realized something, shook his head, and sighed, "I don't need someone to sleep with me... Do you have anyone here who's well-informed?"

"They're all very well-informed about who's willing to sleep with you," the red-haired waiter enthusiastically recommended. "Especially certain pointy-eared fellows, who not only have keen hearing but can also give you a unique kind of pleasure."

"...No, thank you."

After thinking for a moment, Roland took out a shiny silver coin and tossed it to the other person: "I'd like to know about the recent situation, whether it's what's happening in town or the war situation."

In such turbulent times, enemy troops could strike here at any moment, so staying well-informed is always a good idea.

Although it was a bit of a pity, for the sake of the silver coins, the red-haired waiter finally "understood" his intention and entered the room at Roland's signal.

"So...which part would you like to hear first?"

"From town, I suppose."

"Well... speaking of the town, it's probably because yesterday a bard supposedly received divine guidance and composed a poem that has aroused a lot of interest."

Seeing that Roland didn't react, the red-haired waiter continued, "The strange thing about this is that the story in the poem may be true. Many adventurers have already gone to the dungeon and found some traces of it."

"Hmm...that's quite unusual. So what happened next?"

"And then?" The red-haired waiter curled his lip and said casually, "Nothing happened after that. The Adventurers' Guild sealed off that place, and now no one can get in."

Unsurprisingly.

Roland nodded inwardly, giving the association a thumbs up in his mind, and then asked the waiter to tell him about things in other towns.

There are many fragmented pieces of information, but most of them are just rumors; only a few are of any real value.

First, an adventurer team called "Silver Fly" came from the West and stole many quests from lower-level adventurers, which made many people very unhappy.

Secondly, it seems that some people in the town hall are extorting money from shops with little background. Several shops have already gone out of business, and the owners have disappeared.

Third, a group of people recently left the church, apparently to carry out some mission, including several professional church workers.

As a staff member specializing in "special services," the red-haired waiter was naturally quite eloquent, which Roland listened to with great interest.

However, the atmosphere shifted slightly when the current war situation was mentioned.

"This is not good," the waiter said in a low, somewhat suppressed voice. "That foolish king used some means to temporarily repel the imperial army in a crucial battle."

"Now, the Empire's army is beginning to withdraw, relinquishing some of the occupied territories, and the Kingdom is attempting to press its advantage."

"Many people believe that the kingdom will soon perish, it all depends on how the opinions within the empire are handled."

Roland listened quietly, his expression equally solemn.

The kingdom's army has won a victory, which is not good news.

His kingdom, Kessel, was not powerful; it was a third-rate nation on the continent. The enemy he was fighting this time was the "Uka Empire".

As its name suggests, the empire's strength and foundation are among the top in the hundreds of countries on this continent, and its territory is roughly dozens of times larger than that of the Kingdom of Kessel.

Even with less than one percent of its army deployed, the empire still managed to capture the capital of the Kingdom of Kessel in just half a month, forcing the king to flee overnight.

Now that the king has won the battle, although we don't know what tactics he used, it will surely wear down the empire's last bit of patience and bring about an even more devastating retaliation.

However, he noticed some information he didn't know from the waiter's words and immediately asked about it.

"What did you mean by 'opinions within the Empire'?"