Passerby Villain In A Wizard World

"That's a bummer. Why is it so hard to find even such a simple potion recipe, that too in such a large Wizard city?"

Ian said in distress while placing a few other potion bottles on the counter for the old man to scan.

However, surprisingly, his figure was quite different from his usual self. Instead of the handsome figure from before, he now appeared short, with subtle changes in his face, unkempt hair, and dark circles under his eyes, as if he had been up all night doing who knows what.

Even his voice was different from before, and there was no sight of Ignysyl on his shoulder.

"That's not a bummer but a fact. Potion recipes are knowledge, and which wizard will share their knowledge that easily?"

The old man rolled his eyes at his distressed words, finding it quite laughable.

"Young man, you have such great talent in potion making, why don't you just join the Mystic Circle? With your talent, you will get whatever you want. Being a First Ring wizard is as easy as pie for you."

He then suggested with thick jealousy.

If he had such talent, he would have already joined the Mystic Circle, enjoying the glory to the fullest. Why would he work as a steward in this shop with no sight of promotion?

His one-year salary could be earned by a good potion master in a day. How unfair this world was, he lamented his uselessness.

"Haha... I will consider it. There is no rush for now."

Ian laughed and directly ignored his suggestion, but suddenly brought up the topic for which he was really here.

"So, did you get the information I asked for? Don't worry, your commission will be paid in full. You know how rich I am."

Did Ian come here to ask for the potion recipe? Of course not. He also knew how precious those things were.

After all, it had been 10 days since he arrived at this place. Now, although he wasn't fully familiar with everything, he at least knew all the basics.

So, what he truly came here for was another thing he had assigned this old man before. Although this guy was just a Second Class Wizard apprentice, his connections were top-notch in this city.

"Hmm? Of course, I found out what you wanted. But... are you really sure? Let me tell you straight, that place isn't just a simple Wizard ruin. Without the strength of at least a First Ring Wizard, it can be very dangerous."

Perhaps he found Ian to his liking, the old man first warned him out of kindness.

As a part-time information dealer and middleman, he had seen too many youths plunged into danger just for the flimsy hope of treasure.

He didn't know how many of his acquaintances had disappeared forever in wizard ruins. If he hadn't been careful and hadn't delved too deeply into such things, even he wouldn't be alive now.

So, he felt that Ian was taking risks recklessly. Moreover, Ian was a potion master and didn't need to do this, in his opinion.

"I know already, old man. I just want to commission someone to do some things."

Ian hurriedly waved his hand, indicating that he wasn't reckless, and then asked with a curious look.

"But, did you really get it? Where is it?"

"Of course I got it. Don't underestimate my connections. But... I have to say, what you asked for was truly a little hard for me to do and risky. So... it will cost you extra."

Since Ian seemed okay, the old man didn't care, but he smiled and took out a dark wooden token with a shimmering rune from his mana ring, doing so a little sneakily.

Yet, Ian's sharp eyes immediately caught the word 'Forbidden' inscribed at the center of the token.

"This is it."

Once recognized, Ian immediately lunged forward, snatching the token from the old man's hand with a swift motion. Even the old man was taken aback, surprised at how quickly Ian snatched it.

"Hey, don't steal from me like that."

Feeling that he was being robbed, the old man unconsciously warned, making Ian speechless.

"What are you saying? You still haven't paid for my potion. Do I need to steal from you?"

Ian rolled his eyes, ignoring him and instead carefully looked at the token.

The token wasn't anything extraordinary, as it was simply made of dark wood. What was special was the rune-inscribed word, 'Forbidden,' at the center.

"Haha... I was just joking, joking. Don't take it to heart, young man," the old man chuckled awkwardly, realizing his slip.

"What do you think? Isn't it genuine?"

And after a while, he asked while putting all the potions Ian had taken out earlier into the box with a wave of his hand.

"Yeah, it seems so. But... what is the code?"

Ian could feel that the token was genuine after analyzing it with his ability. So, he directly asked for the code, which he needed to access that place.

"No need to hurry, young man. First, count the mana stones for your potions. I already calculated everything for you. Look at this, is this enough?"

But this time, the old man didn't answer. Instead, he took a pouch out from the shelf and placed it directly in front of Ian.

He then signaled him to check, as if to confirm whether the price of the potions he had just sold was correct.

Seeing such a sneaky operation, Ian rolled his eyes but still took the pouch and scanned it roughly, only to see around 100 mana stones inside.

Such a large number of potions, and what he got in return was 100 mana stones? Who was he kidding?

"Wha..."

Ian was about to ask why the mana stones were so low in number this time when he abruptly stopped. Then he suddenly understood why this guy was so sneaky and wanted him to look at the pouch first.

'Damn, bastard wants so many mana stones.'

Ian cursed the sly old man. This was stealing his hard-earned money for just a code.

"Soo... What do you think? Are you satisfied with the price?"

The old man asked with a sly smile while caressing his beard.

His eyes seemed to twinkle a little, as if in amusement at Ian's dark look. From the way he operated, he seemed to be an old, experienced veteran.

"Okay, I'm satisfied, happy? Now, give me the damn code, old man. Stop playing around."