Chapter 69: Gemstone
Allund City, the only city-state in the Count of Allund’s territory.
The structure was similar to that of Reiden City, with tall walls made of large bluestones, narrow long streets, rows of gothic-style small buildings, tall bell towers, and so on.
This place belonged to the Lambert family, and the territory was rich in all kinds of gemstones, so it was also known as the gemstone family.
Walking on the small brick-paved road, Heath was secretly thinking about how to get this Soul Gem.
The simplest way was undoubtedly to directly find the Lambert family, reveal his identity as a Wizard, and through the most direct transaction, he believed that no matter what treasure it was, it would not be difficult to take it away.
However, there was a problem involved.
The mission Heath accepted was not a mission like the one in Reiden City. According to the rules, he did not have the authority to make a deal with the mortals here.
If it was not because he had no other choice, Heath still did not want to break the rules. It was not a big deal, but it was a taboo.
Wizards hated breaking the rules.
‘Then, only robbery? Theft? Two options,’ Heath thought.
Normal transactions did not conform to the rules, but robbery was within the rules.
Although it was strange, the situation was like this.
“Forget it, let’s go find out some information first. Even if I want to rob, I should at least find out where the gem is.”
With this in mind, Heath walked around the street and soon locked onto a tavern on the street.
A tavern was the place with the most extensive information channels in the world.
Pushing open the wooden door, Heath walked into the tavern called ‘The Sword of the Brave’.
It was currently dusk, and the tavern was at its busiest time. The commoners who had been busy all day would come to the tavern at this time to drink two cups of rye wine, eat two pieces of bacon, and brag about all sorts of interesting things.
The sound of the collision of the oak cups, the vulgar swearing, the clamor, all kinds of voices rang out continuously.
The smell of sweat, wine, and meat soup mixed into a strange smell that filled the air.
Heath came to the bar counter, sat down on the high stool, took out a gold coin, and put it on the table. He said straightforwardly, “A cup of wheat wine. I want to ask about something else.”
The owner of the tavern was a middle-aged man in a brown tank top. His eyes were shining with shrewdness.
When he saw the gold coin on the table, he immediately put on the warmest smile on his face. “Of course, this strange guest. The Sword of the Brave has the most sensitive ears of Allund. No matter what you want to know, you can get the answer here.”
As he spoke, he shouted to the scantily-clad maid not far away, “Bernice, bring this guest a bunch of wheat wine, wheat.”
The maid quickly brought a large oak cup filled with wine. Heath picked it up and took a sip.
Although this wheat wine was not as sweet as the Wizard’s fruit wine and not as fragrant as the wine in the noble’s manor, it still had a unique taste.
It was a little astringent, a little pungent, and also had a little earthy smell.
One gulp of it would make one’s throat burn, but after a while, one would feel exceptionally comfortable. To put it more accurately, it was painful and happy.
It was like a true portrayal of the laborers in this world.
While sipping the wheat wine in his cup, Heath asked, “I heard that a few years ago, Count Lambert found a strange gem near the Goddess Lake. I want to know everything about it.”
The tavern owner said enthusiastically, “Yes, yes. The Goddess’ Blessing, the most beautiful gemstone in Allund. The goddess’ gift to the Brave Lambert. Everyone here knows about it…”
From the tavern owner, Heath received detailed information about the soul gemstone.
Just as Cui Siqi said, after the Lord found the Soul Gem, he treated it as a treasure and kept it. Then, he found a craftsman to make a necklace for it and named it the Goddess’ Blessing.
It was said that this name would be given because Count Lambert was the nephew who had ascended the throne. The old Count Lambert did not have any children, so he had chosen one of his nephews.
At that time, Count Lambert’s line of succession was not very high. However, because he had picked up this Soul Gem, it had attracted the attention of the old Count Lambert. Thus, he was determined to be the heir despite the objections of the public.
After listening to the introduction, Heath said, “For such a treasure, the Lambert family must guard it tightly, right?”
The tavern owner said half-jokingly, “Why? Are you going to steal the Goddess’ Blessing? Although everyone in the city wants to see a big piece of news, I think it’s best that you don’t do this.”
“No one knows where the Goddess’ Blessing was placed by Count Lambert. Over the years, many famous thieves have visited Allund. Unfortunately, they didn’t find anything and instead hung their heads on the city wall.”
Hearing the owner’s words, Heath began to think.
It seemed that he could only start with Count Lambert. First, he had to kidnap this noble…
But this was a big problem.
According to the rules, although he could do evil, he could not use the power of Wizards, or else he would break the rules.
Without using the power of Wizards, he was just a high-level Knight. It was easy to imagine how difficult it would be to kidnap a Count-level noble…
‘Why is it so troublesome…’
Just as Heath was in distress, the tavern owner suddenly said, “So, if you want the necklace, you should try your best to defeat the competitors in the ring. It’s impossible to do evil things.”
Heath looked at the tavern owner in confusion, not understanding what he was saying.
The tavern owner pointed at the cross-shaped sword on Heath’s waist and asked in confusion, “Why? Aren’t you here for the tournament?”
Heath shook his head and said, “No.”
This time, it was the tavern owner’s turn to be surprised. “Then why are you asking about the Goddess’ Blessing?”
He looked as if he had seen a ghost, and the corner of his mouth twitched twice. “It… It can’t be that you really have some wicked ideas…”
Heath stopped the tavern owner from thinking further.
He took out another gold coin and put it on the wooden table. “Tell me, what’s the connection between this tournament and the necklace?”
Seeing the gold coin, the doubt in the owner’s eyes disappeared.
No matter what was good or bad, gold coins were enough.
He explained, “Every three years in the autumn, the Lambert family will hold a tournament in Allund when the maple leaves are red. Do you know about it, Sir?”
Heath nodded.
The Allund Tournament was a very famous tournament in the Helan Kingdom and the 16 countries at the edge of the forest. He had read about it in the library.
The tavern owner continued, “Every time at this time, the Lambert family would carefully choose a good gemstone and make it into a necklace for the champion.”
“And this year’s champion necklace is the Goddess’ Blessing.”
Heath was surprised. “Is the Lambert family willing to give up such an important necklace?”
The tavern owner said, “The gemstone family only produces gemstones and does not collect gemstones. Even the most beautiful gemstones in the world are not allowed to stay in their hands for more than five years. This has been passed down from generation to generation since their family was founded.”
“And this year is the fifth year that Count Lambert received the Goddess’ Blessing.”
Heath came to a sudden realization.
Then from the looks of it… things… seemed to have become easier?
Heath immediately asked, “How do I register for this tournament?”