Lian and Rick left the store under the mocking gazes of many other students. They were poor, but they would not be for long.
"I am sorry, Lian. You had to give up the Bronze 4 and 5 Mana Pills..." Rick murmured in a weak voice.
"The important thing is that you know it is only your fault we are broke," Lian replied, furrowing his brows. "Spendthrift—" he added under his breath.
He was not truly angry. He had those pills with him, after all. He was just frustrated about the embarrassnt.
Rick lowered his head, defeated, but his brain did not stop thinking. "You are right, I am a spendthrift. But... what if we found a way to make money tonight? Maybe a bet in the arena or a quick mission?"
"No way. We only have 600 gold coins, and they are needed to redeem the staff from the restaurant. We cannot afford to lose those too. Tomorrow I will get more money, but for now, that is enough."
Rick nodded, then shook his head. "Yes, you are right. Tomorrow we also have that other mission, rember? You ntioned a certain Darien who could give us information about our artifact thief."
Lian raised a hand, stifling a fake yawn. "Yes, buddy. First of all, let us go back to Seven Spirit Flavors to retrieve the staff and bring it to Loper. Tomorrow I will contact Darien and ask for information, while you take care of finding a third mber, got it?"
Rick nodded. He knew exactly where to look for a third mber. At the Silver Twilight Association. That place did not only handle missions but also had postings from students needing others for specific tasks.
Sure, it was not the best way to find reliable people, but it worked... sotis.
The best thod would have been to belong to a faction, but neither Lian nor Rick wanted to be tied down.
The two continued chatting a bit. The academy’s streets were lit by nurous lamps, while the buildings glowed splendidly.
Lian and Rick first headed to the Seven Spirit Flavors restaurant. After redeeming the staff, the two returned to the shop where Loper had given them 1,000 gold coins to bring him the staff.
After handing it over to the new owner, the two could finally return to their dormitories.
On the way back, Lian could not help but sigh helplessly. He had read a sign that greatly attracted him, but due to his current poverty, he could not enter.
Jade Water Health
A complete body cleansing service, suitable even for those who had a stressful day and wanted to be pampered and massaged everywhere.
Before they realized it, while strolling through the academy’s structures, the two said goodbye and reached their respective dormitories.
During the night, Lian had ditated as usual, but this ti he used the effects of the Calm Heart Pills, which helped him absorb mana better than standard ditation.
Moreover, Lian had absorbed the Mana Pills from Bronze 1 to 3. The result was better than expected, but the side effects of fatigue were noticeable. So he did not continue with the absorption of the Bronze 4 and Bronze 5 Mana Pills.
"I feel incredibly stronger. An 8% increase in mana amount is definitely noticeable!" he murmured with a smile before standing up from the floor and stretching.
Of course, before ditating, he had taken a good shower, and now, early in the morning, he would take another.
After dressing and preparing properly, the clock showed 7:00 as the sun filtered through his room’s curtains.
Today was a rest day. No student would have classes, and the sa applied to Lian. He could skip going to the Rune Forge, but the lack of gold coins was a real problem.
"Well, then let us head to the Rune Forge first, do the usual work for Torin, earn a little sothing, and finally contact Darien... I just hope he is a nice guy."
"Wait a second—" Thinking of Darien, Lian could not help but recall that annoying woman, Karen. "Damn, she told I had to stop by today to pick up the docunts. I really do not feel like seeing her..."
With a sullen and troubled expression, Lian headed to the Rune Forge.
By now, he knew the way by heart; he did not even need to keep his head up.
Ignoring the gazes and murmurs of all the other students around, Lian continued on his way.
But after walking for a few minutes, a voice called him from behind.
"Lian? Is that you?"
"Huh?" With an uncertain glance, Lian turned toward the sound of the voice, only to find a very charming girl in front of him. Lian clearly rembered her na and appearance, but sothing about her seed... dim. "Mage Elora?!"
With a bright smile, the girl raised a hand in greeting. "I am happy to et you again, finally. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to co find you earlier. It was my responsibility to show you around the academy, rember?"
Lian gave an ironic smile. In truth, he simply believed Elora had abandoned him. After all, it was Patrick who had asked her to take care of Lian.
"Of course I rember. It has been a while since then. Where have you been?"
Lian did not expect the girl to answer seriously. He did not even expect Elora to talk to him. She was a Silver Mage, after all.
A sigh escaped her lips as her smile faded. A grim expression painted her face as she spoke. "You see, after you returned from the Gate, a massive monster attack hit the borders of Grimreach. Even we students were called to fight."
Lian raised an eyebrow. He knew nothing about it. The headmaster had not told him anything, and neither had Bibo, usually very talkative, ntioned anything.
"It was kept highly confidential, which is why you do not know. We returned last night. Of course, we won," Elora continued, a faint smile on her lips.
Lian wanted to return that smile, but Elora’s eyes lacked warmth. Much more had happened than she let on.
The air grew silent. Lian and Elora barely knew each other, after all.
Before the silence continued, the contact crystal Elora carried, tied at her waist, began to glow faintly, emitting a low hum. "Well, I will leave you to your things; I have to go. See you around the academy, Lian!" She turned quickly, casting a sideways glance at Lian.
"Goodbye, Mage Elora!" Lian said in response before the woman’s figure disappeared from his sight. "She is fast..." he murmured.
Shaking his head, Lian resud his journey to the Rune Forge. But his mind was not calm. A sea of thoughts and questions kept appearing and disappearing in his head.
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