“Lord Charlie, do you want to track down the three kids who ran away?”
“In compensation for my earlier mistake.”
Inside a wooden hut, Dor took the kickback Charlie had given him and asked in a low voice.
Charlie, lounging on the sofa, took a drag of his cigarette, looking tempted.
Seeing this, Dor pressed a bit harder:
“These kids from the academy… each one’s carrying at least 20 or 30 gold dragons. And they’re young and naïve.
“They’ve just co down from the mountain and are scared out of their minds. Now’s the perfect ti to strike.”
Charlie exhaled a plu of smoke. The glowing tip of his cigarette lit up a pair of eyes flickering with thought.
After a long pause, he finally shook his head:
“No need. You rember how the Korik Gang got wiped out back then… A little trickery’s one thing, but anything more than that? Forget it. I don’t want to end up like them.”
“That was a rare case, Lord Charlie. And it was ten years ago already.”
“Besides, you know as well as I do that I ca from the academy, too. I swear to you, there’s no way those kids are carrying any deadly arcane knowledge like you’re imagining!
“What we learn up on the mountain is just the basics of language, magic fundantals, human anatomy, general knowledge, that sort of thing.
“Only after advancing can we even begin to access the dangerous stuff…”
Dor was still trying to convince him.
Charlie waved a hand, smiling faintly: “You don’t get it, Dor.
“You have to gamble. You lot who still owe debt must gamble. But I’m not in your shoes.
“If you want to go, go by yourself, leave out of it.”
The Black Serpent Gang, which Charlie belonged to, was one of the bigger gangs in the “Shanty District.” Though Charlie was only a senior mber, he had an uncle who wielded supernatural powers.
This ti, he was only working with Dor because he felt like it. As for spending more ti and energy to ss with those apprentices… Charlie wasn’t stupid.
…
…
Red Orange Market, beside Lise’s Bakery.
Holding a piece of rye bread, Leona grumbled:
“One pound of rye bread barely lasts a day, and it costs six copper hawks? That’s insane!
“At this rate, just buying bread would cost us at least 18 silver wolves a month… more than double the rent!”
“Or,” said Gigos, breaking off half his bread and handing it to Lynn, “you could just not buy bread.
“You could buy grains and make your porridge or bake your bread.
“The cheapest oats go for just 1.5 copper per pound. Rye and barley are 2 and 3 copper, only wheat costs 5.”
Lynn took the bread from him.
Unlike Leona, who had a full piece to herself, Lynn and Gigos had gone half-and-half on a single loaf.
He bit into it with a frown. The bread’s coarse, sour taste made Lynn sigh inwardly.
As much as Dor had lied to them, what he said wasn’t wrong.
Living in Eraldwood City as debt-bound youths was far from easy.
Though they’d settled the housing issue, food was the next major concern.
Buying bread every day clearly wasn’t sustainable. But cooking on their own… wasn’t so simple either.
All the grains sold in Eraldwood City were unhulled.
To eat them, they’d first have to hull the grains themselves.
Lynn knew nothing about this. He could only vaguely recall, buried in the original body’s mories, that the household servants used to pound the grain with a heavy stick, then sift it in the wind using a winnowing basket.
And if he wanted to bake bread afterward? He’d have to grind it into flour, knead the dough, let it rise, then build a fire in the oven and bake at just the right temperature…
The whole process was exhausting and complicated.
“Life in the old world was so much better…” Lynn sighed internally. “A few taps on your phone and your al would be delivered to your door.”
He patted his chest, swallowed the bite of bread, and urged them on:
“Let’s go. Ti to check in with the academy outpost.”
Once that was done, he needed to head straight to investigate the prices of crystal spell Plates.
If he moved quickly enough, he might even be able to start crafting them today!
And if the profits were decent…
At the very least, he wouldn’t have to stress about als anymore.
…
Just as there weren’t any bakeries in the Shanty District, there was also no academy outpost there.
The nearest one lay just beyond, technically within the bounds of the “Cabin District.” It was a two-story wooden building with a broad footprint and a formal, imposing design.
Of course, “Shanty District” and “Cabin District” were only informal nas used by locals.
The official address of the outpost was No. 1 Ginkgo Street, in the Laurent Ward.
The roads here were wider and covered with gravel, and the air had far less of the stench of urine and decay.
The check-in process was simple, done in just a few minutes.
The second-tier apprentice manning the post didn’t even glance at them, nor did he bother checking if the information they filled in was accurate.
After all, the Hossens Wizard Dominion was located deep within the perilous Eraldwood Forest. The apprentices had no way of leaving, and more importantly, they had signed an arcane contract.
Unlike mundane agreents, this one left no room for loopholes.
Breaking it would co with consequences…
And for mortals like them, those consequences were always severe.
Bauhinia Thorn Street – Golden Forest Departnt Store
Lynn looked up at the grand and lavish building before him.
This was the Golden Forest, an eight-story departnt store run by the Hossens Academy.
If Bauhinia Thorn Street was the most bustling comrcial street in all of Eraldwood City, then the Golden Forest was undoubtedly its crown jewel, the largest and most prestigious establishnt along it.
There was a saying among those in the Hossens Wizard Dominion:
“If you can’t find it in the Golden Forest, you won’t find it anywhere else in Eraldwood.”
That alone spoke volus about its status.
And this was his first stop to begin market research.
Lynn straightened his clothes and strode confidently toward the entrance, just as the original Lynn used to do.
But monts later
A silver-armored knight blocked his path.
“Sir, may I see your credentials?”
“Credentials…? What credentials?”
Lynn froze. Back when the original Lynn visited, no one had ever asked for credentials. The two guards at the door would always keep their heads bowed, welcoming him politely.
He had always assud they were just ceremonial doorn, not actual guards.
“It must be your first ti here,” the knight said with a polite smile.
“I’m not never mind. What do I need to get in?”
The silver-armored knight replied, still courteous: “For non-awakened individuals, entry to the Golden Forest requires a fee of one gold dragon per visit, and an approval process.
“If you’d like, I can escort you to the office to begin the procedure.”
Lynn opened his mouth but said nothing.
He had no idea there were such restrictions on entering the Golden Forest.
Back when he was still a mber of the academy, all of Bauhinia Thorn Street was open to apprentices like him. He had never heard of any entry fees.
“I hope you understand, sir,” the knight continued respectfully, noting Lynn’s expression.
“The Golden Forest isn’t a place just anyone can enter. Most of the patrons inside are wizards. The fee we charge is primarily for your protection against them.”
…
Well… fair enough, I suppose.
Lynn sighed, about to respond, when sothing in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
Inside the Golden Forest, a blonde girl in gray wizard’s robes was walking toward the exit, holding a gray sack.
She had a graceful figure and a face that was, at best, mildly attractive.
At least in Lynn’s eyes, she was far less charming than she’d been in childhood.
Yes, this was the very girl he’d dreamt about just the night before.
Elena Rose.
Lynn quickly averted his gaze and stepped away from the Golden Forest entrance, moving over to the side of the street.
He pulled up his hood, lowered his head, and watched Elena out of the corner of his eye as she slowly exited the building.
Then suddenly, he froze his gaze fixed on the emblem on her chest.
Pinned to the left side of her robe, just above her breast, was a bronze, downward-pointing triangular badge adorned with a delicate vine design that almost seed alive.
It was the badge of a Third-Rank Apprentice of the academy.
She’s already advanced to third rank?
A wave of shock surged through Lynn, followed by a strange trace of resentnt.
But he quickly ca to his senses and shook his head.
To him, Elena was nothing more than a stranger now. Being surprised at her advancent was understandable, but the bitterness was a leftover emotion from the original Lynn.
Nine years ago, the original Lynn and Elena had both been taken from a giant spider vessel by the mages of the Hossens Academy and brought here.
They were about the sa age, and both ca from the Kingdom of Anan. In such an unfamiliar environnt, they naturally grew close, quickly becoming inseparable friends.
Six months ago, they had nearly beco lovers.
Back then, neither of them had much hope of becoming apprentices.
Bonded by shared hardship, they worked together to earn magic stones, hoping that even if they failed to advance, they could still survive peacefully in Eraldwood City.
The original Lynn worked toward that goal with everything he had. With Elena by his side, he even allowed himself to imagine a future worth looking forward to.
Then, one month ago, Elena suddenly disappeared, leaving behind only a handful of magic stones they had saved together and a book on crafting crystal spell plates.
The next ti the original Lynn saw her was in the academy’s teaching district.
She had been walking behind a third-rank apprentice bearing the bronze badge, her expression distant and cold, just like today.
Seeing that, the original Lynn naturally assud she had abandoned him for soone more powerful. His heart was filled with rage.
But afraid of confronting a third-rank apprentice, he held back. And in that hesitation, Elena disappeared again.
Devastated, the original Lynn returned to his stone hut.
Two weeks later, just yesterday, he chose death.
As those thoughts surfaced, Lynn’s brow furrowed.
From his current perspective, Elena hadn’t looked like so plaything back then. And besides, no plaything would ever be allowed to beco a third-rank apprentice…
After a mont of contemplation, Lynn let it go.
No matter what, he and Elena now lived in different worlds. A cold, silent passing on the street was probably the best outco.
He had more important things to worry about.
Lynn waited quietly until Elena had disappeared into the distance before turning and heading toward another market.
To him, the mories from the original Lynn felt like watching an unusually vivid film.
They certainly influenced him, but at the end of the day…
They weren’t his mories.
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