10 - 20

Chapter 10: The Musicians' Association

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

Lucien had read many novels about how to make big fortunes from scratch. Sadly, none would be helpful for him. Seven Fells were insufficient to start anything.

While the morning sun was shining on the market, Lucien was already carrying a heavy bag of goods towards the gate. No matter what great dreams a person got, survival always ranked first.

Beads of sweat poured down from his face. His linen clothes were all wet. What's worse, the fat guy called Gutche kept nagging from the side:

"Damn… A child? Watch out! Don't ruin my stuff!" He wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Or you can just pay more to find someone else…" Lucien fought back in his mind. At the same time, he was also glad that he could earn one more Fell by doing all the work by himself.

Finally, they reached the gate. Lucien laid the goods safely on the cart.

Gutche reluctantly pulled out his purse and gave four Fells to Lucien. He then paused and said, "Young lad, you did a good job. Um… The work will be yours next time as well."

Lucien did all the work alone for a much lower price. No wonder, Gutche now forgot all his complaints.

As soon as Lucien got his pay, two hooligan-looking guys approached them.

"We work for Aaron. I'm Andre." The brown-haired man identified himself. He had a scar on his face.

Lucien was already prepared for this. He handed him a Fell.

The other guy just stared at Lucien and said, "Two!"

Lucien blurted out, "But it should be one! Everyone gives one!" He knew that he was in no position to argue, but he just could not stand being robbed like this.

"Um… Usually, Gutche hires two people, so we charge one Fell for each person. We charge you double cos you did all the work alone. I don't see any problem here." Andre smiled like he was a decent businessman.

A second later, Lucien lowered his head and passed the strong guy another Fell. Lucien did not want to offend these gangsters.

"Smart boy. You know the rule. Some young lads… they love challenging us. But you see, we're still here, while… some of them are at the bottom of the Belem River. All right, Mag. Let's go." Andre threatened him like it was usual and left.

Of course, Lucien hated this. He was already prepared for this but still, could not control himself. He understood that either high status or strength could help him get rid of all the suffering.

"I wish there were some magic potions in the notes that would help to improve my strength, then…" Lucien tried his best to stop thinking. He knew that it was a dangerous sign. A sign that he was getting tempted to learn magic.

...

Almost everyone in the city knew the unique-designed building of the Musicians' Association. Very quickly Lucien found the place called "Sparkling Flame".

Assembled with lines, small towers, flying buttresses, stained glasses, and flame-shaped window lattices, the whole five-floored building held a particular unsymmetrical and flamboyant beauty.

A skinny middle-aged man with a mustache hurriedly came down from the stairs, "You're late! I told you one o'clock!"

This man was George. Cohn had already introduced him to Lucien. George worked for the association, and it seemed like he knew quite a few guys there.

"George, there are still ten minutes before the appointed time." Lucien pointed to the golden bell tower in the wealthy neighborhood, whose minute hand still had some way to go from number twelve.

Waving his hands, George complained to Lucien, "The cleaners finished their job earlier. You gotta remove the rubbish piling up in the back as soon as possible. I don't wanna piss the musicians off. Some of them still have a performance this afternoon."

Lucien left his rented trolley to the guards and walked into the bright and grand hall.

Covered with soft and thick carpet, the floor made no noise at all. There were just a few people walking across the cold, quiet hall.

Following George, Lucien came to a waist-high counter in the center of the hall, behind which sat a green-eyed and pretty young girl.

"Uncle George! Is he your helper?" She greeted.

While she was talking, she took out a tinkling purse and handed it to George. According to Lucien's estimation, approximately forty Fells were in there. However, after paying the trolley rent, he could only get eight Fells.

Holding the purse in his palms, George grinned showing his yellow teeth and his eyes narrowed into two slits, "He is a good worker although a bit young."

Then, he turned to Lucien, "I'll leave your pay with Andre. Just find him after you finish."

Lucien nodded. He was not worried that George would keep the money himself. Even though the Aaron Gang was overbearing, they too had to follow the rules. Cohn mentioned before that someone tried to keep some money, and later he had to compensate twice the amount.

When Elena was about to find a servant to show Lucien the way to the back yard, a middle-aged man wearing a red, loose coat came in. She hurriedly stood up and bowed slightly.

"Good Afternoon, Mr. Victor."

"Good Afternoon, Elena." The man replied politely. He had blue eyes as deep as an ocean, "May I have the latest Music Criticism?" His voice was deep and rich.

Lucien was surprised. He did not expect to find a newspaper in this world, and even specialized ones. What impressed him more was the polarization here, thinking about the fact that many people in Aderon were still illiterate. Lucien guessed not many people would buy newspapers.

He also wondered how much the newspaper cost.

Victor roughly went through the pages and gave Elena ten Fells. He then went towards the stairs after nodding politely to both of them, with the newspaper under his arm.

After he left, Lucien asked Elena curiously.

"The newspaper costs 10 Fells?"

Having worked in the association for a whole year, Elena was proud that she could share her knowledge with someone, who was also from the same poor background like she was before.

"In the year 426 of Saint Calendar, the Cardinal Adelaide enhanced the method for papermaking. Since then, the paper price continued declining. Now you can buy a dozen newspapers with just a couple of Fells. But only members of our association can buy Music Criticism with 10 Fells. Others, including nobles, have to pay a silver Nar."

"Both Music Criticism and Symphony News are the most authoritative music publications across the continent." she then continued, "Every piece of music and article is produced by brilliant musicians and scholars. This month's Music Criticism published the comments from His Majesty and Princess Natasha on the concert held last week in the Psalm Hall."

Aside from showing off, Lucien's good looking face was another reason why she kept offering so much information.

"A Nar?!" For a moment, an exciting plan of robbing newspapers appeared in his mind. Five Nars could easily solve Lucien's problem! A second later he realized the thought was too ridiculous: No one would buy from him.

"Sure!" Happy with Lucien's interaction, Elena kept talking. "You think it's too expensive? In places like Tria, Antiffler, Ifai, Tilis and Anhadur, these newspapers are very popular. People there honor Aalto's music very much and would even pay one gold Thale for an old one."

Lucien took a glance at the newspapers under the counter while trying hard to resist his impulse. But, he also got some information from her words: Under the mighty church, currency across the continent should be unified; Secondly, there was no such spell for teleportation. If there was, it must have very strict rules, or the nobles in other cities would not read old newspapers.

More than ten minutes later, it finally occurred to Elena that Lucien still had work to do. She reluctantly stopped herself and asked a servant to lead him to the backyard garden.

"Be quiet. Don't talk loud. Don't move loud. In three months, Mr. Victor's gonna hold his first concert in the Psalm Hall. Recently, he's being pretty… um… sensitive," Elena kindly reminded him.

Lucien nodded to her gratefully and followed the servant towards the garden.

Chapter 11: Findings

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

A big pile of trash was in the backyard garden. It took Lucien a couple of rounds to throw it away.

To keep the city clean, there were people collecting trash every morning. But, the fancy association just could not tolerate the trash piling up in their garden for a whole day.

After finishing the work, Lucien sneaked into the hall and moved around the margins of the round hall towards the gate.

"Damn it! Wolf! Can you just leave me alone for one second and let me focus on my music?" He heard a deep and rich voice which turned sharp in the end. At the same time, a man wearing a red coat rushed down from the stairs.

Then, he ran right into Lucien.

"Bang!" Something heavy fell down on the carpet, making a dull sound.

Victor nearly lost his footing.

Taking a deep breath, Victor bent down and picked up a broken lamp which had fallen down from Lucien's pile of trash.

"Sorry." He gave the lamp he picked up from the carpet back to Lucien.

Another brown-haired man wearing dark blue long coat walked down from the stairs. There was an noticeable arch on his chin.

"Victor, you're not the only musician here. I can do whatever I want. If you have a problem with it, then go back home."

The smile on his face became even bigger, "I know, I know. There are only three months left before your concert. And I understand, I'm so looking forward to it. I'll write an article for you on Music Criticism, especially for you…"

"Bastard! Let's see when you can have your own concert." Swearing in a low voice, Victor turned around and left the hall quickly.

The moment Victor turned his back, the smile disappeared from Wolf's face. He walked back while murmuring, "It should be mine… "

After seeing their argument, Lucien continued carrying the trash to the gate. Then, he saw the broken lamp decorated with fancy patterns and the bottom of the lamp was made of metal.

Dumping the trash into the cart, Lucien picked up the lamp. It felt like copper but more flexible. It would probably sell for several Fells at a smith's shop. For a poor guy like Lucien, everything he saw would be related to money.

"Wait… maybe I can find more useful items like paper or quills in this pile."

Now, this pile of trash was a treasure for Lucien. His heart was full of surprise and excitement. Although the rich people would not even bother looking at it, for Lucien this was his first chance of changing his life.

Five silver Nars was sufficient for one month's educational cost. Besides, He got an entire library inside his mind which could be constantly expanded. If he was able to learn how to read, he trusted that he would discover better ways for making a fortune.

Lucien felt energized just thinking about his future. Feeling excited, he pulled his cart out of the city. But, he was also worried: No one liked old things from trash.

"I just gotta be careful. If Aaron's gang caught wind of this, they're gonna demand more from me." After Lucien's fight in the sewers, his fear for this world and towards gangsters diminished. He knew more about how to fight than they did.

After leaving the hall, Lucien saw a silver-haired man walking leisurely towards the association.

"Rhine? What's he doing here?"

Lucien did not think much about it. It was not strange for a bard visiting such a reputable place.

Andre was at the gate. He recognized Lucien and saw his fully loaded cart. He just waved his hand and let him leave out of the city.

Although excited, Lucien did not easily lower his guard. After a twenty-minute walk from the gate, Lucien finally stopped at a quiet place along the Belem River.

Rummaging through the trash, Lucien got some useful stuff: A broken lamp, several rusty pieces of metal, eight worn out quills, and some bundles of paper, etc.

Finally, Lucien pulled out a nice smelling damaged black lace. It looked like a veil, which might once belong to a female musician.

Without any erotic imagination, all Lucien thought was just about money.

"It got a fine craft. Maybe… maybe I can sell it to a tailor, who can probably use this as a decoration."

Wrapping that stuff with some paper, Lucien hid them in the grass. Then, he continued pulling his cart downstream to the place where the trash was piled up.

He was surprised that the dump site was much smaller than he thought. The river beside it was very clean. No one was there except for Lucien. While smelling the awful stench emitted from trash, Lucien started his rummaging again.

"In this world, nobody picks up trash for a living?" Lucien wondered, "Maybe they're afraid of catching any disease."

However, Lucien's empty purse was clearly more of a threat to him than getting sick, which might or might not happen. Wrapping his hand with waste papers, he found something which was probably worth a few Fells.

It was his first time, so Lucien was extremely cautious. He hid some of the stuff and went back for his paper parcel. Hiding his findings under a dirty old bag in his cart, Lucien tried to flatten the bag as much as he could to make it look like the cart's cover.

Lucien stuffed the small things into his pocket.

It was much easier than he thought. The guards just waved their hands and let him in after shooting a glance at him.

When Lucien was pulling his cart towards Andre and Mag, he realized why the guards just let him pass easily. Covering their noses, Andre and Mag's eyebrows were twisted together when they saw him.

Lucien was happy to see this. He pulled his smelling cart even closer to them and asked. "I'm Lucien. I come for my pay."

Mag immediately stepped back and took out the money while swearing.

"Damn you! Fuck off with your stinking cart."

Andre, with his consistent smile, was standing even further, "Your first time going to the river, isn't it? If you stay there until dark, you may get lucky. Just watch the ghosts there… haha… "

Without asking about ghosts, Lucien quickly left with his pay to return the cart. He did not want any more trouble.

Lucien made five Fells in total for cleaning up the garbage. However, his findings were more important than them, with them he could easily earn five Nars.

After returning home, Lucien hurriedly hid the rest of the stuff and then rushed to the market.

Lucien took it directly to a tailor without even cleaning the veil. He was rushing with quite a bit of excitement.

However, when Lucien was standing in front of a tailor shop, he became hesitant. He would probably get scolded or turned out of the door before he could open his mouth. Lucien's face was flushed, like when he tried to do sales at the university.

"Don't be a coward, Lucien. Don't feel it's shameful." Lucien started encouraging himself, "What can your dignity do for you now? Can your dignity turn your dark bread into white one? Or can it offer you steak, codfish, and wine? Can dignity teach you reading?"

Lucien had experienced quite a bit after coming to this world. He had even wobbled on the borderline of death. He quickly made up his mind and walked into the shop with firm footsteps.

An old man wearing glasses was sitting in the shop. Noticing Lucien entering, he asked with confusion.

"Yes?"

Lucien's dressing obviously showed that he was too poor to even visit an expensive tailor.

Smiling with great enthusiasm, Lucien rubbed his hands.

"Hello, sir! I got a nice black lace… and I was wondering if you're interested in it…"

Before Lucien could finish his words, he was cut in by the old man fiercely.

"A fine black lace, from you? Get lost, you damned thief!" He walked out of the counter and pushed Lucien out, "I, Old Forau, am a decent tailor! I only buy clothes from the Lautsi!"

Being driven out of the first shop, Lucien had no choice but to find the next one. And he would try a different approach this time.

Chapter 12: Lucien's First Eighty Fells

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

"Get out. We don't need anything from you."

It was the third time that Lucien got rejected. These fancy tailors always hated poor guys like Lucien. Even when Lucien showed the lace, they were still not willing to waste a second on him.

It was a big market. More than ten streets that crossed with each other. There were lots of different shops ran by humans, dwarves, and elves.

Soon, Lucien found another neat little tailor's shop, at the end of a street.

Standing behind the counter was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old shy looking blond boy.

"Hi, I'm Buster. Anything I can help you with?"

"Um… Yes, could you take a look at this lace, please?" Lucien placed the veil on the counter.

Buster gently rubbed it with his fingers under the light and got surprised.

"Sir, it's the Black Nightingale from the Kingdom of Holm! Where did you get it?"

Like other tailors, Buster knew Lucien could not afford this lace. Sometimes, even rich people might not be able to buy a small piece of Black Nightingale. All noble ladies wanted it.

Lucien lowered his voice, "Don't worry. It's clean."

"Clean?" A thirty something year old man walked out from behind. The thin-faced man was McDowell, the owner of this shop.

Lucien was surprised that they did not immediately drive him away, which was a promising signal.

"Yes, yes! I swear in the name of God! You see… there's a hole in it. It was abandoned by a noble lady and I just happened to find it. Turn it into a decoration on a dress or a band. I think with your hands, you can definitely make it become eye-catching again, sir." Lucien added eagerly.

Taking the lace from Buster's hands, McDowell had a close look. After a moment's thinking, he asked calmly.

"How much do you want, then?"

Lucien clenched his fists in excitement but did not dare show it in his face.

"Come on, Lucien… you fought with the huge crazy rats before. Stay calm." Lucien secretly consoled himself.

"You offer, sir. I believe your price wouldn't let me down." Lucien smiled and answered.

Looking into Lucien's eyes, McDowell paused a little bit.

"Forty Fells. It's not much use to me with a hole in it."

"A Nar. A fancy dress with a Black Nightingale on it, even distinguished ladies and madams will fight for it." Lucien more than doubled the offer.

McDowell shook his head and handed the lace back to Lucien.

"Fifty Fells. I cannot go any more than this."

"Um… I'm sorry, but thank you anyway, sir." Lucien calmly turned around and was ready to leave. Actually, he was very nervous. He was worrying that he might lose his only chance for being greedy.

Step by step, Lucien dragged his feet towards the exit. When he was about to leave the shop, McDowell's voice suddenly came from behind.

"Eighty Fells. My last offer. I'm only paying this much because the lace is a perfect match for one of my dresses."

"Great!" Lucien waved his fist joyfully and then he turned around and smiled.

"Deal, sir."

Tinkling coins bulged Lucien's pocket. For Lucien, nothing was more lovely than getting rich.

"I don't know you. And I don't care either. But, if in the future you got some good stuff like this, you could bring it here, as long as it's clean." McDowell added.

"Sure, sir. Thank you." Lucien slightly bowed and smiled.

After stepping out of the shop, Lucien found the sunshine was very brilliant under the amazingly blue sky. Breathing the fresher-than-ever air, Lucien found this world was kind of lovely as well.

Eighty Fells was pretty decent for him. For Lucien, he found his idea of collecting money actually worked. This was even more important to him!

...

Iven was waiting for Lucien near his home. He waved his hand as soon as he saw Lucien coming, "Lucien! There you are! My mom sent me to invite you for dinner. My brother's home!"

"John? Iven's elder brother?" Lucien tried to recall, "John's a… yes, knight squire in training."

It was not really safe for him to carry so much money everywhere with him.

"Just a moment, Iven. I gotta wipe my sweat a bit." Lucien smiled.

"Sure, Lucien." Iven looked more excited than usual, "You know what? John brought a piece of beef from Lord Venn! We're gonna have beef stew tonight!"

His little dirty face was full of excitement and expectancy.

"I haven't had any meat stew for quite a while!"

Actually, little Iven's family was not as poor as most people living in Aderon. As a busker, Joel's income could vary sometimes, but it was still better than labors. Alisa worked as a laundry maid as well. But, they were always saving for John's training back in the days. Old Evans, Lucien's father, helped them quite a lot before.

After hiding the money safely, Lucien quickly washed his face and followed Iven towards aunt Alisa's place.

A bunch of neighbors were gathered in front of the cabin.

"Little John's now the sworn knight squire following Lord Venn, isn't he?"

"Yes, Alisa told me herself."

"Little John's not even nineteen yet. One day he might get lucky and awaken the endowed blessing in his blood… then, he's gonna be a real knight!"

"Then no more Little John. We shall say, Lord John!"

"John can also be the commander of the City Guard as a sworn knight squire now."

"Joel and Alisa are so lucky… they must be very proud of their son!"

Iven was nodding with great pride.

As they entered the living room, a blond young man stood up from the chair. Inheriting his father's look, John was a handsome young lad, tall and straight. His elegant gesture was quite impressive to Lucien.

"I was quite worried hearing what happened to you, Lucien." John patted Lucien's shoulder and smiled, "Glad to see, you're alright now. I guess it was a test for you from God."

Although he was just one or two years older than Lucien, John appeared much more mature. His gray knight attire also made him quite out of the ordinary.

"Thanks, John. It was not a big deal, really. Aunty Alisa always worries about me." Lucien nodded.

When they sat down around the dinner table, John laid his hand on Lucien's shoulder.

"Why do I feel strangeness between us? Come on, we are best friends."

"Umm… I guess you changed quite a bit since you left home." Lucien was a little bit nervous.

John nodded seriously.

"Yeah… I'd say so. Training there changed me a lot, both physically and mentally. It was very hard, but I gained a lot from it as well."

Dinner was not a feast. They only got beef stew and roasted fish on the table. But for Lucien, this dinner was beyond delicious. He devoured his serve and even bit his tongue a few times. The happy reunion was so sweet that Joel even got a rare chance to enjoy his beef with ale.

Alisa talked even more during the dinner. Most of the time, she was the only one who kept talking all the way. A couple of words from Joel, Lucien, or Iven were enough to keep her going. According to the rules of a knight, John did not talk very much.

"I'm stuffed… " The happy dinner ended with little Iven's loud burp.

John smiled and shook his head, "Iven, eating too much is bad for you."

Then, he turned to Lucien.

"Have you got any future plan?" He asked.

Carefully arranging his words, Lucien nodded.

"Yeah… It was still unclear, but, I don't want to live a life like what I'm doing now."

"Good." John looked into his eyes, "Lord Venn told us, 'being unsatisfied with your life pushes you to move forward'. The bakery and the cellar in Lord Venn's manor are now looking for apprentices. It's a pretty good chance but you gotta work there for ten years. If you're interested in this job, just tell me by next Monday."

People in this world also believed in the myth that God created everything in seven days. They also attended church every single Sunday.

Being a knight squire was very promising: Now, John was able to help his family and friends. Although the help could not change their lives completely, it was still of great importance.

"Thank you, John." Honestly, Lucien was still reluctant to constrain himself in the following ten years, especially when he had just made his first small fortune. But, he still wanted to think for some time before making a decision.

"Alright, I gotta go back now." John stood up from his chair and hugged his family. And he gave Lucien a big hug.

"I wish you could read, Lucien. Downey is looking for a clerk for the court. It's a very decent job with nice payment."

"I'm planning to start studying." Lucien seized the chance and told John.

John was quite surprised. Soon, he smiled and nodded, "I'll see if there's any chance for you."

Lucien thanked John again, sincerely, but he also did not place all his hope on John. He had to work on his own.

...

For the following three days, Lucien did not find anything valuable like the Black Nightingale. But, he still managed to save a Nar and sixty-four Fells. Now, he was walking towards the city gate as usual, with great confidence.

Looking at Lucien's back, Andre nudged Mag a bit.

"Why does he leave the city every morning?"

"Leave the city?" An amiable voice came from behind them.

Andre hurriedly turned around, looking serious.

"Morning, Jackson."

Jackson Riodors, one of the leaders of the Aaron gang, had a kind face. But, his craftiness and treacherousness could definitely place him at the top of the group.

Chapter 13: Sudden Attack

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

Holding his chin, Jackson put on a kind smile, "Morning, Andre. What's going on here?"

"Not a big deal, Jackson." Andre responded in a flattering way, "A guy is recently going outside of the city every day. I was just wondering…"

"Interesting. Does he carry anything with him?" Somehow Jackson's smile was kind of frightening, which for a moment gave both Andre and Mag goose bumps.

Mag believed in both the God of Truth and his own fists, and claimed that he carried one sixteenth of the savage blood from Yaran Highland. However, his brain did not work as fast as his fists. Jackson's question was too demanding for him.

"Um… I remember he always carries an old sack. Sometimes, he comes back with something in it. There are many mushrooms near the Belem River… "

"No, not mushrooms." Jackson cut in.

"Then… what else could a poor guy like him do… " Andre asked nervously. Facing the Belem River and the Melzer Black Forest, the gate that Andre and Mag were watching was the busiest one among the three gates of Aalto. Countless merchants, adventurers, and plain folks came back and forth every day. They never bothered paying extra attention to a poor boy like Lucien.

Jackson came for a reason.

"The blacksmith Rego came to me two days ago. A young lad sold him a nice piece of Orichalcum."

"Oricha…?"

"Orichalcum, or say, Mountain Copper. Only wealthy nobles can afford it. Although the one he got was of the lowest quality, it was still quite enough to forge a fine dagger. Rego wanted to find more, so he came to me."

"Lucien sold that?" Mag asked directly.

Jackson slightly nodded, "He was careful. The metal was polished so Rego couldn't find any clues. It took me a whole day to find him. But, he visited a couple of smith's. They remembered him.

"And you know him as well. Perfect." Jackson added.

"Then what should we do?" Andre asked eagerly.

"Follow him and find where he found the Mountain Copper. If he notices you, beat the shit out of him and then ask. His money is all yours."

"Understood!" Mag answered before Andre. It had been more than two weeks since he gave someone a good beating. He always got excited when it came to beating someone.

...

Carrying his old sack, Lucien was walking in the direction of the Belem River.

"I gotta use the other two gates more." Lucien thought, "It's suspicious always taking the same way… Andre and Mag, they're always there."

The two gates, one in Purple Lily and the other in Nolan, were both far from his destination. Lucien sometimes would collect some mushrooms on his way back to disguise his real purpose, which took him more time.

A figure flashed from behind him.

"Who's there?!" Lucien suddenly became alert.

It was not the first time he found someone tracking him. Ever since his bitter fight under the sewers, he felt he became more sensitive to the surroundings now. Thanks to his sharp observation, he managed to get rid of those people who wanted to find out his secret.

Pretending everything was fine, Lucien was seeking for a chance. When he arrived in a corner covered with thick grass and high trees, he dashed to a big tree with all his strength. Hiding behind it, Lucien quietly waited for the person.

He was calm. He had to know who was following him to eliminate any future trouble.

A moment later, a sound of heavy footsteps, together with swearing, came from the place Lucien was previously at. The sound came around the corner, very close to where Lucien was standing before.

"Damn it! We lost him!"

"I was right, Andre. We should catch and beat him up. Only that way he will tell us everything!"

Lucien was surprised. He did not expect that the Aaron gang would notice him so quickly.

Feeling disappointed, Lucien decided to leave his home and hide somewhere with his money for a few days. He was waiting for Andre and Mag to leave first.

"I can still become an apprentice anyway." Lucien comforted himself silently.

Andre and Mag knew what Jackson would do to them if they messed up. They were arguing with each other loudly.

"Mag, savages can scent!" Andre suddenly smacked Mag's shoulder.

"Hey! Scent what…"

"You said those savages are like hounds, and they can catch any scent in the wind!" Andre was excited, "You have savage blood! Try it!"

"Yes… Sometimes it doesn't work, though…" Mag scratched his bald head.

Lucien suddenly became really nervous. He still knew too little about this new world.

Raising his head slightly, Mag took a long deep breath.

Then he shouted excitedly, "I got his scent!"

"There he is!" He started running towards the tree.

Mag found him!

As soon as Mag shouted, Lucien started running. Mag was surprisingly fast with his big muscles and, several times, he almost caught Lucien.

Lucien kept running through the trees to avoid Mag. But after the woods, there was the open riverside. Lucien knew he could not escape anymore.

"I gotta beat Mag before the other guy comes." Lucien did not panic. Compared with those crazy red-eyed rats, Mag, although a bit big, was still a human being.

Lucien was prepared. He heard Mag's excited howling coming close from behind him.

Suddenly Lucien stopped, he lowered his body and pushed his leg against the ground. He butted Mag hard with all his strength.

It was an unexpected attack. Mag swiftly tried to punch Lucien's head to avoid the attack, but he missed.

Lucien passed right through Mag's arms. With the help of Mag's own momentum, Lucien's hard-clenched fist ran into Mag's soft belly.

Mag felt a hard rock hit his stomach. As he was yelling in pain, a strong acid rose from his throat.

Lucien knew a single punch could not solve the trouble completely. Thus, two seconds later he viciously attacked Mag's back with his elbow. Furthermore, almost at the same time, his lifted knee went straight between Mag's legs.

"Ow!!!!!"

It was a painful howling in the best savage style, and even Andre, who always made fun of Mag's blood, would not deny that.

Covering his private part, Mag was rolling back and forth on the ground in great pain, snarling angrily.

Seeing all that, Andre couldn't help but feel bad for his companion, kind of feeling some of that pain as well, so he ended up slowing down.

Without a second's delay, Lucien turned around and ran away immediately. He saw a shining dagger in Andre's hand.

Andre chased for a little bit, but it was too late. Soon, Lucien disappeared in the woods across the river. He finally stopped beside Mag.

...

"The weaker you are, the poorer you are. Those bastards just wouldn't let you have any chance!" Lucien felt aggrieved.

It was nine in the morning. Sneaking back through the gate in the district of Nolan, Lucien was carefully approaching his shack in Aalto. He needed to take his money before the gangsters found his place.

After hiding behind a nearby cabin for a while, when Lucien was about to get out, a bunch of ferocious guys approached towards his shack.

A common-looking man dressing neatly pointed to Lucien's place. Then another burly young guy directly gave a hard kick on the broken door.

The door fell on the ground, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

Chapter 14: Resolution

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

The guy who burst the door found the shack empty and reported this to the ordinary-looking man, Jackson.

"We did waste some time, but we shouldn't be late." Jackson smiled, "Although Mag and Andre are useless, they still provided us with some good information."

The others knew what happened to the big guy. When Jackson mentioned Mag, they somehow felt a chilly wind pass through their legs. Andre squeezed out an embarrassing giggling. But, he was still glad that he did not have to lie in bed for at least a week.

"Andre, you go. See if there's anything in this pigsty."

Several minutes later, Andre came out with a handful of small things.

"Just some rubbish, Jackson."

Sigh… Lucien regretted not hiding this stuff elsewhere. It was very easy to tell where he found them. If the Aaron gang took control of the dump site, then it would be the end of his dream to become a rich man.

"Rubbish… " Jackson curled his lips, "A pretty smart young lad. He found the Orichalcum in the dump site. Trash from the palace, nobles areas, Musicians' Association, Mercenaries Union… all go to the dump site beside the river. They're useless for rich people, but not for us… "

His guess was right.

"Thanks to the boy, we found a new way to make money!" Fiddling with a piece of metal, Jackson commanded with his iconic smile, "Smash all of his stuff. Keep the money to yourselves. The one who finds the guy will be rewarded!"

Jackson did not bother sending his men searching for Lucien. They also got many things to do. Time was too precious to be wasted on a nobody like Lucien.

Cheering loudly, they squeezed in Lucien's little shack started smashing his stuff.

Clenching his fists and gnashing his teeth, Lucien could tell from the sound that his table, followed by his clay pot, were shattered to pieces. But he knew that he could do nothing against the gangsters with his current power. They would beat him to death and he did not want to die like that.

Law would not help him, since people above it would not care.

"If the witch had not gone to the cemetery, no one would have found her." Lucien's mind started wondering as the noise in the background faded, "If I become a sorcerer, I can protect myself… I don't want much. After learning magic, I just need to find a place to live."

"I need to… yes, I have no choice. Learning magic is dangerous, but being weak is no better."

His locked up thoughts all started resurfacing, like being summoned by the evil actions around him.

Alisa's shout cut off his wondering.

"You damned bastards! What the hell are you doing!"

While doing her housework, Alisa heard the mess coming from Lucien's place.

Trying to stop them, she yelled and approached the gangsters while waving her long spoon.

"Get her away." said Jackson.

Two ferocious men rolled up their sleeves and walked towards Alisa. But, they underestimated the housewife standing in front of them. Aunty Alisa directly hit one of them on the forehead with her wooden spoon.

"Ouch!" Facing the unexpected attack, the guy screamed in pain.

But soon more guys joined in. Although Alisa was tall and sturdy, she was after all still a woman. A hard punch hit her shoulder and her spoon fell onto the ground. Alisa groaned in pain, but still did not flinch.

"You wretches! Stop! The inspectors are coming!"

Hiding behind a wall and watching all of this, Lucien's mind was filled with torment and suffering.

"Lucien, are you a man?!"

Although he met Aunty Alisa many days ago, he did not have a very strong bond with her and her husband Joel. But now, when he saw Alisa get hurt because of him, he knew it was totally unacceptable for him to be hiding behind a woman and letting her fight for him.

"Fuck!" Clenching his fist, Lucien took a quick glimpse at his shack and jumped out.

His target was Jackson, who was standing there alone.

Lucien threw himself at Jackson with all his might. Feeling extremely surprised, Jackson was suddenly knocked down by Lucien. They wrestled on the ground, and Lucien tried to hold Jackson's hands tightly with his left hand, in case the thug was carrying a dagger. Meanwhile, his right hand was trying to reach Jackson's throat. Lucien needed to capture their leader to control the whole situation.

However, Jackson was not inexperienced at all. He also had his share of fighting. Rolling on the ground, Jackson did not give Lucien any chance to grab his neck. At the same time, he continuously slammed his elbow at Lucien's rib.

Due to the lack of space, Jackson's hits were not very strong. But still, for Lucien they were still unbearable. Wincing in pain, he still did not retrieve. He was almost there. He touched Jackson's throat.

Suddenly, Lucien got a hard punch in his stomach. He was smashed hard on the ground by Jackson's men.

Before he could stand up, fists and kicks started falling down on Lucien's body like rain drops. Lucien started rolling on the ground from unbearable pain, like a stray dog. He could barely cover his vital parts.

Lucien's mind started wandering again. Everything seemed unreal and was fading away like in a movie. Aunty Alisa's crying voice came from another world, "Stop! Stop…"

At that moment, Lucien made up his mind.

Whatever it took, he must become strong.

Jackson was standing on the other side, looking at Lucien rolling back and forth on the ground. He trampled him hard and stopped his men.

"His friend is a knight squire. Let's not bring ourselves trouble."

Although it was rumored that Rosan Aaron had some connections with a high noble, a gang still had to be relatively "disciplined", or it would be eliminated by the church or nobles in no time.

Lucien was lying on the ground with blood coming out of his nose and mouth. Jackson smiled to him, "Actually I respect your courage and intelligence. I really do. But, my boy, don't be too greedy. I hope you understand what's yours and what's not."

"Yes," Lucien answered simply in a hoarse voice.

Lucien's answer was a little bit weird for him, but Jackson did not bother too much. Jackson and his men left in triumph, together with Lucien's collections and forty-five Fells.

Chapter 15: For Justice

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

The morning sunshine was not very strong. Lucien was lying in the sun, covered with wounds and blood. Staring at the clear blue sky, breathing the fresh air gently, Lucien forgot the pain. His mind was waving like a deep ocean.

Lucien realized that everything he had experienced before led him to his final decision: learning magic. Although he knew he had to be even more careful and cautious in the future, at the same time, he felt more relaxed than ever before, after making up his mind.

There was even a smile on Lucien's bruised face. He felt he had genuinely grown up within the past couple of days, much faster than in his own world. The anger, the feeling of inferiority and the sense of insecurity had blended together and pushed him to that decision. And he was also gifted with the library.

So why not? Lucien asked himself, feeling relieved from his long-time repression.

"My poor Evans! Oh my poor Evans! Are you alright?" Alisa tried to hold Lucien's hand.

The slight movement of his arms and legs made Lucien wince in pain.

"I'm okay, Aunty Alisa. They didn't want to kill me, fortunately."

Aunty Alisa held Lucien's arm and led him back to her place. She kept swearing with great anger, "These bastards would be hanged and tortured in hell by endless flames!"

After cleaning the wounds, Alisa was about to ask Lucien what happened today. Before that, it seemed like she suddenly thought of something, and her hands acted a bit awkward.

"Lucien…"

"Yes, Aunty Alisa?"

"This… this is the thing. John's coming back today. Can you keep this to yourself without letting him know? You know John… You're his best friend. If he hears about it… I'm afraid that he wouldn't be able to constrain himself from taking revenge. As a knight squire, he would be in big trouble then…"

Knowing John was Aunty Alisa and Uncle Joel's great hope, Lucien nodded.

"Of… of course. It's not a big deal, actually." Lucien put a hard smile.

Alisa held Lucien's hand, with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, my little Evans."

"Are you trying to hide anything from me?"

It was John's voice. Wearing the grey knight suit, John was standing by the door. Neither Alisa nor Lucien noticed him.

Alisa answered hurriedly, "Nothing, nothing. You came back earlier?"

John walked in and pulled a chair for himself. He sat down beside Lucien.

"The Grand Duke summoned Lord Venn, and I followed him back to Aalto. Mom, I'm a knight squire now. I'm not an imprudent young boy anymore."

Then he turned to Lucien. "You look much worse than the last time we got thrashed together. What happened? Don't try to lie. I bet lots of neighbours were there and saw it." John added.

Lucien looked at Alisa, who had already compromised the secret. Then he told John the story in full detail. During his talking, Lucien could feel the tension in the air due to John's feelings, which was the same that he felt from the guards he fought together in the sewers.

Of course, John was very angry, but he managed to calm himself down quickly. He patted Lucien's hand gently and smiled.

"You're really clever, the most clever among us. Find money in trash… really, good for you! I'm sure you will do a good job if you learn to read."

Then, shrugging his shoulders, John went outside of the room and fetched a long wooden club from the kitchen.

"Oh no…" Alisa sighed.

"Mom, you know I gotta do this, for my friend."

"But John, Lord Venn won't be happy about this…"

"Yes, John…" Lucien hurriedly asked, "Don't go. It's not a big deal. Look at me. I'm okay."

John turned around and shook his head.

"Lord Venn always told us, as a knight, one is supposed to protect the weak and fight against the violent. As a squire, I already regard myself as a knight and try to follow the knight's belief."

His eyes were intent. His gestures expansive.

"Lucien, my friend, was bullied, and his place got ruined. If I remain silent simply to no piss Lord Venn off, my inner guiltiness will never leave me. Yes, maybe I will not be able to awaken the 'blessing' anymore because I broke the rules, but I'll be faithful to my beliefs. Lord Venn will be on my side, I believe."

"I know, John. I know… but…" Alisa got tears in her eyes.

John hugged his mom and comforted her gently.

"It's okay, mom, I'm not gonna kill anyone. I will not overdo it. Look! I'm holding a club, not a blade. Can you trust me, mom?"

Finally Alisa nodded with great effort. "Do be careful, John."

"They are the ones who have to be careful, mom." Grabbing the club, John smiled with confidence.

When he was about to leave, Lucien called him from behind.

"Wait, John."

"Yes?" John looked back.

With all his remaining strength, Lucien stood up from the bed. He felt his blood was flowing fast, burning his body.

"We are going together."

Lucien's smile looked kind of funny with his swollen mouth. But John could tell his determination. He laughed, "There's another club in the kitchen. Let's go, like when we were kids."

Holding the club, Lucien comforted aunty Alisa in a low voice when he passed by her.

"I'll watch him. Don't worry."

...

It was easy for them to find out where Jackson and his men went by asking around. When they were on their way, John asked Lucien, all of a sudden:

"Do you believe in justice, Lucien?" He sounded confused.

"Yes, I do. Why do you ask?"

John lowered his head but did not stop.

"I do, too. But Lucien, I am not as noble and brave as I claim to be. I do this only because you're my friend. If it was someone else, I don't know… I don't think I would. I'm used to picking my fights well, avoiding doing anything that would be beyond my capability. I'm selfish… I only want to protect my family and friends. I'm a coward, am I not?"

"I don't think so. Every knight, or say, every person, has a priority. Some pursue justice, some loyalty, some mercy… You chose family. Only when a person knows what he really wants to protect does he stick to justice. Or justice would be just like the clouds, nothing substantial."

Lucien just realized that John was still a young lad like himself, no matter how mature he appeared to be. Thanks to the book about the knight's spirit from his mental library, he was scrabbling up his sentences to comfort John. Now he was much better at looking up information among all the books in the library.

"You really think so?" John still looked puzzled.

"Sure. If you're capable, will you protect the weak, fight against the wicked and uphold justice?"

"If I'm capable, of course I will."

"So you're still a knight of justice. If you were not capable, you would fight and die for nothing. You gotta be able to protect yourself first, only then you can protect those who need your help." Lucien felt he was quite suitable for being a mentor.

John seemed relieved, and he started smiling, "Every time I asked Lord Venn about this, he told me I was too inexperienced to understand. But Lucien, you've grown up, too. You're good at comforting and maybe you're right. But I'm still longing for the genuine justice.

"Once, Lord Venn told us a story about a legendary knight sword. The sword had divine power inside, but looked just like the common ones. Its hilt was made purely of wood, without any gems, pearls, or anything out of ordinary. The nobles and the high level knights wouldn't take a second look at the sword." John's eyes were on the far distance and he continued.

"But actually the sword was far more powerful than they thought. Especially when it was used to fight against evil. What impressed me most was the words engraved on the sword: 'Justice is pale, compared with splendour and power. But everyone can be its representative: wealthy or poor, intelligent or illiterate, warrior or farmer. Justice is pale, but it is everywhere'.

"Pale Justice, that's the name of the sword. It disappeared along with a Grand Arcana Knight in the the Dark Mountain Range."

John became excited. His depression was gone.

Lucien laughed, "Then our slogan today is gonna be 'For Justice'!"

"For Justice!" John waved his club.

A few minutes later they saw Jackson, who was walking on the broad street of the market. A bunch of guys were still following him.

Chapter 16: On the Streets

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

John stopped and turned to Lucien. "You just got injured. And you haven't received any formal training. Remember, Lucien, don't panic, and don't stop moving. We will keep changing positions. Don't let his men surround you. Use your club to keep them away, so their daggers won't harm you. You hear me, Lucien?"

John tried to advise Lucien as much as possible. He was worried that Lucien might lose control and launch an imprudent attack. However, Lucien had some decent experience before.

"No worries, John. I've survived an invasion into a witch's chamber before."

Hiding their clubs behind their backs, they approached Jackson in a quick pace.

It was a pretty busy street in the market, only ten minutes away from one of Aaron gang's hideouts. Merchants, mercenaries and adventurers were gathering there, so no one paid attention to them.

They looked at each other when they were just a few steps away from Jackson, nodded, and dashed towards the gangsters, holding the clubs tightly in their hands.

Lucien recognized the guy who kicked him hard. Without a second thought, he wielded his club right towards the thug's head. If you're not trained or not strong enough, wield it hard with all your might. That's what Lucien learned.

Before the guy could notice, he got bludgeoned bitterly in his lower jaw. Then he passed out and fell onto the ground directly.

John, on the other side, quickly got rid of another guy. As a knight squire, John was really good at it. Although he did not aim at the head, his precise strike directly dislocated the guy's right arm.

Two guys were down. But the harsh scream from one of them drew the others' attention. Jackson was surprised, but his eyes became vicious in an instant.

His men pulled out their daggers. The sharp blades reflected the surrounding light.

The pedestrians started scattering away quickly, leaving them more room to keep moving. Lucien and John kept running into different directions. They could not stop. The key to this strategy was not to spend too much time on a single enemy, in order to make sure they wouldn't be flanked.

The strategy worked quite well: one more of the thugs was rolling on the ground. But it was also very hard to keep moving all the time.

John was constraining himself. He did not want to be in trouble for hurting someone seriously. But his concern became his weakness: some guys on the ground were still in conditions to fight, and seized the chance to pull out their daggers and stab John's ankles. Busy dodging their low blades, John did not notice the others moved to surround him.

Thanks to John's refined fighting skills, he barely avoided several strikes. But the circle of daggers was getting tighter and tighter.

Lucien turned back to help John, his club whistling directly towards the back of a thug's head.

"Jonny! Watch out!" Warned by the other gang members, the man named Jonny dodged by bending forward quickly, and avoided Lucien's attack.

However, that was enough for John, who seized the chance and broke the formation through the gap left by Jonny. However, the latter jumped up immediately and made the movement to throw his dagger at John's back.

"Bang!" Before the dagger flew away from his hand, Lucien pounded bitterly into Jonny's backbone. This time Lucien did not run away. Instead, he waited for a second chance to strike Jonny.

Suddenly, a cold feeling came from Lucien's own back and immediately turned into agonizing pain. A dagger cut him badly, but Lucien did not panic. He knew John would not hold his hand anymore.

And a determined and angry knight squire would be unstoppable when facing a bunch of gang bastards. Unlike Lucien, John never missed. Wielding his club with anger, he came to support Lucien.

Watching the battle unfold, Jackson took a step back and started escaping.

"You guys stop them!" He shouted while running.

The rest of his men started stabbing crazily. The shining blades came from different directions.

Lucien got another cut on his right hand, and the blood came out immediately. His club almost flew out of his hand.

"Are you alright?" John stood in front of Lucien, sheltering him from the enemies.

"I'm okay." Lucien shook his head, "We gotta stop Jackson from bringing reinforcements."

John nodded, "Remember, use your club to keep the daggers away from you. Follow me!" He struck down once more and started chasing Jackson.

The rest of the guys slowed down and did not pursue any further, because they saw Jackson was already quite a distance away from them.

However, after becoming the overseer, Jackson gained some weight from the lack of proper exercise. Thus, he ran slower and slower.

"Keep moving, keep moving… almost there." Jackson encouraged himself.

Unfortunately, John, a squire in perfect shape, had another plan in mind. He was slowly gaining ground and, when the distance was proper, he swung his club with all his strength right into Jackson's back.

Jackson felt like all his guts almost gushed out through his throat. With a loud groan, he fell on the ground, twitching in great pain. Then a knight boot stamped hard on his back. Lucien arrived a while later, panting heavily. He was more than tired after all the running and fighting, especially because of the bleeding wounds that covered his body. It was his anger that was keeping him up all the way here.

Before Jackson could make any threat, John turned him over with his boot and pointed downwards, smiling and gasping.

"You first, Lucien."

"Thanks buddy." After taking several deep breaths, Lucien raised his club high and took a mighty swing at Jackson's face.

"How dare… Ow!!" Several teeth burst forth from Jackson's mouth, preventing the rest of his words from coming out. He was choking in his own blood. His ears were buzzing, his eyes were seeing stars.

It was a f**king hard one. Those damned little bastards!

"What… what do you want?" Jackson lisped with the mixture of blood and saliva in his mouth. With great dizziness, he noticed his voice was like coming from another world.

"We want nothing more than justice." Kicking away Jackson's dagger, John answered seriously, "You beat Lucien and my mom, which we've paid you back. And you also robbed him and destroyed his place. You gotta compensate."

"John, if I remember correctly, you're a knight squire, aren't you? Fighting on the street… breaks your rules. Don't let Lord Venn down, young lad." Jackson spat out blood from his mouth.

"You've come to this extent… you don't care about your little brother and parents?" He continued his threatening.

"I guess you still want more, don't you?" Lucien was weighing his club.

Facing violence, Jackson shut his mouth. His anger and shame mixed like a pot of boiling water, burning his guts to ashes.

Chapter 17: Sweet Revenge

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

Facing Jackson's threat, John smiled. "According to the code, a knight shall protect his family and the weak. I don't see my fault here. Actually most people wouldn't stand for gangsters, don't you think so?"

"You need proof!" Jackson yelled. A gang was often very good at keeping a witness silent.

John looked a bit hesitant. What Alisa told him bothered him again.

"Proof?" Lucien smiled contemptuously, "John's a knight squire, while you're a gangster. What else do you need?"

From what he learned in the Copper Coronet, Lucien was aware that in the Duchy of Orvarit, knights were the real nobles, and their recognized squires also held status. Lucien believed Jackson definitely wouldn't dare slander a knight squire. And he had no reason as well: A gangster was also a businessman. Jackson couldn't gain anything big from Lucien and John from doing so.

Jackson, as Lucien expected, did not retort. Yes, they can put a knight squire into prison, but how much effort and resources they would have to use? Aaron, of course, would not do this for him, Jackson knew. Especially recently, something was going wrong in Aalto. The city was like a whirlpool where different powers were mingling. Aaron was often absent from the meetings, planning something.

Knowing he was no longer in an advantageous position, Jackson tried his best to repress his anger and shame.

"How much do you want, then…" He lowered his head and tried to make an agreement. "I only got two Nars with me."

Lucien turned to John, "The sheriffs are coming. We'd better leave before they arrive."

John nodded. "Well, two Nars."

Lucien was actually quite happy with the result. Knowing his table and chairs basically worth nothing, two Nars were more than two times what he had lost. By the way, he had already moved the rest of his money and hid it under the ruins of the witch's place. All the gangsters took away were just forty Fells and some useless rubbish.

Pulling out a small bag, Jackson threw it to John. The bag was pretty empty except for two shining silver Nars. "I left the rest to my men."

"Let's go, John." Lucien raised his chin towards the coming sheriffs and grabbed his club. He did not want to put John in trouble. Soon, they disappeared at the end of the street.

…

"All right, all right… stop. We're safe now." Leaning against the wall, Lucien was panting heavily and felt as if his lungs were about to explode. He let his body fall on the ground, smiling.

"Finally, I can't run anymore."

John sat down beside Lucien, also gasping for air. "Me neither… It was pretty cool, wasn't it?"

"What?" Lucien's mind started slowing down and feeling relaxed.

"The fight. I can't remember the last time I had a good fight like this…"

They were just sitting on the ground, gasping, and looking at the blue sky.

"Yeah… it was cool." Lucien smiled. It felt like a heavy rock had been lifted from his mind: All the pain, anger, and confusion Lucien hid at the bottom of his heart was gone like floating clouds. His mind was thinking clear, and he was more relaxed than ever before.

Also, Lucien knew that he still had a real friend in this world who would shield him and fight for him, regardless of the cost. Lucien started laughing, aloud.

"What?" John wondered.

"The future. I'm thinking… after I learn how to read, after I make some money, I'll go travelling across the continent, to see different sceneries, to know more foreign tales, to taste many cuisines…"

Lucien stopped and stared at the blue sky. But he continued thinking to himself:

"I will learn magic. I will understand how this world works. I will discover the truth of the world… and then, I will find the way back home."

"For my parents, for the friends in my world and in this life… for myself."

Lucien had collected three Nars. He knew he had to start his learning as soon as possible. Who knew if the gangsters would take secret revenge on him secretly. The outside pressure from the bullies and his inner motivation mixed together and made learning magic the only way for Lucien to achieve his desires.

"Traveling?" John laughed, "It's not safe, Lucien. Although most of the dark creatures in the east of our country have been eliminated by the church, they're still breeding like rats. Cynocephaluses, vicious goblins, gnolls… Sorry, Lucien… I don't think your dream will come true. At least you cannot go alone."

"Umm… I wonder, are they edible, the things you mentioned?" Lucien asked subconsciously. For him, the most effective way for eliminating some overpopulated animals was turning them into food.

"Eww!! What the hell are you thinking about?" John was baffled.

"All right…" Lucien answered with a bit of disappointment.

"If I can turn into a real knight in the future, what will I do?" John asked himself with a lot of expectation, "I think I'd be the same as you, Lucien. I also want to travel to see what the world looks like outside of Aalto. I wish it were really beautiful, like the bards described."

"By the way, " John said to him, "be careful in the next few days. Don't stray too far from the city walls, you never know what these bastards will do."

Lucien nodded, "I know. And when you see Lord Venn, remember to tell him what you did right away, and ask for punishment yourself."

John did not expect Lucien could be this considerate. He was also glad that his lifetime friend still cared a lot about him, even though sometimes he felt Lucien had changed quite a bit.

"I will. I wish I could teach you how to read, but I cannot read either." John sighed, "Only the high-level knight squires receive classes on how to read…" He looked a bit upset.

"John, you've done a lot for me." Lucien laid his hand on John's shoulder, "I'm grateful for having a friend like you. I really am."

John could see Lucien's sincere eyes. Soon he smiled.

"I know. Who doesn't want to have such a great friend like me? Let's go home. Mom's waiting for us."

...

Joel was home when they came back. Alisa was walking back and forth in the living room. It was such a relief for Alisa seeing them come back, better yet, in one piece. Opening his arms, Joel grinned to them.

"Welcome back, heroes."

And he gave both of them a big hug.

"You guys remind me of my old days." Joel lowered his voice and winked when he turned his back to Alisa.

"Dad, you and mom gotta be even more careful for some time." John was kind of worried.

"It's not a big deal. Those bastards only give the weak a hard time. You once beat the shit out of them, you're no longer on their bullying list. Your mom and I will be fine." Joel left some space so Alisa could treat Lucien's wounds, and then he turned to John, dead serious.

"Actually, John, you should have asked Lord Venn first. You're his squire, his representative. Your behaviour matters to his decency."

"Yes, dad." John was aware of his rashness. "Lucien told me to take the initiative and ask for Lord Venn's forgiveness, and I will."

Joel nodded, "Lucien's right."

A while later, Lucien excused himself to find some usurer in Copper Coronet. He needed to start his studies as soon as possible, and thus he was prepared to face the risks in case he for some reason didn't manage to pay it back.

Before Lucien left, Joel stopped him. When he turned around, he saw Joel was holding an old plain purse.

"There are eight Nars in it." Joel put it into Lucien's hand, "Take it."

"Joel…" Lucien was surprised. He never thought borrowing money from them because Evan was still young. "Auntie Alisa…?"

She was smiling to him. "That's all we have for now. Not too much, but enough for you to start studying."

"But…" Lucien's eyes became filled with tears on the verge of falling. "But this is all your savings… I… I can't…"

Joel laughed, "Before your father passed away, he helped us more than we could ever hope for. Now, you are in need. It's our responsibility to support you. After you learn to read, and then find a good job, you can pay us back easily."

"I'll work hard." Lucien nodded with confidence.

"All the money you have now can pay the fees for two months. If we work together, at least you can have a teacher every three or four months. That's my plan." Joel had regarded Lucien's study as their shared responsibility.

Lucien grabbed the little purse tight, tears were falling from his eyes, "Thank you. Uncle Joel, Auntie Alisa, and you, John." At the same time, Lucien made up his mind to pay them back with a better life. After learning some magic, Lucien knew he had to leave Aalto as soon as possible. He could not put this family under any kind of risk.

After leaving their place, Lucien still headed towards Copper Coronet. But this time, instead of finding an usurer, he was looking for a teacher.

Chapter 18: Acquaintance

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

The afternoon sunlight send some light into the noisy pub. Bards were singing, and mercenaries were talking loudly. Lucien noticed that there were beautiful women sitting beside the bar tables.

Pushing through the crowd, Lucien finally squeezed his way to the counter.

"Any drink?" Cohn asked without raising his hairy head.

"It's me, Lucien."

Cohn was surprised when he saw Lucien's face.

"What did you do to yourself?" His beard was slanted with concern, "Wait… Jackson came and asked about you earlier… Are you in trouble, my boy?"

Lucien was not quite willing to repeat what happened one more time. "I'm fine, Cohn. The problem was solved… I'm here to look for a teacher who can teach me how to read."

"Oho! You made it?! You didn't rob the gangsters, did you?" Now Cohn was even more surprised.

Lucien had no choice but to explain what happened briefly to Cohn. After hearing that, Cohn was very impressed.

"Lucien! You and John are finally real men now! I'm proud of you lads!" Gulping his ale, his face turned red, "But be careful, both you and John. Although chances are slim that they dare take revenge on a knight squire, but still, be wary of the bastards… you never know."

Lucien nodded seriously.

Cohn pulled out a paper, on which there was a list of strange patterns and symbols. "I cannot read," He laughed and continued, "but as a pub owner, you gotta put down something to help you remember."

On the list, there were a bunch of scholars who registered here and were willing to teach. While Cohn was speaking the names out loud, Lucien noticed a familiar name, which was written on a note beside the list.

"Victor? You just said Mr. Victor?" Lucien stopped Cohn.

"Yes, you know him?"

"I met him once in the association." Lucien stared at the name, "But he's a musician, isn't he? You put a note beside his name as well."

Twirling his moustache, Cohn took another look at the list and nodded. "Yeah, it's the same Victor we're talking about."

"I heard that he's gonna present a play in the Hall. Last time I saw him… he was quite busy."

Cohn laughed. "That's why he had to. Having a chance to play in the the Psalm Hall is even harder than you think. I heard this from other guests as well." Cohn climbed on a bar chair, "Six month ago, Mr. Victor got the invitation from the Hall. Since then he turned down all his other presentations, even the one in Syracuse, to focus on his preparation. He was digging into his savings for the past couple of months." Cohn shrugged his shoulders.

"But why doesn't he find another job related to music?" Lucien asked.

"I have no idea, boy." Cohn took another sip of his ale, "Those musicians… tend to be quite sensitive, or say, even crazy sometimes. I guess probably Mr. Victor also needed something to be his distraction. Who knows, those artists…"

Mr. Victor made an impression on Lucien last time, when they met in the association. Compared with the others that he did not even know, Lucien felt the musician would be a good choice.

"How can I find Mr. Victor, then?" he asked.

...

The Gesu District was named after the most well-known instrument, the Gesu violin, and was where most musicians in Aalto were gathered.

Big trees stood on both sides of the street, through whose branches the sunshine scattered into slightly trembling golden fragments that formed patterns on the ground. Light mixed with shadow. The street was like a painting.

It took Lucien quite a long time to find the address Cohn offered. After getting lost a few times, finally he was standing in front of Victor's place, n. 12, Snehva Street.

It was a two-floor small building covered with green vines. Everything was quiet and elegant here. If all went well, Lucien was going to have his reading lessons for the following two months, which could help him change his whole life.

Knocking at the door gently, Lucien got a bit nervous. Soon a servant showed up inside the iron gate. Seeing Lucien, a boy wearing rough and old clothes, he frowned.

"Yes?" He asked coldly.

After Lucien explained, he was still in doubt, "Five Nars a month. Pay first. Are you sure?"

As Lucien expected, he pulled out his money from the bag. "Yes, I'm sure."

The servant was surprised. He couldn't believe this poor young boy could afford the price. As a servant of a famous musician, he earned ten Nars a month and could only save one every month, sometimes even less.

"Mr. Victor enjoys high reputation. He has some acquaintances in the town hall." Opening the gate, the servant was still eyeing Lucien with suspicion. Who knew where the guy got so much money, he thought.

Lucien just smiled without saying anything. The servant's attitude was within his expectation. Feel offended? That belonged to the wealthy and powerful.

He followed the servant through the garden and stopped in front of the wooden gate, waiting there. A couple of minutes later, the servant showed up again.

"Follow me inside. Later you may give the tuition fee to Mr. Athy, the steward."

It was quite a spacious hall, decorated with a tea table, some brown couches and small desks. On the other side there was a long dining table, made of fine rosewood.

Victor got a few students here as well. His study was too small for all of them. So they just sat in the hall. There were five boys and three girls sitting there, all pretty young, probably between thirteen and twenty.

Quills and papers were lying in front of them on the small round tables. Some of them were transcribing something, while some were humming or reading in a low voice.

According to Lucien's observation, the students also came from different backgrounds: some were of humble birth, and the others were dressing quite decently. The latter ones were usually from noble families. Most of them were not qualified to inherit their family titles and could not activate the Blessing eeither. For those children, becoming a graceful musician was quite a good choice.

Mr. Victor, wearing his red jacket, was moving around and helping the students one by one.

Looking around, Lucien noticed the steward in his decent black suit. From his black and white mixed hair and his wrinkled face one could tell he was not young anymore. But he was standing there straight and serious.

The steward looked like a gentleman, Lucien thought. He walked towards him and asked, trying to keep his volume down.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Athy?"

"Yes, I am. May I know your name and your past study?"

"Yeah, sure… I'm Lucien. Lucien Evans. I never learned how to read before." While he was talking, Lucien took out five Nars.

Taking the money, Athy was impressed. Apparently, the young lad was from the poor district. Most young people in Aderon were quite rude, based on his experience, while Lucien appeared pretty polite and mature.

Then Athy walked to Victor and whispered to him a little bit. Victor turned around and nodded to Lucien kindly, pointing at a spare armchair.

The students just noticed Lucien and were looking at their new classmate at the door curiously. Black hair, eyes, and well-formed features…the new guy had a good-looking face. But he was wearing linen clothes and plain shoes. Although they were clean, they could tell from the first sight that Lucien came from a poor background.

"A poor wants to learn how to read?" That was their first thought.

Soon most of them lowered their heads and went back to study again. Only the ones from ordinary families were still peeking at him carefully.

As soon as Lucien sat down, the boy next to him moved a bit away subconsciously as if Lucien stank.

Lucien did not feel offended. He shook his hand slightly and pulled out his new paper and quill. They were new. Lucien bought them with his left Fells.

Victor came to Lucien a while later, with a black hard-covered book in his hand.

"Standard Pronunciation of Lingua Franca and Basic Grammar, very suitable for a beginner. Turn to page 1, chapter 1. We start from the pronunciation of the thirty-two letters." Victor said gently.

Chapter 19: Cramming

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

Lucien's hands were trembling slightly. Carefully he opened the book like turning to a new page of his future. Within his expectation, the words in the book were the same as the ones in the magic tomes he collected at the witch's chamber.

He knew how to learn a language well. As long as he learned the pronunciation of the letters and the basic rules of spelling, he could learn more by himself outside of the class by reading intensively.

Victor repeated the pronunciations patiently two to three times on each word. Lucien followed him carefully and wrote down some notes on the paper. "Read them until you becomes more fluent." Victor said, "When it's good enough, we'll move to basic spelling and grammar."

What he said was actually more like an encouragement. As a beginner, it would be almost impossible for Lucien to match the sounds and the letters in such a short amount of time.

The notes Lucien jot down were Chinese characters. He tried to relate these letters with his mother tongue, just like he had done when he started learning English. Again, Lucien read through it and he stayed focused, so the knowledge would enter his spirit library.

As expected, a new shelf labeled "Common Tongue" appeared, on which there was a black hardcover book full of the strange characters, the same one that was lying in front of him on reality.

Lucien opened the book in the library but found out only the first few pages were there, and the rest of the book was simply blank. He went through the book on the table quickly, and as he imagined, the spiritual version became complete instantly.

"Yes!" Lucien cheered in his mind.

With the help of the library, Lucien became more confident. It was very hard from the beginning. Several times later he became better and better. After what seemed like the fifteenth time, he got finally satisfied with his ability to remember them.

Of course, Lucien knew this would not last long. If he did not review that in a regular basis, they would be forgotten very soon. At the same time, Lucien also found out that his spiritual power, which helped him with the spellcasting before, could help improve his memory as well.

At this time, Victor came back to teach Lucien again. After a while helping the students, his face looked tired but also more relaxed. Probably Cohn was right: Victor was using teaching as a distraction.

"Have you memorized all of them?" Victor asked, smiling. "Let me check it."

Like a primary student facing his teacher, Lucien was a bit nervous. He did forget some of them, but mind then drifted into his library and he started reading according to his notes. It wasn't Lucien's intention to cheat, but both his money and time were limited. He had plenty of time reviewing them again in the library later.

Victor was surprised, "Have you learned before?"

Some of the students raised their heads and looked at Lucien.

"No, I haven't." answered Lucien.

"Impressive." Victor commended, "Then we will start learning how to spell."

While some students were surprised, some of them scorned. In their eyes, Lucien must have learned it before, and was just another scheming guy who wanted to impress Mr. Victor and earn the chance to be his formal music student.

Inside the study room, the three most noble among them had started learning music.

However, that did not distract Lucien at all. There was only one goal in his mind: learn as much as possible. Time is money! A day's learning cost a lot!

"All right, ladies and gentlemen. Let's take a break." Victor clapped gently and then walked upstairs. At the same time, the servants came with tea and fruits.

The scent of Jasmine and lemon filled the room. Some of the fruits Lucien knew, and some he did not.

A young guy decently dressed smiled at the classmates around him, with a piece of tablature in his hand. "It seems like Mr. Victor got some inspiration. We may call it a day now, if his inspiration keeps flowing." He looked a bit older than Lucien. His eyes were long and narrow and his nose straight. Among them, this guy was pretty outstanding.

A noble girl in a wine-colored dress was sitting right beside him. "If class finishes earlier, we're gonna have an extra one during the weekend. Don't get too excited." She responded in a lazy voice, "But I do hope Mr. Victor finishes his new song for the concert as soon as possible. So we will finally be able to start practicing with the orchestra. Sitting in the room, merely reading tablatures and playing flute by myself can never compete with a real rehearsal."

Around seventeen or eighteen, she was pretty good-looking: hair long and bright red, like fire, thick and sexy lip, and her waist was not tightened like most noble girls – otherwise she would not be able to play the flute well.

Looking at her serious face, Lott laughed, "The first violinist, the man who is as handsome as a silver moon… You like Rhine, don't you? Felicia?"

The first violinist, also called concertmaster, played a significant role in a symphony orchestra. When the conductor was absent, the first violinist would take the baton.

"I just feel he has excellent skills, much better than the last one." Felicia argued, but her face flushed, "Don't you think his solo for violin sonata No.1 in G minor was really impressive?"

Talking about music, Lott became serious and excited. They started discussing sonatas and suites. Other noble students also joined them, showing their great interest. Even a pretty insightful comment made by a brown-haired girl with ordinary family background won their consent.

In Aalto, music was another common tongue.

However, consciously or subconsciously, the noble students still often ignored the others, while the common ones treated Lucien indifferently and tried to get close to the ones of higher status. For noble students it was likely that the ordinary and the poor did not even deserve their attention. There were no common things between them, as they had come from different worlds.

There were no bitter words, nor scorn. But the cold wall was always there, preventing those of different social statuses from getting along.

But for Lucien, none of these mattered. He was trying to make full use of every minute or even second, absorbing the knowledge like a dry sponge thrown into an ocean.

Some of their humming came into Lucien's ears. He found music here was very similar to that of Earth. There were just some differences on notes.

After a while, Lucien raised his head. The students were still discussing. Lucien took a sip from his tea cup and dove into his book again.

Unfortunately, Mr. Victor's inspiration did not last long. Several minutes later, he walked downstairs with a tired and anxious face.

Going back to teaching definitely helped him a lot.

Lucien worked hard. By the end of the class, Lucien remembered most of the spelling rules and stored them in his spirit library.

Their study ended around ten past four in the afternoon. Except for Lott, Felicia and another noble teen named Herodotus, who stayed to practice with instruments, the rest of the students left the hall in a row.

Out of the hall, there were two carriages waiting. The brown horses were tall and strong, snorting. The two noble students were surely envied by the rest.

Most nobles must maintain their decent look no matter if they were actually doing well or not.

The carriages left in a cloud of dust. The other three students, however, headed towards Purple Lily district as a group, chatting and laughing.

And thus Lucien was left behind, reviewing what he learned in his mind like a nerd.

...

"You're learning from Mr. Victor? He's the top musician!" After dinner, Joel was quite excited, "Little Evans, are you really going to carry on my music dream?"

"Every dog has its day, uncle Joel. Probably I can." Lucien replied playfully.

After coming back to his home, lying in his almost-broken, shaky bed, Lucien entered into his library and started reading one of the magic notes, trying to understand the words in it.

Of course, Lucien was not expecting that he could learn how to read within one-day study. He was just trying to read some to reinforce his memory.

Chapter 20: The Witch's Note

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

As expected, Lucien did not find anything specially useful in the following four hours before he fell asleep. He read about ten pages, but most of them felt like independent words instead of meaningful sentences, probably because so many words in the notes about magic were really uncommon.

For sure Lucien had his own guesses of the meaning of some of them. But it was magic. He had to be more than careful before actually taking actions. Lucien did not want to die because of a stupid misreading mistake.

Fortunately, the previous owner of the notes treated it also like a diary. Some of her thoughts and experiences were written down as well. For this part, the witch used common words and grammar, from which Lucien managed to know the history of those magic notes, or say, books.

The witch was born in the last sorcerer family of the destroyed ancient Sylvanas Magic Empire. Her family hid into their old castle deep into the mountains to avoid the church's slaughtering, ever since Aalto was taken over. But after hundreds of years there, the population of the family declined dramatically. In the end there were just three left: the witch and her parents.

The witch's parents died in an accident when they tried to summon a creature whose name Lucien was not able to read. Then the witch became an orphan and she inherited two magic books: Astrology and Magic Elements; and Common Magic Related Materials Illustration.

Lucien wished the notes were relatively complete so he could understand it, otherwise he would have to learn the dying Sylvana's language which, so to speak, was impossible.

...

Almost all of the jobs Copper Cornet could offer were under the control of the Aaron gang. Lucien lost his job again. He had to dig into his savings recently to support himself.

But it was also nice that Lucien could seize the chance staying focused on his study, as well as avoiding the possible revenge from the gang. Joel was still playing on the busy streets in the administrative district, while Alisa was doing laundries for the association. Both of them were relatively far from the market area, where the Aaron gang tyrannized the most.

They all agreed that Lucien still ranked first among them regarding being in danger. They warned Lucien not to leave the city, not to go to anywhere deserted, and even told him to be alert during bed time in case some bastards tried to burn down his shack.

So, after washing his face and finishing his hard brown bread softened in boiling water, Lucien felt there was nothing for him to do.

But the feeling did not last more than a minute. Soon Lucien went outside and found an open field. He started to practice sword with a wood stick following John's direction. Lucien longed for strength to protect himself, even though he knew his training was too late. John told Lucien that after sixteen years old, the chance of a person being Blessed was very slim, close to none, unless he received the Holy Light Water from the church.

Lucien also kept Jackson's dagger handy, in case of any danger.

After practicing, Lucien went back home. It was nine o'clock in the morning. The sun in the sky just started showing its real power. Taking a short rest, Lucien opened his books again and started reviewing. He was much more diligent and self-disciplined than ever before.

...

12 Snehva Street, Gesu.

"You have never really learned these before?" Victor asked with great surprise, "None of them?"

Lucien's progress was more than impressive. He answered all the questions perfectly and fluently. He even asked some questions he found in spelling, which most students could not notice at all until they started having a solid foundation. With just one day study, Lucien had almost caught up with his classmates, Colin and Renee. The two students from common background had been studying here for more than three months.

Was Lucien a genius? Or just a liar. The students were guessing.

"I swear I have not, Mr. Victor. We're already speaking common tongues in our lives, aren't we? I can't read, but I know the connections between the letters and sounds are more important. I used my imagination." Lucien explained. He wanted people to believe he was just smart, instead of regarding him as an incomprehensible monster, which would possibly bring him trouble.

For sure Lucien did not tell him about the library.

Victor nodded and smiled approvingly, "Good, very good. You're gifted in learning language."

Lucien was envied by most students in the class. Hearing Victor's commendation, Lott and Felicia, who had been learning from Victor for five years, exchanged a look.

"It sounds pretty useful." Felicia nodded slightly with her hands crossed over her lap. As a noble girl, she always sat straight.

Lott was about to shrug his shoulders, but was stopped by the thought that the gesture might not look elegant. Facing Felicia, his long time competitor, Lott tended to be more careful.

"The poor speak the common tongue as well. They just don't know how to spell and read. It's always better than starting from scratch, isn't it?" He also added, "Even if they learn it, it won't be much useful for learning music."

"I have my own idea for learning music, not like you." Felicia responded sharply, "You're gifted, but gift cannot last long. If I were you, I'd spend more time on practicing instead of fooling around with girls." She then looked at Lucien. "Even the poor guy, if he starts learning music he will probably do a better job than you." She smiled with her bright beautiful teeth.

All the classmates believed that Lucien wanted to become a musician. They did not know the actual simple reason why Lucien chose Victor as his teacher. In the eyes of the common folk, choosing a teacher represented one's future path. For example, if a person wanted to be an official in the town hall or the court, he or she would definitely choose scholars with law or history background, instead of a musician.

But all careers needed to be recognized by nobles. Only then it would indicate real success.

"If he's better than me, he's better than you, Felicia." Lott sneered.

Felicia was about to say more, but noticed Victor was looking in this direction. She raised her hand and tidied her red hair, then lowered her head and went back to her studies.

Victor started speeding up Lucien's learning. Soon they finished the rest of the spelling rules and moved to basic grammar, which was exactly what Lucien was expecting.

...

Friday, the last day of Lucien's study this week.

After a few days' learning, Lucien had mastered most of the grammar. Were it not for lacking vocabulary, Lucien could even start learning magic now. He had made a big progress with the magic notes as well, in which the witch explained why she came to Aalto:

"Along with the increase in my spiritual power, it has become harder for me to immerse myself in meditation… Shall I try the meditating the way only real sorcerers can?"

...

"It was too dangerous. I almost died. Perhaps I should improve the apprentice meditation based on my experience."

...

"I got lost, completely. No wonder all the great seniors didn't make any improvement. I'm too shallow, too arrogant."

"Even the magic structure of the first level is too complicated. I can't find a way to build the magic mark model. It's driving me crazy… I have the potion already, but without the model I can't move forward to be a real sorceress!"

...

"I don't know… maybe I should try to make a potion of 'Magic Gate'. It contains a level-one magic in it. Perhaps I can make it this way."

...

"I need Snow Gorse… Maybe I should go to Aalto. It's the biggest city on the west continent. There're also many hidden sorcerers and sorceress. It's dangerous, but I shall still have a chance."

So far, that was all Lucien could read from the notes. He was very curious about her experience in Aalto, but decided to finish the remaining few pages later tonight.

Today Lucien also wanted to borrow a common tongue dictionary and put it into his library. If everything went well, Lucien could start learning magic on the weekend.

His heart was full of hope.