Opportunity? (3)

Clei had no idea what was wrong with what he had just said. He was just being honest. But as for the other females, what entered their mind was quite different.

An Advanced Mage, seemingly not older than 20 years old, which was not part of any faction… this, was just impossible.

Becoming a mage in itself was already a difficult thing to do.

First , an aspiring mage would need to have the disposition of a mage. Anyone aspiring to become a mage would be required to put in so much time and effort, and even then, success at any of the steps would still not be so easy to achieve.

Second, they would need a lot of resources. In order to expand a mage's mental space and increase a mage's mental force, a mage should constantly battle.

During these battles, mages would often receive heavy injuries, and to tend to these heavy injuries, various healing items or pills would be required.

If a mage didn't have any of those and got injured while training, then it might cause them to have hidden injuries that would negatively affect their advancement to a higher level.

So, after hearing Clei wasn't part of any faction, neither of the three females believed him.

"If you can't tell us, then you don't need to. We are just very grateful that you have helped us, and if there's anything we can help you with, we will try our best to achieve it," Tasha spoke as she removed the silver helmet from her head, freeing her long black hair which fluttered in the wind.

Clei stared at them blankly, unsure of how to reply..

A while ago, because Clei was embarrassed, he didn't really have the chance to clearly observe the appearance of the others closely.

Now, as Clei looked at them, he suddenly felt his heartbeat quicken to the point where he felt his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

Clei couldn't say it, but an enormous word, "beautiful," has long since invaded his mind. Although it was deep into the night, the bright rays of the moon were more than enough for Clei to clearly see their faces.

Tasha, a mature woman who seemed to be not older than twenty-five years old, had light brown skin, and her beauty could be represented by her round face and rosy cheeks. Her brown eyes, which were looking straight at Clei, were the ones that had captivated Clei the most.

At the side, Verdehile, the Adept Mage, was definitely not a match to Tasha's beauty, but she certainly had her own strong points. Her black eyes, small face, and pointed eyebrows looked very adorable, and her short black hair, which reached her shoulders, was so silky that Clei felt that it would be nice to touch them.

As for Medea, the Advanced Warrior who was also Tasha's student, she was the least attractive of the three, and she was also the youngest looking. However, that didn't change the fact that she was also beautiful in her own way. Although there was some dried blood at the edge of her luscious lips, they were still her most defining feature.

For Clei, she was the least he was interested in, because Elmer, the other Advanced Warrior, was lying on her lap, and from how she was brushing his hair, Clei could perceive that she deeply cared about him.

The reason why Clei was dumbstruck to these women was simply because, in his almost fifteen years of life, it was his first time seeing such beautiful girls, not to mention having a conversation with them.

In fact, ever since he had left the city of Althea, he had never been in contact with any other women. In simpler words, it was only after ten years had he seen other people of the opposite sex, and they were even beautiful ladies that almost made his heart leap out of his chest.

But as dumbstruck as he might be, Clei still didn't forget to calm himself down. He was only distracted for a few moments before he was able to regain his composure.

Although the few seconds of silence were quite awkward and also made Clei even more embarrassed, he was still able to analyze what Tasha had just said.

Suddenly, in Clei's mind, something like a - Ting! - resounded, and he asked, "You guys said that you came from Serdin, right?"

Tasha and the other two nodded their heads. Seeing this affirmation, Clei asked, "Can you tell me what kind of place Serdin is?"

Hearing his question, the three females were instantly perplexed. Certainly, Clei's question was weird. Who in the entirety of the Human Realm wouldn't know about the 2nd ranked Major City Serdin?

"Eh, you don't know Serdin?" Medea asked with a confused expression.

Naturally, Clei had enough knowledge about what kind of city Serdin was. He knew that it was mostly a mercantile city, but behind its facade as the Human Realm's center of commerce, it was also the city where the most powerful and talented mages congregate.

As for Clei's question, what it was truly aiming to achieve was to learn about the living conditions in Serdin. For ten years, Clei hadn't been in a place where there were a lot of people, not to mention that since five years ago, his only other human interaction was when he was attacked by thieves.

Clei was interested in whether he would be able to live in a Major City or not, moreover, from his father's letter, Serdin was one of the options he had given him in terms of where to proceed once he decided to leave his home in the Great Forest of Althea.

Now, after saving this party of four who coincidentally came from Serdin, it was definitely a heaven-sent opportunity for him to learn more about Serdin.

"Oh, what I mean is…" As Clei reached this point, he suddenly paused, unsure of how to continue. He realized that he had no idea how to go about what he wished to know.

Luckily, at this moment, Tasha spoke, "Serdin is probably the best city among all the cities in the Human Realm in terms of living conditions. Since it's the center of commerce, the people in Serdin thrive in their own businesses, and it won't be too farfetched to say that there are no beggars there. Also, you might have already heard this, but Serdin's Grand Academy is considered as the number one school in the entire Human Realm for training mages and warriors. It's also the reason why it's the second most powerful Major City. Since you have asked about Serdin, are you perhaps planning on visiting?"

Hearing her, Clei's eyes somehow lit up. Although he knew a lot about Serdin, especially the latter part of Tasha's statement, what she had given him had still satisfied a bit of his uncertainty. He was pondering over what he should speak of next.

After thinking it through, Clei just decided to be as honest as he could; he wouldn't really lose anything if he spoke of the truth. In the past, his father said that to earn others' trust, he should be honest with them as much as possible.

"I'm actually planning to live in a Major City one day, so I'm quite curious what it's like to live there. Among the cities where I would like to go, Serdin is one. Anyways, I'm thankful for your answer," Clei said without any nervousness. Although his heart was still beating fast, he no longer felt awkward about speaking to others.

"Really?" Medea asked, however, she didn't really let Clei answer as she looked at Tasha and continued, "But isn't it strict for foreigners to enter Serdin? Usually, they do a lot of background check, not to mention that a person is also required to have a certain amount of money. Master, what can you say about this?"

Before Tasha could answer, the one just beside Clei, the Adept Mage Verdehile, opened her mouth and interrupted, "Have you guys forgotten that he's an Advanced Mage that has even mastered [Fire Storm]?"

Hearing Verdehile, Tasha, who was about to speak, closed her mouth. Medea's lips made an 'oh' as she seemed to have been shocked and in a realization at the same time.

Clei looked at them confusedly and asked, "Does it matter?"

Verdehile smiled before answering, "Yes, it does. Serdin's Grand Academy always accepts aspiring students not older than twenty years old as long as they don't have dubious backgrounds. Whether you are rich or poor, as long as you have the talent to become an outstanding mage or warrior, then the doors of the academy will always be open to you."

After Verdehile spoke, Tasha then said, "Depending on your age, we could probably help you enter the academy. If you're not older than eighteen years old, then it would make everything easier. How old are you anyway?"

Clei answered, "I'm turning fifteen in less than a month."

The moment these words left Clei's mouth, the three beauties widened their eyes as they shouted at the same time, "What, you're only fourteen!?"

…