Chapter 181 Leaving Kesheng Town
When Shu Li saw Ace start to take off his clothes, she took the initiative to lie down on the bed, leaving the space on the outside empty.
Ace hung his coat and trousers on the rack inside the closet and went to bed wearing only his shirt and knee-length shorts.
After all, it is a remote town. No matter how good the conditions are, there is only a quilt and a pillow provided on the bed.
However, Shu Li felt that it was enough for two people.
Ace reached out to turn off the magic stone lamp, and lay down side by side with Shu Li, their shoulders touching.
Shu Li yawned, adjusted to a comfortable sleeping position, and habitually reached out to pat the chest of the person next to him, saying soothingly, "Sleep well, good night."
Ace: "...Goodnight."
Soon, the sleepy little elf fell asleep heartlessly, and in less than a minute, he could hear the faint sound of snoring.
The blond "human classmate" lying next to him listened to his even breathing and had no desire to sleep.
As for the forgotten Farm, he sneaked up to the end of the bed and found a small corner to lie down.
After an unknown amount of time, a faint sigh was heard in the dark room.
A dreamless night.
Shu Li slept so soundly that when he woke up, his human classmate was no longer on the bed. He rubbed his eyes and sat up in confusion, only to find that he was the only one in the room. Even Farm had disappeared.
The area next to the bed was slightly cooler, indicating that Ace had gotten up very early.
Shu Li quickly jumped out of bed, opened the curtains and looked outside. She saw the sun shining in the sky, and it was probably around eight or nine o'clock.
Oops, I overslept!
Why didn't you wake him up when Ace woke up?
Shu Li hurried to the bathroom to wash and get ready. After coming out, he took out the magic robe that he had washed last night from the closet and put it on quickly.
"Knock knock knock--" There was a knock on the door and Angel's voice came from outside.
"Sperian, are you awake?"
"Wake up, wake up!" Shu Li responded as she went to open the door. Seeing Angel dressed neatly, she asked, "Are you all up?"
Could it be that he was the last one to get up, and even the late-sleeping Budno got up early?
"Oh, Budno is still in bed. I asked Kumandi to go get him." Angel grinned. "Just now I saw Ace and Farm chatting with Henry. Henry was very interested in Farm. He kept praising its beauty and even gave it a piece of dried meat."
Knowing that Budno was last, Shu Li felt a little relieved. "I was so sleepy I didn't even know when Ace left."
Angel smiled and said, "It's okay. Everyone was exhausted yesterday and worked until the early hours. Come on, let's go have breakfast."
"Aren't the others coming together?" Shu Li took the key and closed the door.
"I've informed everyone," Angel explained under Shu Li's bewildered gaze. "I don't know what kind of magic potion Ace has given Henry, but anyway, we can have free breakfast at the Magic Association's restaurant this morning!"
"Wow! That's great!" Shu Li's eyes sparkled.
"Really? I think it's great too." Angel chuckled.
Ever since leaving the Fairy Forest and seeing the standard of living of humans, he felt that he had lived a life of luxury. Since he wanted to integrate into the human world, he should try to live like humans, learn to be simple and save as much as possible.
"Let's go have breakfast," Shu Li said cheerfully. After all the hard work and sleep from last night's meal, he had already digested it, and his stomach was growling with hunger!
The two little elves walked happily towards the restaurant, and met the sleepy Budno and the serious-looking Kumandi on the way.
After saying hello, the four little elves arrived at the restaurant together.
It was dinnertime, but the hall was still sparsely populated. The discovery of the statue at Ram's house had kept many mages busy until three or four in the morning, with some even traveling to larger cities overnight to report the situation to their superiors.
"Here, here--" Desio waved at them enthusiastically.
Ace and Amanda were both at the rectangular dining table, and even Farm had his own seat with a plate of meat in front of him, eating with gusto.
Shu Li's mouth twitched when he saw its short, fat tail swaying.
This old monster pretending to be young is having a very happy time by acting cute and getting free food and drinks.
"Good morning—" Shu Li walked over and sat across from Ace, then asked shyly, "Um… I didn't squeeze you when I slept, did I?"
He is used to sleeping alone, and his sleeping posture is quite unrestrained, he likes to stretch out his limbs or hug the quilt. I hope that Ace got up so early, not because he was scared by his sleeping posture.
"No." Ace smiled, "You slept well."
"Huh?" Shu Li was stunned.
Good? Really? So he didn't push anyone out of bed?
Not bad, not bad!
Shu Li smiled happily, feeling relieved.
"What time did you get up? Why didn't you call me?" he asked.
"It's a little after six. I'm used to getting up early." Ace said, "I saw you were sleeping so soundly that I didn't have the heart to wake you up."
Shu Li touched her nose embarrassedly.
Ace finished the last bite of his cereal and said, "I ran into Henry after I left the room and chatted with him for a while. He said he was providing us with free breakfast as a thank you for discovering the hidden danger of the Dark God statue."
"I see!" Shu Li exclaimed. The human student across from them was truly a social genius, possessing formidable social skills. They should learn from him.
Team Light had a delicious breakfast in the Magic Association's restaurant.
After dinner, they went back to their respective rooms to pack their luggage, took their magic wands, said goodbye to Henry, and left the Magic Association.
After eating and drinking his fill, Farm was forced by Shuli into the Seal of the God of Fire.
It is not suitable for Warcraft to wander around during the next journey, for fear of scaring ordinary humans or being targeted by thieves.
Kesheng Town has a morning market, and the streets are bustling with people coming to the market. Some are buying things, some are selling things, and every corner is filled with stalls.
The Light Team was in a hurry to go to the next city and had no time to go shopping. They went to the store to buy some necessary items for the journey, then found a carriage rental station and chose a driver who looked honest and loyal.
According to the newly bought map, the fastest way is to take the water route.
That is to say, they first took a carriage to the city of Baya, then went to the dock to find a boat, and headed to the royal city of Yadilan along the Itongli River.
After a short rest in the Royal City of Adilan, we rented a carriage and continued to enter the Kingdom of Purunse. Purunse was a small country, and it only took a few days to reach the courtyard.
The route is very clear and as long as there are no accidents along the way, they may be able to reach the St. Villiers School of Magic ahead of time.
After deciding on the route, they spent a gold coin to rent a ten-seater carriage. The coachman drove two horses, waving the whip and shouting as they left the town of Kesheng.
The road was flat just after leaving Kesheng Town, and the carriage didn't shake much. The Light Team chatted happily, but after waiting for more than an hour, the road became more and more bumpy, and the carriage began to shake from side to side.
The goblins and dragons are both winged species and often fly up and down, so this shaking has no effect on them.
As a human, Ace was holding a newly bought "Complete Book of Elementary Magic Spells" in his hand, flipping through it attentively, and he was surprisingly calm.
Shu Li asked curiously, "Ace, don't you feel the bumps?"
Ace looked up and smiled, "It's okay. I ride in carriages all the time, so I'm used to it."
"Oh!" Shu Li kindly reminded, "Reading on the bus will damage your eyesight. Wait until the bus stops before reading!"
"Okay." Ace obediently closed the book and put it in his newly bought backpack.
With his share of the remuneration, he used the money to buy himself a backpack, spare clothes, toiletries, books, school supplies, etc.
The prices in Kesheng Town are low, and you can buy a lot of things with one gold coin.
"Oh, so boring!" Budno leaned against Angel and groaned.
The carriage was rocking so much that he felt like sleeping.
I didn’t get enough sleep this morning and was woken up by the ruthless Kumandi, so I’m still sleepy now.
Budno glanced at Kumandi with resentment, and Kumandi immediately looked over with a sharp gaze.
"What's up?"
"Uh, it's okay, it's okay..." Budno waved his hands awkwardly.
Kumandi took two decks of cards from his bag, unfolded the folding table hanging on the wall, and placed it in the middle of the carriage.
"Play cards?" he asked.
"Play!" The little goblins were all excited.
It is said that this is the most popular game on the mainland. The shop owner strongly recommended it and used his excellent eloquence to explain how to play the cards, which aroused Kumandi's interest and he bought two decks of cards.
Shu Li felt a lot of emotion when he saw the cards.
He never expected that the card game he taught to the young master of the Hobner family would become his way of making money. He played the cards in such a variety of ways that they became popular throughout the continent. From nobles to common people, everyone enjoyed playing them.
However, it must be said that playing cards is the best pastime when you are bored.
Soon, Team Light was immersed in the game. Before they knew it, the sun had set, night was about to fall, and they had arrived at Baya City.
The carriage we rented was quite powerful. The driver was diligent and the two horses were very strong, so we arrived at our destination before dark.
After playing cards for a whole day, Team Light was still not satisfied. If the driver hadn't shouted at them to the city gate, they would still be fighting passionately.
With the magic badge, it is much easier to enter the city gate.
The soldiers at the city gate, who had been scolding the civilians, immediately changed their attitude 180 degrees when they saw seven magic apprentices sitting in the carriage. After looking at the magic badges, they immediately let them into the city.
Baya City is a small city that has developed to a considerable scale near the riverside wharf. It has a relatively developed business and its urban construction is much higher than that of Cosain Town.
The road is paved with tiles, wide and flat, with magic stone street lamps on both sides of the road. There is an endless stream of carriages coming and going, and the commercial district is bustling with people. The wide variety of goods is dazzling to look at.
This is a vibrant medium-sized city.
The goblins and dragons crowded around the carriage windows, looking on in amazement like country folk entering the city.
Shu Li had seen the more prosperous cities of Daoto and Adilan, so he didn't find it strange.
Ace was the calmest. After taking a few glances, he lost interest.
The carriage drove to the rental station, and the Light Team got off one by one, twisted their waists, stretched their limbs, and relieved their stiff bodies.
"Are we going straight to the dock now?" asked Dizio.
"Why don't we go for a walk?" Budno looked around curiously. Seeing the roadside food stalls, he was eager to go. "Let's go find a restaurant to eat first!"
I only had a few rough wheat cakes for lunch, so I must treat myself well for dinner.
Baya City is so well built, the chefs’ skills must be better than those in Kesheng Town, right?
His proposal was fully approved by the big eater Amanda.
Seeing them holding their bellies pitifully, Shu Li sighed helplessly and asked Ace and Kumandi, "What do you think?"
Ace understands the human world, and Kumandi is steady and composed, making them the think tank of Team Light.
"This place is close to the pier, so let's go and find out the situation first and ask when the passenger ship to the royal city departs. If we catch the last ship, we can just buy tickets and board the ship and have dinner on the ship, saving us some hotel accommodation fees. If we miss it, we can only stay in Baya City for one night." Ace analyzed clearly.
Kumandi agreed: "Okay."
Shu Li high-fived him. "Then let's do it! Let's go to the dock."
Budno pursed his lips.
Angel pinched his ear gently. "You've grown up so much, and you still haven't changed your gluttony."
Budno stuck out his tongue.
Seven young and handsome magic apprentices walked on the street, and they attracted a lot of attention. Both men and women looked at them with admiration.
The Light Team walked leisurely, occasionally politely asking for directions. When they passed a bakery, they stopped and each bought a freshly baked bread to fill their stomachs.
"Five silver coins for a loaf of bread, that's so expensive!" Budno gnawed on the hot bread with a look of pain on his face.
"This is the price of things in the city," Shu Li said. "Once you get to the royal city, you'll find you can't buy anything with five silver coins."
The royal city is where nobles and wealthy people gather. Everything is expensive, and people without a deep family background cannot survive in the royal city.
Dixio sighed: "Our hometown is still the best. We have everything we want and we live a worry-free life."
After only two days in the human world, he felt the injustice of the world. The poor were very poor, the rich were very rich, and people were divided into different classes. The gap between the rich and the poor was too great.
Angel said solemnly, "So we should save as much as possible and never waste money."
Although their storage rings were filled with gold coins, disguised as magic apprentices from a mountain village, they didn't have much money. The ten gold coins they earned from yesterday's mission were their only visible assets.
Budno suddenly felt that the toast no longer smelled good. "I should have been more patient and not bought food first."
Amanda nodded, "Yeah!"
A piece of toast was not even enough to fill his teeth. He began to worry, with his big appetite, would he be able to eat enough in the human world?
Shu Li couldn't help but comfort him: "There's no need to be so pessimistic."
Even though it was a training, when you really have no money to eat, you can't starve yourself. The money in the storage ring must be used.
Kumandi said, "Find a way to do more tasks and earn rewards, and you can improve your quality of life."
Ace smiled and said, "Maybe we can get a mission at the docks."
Shu Li's eyes lit up: "Really?"
The depressed Budno and Amanda instantly perked up and looked at Ace with bright eyes.
Ace said: "Although the water route is fast, we often encounter pirates along the way."
"Water bandits?" The goblins and the little dragon widened their eyes.
"Yes, the pirates are masters of water, each possessing special skills. They like to rob passing ships, especially merchant ships. Every time they pass through a section of the river that has been designated as their territory by the pirates, they have to pay a large amount of protection fees."
"What if you don't pay it?" Desio asked innocently.
Ace frowned and lowered his voice, "If you don't hand it over... I will kill you and rob you, and destroy all traces of the body."
"Hiss——" The little friends took a breath.
Disio clenched his fists, his hatred for evil raging. "Some of them...are truly abominable!"
I swallowed the word "human" hard.
Shu Li had watched costume dramas before and knew that pirates were rampant in ancient times. She never expected that merchant ships in other worlds were also deeply harmed by pirates.
"Is there no one in charge?" he couldn't help asking.
The Dalia Empire is one of the four major empires in the Austin continent. How could the king allow pirates to commit crimes at will on his most important river?
Ace shook his head: "The major lords only manage a section of the river in their own territory. No one cares about anything beyond their boundaries."
Shu Li was shocked.
What’s the difference between this and minding your own business?
With this level of governance, the Dalia Empire is probably not far from destruction.
As they were talking, everyone arrived at the dock.
The dock was bustling with activity in the evening, with cargo piled everywhere. Trackers, porters, vendors, and passengers were coming and going, very busy.
The river was filled with boats of all sizes, almost filling up the dock.
The seven magic apprentices looked around and found the ticket office of the passenger ship.
There was a long queue in front of the ticket booth, all of them were passengers going out of town.
Shu Li looked around and found that there was no information service here. If he wanted to know if there was a boat to the royal city, he could only ask the ticket seller in the cabin.
However, there was a long queue in front of the hut and he was too embarrassed to cut in line.
"Hello, may I ask, do you know if there is a passenger ship going to the royal city today?" He politely asked a middle-aged man in the team who looked to be dressed in brighter clothes.
The other party suddenly heard the pleasant voice and turned around in confusion, looking at the handsome black-haired boy. Seeing that the boy was wearing a magic robe and holding a magic wand in his hand, his originally indifferent expression softened a lot.
"Are you asking me?"
"Yes." Shu Li smiled cutely.
The middle-aged man looked at his fellow magician behind him and said regretfully, "You came at an unfortunate time. The last passenger ship to the royal city left half an hour ago."
"Oh, I see. Thank you." Shu Li made an elegant gesture to him. "May the God of Light bless you."
The middle-aged man was excited: "Oh, thank you for your blessing!"
It is a great honor to be blessed by a magician.
Shu Li and his friends left the ticket office and stood in a relatively open place.
"Looks like we'll have to stay at a hotel in the city of Yaba tonight."
It costs a lot of money for seven people to live in four rooms.
Well, or... two rooms?
Anyway, the goblin can become smaller and squeeze in with Amanda, while Ace can have a room by himself.
It saves money, but...wouldn't it be too weird for six people to live in one room?
He quickly rejected the idea.
"The passenger ship to the royal city has left, what about those to other cities?" Kumandi took out a map and pointed to the Yitongli River.
It is not necessary to take a boat to the royal city in one go. It is a good idea to transfer halfway.
"That's right! We can't limit ourselves to one idea." Angel pointed at the line in front of the ticket booth. "They're still queuing, which means there are tickets to other cities."
Dizio rubbed his hands. "Shall we get in line?"
No matter which city it is, buy the boat ticket first. If you are late, there may be no tickets left.
"I'll go line up!" Budno and Amandi raised their hands actively.
Shu Li calmly asked, "Will the cost be doubled?"
The prices of boat tickets for different journeys are different, and if you change trains midway, you may incur extra expenses.
Their combined funds amounted to nineteen gold coins and sixty-five silver coins, of which thirty-five had been deducted for the toast.
I don’t know if the remaining money is enough for this trip.
Only those who manage the household know how expensive food and daily necessities are. Back in the Fairy Forest, I never had to count money to make a living like this.
In his original world, his parents and brothers would give him a lot of pocket money every month, which he could never spend all.
"The cost will definitely double," Ace said calmly. "Don't worry, there's always a solution. Maybe it won't cost any money, and you might even earn a commission."
"Earn commission?" Shu Li's ears immediately perked up when he heard about making money.
The other members of Team Light perked up.
"Ace, tell me how to make commission?" Discio asked anxiously, his eyes, which had turned brown due to drinking camouflage drugs, filled with money symbols.
The little goblin transformed into a little money-grubber.
Ace raised his hand and pointed: "See that big blue ship?"
Shu Li looked in the direction he pointed and saw a rather large cargo ship parked on one side of the dock.
The cargo ship is about twenty meters long and twelve meters high, with a row of oars on each side. The sails have not been opened yet, and the porters are carrying the cargo up one after another.
"What's so strange about that ship?" Shu Li asked in confusion.
Ace's lips curled up slightly. "If I remember correctly, the black panther painted on the bow is the emblem of the Graves family."
Kumandi understood immediately: "You mean, the Graves family is located in the royal city?"
Ace said, "Yes."
Shu Li asked hesitantly, "Um...how do you know so much?"
Ace is from the Izerafa Empire, but he knows so much about the royal family of the Dalia Empire.
"The Gravechi family is a very old business family, and their business is spread all over the continent. I have seen their family's black panther emblem, so I recognized it at first sight." Ace patiently explained to his curious companion.
Shu Li suddenly realized: "So that's it!"
The human students are indeed know-it-alls, with amazing observation skills, so amazing.
Disio asked in confusion, "But what does that have to do with us?"
Angel rolled his eyes and grinned, "We can go ask them if they need bodyguards."
They are escorted by seven powerful "magic apprentices" to ensure their safety along the way, and all pirates and the like have to stand aside.
If they are lucky, they can even counterattack.
It is not easy for humans to make money, but as long as you use your brain and work hard, you can always make a lot of money.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
