Changing Identities

Seeing Ian's astonished look, Xuan Ye immediately felt a surge of smug satisfaction. He was simply the kind of person who loved showing off.

Only then did he cough lightly, putting on an affected air as he said,

"Actually, it's very simple. You deliberately stored two not particularly large items in containers made of different materials, which means the materials likely have properties that allow them to react with each other without a catalyst... Although teak and oak boxes are suitable for storing many kinds of materials, among those materials, the only ones suited to your current level are the two primary ingredients for the Basic Meditation Potion."

After explaining everything at length, Xuan Ye felt a little smug inside while secretly letting out a sigh of relief. With the half-baked foundational knowledge he had crammed into his head, it should have been impossible for him to react so quickly.

He had mainly relied on the boost to his Perception to sense roughly what was inside first. Then, using the method of deriving the process from a known result, he had used his half-baked knowledge of potions to work backward and figure out all the reasons.

What a joke. Could his five Talent Runes really have been carved for nothing? Under normal circumstances, setting aside the difficulty of acquiring Talent Runes, one needed to be a Five-Star Professional to possess five of them!

And putting all this boost to control onto a One-Star foundation absolutely wasn't as simple as increasing it fivefold!

As he spoke, Xuan Ye no longer concealed the fluctuations of his mental power and allowed them to spread out, causing Ian to turn his head in surprise.

Although he was still slightly inferior to Ian, he was nevertheless a genuine Advanced Apprentice. Most importantly, even though he was dressed like a bumpkin, there was still no concealing his youth!

Ian was already thirty-two when he reached the level of an Eighth-Grade Apprentice. Among his teacher's apprentices, he was already among the top three in talent, but this fellow...

Seeing the other man's reaction, Xuan Ye unusually showed no smugness. Instead, he felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

This time, it truly wasn't because he enjoyed showing off. No matter how much he liked flaunting himself, he had to keep a low profile in the city for now. The Kende Family and the matter of being dragged into Shadow of Feralas were already enough to give him a headache.

The reason he had acted this way was that he had suddenly thought of a way to clear his name. He had only shown his face once at the Mercenary Hall, and most of it had been covered. He had also presented himself as a physical-type Professional Expert.

Now, if he befriended this apprentice from the Mage Tower and casually changed his outfit before appearing as a Magic Apprentice, he could naturally shake off suspicion. Besides, he had already changed his equipment, and it differed considerably from what he had worn at the Mercenary Hall. He didn't have to worry about this fellow making connections after hearing the news.

Furthermore, he possessed the One Core Five Rune Structure that ordinary Professional Experts could never possess! Its stability was extremely high, and it could conceal his fluctuations. Even someone far stronger than him probably wouldn't be able to see the state of his Inner Palace. At most, they would sense that his body was sturdier than an ordinary mage's.

It wasn't strange for an apprentice-level mage to carry some conventional weapons for protection, especially a self-taught ascetic mage.

"It's true that appearances can be deceiving. Your foundational knowledge is much more solid than mine. To possess the level of an Advanced Apprentice at such a young age... That's truly discouraging."

Ian spoke with deep feeling, seeming somewhat rueful.

The praise made Xuan Ye blush slightly. With the comparisons and parameter feedback from the Soul Database, he had indeed swallowed down apprentice-level knowledge in a rough and muddled fashion. As for whether it was "solid," he could just about make do, but when it came to applying that knowledge, he truly couldn't compare with other apprentices.

Their exchange nearly scared the plump shopkeeper into wetting himself. So that mercenary-dressed loser was actually a Mage Lord? This completely overturned his worldview!

Weren't Mage Lords all supposed to wear gorgeous clothes, possess extraordinary bearing, and always carry an unhurried, arrogant air? Who would have thought one would dress like a scavenger? Wasn't this just bullying people?

"Ahem. When traveling, some disguise is unavoidable. After all, I don't have any followers yet."

After coughing lightly, Xuan Ye took advantage of the other man's comments about his attire. He stowed the longbow and short sword into his Spatial Bag, then removed his sandproof robe and stuffed it inside as well, revealing the ordinary fitted clothes underneath.

Although he still didn't look much like a mage and was dressed like an ordinary commoner, he looked far more "civilized" than before.

"Spatial Equipment! That's truly enviable. Apart from our teacher, only Senior Brother Jian managed to earn enough to bid for one. Without Spatial Equipment, collecting materials and things like that is such a hassle. No wonder you can dress like this."

Seeing Xuan Ye casually put everything away, a trace of envy appeared in Ian's eyes as he spoke. It was pure envy, however, without any particular astonishment.

Although an ordinary Spatial Bag was enough to make regular Professionals fight tooth and nail for it, mages were an exception! Even a Mage Apprentice could earn enough to buy Spatial Equipment as long as his specialized studies were sufficiently advanced. This was someone fully qualified to own Spatial Equipment!

It might attract covetous eyes outside the city, but there was clearly no need to worry about that here.

"Haha, when traveling, one naturally has to carry all sorts of odds and ends. Mage Ian, you don't need to be so modest. I'm sure you could get one if you wanted; you probably just don't go out much."

Xuan Ye began quietly and quickly tidying his appearance, trying to make himself look a little more scholarly. At the same time, he chatted up the lucky star in front of him. His successful exoneration depended on this man.

"Not at all. Spatial Equipment isn't something you can buy just because you have money. Who knows when those merchants will bring in the next one? They keep the supply artificially scarce, and every one is sold at a premium. Unfortunately, my teacher doesn't study this field, and I don't dare trouble him to ask his old friends for one. I can only wait."

Ian didn't fully agree with Xuan Ye's words. His net worth was enough to buy one, but being a mage was an extremely expensive profession. He didn't have enough liquid funds to indulge himself.

With a fairly good start to their conversation, everything else proceeded naturally. By the time the plump shopkeeper saw the two of them out, they had already become somewhat acquainted. Ian then invited Xuan Ye,

"Night, since you haven't decided where to stay yet, why don't you come to my place? We can exchange insights, and there are four or five Advanced Apprentices still in the city."

Xuan Ye naturally had to change his name. When introducing himself, he had simply chosen the single-character name "Night." It wasn't particularly strange in Reizel.

Facing Ian's invitation, Xuan Ye was more than willing inside, but verbally he still asked tentatively,

"This... wouldn't that be inappropriate? Would your teacher mind?"

"How could he? My teacher is such a busy man that I'm always hoping to catch him and ask him some questions. Besides, he's the only Professional mage in the city. The Stanrose Mage Guild Branch is nominally under his name, and providing assistance to passing mages is our duty in the first place."

Ian clearly didn't think much of Xuan Ye's concern.

Xuan Ye then followed Ian into a somewhat luxurious carriage. Along the way, he listened to the rolling wheels while continuing to exchange information with Ian.

For example, he learned that the reason Ian had mentioned news of an Earth Magic Core was because his Senior Brother—the strongest Magic Apprentice in the Mage Tower—also followed the earth-element path. He had certainly prepared the materials for the class-change ritual, and likely had plenty of spares. With a sufficient price, Xuan Ye should be able to exchange for one from him.

With the item he cared about most finally having a lead, Xuan Ye naturally relaxed considerably. Otherwise, if he had to wait at an auction house, who knew when one would appear? After all, from the shopkeeper's attitude just now, it was clear that this place produced Sand Magic Cores itself. Unless someone with circumstances like his specifically placed an order, no merchant would go to the trouble of transporting an Earth Magic Core here from thousands of miles away...