The turmoil of the day had passed.
That night, on Xu Fang's rooftop, Xu Fang, Mo Fan, and Zhang Xiaohou sat around a small grill. The meat skewers in their hands sizzled as oil dripped onto the charcoal, releasing a tantalizing aroma.
"Brother Fang, you're going to Gudu now, will you still come back to Bocheng?" Zhang Xiaohou asked.
"Of course, I'm only here on a transfer, my academic records are still in Bocheng. I'll have to come back for the college entrance exams in my third year of high school," Xu Fang said, pinching a bit of cumin powder and sprinkling it evenly over the skewers.
"But Gudu is too dangerous, you're just a beginner Mage..." Zhang Xiaohou said worriedly.
"Ah, Monkey, why are you trying to persuade him? I think Blondie's doing the right thing!" Mo Fan said, taking a swig of wine and a bite of skewer. "You'll never become a true powerhouse without seeing blood. In a few days, I'm going to the Hunter's Alliance to try my luck too!"
"But..."
Zhang Xiaohou was about to say more when the wind around them suddenly picked up.
"We have a guest," Xu Fang said with a smile.
"Oh, so now I'm a guest? This afternoon you were calling me 'brother' non-stop?" Zhan Kong's Wind Element star track disappeared as he stood at the edge of the rooftop, cursing. "Damn it, the Mu Family came to Xuefeng Mountain to cause trouble for me this afternoon. I told them off a few times before they finally left."
"It's because your reputation is so effective," Xu Fang said sheepishly, quickly trying to smooth things over. "Haven't eaten yet, Monkey? Get our Legion Commander a chair."
The moment Zhan Kong appeared, Zhang Xiaohou had been frozen in shock.
Hearing Xu Fang's words, he quickly brought over a small stool. Zhan Kong didn't stand on ceremony, sat down, and picked up a skewer to eat.
"I've already put in a good word for you with the Central Military Region. Just call when you get there, and someone will pick you up," Zhan Kong said. "I saw your assessment results. Barely passable. Don't embarrass me when you get to Gudu."
"Don't worry," Xu Fang said, his expression unusually serious for once. Zhan Kong nodded and turned his gaze to Mo Fan. "You're that Mo Fan who cultivates the Fire Element?"
"That's me," Mo Fan said, sizing him up. "Something wrong?"
"Heh, got some attitude," Zhan Kong said dismissively. "You can already Release Magic, so Magic High School isn't that meaningful for you. Want to come to Xuefeng Mountain and hang out with me? I guarantee the Mu Family won't dare to bother you."
"No!" Mo Fan refused without even thinking.
His life goals were to get into a good Magic university, slap the old Mu dog, marry Mu Ningxue, and then buy Xin Xia a Wing Magic Tool.
Not to spend his life miserably hunting wolves on a mountain!
Seeing his resolve, Zhan Kong didn't try to persuade him further. In his current view, Mo Fan was just a slightly talented Fire Element newbie. It was great if he could recruit him, but it didn't matter if he couldn't.
Zhang Xiaohou looked at Zhan Kong expectantly.
What about me? What about me?
But to his disappointment, Zhan Kong completely ignored him and buried his head in the barbecue.
The next day, Xu Fang took a car to Xiamen Island, the closest island to Bocheng. From Xiamen Island, he took a high-speed train to Magic City, and then from Magic City, he boarded the north-south Magic-Gudu special line.
Compared to technologically advanced worlds, transportation in the magic world was extremely inconvenient.
It wasn't due to technological limitations. In fact, Magic Trains powered by various magic arrays were considered cutting-edge black technology by people in technologically advanced worlds.
The biggest problem in this world was safety.
Due to the rampant Demon activity, every special line had to operate under the protection of Safety Zones, making maintenance costs extremely high.
As for airplanes, they were even more outrageous, comparable to Xinjiang Province Qiegao. By the time you boarded, your wallet and even your underwear would be saying goodbye.
At the Magic City train station, the waiting hall was bustling.
"Why can't we pass yet? I've been waiting for two days, why can't we pass!"
"Sir, please calm down. We've already explained the reason. Due to the uprising of the Fengzhou Scarlet Leopard Tribe, this special line has been delayed..."
"What does that have to do with me? How will my losses be compensated!"
"Sir, you can go through insurance. Please don't make things difficult for our staff."
"Say that again? You dare to talk back? What kind of work attitude is that!"
A man in a suit started yelling, and the staff member stood in front of him, looking wronged, with a crowd gathered around.
Xu Fang glanced over but paid no attention. His special line was already boarding, and he didn't have time to join the commotion.
The train slowly started, leaving the Magic City train station, and arrived at Gudu ten hours later. Xu Fang put away his luggage, sat in his seat, and opened "[A Large Wave of Undead Club]".
Compared to Bocheng, an obscure, eighteenth-tier city, Gudu's prosperity was evident in every aspect.
Take the Mage forums for example. Gudu had a vibrant array of forums attracting a large number of Mages.
The most popular ones, like "[Bell Tower Magic Association Official Forum]" and "[Gudu Hunter Alliance Online]", had over a million visitors at their peak!
As for "[A Large Wave of Undead Club]", which Xu Fang was visiting, it was relatively niche, with its main members being young Mages in Gudu.
[Giant Mountain Super Power Tyrant]: "In Magic City, just got on the high-speed train. [Image][Image]"
[A Big Red Flower on the Head]: "Holy crap, brother, you're really here!"
[Expert of Picking Feet]: "Brother, why are you doing this to yourself? It's so good to stay in Magic City. Fewer Demons, more Mages. If the sky falls, there are so many Super Levels to hold it up. Isn't it better than feeding undead in Gudu?"
[Desperate Duck Neck]: "Little Giant Mountain, you're being foolish! Go check "[Gudu Hunter Alliance Online]", it's almost become "[Gudu Corpse Collection Point]"!"
[Cucumber Big Girl]: "Aiya, why are you scaring him? You'll scare him away! (〃>目<)"
[A Big Red Flower on the Head]: "Scaring him? That's the truth, Cucumber Girl. I heard you guys didn't even fill your second-year class this year."
[Cucumber Big Girl]: "Tch, it's all because of this year's military training. They were all scared and transferred! Cowards! ヽ(`⌒メ)ノ"
[Giant Mountain Super Power Tyrant]: "Running away is impossible. I'm a promising young man about to pursue my dreams on the streets of Gudu. Send me any guides you have, quickly."
[Must Be Hard When There Are Balls]: "I know this one! Get off at Gudu West Station, turn right, walk for a kilometer, then turn right again, there's a health foot massage..."
([Must Be Hard When There Are Balls] was banned by the moderator for one hour)
[A Pot of Old Wine]: "If you break the rules again, you'll be kicked out! First, welcome brother Giant Mountain. Let's work together to build a beautiful Gudu (handshake) (handshake)! Check your private messages for the guide; it's my own take."
[Expert of Picking Feet]: "Brother Wine, are you back from Yan Tower? How was it?"
[A Pot of Old Wine]: "I gained a lot. It's hard for me to describe it to you. Try to experience it yourself! (fist) (fist)"
[A Big Red Flower on the Head]: "We don't have that chance. There's a placement test right after school starts, and I haven't accumulated enough undead points yet!"
The forum was lively.
[A Pot of Old Wine] was the moderator of the [A Large Wave of Undead Club]. His ID had certifications from Gudu Academy and Intermediate Mage. He spoke like someone from the previous generation, truly the big brother of the forum.
[Cucumber Big Girl] was a student from Gudu No. 3 Middle School. She was a lively and gentle young girl, doted on by her older brothers and sisters.
The others were also familiar faces. [A Big Red Flower on the Head] and [Expert of Picking Feet] were both students from non-first-tier universities in Gudu. As for [Desperate Duck Neck], he was a Hunter Mage from the Hunter's Alliance.
As for [Must Be Hard When There Are Balls], he was a lone mage similar to Mo Fan, who could steer the conversation towards the bottom lane in just a few sentences.
Xu Fang opened his private messages and found the guide sent by [A Pot of Old Wine]. It contained methods for dealing with common undead, such as attacking the joints of skeletons, and warning Ice Element Mages to be careful of zombies pulling off limbs and continuing to advance.
It was very practical, and Xu Fang read it seriously.
Undead were different from demons; one couldn't use the same methods to deal with undead as they did with demons. Xu Fang's goal was to gain experience, not to court death!
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