Emily Toremo

"Cheap little sister?" Sera tilted her head. Pure confusion showed in her dark red eyes behind the veil, as if she'd heard a strange phrase she'd never encountered before. "Is that some special human expression of affection? It doesn't sound very friendly."

Xia Lin was momentarily at a loss, then chuckled and waved a hand. "You're overthinking it. It doesn't mean anything special. If I had to explain it... I guess it means a sister you don't get along with."

Emily Toremo.

He searched through the original owner's meager memories.

The Toremo siblings had gotten along well enough when they were little, but by now their relationship was as thin as watered-down ale.

The original owner had been busy carousing, while his little sister had been sent to live in the provincial capital and devoted herself wholeheartedly to... well, figuring out how to spend all the allowance their family sent her.

As for her personality, she was the sort who believed in "life is short, so enjoy yourself while you can." She was probably a handful, too.

House Toremo had been bankrupt for ages. With no real skills and a spendthrift streak, she'd lost her family's financial support. She was probably scraping by just like him now, wasn't she?

Xia Lin speculated to himself as he kept walking.

Sera followed quietly at his side. She clearly had little interest in his family affairs, and silently observed this bustling city, so different from Changhe City.

The closer they got to the towering white spire, the more the surroundings changed. The buildings along the streets took on a more ancient, solemn style.

Among the passersby, young people in various apprentice robes hurried about in noticeably greater numbers. Every now and then, they saw a few full-fledged mages in splendid robes, their expressions haughty, with familiars or constructs at their sides. The pedestrians gave them a wide berth.

At last, they reached the plaza at the foot of the Mage Tower.

Looking up, the tower hardly seemed like something made by mortal hands.

Its pure white walls looked as if they'd been carved from a single piece of flawless ivory, rising straight into the clouds. The tip glinted in the sunlight, dazzlingly bright, as though connected to some mysterious force in the sky.

The tower's surface wasn't smooth. It was covered in countless intricate, abstruse runes that flowed slowly, as if they were alive.

The tower's base was extraordinarily broad. At its entrance stood a towering metal gate, dozens of feet high, cast from some metal that radiated a pale blue glow.

Two magical guards made entirely of energy hovered silently before the gate, exuding an unspoken pressure.

The first-floor hall was even more astonishingly magnificent.

The ceiling soared beyond sight, seeming to form a starry sky of its own. Countless softly glowing magical orbs floated and drifted like stars.

The floor was laid with polished black stone, reflecting the light from above. Footsteps made no sound as people walked across it.

At the center of the hall stood a huge circular pool. The water was crystal clear, yet gave off a rich surge of magic. Above it hovered a three-dimensional magical model of Orlando City and its surrounding region, formed from countless points of light.

Tall bookshelves lined the walls, crammed with all kinds of hefty tomes.

Many young people in apprentice robes held books and discussed them in hushed voices, or looked things up on floating magical screens.

Several guards in silver armor, carrying rune-etched halberds, patrolled the hall expressionlessly.

There was a sense of order here, an order born of knowledge.

"Good grief, this place..." Xia Lin couldn't help whistling. "It's even grander than the King's palace."

"You say that like you've seen the King's palace," Sera teased him, as usual.

He took a deep breath, straightened his still fairly tidy leather armor, and headed toward the open metal gate.

"Stop!"

The two magical construct guards spoke in cold electronic voices, crossing their energy halberds to block the way. "Unauthorized personnel are forbidden to enter! Present your identification or a visitor's permit!"

The constructs' blue optical sensors lingered noticeably longer on Sera, scrutinizing her with suspicion.

Sera turned her head impatiently, a faint shadow gathering around her.

Xia Lin put on a friendly smile, doing his best to look harmless. "I'm here to see someone. My sister, Emily Toremo, is an apprentice here."

"Register at the desk over there. Provide the apprentice's name and your identification." The construct pointed to a relatively quiet area along the side of the hall, where several desks stood and a few people in clerical attire were busy at work.

"Thanks." Xia Lin nodded and led Sera toward the registration desk.

The desk was staffed by a young woman wearing thick crystal glasses. She looked a little absent-minded.

She was bent over a pile of parchment, searching for something. Only when she heard their footsteps did she slowly look up and push her glasses back into place as they slipped toward the tip of her nose.

"What is it?" Her voice was a little muffled, with the lazy drowsiness of someone who hadn't quite woken up.

Looking at her, Xia Lin wondered to himself if the Mage Tower's efficiency was a little too lax.

"Hello. I'm looking for Emily Toremo." Xia Lin gave her the name.

"Emily... Toremo?" The woman repeated it, running a finger down the register beside her as if searching for the right name. "Which school? Evocation or Abjuration?"

"Uh... I'm not sure which school she's in," Xia Lin replied awkwardly. "She's my sister."

"Your sister?" The woman finally found the matching name. She looked at Xia Lin, studying his face, then lowered her eyes to the information in the register, as if confirming something.

Suddenly, she whipped off her thick crystal glasses, revealing a pair of brown eyes somewhat like Xia Lin's, bright with slyness and surprise.

"Big brother?!" she cried, all trace of drowsiness vanishing from her voice and giving way to utter astonishment. "What are you doing here?!"

Xia Lin was stunned, too.

The woman before him, in an ordinary clerical robe and dowdy glasses, looking utterly spacey... was actually his "cheap little sister" Emily, who had existed in his life only as bills and complaints from the family?

This was certainly an unusual way to reunite.

"Emily?" Xia Lin tried calling out.

"Obviously! Who else would it be?" Emily glared at him, then lowered her voice and glanced around like a thief. "Shh! Keep it down! I'm working right now! Wait until I get off—then we'll talk!"

She quickly scribbled a few things in the register, then shoved a blank visitor's logbook at Xia Lin. "Fill this out first. Write whatever you want. I'll sort it out for you later. Go wait by the entrance!"

With that, she put her thick glasses back on and buried herself in the pile of parchment, returning to her absent-minded, drowsy demeanor as if nothing had happened.

Holding the visitor's logbook, Xia Lin exchanged a look with Sera, who seemed just as surprised. With no other choice, he went to sit in the waiting area near the entrance.

Waiting was always tedious.

With nothing else to do, Xia Lin remembered his sword, bent like a banana, and his damaged leather armor. He simply left the Mage Tower and found a nearby weapons and leather goods repair shop that looked reasonably trustworthy.

Orlando was the provincial capital, after all. The craftsmen here were far more skilled and efficient than those in Changhe City.

He spent fifteen silver coins. The owner not only agreed to rush the repairs on his reinforced leather armor, but also recommended a newly arrived longsword.

[Item: Elf Wind Refined Longsword (Human Replica)]

[Durability: 120/120]

[Rating: A light, swift longsword modeled after the Elf rapier style. Its blade is light and resilient, suited to quick, precise thrusts and slashes. Though it's a replica, the craftsmanship is excellent—far better than that bent Dwarf-made piece of yours.]

Looking brand-new, Xia Lin returned to the Mage Tower entrance just in time to see Emily stretch, take off her drab clerical robe, and reveal brightly colored casual clothes underneath. She came bouncing out.

Her thick glasses were gone, too, revealing a face quite similar to Xia Lin's, but livelier and more mischievous.

"All done! Clocking out!" Emily ran up to Xia Lin and beamed, patting him on the shoulder. "Come on, big brother. Since you came all this way to see me... you're buying dinner today!"