Dongbo Xueying quickly slung the case containing the Flying Snow Divine Spear over his back. He pressed the mechanism beside it with his right hand. Click! Click! Two spear shafts slid out from the top of the case. Dongbo Xueying swiftly gripped them with both hands and pulled them free, then pushed them back into the case. They slid in easily, and with a click, locked firmly into place.
"Brother, you look so cool!" Qing Shi's eyes lit up.
"You'll look even cooler when you become a mage." Dongbo Xueying smiled at his younger brother.
"Haha, I had that weapon case custom-made, too." The middle-aged man in purple robes was in a good mood now that he'd sold stock that had been sitting around for years. "There are several other compartments along the sides. When you're out adventuring, you can store things like ropes in the case as well."
The weapon case was light and could hold many items.
It also let its owner quickly stow and draw heavy or long weapons.
"You had the case made separately?" Dongbo Xueying asked with a smile. "Wouldn't the person who forged the Flying Snow Spear have made one for it?"
Some alchemical mages prepared suitable equipment after forging a weapon, and even gave it exquisite packaging.
Yet this spear's case had been made separately?
Dongbo Xueying was curious about the spear's origins.
Its creator must have known how valuable the spear was. By rights, its price should have been astronomical! Yet Count Quan, the shopkeeper, had sold it to him for just eighteen thousand gold coins. That only made Dongbo Xueying more curious about where it had come from.
"Don't worry. Now that I've bought it, I won't regret it," Dongbo Xueying added.
"Ha..." The middle-aged man in purple hesitated before speaking. "Brother Xueying, I won't hide it from you. Once, while doing business abroad, I ran into an old beggar. He ate and drank on my turf without paying... I sensed he wasn't an ordinary person, so I let him keep at it. Three years later, he fired up his forge and made this spear, saying it would cover the cost of all the food and drink. Then he left. I was thrilled—I'd really met some powerful figure! I hurried to have the spear appraised. It was examined several times. It could create a snowflake-like illusion, but had no particularly special auxiliary effects. Fortunately, it could withstand great force, so it was classified as a second-tier alchemical weapon."
Dongbo Xueying nodded slightly.
After buying the weapon, Dongbo Xueying and the others went to visit Archmage Bai Yuanzhi.
"The archmage's residence is at the end of this lane." Zong Ling pointed toward a rather narrow alley ahead.
"Dismount. Everyone else, wait here. Uncle Zong, Shi Tou, come with us." Dongbo Xueying said.
Holding his younger brother's hand, Dongbo Xueying walked along the old alley.
"I didn't expect Archmage Bai Yuanzhi to live in such a remote place instead of in one of the noble districts," Dongbo Xueying remarked.
"The noble districts are too hectic. It's more peaceful here, better for research," Zong Ling replied.
They reached the end of the alley.
There stood a sprawling manor with its gates firmly shut. Dongbo Xueying stepped forward and knocked himself.
The gate swung open. A short-haired boy looked at them in confusion. "Who are you looking for?"
"Dongbo Xueying of Snow Eagle Territory. I've come to visit the archmage," Dongbo Xueying said.
"You're that Spear Demon?" The boy exclaimed, then quickly clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Junior Brother, who is it?" came the voices of several boys and girls from inside the manor.
"Teacher is in seclusion, conducting research. No one dares disturb him. Baron Dongbo, I'm afraid you'll have to wait half an hour," the boy explained. "As soon as Teacher comes out, I'll let him know. I wouldn't dare let you in right now."
"Very well. There's no rush," Dongbo Xueying said.
Dongbo Xueying was patient.
Half an hour later.
Bai Yuanzhi wore a loose white robe. His skin was wrinkled, and his thick black beard hung down to his belly. He was already over ninety. He studied the black-clad youth sitting before him, a weapon case on his back. Secretly, he was a little surprised. He could sense the sharp aura surrounding the boy; he was certainly no ordinary spear expert.
"Archmage," Dongbo Xueying greeted him with considerable respect.
"What is it? Speak up. I have plenty to do," Bai Yuanzhi said bluntly.
"You're very direct, Archmage, so I'll be just as frank," Dongbo Xueying said. "My younger brother will turn ten after the New Year. He has exceptional talent as a mage, and I hope he can become your disciple."
"Taking an unofficial disciple wouldn't be difficult. It would just take meeting a few conditions," Bai Yuanzhi said casually.
"No."
Dongbo Xueying shook his head gently. "I hope my younger brother can become your personal disciple!"
"A personal disciple?" Bai Yuanzhi frowned. "Though I'm over ninety, I'm not considered old among Star-Rank mages! I still hope to advance further in the mage ranks, so I won't casually waste too much of my energy. So far, I've only taken one personal disciple. It's not impossible for me to take your younger brother as one, but I have two requirements. If you can meet either one, I'll accept him as my personal disciple."
"Please tell me, Archmage," Dongbo Xueying said.
"I urgently need a magical beast material—the Silver Moon Heart!" Bai Yuanzhi's eyes gleamed. "It's the heart of a fourth-tier magical beast, the Silver Moon Wolf King! It must be fresh, and it can't have been preserved for more than three days."
"And the other requirement?" Dongbo Xueying asked.
The heart of a Silver Moon Wolf King, and it had to be fresh?
Those were steep demands.
"Mages need a lot of money," Bai Yuanzhi said with a sigh. "Research costs a fortune, and earning money isn't easy. For fifty thousand gold coins, I'd take another personal disciple!"
Among the nobles of Yi Water City, only a handful could raise fifty thousand gold coins, even by selling their territories!
But a territory was the foundation of a noble's standing, so the number willing to part with that much was even smaller.
"Very well. I understand." Dongbo Xueying stood up.
Bai Yuanzhi sighed.
He knew his requirements were too high.
"Within a month, I'll come back to see you with either the Silver Moon Heart or fifty thousand gold coins," Dongbo Xueying said as he rose.
Archmage Bai Yuanzhi froze.
He'd agreed?
Archmage Bai Yuanzhi couldn't help feeling excited.
"I'll be waiting for you, Lord," Archmage Bai Yuanzhi said, rising too and treating him with much greater courtesy. His first personal disciple had been the orphaned child of a friend. Without proper compensation, he truly couldn't be bothered to spend the effort. He'd set his requirements so high that not a single noble in Yi Water City had agreed to them. But Dongbo Xueying had!
"Goodbye, Archmage. There's no need to see me out."
Dongbo Xueying rose and headed outside.
Archmage Bai Yuanzhi watched from the window as Dongbo Xueying led his younger brother across the courtyard and out through the manor gates. The silver-haired Six-Armed Snake Demon, Zong Ling, followed beside them the whole way.
"It seems this young lord is no ordinary person." Archmage Bai Yuanzhi smiled faintly.
"Brother, how did it go?" Qing Shi asked eagerly.
"We won't know until after the New Year," Dongbo Xueying said with a smile. "Don't worry, Qing Shi. The archmage should accept you as his disciple. Just wait a little longer, until after the New Year."
Dongbo Xueying, however, was already making plans in secret.
Get the Silver Moon Heart or fifty thousand gold coins within a month...
He'd given himself plenty of time, so it shouldn't be a problem. Still, he'd wait until he'd secured one before telling his younger brother. He couldn't go making promises he couldn't keep.
Before you continue