Ashi Ba

"Ruixi."

"Shut up!"

As if it had suffered a tremendous injustice, the head snapped at the air all around it, then began chewing furiously with puffed cheeks.

"That's more like it. Follow me properly from now on, and I'll make sure you eat and drink well."

Wei En was very satisfied with its attitude now.

It was worth interrupting his meditation and wasting 0.01 Mental Level.

Dong, dong dong...

At that moment, the bells of Crimson Cathedral rang out.

"Tsk, it's six."

This night had truly been far too long.

Fortunately, he had not come away empty-handed.

Not only had he learned meditation and officially become a Wizard Apprentice of the Specter School, but he had also gained a head capable of meditating automatically.

"A beautiful day begins with... hmm, an empty stomach."

Wei En rubbed his stomach. He had grown stronger, but he also got hungry more easily.

Worst of all, he was completely broke now...

He could only see whether he could pass the interview today. Hopefully, he could get an advance on his salary...

With that thought, he pulled a golden pocket watch from around his neck. After pressing the button at the top, he placed it on the table.

Bang!

After a puff of smoke, the pocket watch had turned into a large golden chest.

He then packed the things on the table into the chest one by one.

The trophy-shaped "Telephone," the Typewriter with its oak base, the blue-and-white Auto-Exchange Machine, the Crystal Ball... as well as those two letters, three rolls of Parchment, and so on.

It was worth mentioning that the Crystal Ball really could test his Mental Level.

It just was not as comprehensive as the System Panel.

It could only be considered something left at the bottom of a chest to gather dust...

Once he had finished packing, Wei En turned it back into a pocket watch and hung it around his neck again before taking a basin and towel to wash up.

This pocket watch was the standard toolbox issued to Intelligence Officers of the Specter School. His predecessor had received it after passing the interview.

The house he lived in also belonged to the Specter School. Together with the pocket watch, it counted as one of an Intelligence Officer's benefits.

However, he had to cover all living expenses here himself.

Just as the School's Intelligence Department instructor had said during the pre-employment training his predecessor received before coming to Kaster City-State: "The Specter School is willing to provide a platform for you to grow and succeed. In return, you must put in enough effort."

It sounded very humane, didn't it?

But in reality, Wizard Apprentices were not valued within Ghost.

Apart from a tiny number of freakishly talented individuals, most apprentices and the many provisional apprentices were merely peripheral students of Ghost.

The true core was at the headquarters of the Specter School—on the distant Northern Continent, amid a glacial Snow Plains called Kovich.

As for Intelligence Officers like Wei En, Ghost had no fewer than ten thousand and perhaps as many as twenty thousand. Every one of them was scattered across various city-states, responsible for transmitting intelligence.

As the instructor had put it, "A wizard's fear comes from the unknown. The more we know, the greater our chances of resolving disasters."

Because of this broad-net system, every Intelligence Officer had no choice but to become a lone wolf, finding ways to survive in their respective city-states.

Clearly, Wei En's predecessor had possessed survival skills infinitely close to zero!

In the several months since arriving in Kaster City-State, the farthest his predecessor had gone was the Slums three blocks away, and the people he knew best were the father and daughter at the clinic next door.

All the intelligence he submitted had been overheard at the Red Moon Tavern on the other end of Golden Street.

And he only went once every three days. The reason... he simply could not bear to spend 8 Pennies on a glass of beer.

Sigh, his predecessor had lived such a tight life that Wei En was now dirt poor as well.

Still, fortunately, everything was only just beginning. It was not too late to start from here!

After washing up, Wei En carefully took a box of purpleheart wood from the wardrobe and removed the clothes inside, which had been meticulously preserved.

This was one of the few valuable Relics left behind by his predecessor: a formal suit worth 1 Gold Pound, also one of an Intelligence Officer's benefits.

Its main purpose... uh, was to make one look more respectable when buried in the ground.

According to Ghost Intelligence Department statistics, fifty percent of Intelligence Officers did not survive their first year. This suit was treated as compensation given in advance.

"Luckily, I'm not as naive as my predecessor. Clothes are meant to be worn while you're alive. Waiting until you're dead to wear them would be stupid."

Just like now—it was perfect for Wei En to wear and make an impression.

What Wei En had told the Liaison Officer last night about joining the Kaster Union Gazette had not been entirely a lie.

In fact, he had begun looking into work on his second day in this world.

Given his current circumstances, he needed a great deal of money if he wanted to exchange for wizard knowledge from the Specter School.

Relying only on six Pennies a day, he probably would not save enough Gold Pounds for advancement to a Formal Wizard even if he worked until he died of old age.

So, Wei En had already found a job respectable enough to ease his financial pressure.

And today was the day of his interview!

After getting dressed, Wei En adjusted his hair in front of the mirror. He looked completely refreshed.

"Still pretty handsome, huh?"

He had the typical traits of the Salute People.

Black hair, gentle features, and a well-proportioned build. Dressed in this Eastern Continent-style gentleman's suit, he possessed a distinctive charm.

Fortunately, Wei En's skin was dark, slightly darker than bronze, so he did not look overly delicate.

The head above him watched Wei En go through all this, especially as he fixed that fresh, neat hairstyle... and could not help revealing a hint of envy in its eyes.

Unfortunately, it only had a head and no hands.

The head shook about in frustration for quite a while, but its bird's-nest hair remained unchanged. It could not help glaring viciously at Wei En—it was all this two-legged creature's fault. He had messed up its hair while beating it!

"Ba... ba..."

"Hm?"

Wei En looked up and saw the "head" bobbing up and down, its eyes occasionally rolling upward. Puzzled, he asked, "Are you having a seizure?"

"Ba, ba!" The head glared at him, glanced at the mirror, then looked upward again.

"Me, mirror, above..." Wei En pondered for a moment. "Are you saying you can possess the mirror?"

"Wuwu..."

The head stared at him in shock for a long while before closing its eyes dejectedly.

"I'm teasing you. Look at you, why are you getting so worked up?"

Wei En gathered mental power in both hands and tidied the head's hair. Then he dispersed the power and nodded in satisfaction. "It's my face. Just as handsome."

The head opened its eyes and secretly glanced at the mirror. As if something wonderful had happened, its mouth split into a grin. "Ashi ba!" (Happy!)

"Why are you cursing again?"

Wei En knew it was not Korean, but that tone really did stir up some memories.

"Hmm... how about I just call you Little Ashi?"

"Ashi ba."

"Mm, got it, got it. Little Ashi."

"Ashi ba!!"

There would be another chapter before twelve. I started writing at seven today, but I didn't expect to only finish the first chapter now.

Sigh—my head hurts!