The Princess's Request

After Professor Piyede left, Jia Xiu could finally enjoy his meal.

However, when he saw the main course—a huge plate with a steak in the middle, a few little green leaves he did not recognize on top of the meat, and some unknown sauce painted along the side—

he knew the price of this meal would probably exceed his expectations.

But he had already eaten it, so Jia Xiu decided to raise those expectations.

Yet even though he thought he had mentally prepared himself—

"What? This costs 1 Crown and 20 Hel?"

Jia Xiu still could not accept it.

"Yes, sir. These dishes come to a total of 1 Crown and 20 Hel," the waiter answered politely.

"What did I eat? A salad, a bowl of soup, a tiny steak, two pieces of bread, and a carton of ice cream. Is there some kind of exchange rate difference between Creekwood Town and Larven?"

"Sorry, sir, I do not know what an exchange rate is. With your meal charge plus a 10% service fee, the total is..."

"There's a service fee too?"

Jia Xiu could not believe what he had heard.

Was this what a big city was like? Terrifying. The unique qualities of a big city he had not experienced when he first arrived had finally made themselves known.

After Jia Xiu paid and left the restaurant, he had gone in feeling like his savings of three thousand meant he was fairly well-off.

When he came out, he realized he was actually poor.

"Boss, are we short on money? Bubu can make money."

"It's fine, Bubu. As long as we're not starving, you don't need to sell your body."

"Uh, Boss, the way I meant to make money wasn't by selling my body."

"More or less. It's all the same."

Over the next few days, Jia Xiu spent most of his time quietly holed up in the inn.

Margaret covered his room and meal expenses. Other than going out for walks, he did not spend a single coin.

He also paid a visit to the Caster Association. As the place with the greatest number of spellcasting Transcendents, Larven naturally housed the Association headquarters.

It had to be said, the headquarters was different. Different professions had their own branches within it, and different schools had corresponding organizations as well, making it easy to find people with similar research interests.

But Jia Xiu was very disappointed by the warlock branch.

He simply could not get along with those warlocks who were obsessed with Eldritch Blasts, who spent all day thinking about how to fire bigger and stronger Eldritch Blasts, or how to use other spells to create advantages and ultimately unleash a powerful Eldritch Blast.

Because he had not chosen an ability from his Patron that could enhance Eldritch Blast, he was even regarded as a heretic.

The misunderstandings of his peers did not discourage Jia Xiu.

Although he did not know what exactly his Garbled Patron was, it should be far stronger than ordinary fiends, ancient beings, fey, or sentient magic weapon Patrons.

And while Jia Xiu spent most of his time at the inn, he was not simply lying around doing nothing. He was preparing spells for the practical examination.

At present, the spell he was most proficient with was Healing, which could heal wounds, control targets, and do just about anything.

Mage Armor had been improved into a version that could reinforce the defense of designated body parts, though Jia Xiu believed it had more varied applications beyond defense.

Darkvision could make people unable to see during the day. If the exam environment was dark, that would not be a problem either. He also had a flickering Light spell. It could not remain lit for long, but its brightness had been greatly increased and could be used as a flashbang.

There was also Acid Splash. He could form a ball of acid and fire it, or manipulate acid within a certain range, such as a target's stomach acid. Thus, the Vomiting Spell was born.

Hiss—

Now that he thought about it, why did all the spells he found handy seem to involve at least a little torture?

Jia Xiu was deeply puzzled. He was clearly such a sunny person.

After considering the situations that might arise in actual combat, he felt that he still lacked a straightforward damaging skill.

Everything he knew focused on torment, with damage as a side effect.

His Eldritch Blast was not enhanced, so its effect was not very good. After studying it for quite some time, Jia Xiu decided to improve Fire Bolt.

The burning effect should have plenty of potential as well...

Just as Jia Xiu was researching Fire Bolt, someone knocked on his door.

"Is Mr. Jia Xiu in?"

The visitor sounded young, not like that crazy professor from the other day.

He wondered how Professor Piyede's research into Fermat's Last Theorem was going.

Jia Xiu opened the door and found an unfamiliar man in formal attire.

"You are?"

"Princess Emilia requests your presence."

Though he found it troublesome, they had come all the way to his door, so it would not be good to refuse.

Very soon, Jia Xiu and Bubu boarded the carriage Princess Emilia had arranged.

The royal family was indeed much wealthier than Margaret's family. The carriage was pulled by griffins, with nothing to do with horses anymore.

Before long, they arrived at a manor.

Following an attendant, Jia Xiu made his way into a garden.

Emilia and her bodyguard, who was built like a double door, were sitting beside a tea table in a pavilion.

"Welcome, the top genius of Saint Dero's written examination," Emilia said with a smile.

"No, no, it was luck. Just luck."

"Luck cannot solve mathematics problems."

Before Jia Xiu could exchange another polite remark, Bubu spoke up.

It abruptly drew the Judgment Sword and held it upright before its chest. "A powerful knight! Senior, please instruct me!"

That startled Jia Xiu.

"No, Bubu, you're barely as tall as his knee. This kid doesn't know better. It has been reading too many knight novels lately, so please don't mind it. Hahaha..."

When someone resorted to an awkward laugh to ease the awkwardness, it meant things were truly awkward.

However, Emilia did not get angry. She laughed quite happily.

"It's fine, Quido. They asked for your instruction."

The guard, Quido, also played along. "I accept the challenge."

As he spoke, he took out a small knife without even removing it from its sheath, then seriously and solemnly played along with Bubu.

Jia Xiu watched this bizarre development.

Was high charisma really this useful?

Emilia returned to the main subject. "Don't be so nervous. The promise I made will always stand."

She was referring to how she had previously made it clear that she would not involve Jia Xiu in royal disputes.

"My expectations for you are that you will grow into a legendary warlock whom others can proudly boast of knowing. Petty struggles that cannot be brought into the open should not affect you."

"You flatter me."

Jia Xiu could tell that she was praising him.

But it felt so good to be praised.

Was this how skilled members of the royal family were at flattering people?

"This time, I only called you here over a private matter. I have a close friend who is also taking this year's Saint Dero entrance examination. I heard the upcoming assessments will involve team cooperation, and I hope you can look after him a little during those parts. It does not matter if he fails, but if he passes..."

Emilia looked at Jia Xiu, seemingly casually revealing something about the format of the upcoming examinations.

"I will owe you a favor, or I can fund several of your projects."

"I choose the funding. You know, I love money most of all."

Emilia was not surprised by Jia Xiu's answer and merely smiled faintly.

"You really are coldhearted."

Jia Xiu pretended not to hear.

"Since you have no objections, let me take you to meet this close friend of mine."

With that, she led Jia Xiu into a room.

Before they even entered, they could hear the clanging of metal being forged inside.

A blacksmith?

Emilia opened the door. Before an anvil stood a figure as massive as a small mountain.

Jia Xiu looked at the huge man hammering away. "Your Highness, are you sure he's the one taking the Saint Dero exam?"