Clover City

Cain quickly stuffed the bread on the table into his mouth, washed it down with a gulp of milk, then began seriously studying the map he had just bought.

After staring at the map carefully for dozens of seconds, Cain discovered a very important problem: he could not read the map.

More precisely, he did not recognize the writing on it.

Damn it, wasn't it supposed to be that every transmigrated world spoke Chinese and used Chinese characters? What were these crooked symbols in front of him?

After grumbling inwardly for a while, Cain could only accept reality and leave the inn to ask someone for help.

He had already chosen who to ask: the shopkeeper who had sold him clothes earlier.

When Cain had been dressed in rags and looked exactly like a beggar, everyone around him had kept their distance. Only that kind shopkeeper had given him a piece of bread.

Cain soon arrived at the clothing store. The shopkeeper was sitting inside, flipping through a magazine.

Judging from the picture on the cover, Cain guessed it was probably a fashion magazine or something related to cosmetics.

Hearing the door open, Beva immediately put down her magazine and welcomed him. "Hello, is there anything you need? We have clothes for everyone here—adults, children, men, and women."

Looking at the blond, black-eyed child before her, Beva had only one thought: He was so cute. She wanted to dress him up in every outfit one by one.

Cain bowed to Beva. "Big Sister Shopkeeper, I came to thank you."

The moment she heard this adorable child call her big sister, Beva felt delighted. Still, she modestly said, "Oh my, being called big sister is so embarrassing. But I do like it very much."

After her delight faded, Beva remembered that the child had said he came to thank her. Yet she did not seem to have met such an adorable child today.

"Child, have you mistaken me for someone else? I don't think I met you today."

"Big Sister, I'm the little beggar from this morning."

At Cain's words, Beva remembered. When she had opened her store that morning, she had indeed seen a little beggar and given him some bread. Who would have thought that he was not actually a beggar and had even bought a set of clothes from her shop?

Beva stared at Cain in astonishment. "You're that little beggar from this morning? Ah, no, I mean, little boy?"

He looked like a completely different person from before, aside from being roughly the same height.

Cain did not mind her surprised expression. After all, he really had looked much like a beggar back then.

After a brief conversation, Beva came to understand Cain's general situation.

Cain had been traveling with his master. The reason he had ended up in that condition that morning was because of his master's requirement.

His master had said that if he wanted to become a mature Mage, he had to cross a barren desert alone. Of course, Cain had made all of that up. He had to be more careful while traveling alone.

After hearing Cain's story, Beva pulled him into her arms and said sorrowfully, "You poor child. You've really suffered."

But Cain, who had an adult soul, felt uncomfortable all over. However, his eight-year-old body clearly could not resist Beva's overflowing sympathy.

Once Beva was no longer quite so emotional, Cain asked the reason for his visit.

"Big Sister Beva, Master gave me another task just now. I need to go to a place called Magnolia. Do you know how to get there?"

"Magnolia?" Beva furrowed her brow and thought carefully, but she still could not remember.

Although he had been prepared for it, Cain still felt a wave of disappointment when Beva truly did not know Magnolia.

"Then what about Hargeon Port?" he asked unwillingly.

The answer was still that she did not know. With her unfamiliarity with two places in a row, Cain found himself in a difficult position.

Seeing Cain's tightly furrowed brow, Beva's heart clenched as well. Then she suddenly thought of something. "How about you wait here for a few days? A merchant caravan delivering goods will come by in a few days. I get my stock from them."

"I heard they've even been to the royal capital. They should know how to get to Magnolia or Hargeon."

The royal capital? Beva's words reminded Cain that the Grand Magic Games were held beside the royal capital. From there, he could go directly to Magnolia.

He hurriedly asked Beva, "Big Sister, do you know how to get to the royal capital?"

"I do. First, you need to go to Clover City, then take the train. There's a direct train to the royal capital from there."

"I heard a ticket from Clover City to the royal capital costs 2,300. Did your master give you money for the ticket?"

"Mm, he did."

Cain recalled that he had taken around 6,000 in cash from the guards. After buying clothes and food and renting a room, he had spent about 2,000. The remaining 4,000 should be enough to get him to the royal capital.

As for the fare from the royal capital to Magnolia, he would think of something when the time came.

After learning the direction to Clover City from Beva, Cain bade her farewell. After buying some provisions, he set off toward Clover City.

With about two days' worth of food on his back and a longsword in hand, Cain traveled alone along the road to Clover City.

As he walked, Cain discovered that the soles of his feet, which had previously been rubbed raw, had somehow healed. Moreover, despite walking for so long, he did not feel very tired.

He had not noticed it while escaping from the Magic Development Bureau, but thinking back on it now, he had run all the way from there to the town.

Even then, he had not felt particularly tired. He had only been rather hungry.

Cain found this very strange. Although this world had magic power and he himself was a Mage who had awakened magic, he was still only eight years old.

Could an eight-year-old really do something like this? After thinking about it for a while without finding an answer, Cain put the matter aside.

After a day and a night of arduous travel, Cain finally arrived at Clover City.

Looking at the town before him, Cain could not help sighing over how good his luck was.

He had not encountered any people or magical beasts along the way and had arrived here without any trouble.

Cain did not rush to buy a train ticket to the royal capital. Instead, he planned to rest for a while. It was his first night sleeping in the wilderness, and he had not dared sleep too deeply, leaving him exhausted now.

At an inn, he ordered some wheat bread and a large-bone meat soup, intending to reward himself properly.

While waiting for his food, Cain suddenly heard people around him discussing something. Listening closely, he caught phrases like "guild masters" and "annual meeting."

Just as Cain wanted to listen more carefully, those people stopped discussing it and began talking about where the prettiest women were and where the best alcohol could be found. Cain was so anxious that he wanted to go over and slap them twice. When could they not talk about women and alcohol? Why did it have to be now?

At that moment, the bread and large-bone meat soup Cain had ordered were ready.

Before the server could leave, Cain hurriedly asked, "Excuse me, I just heard something about an annual guild meeting. What's that about?"

"Oh, that? The presidents of a group of Mage guilds come to Clover City around this time every year for a meeting."

Upon hearing this, Cain's heart began pounding violently. He had not expected his luck to be so good that he would actually come here.