Fallen Li Ang

When Li Ang regained his senses, he was already holding that heavy wooden tray.

The steaming braised noodles on the tray were covered in red sweet-and-sour meat sauce. The steak, mixed with black pepper and grease, gave off a rich buttery aroma, while the chilled emerald fruit wine's intense fruity fragrance and faint alcoholic scent kept drilling into Li Ang's nose.

Li Ang, Li Ang, how could you be so wasteful? But let it go today. Next time, remember to order only the cheapest set meal. He muttered to himself inwardly.

Holding the tray, he searched for an empty seat.

The cafeteria was crowded, mostly with reserve apprentice students wearing their own clothes. Occasionally, he saw a few official apprentices in gray robes like himself, and even fewer apprentice wizards dressed in brown robes.

At last, he spotted an empty seat at the end of a long table in the corner. Sitting opposite it was that female reserve apprentice with braided hair and a face full of misery.

On her tray sat only a piece of hard-looking black bread and a cup of plain water.

She was taking tiny bites of the bread with great difficulty, needing a sip of water every now and then just to swallow it.

When she saw Li Ang approaching with that lavishly eye-catching meal, the girl visibly froze. Great surprise flashed through her eyes, then she quickly lowered her head, nearly burying her face in her tray. Her body instinctively shrank inward, trying to make herself less noticeable.

Li Ang sat down opposite her. The faint sounds of his metal knife and fork cutting through steak, the slurping of noodles into his mouth, and the rich scent of meat filled the cramped space between them like an invisible torment.

The girl became even more distracted as she ate. Her eyes were fixed rigidly on the black bread before her, yet her throat bobbed involuntarily.

She tried her hardest not to look at the plate across from her, but her nose twitched faintly beyond her control. With every breath, she greedily drew those tempting scents deep into her lungs.

She took a bite of the dry, hard bread, then gulped down a large mouthful of water, as if she were swallowing it with imagined gravy and fragrance.

Li Ang chewed the tender, juicy steak and felt the fullness brought by the meat-sauce noodles, but this dinner, which should have been enjoyable, became more and more unpleasant.

The suppressed little sounds from across the table, laden with intense longing, were like tiny thorns pricking him until he could neither sit nor stand at ease.

The sight of the girl forcing herself to endure it, yet unable to stop comforting herself with fantasies, reminded him of the days when he had gnawed on sour black bread in the ship's hold.

The silence continued, broken only by the distant clamor of the cafeteria and the soft clinking of Li Ang's utensils.

The girl finally finished the last bit of black bread. She lifted her cup and drank the final mouthful of water, then stared at the empty cup as though studying the pattern at its bottom. She did not dare raise her head, nor did she want to leave. To her, even getting to smell the meat a little longer was good enough.

Li Ang's fork paused. He looked at the small piece of steak remaining on his plate and the half plate of meat-sauce noodles still left, then looked at the girl's completely empty tray and slight frame.

Li Ang silently sighed. He neatly cut the steak in half with his dinner knife, then speared the larger piece with his fork and gently placed it onto the girl's empty wooden tray across the table.

"Have some with me?" His voice was low, carrying a trace of helplessness that was hard to detect.

The girl abruptly raised her head, her eyes round as saucers and her face full of bewilderment. Then her cheeks instantly flushed bright red.

"I... I..." She opened her mouth, her panicked gaze darting between Li Ang's face and the steak glistening with juices.

"N-No... no need... sir... I've already eaten..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, but her gaze seemed drawn to the meat by a magnet, unable to pull away.

"Don't stand on ceremony. Eat it quickly—I don't have money to buy you another serving," Li Ang interrupted her stammering refusal.

"N-No... that's not it... I'm not standing on ceremony," the girl explained desperately, her face red. Seconds ticked by, and in the end, the temptation of food overcame the young girl's shyness.

She had no fork, so she could only pick up that small piece of steak with her hand and place it into her mouth, chewing slowly and savoring with utmost care the scent of meat she had not tasted in a month.

After finishing the meat, she instinctively sucked the gravy lingering on her fingers. Then she seemed to realize how terribly improper that was, and the blush on her face deepened as she secretly glanced at Li Ang.

Li Ang looked at her pitiful, still-hungry appearance and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

He thought of the kitten he had raised. It had always clung to him for cat treats with that same perpetually hungry look. He wondered how the little thing was doing now after he had worked himself to death from overtime...

Li Ang was already seventy or eighty percent full now, and the fullness in his stomach had overwhelmed his initial craving.

He simply pushed the remaining half plate of noodles forward. "You can have this too. I can't eat anymore."

The girl abruptly looked up, her eyes widening even further, her cheeks so red they seemed ready to drip blood.

Her lips parted as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she merely nodded almost imperceptibly and said in a voice as thin as a gossamer thread, "Th... thank you, sir..."

Li Ang smiled faintly. "You don't need to call me sir. I've only just become an apprentice myself."

After saying that, he turned and left the cafeteria. He could feel that grateful gaze following him from behind until he walked through the cafeteria doors and into the corridor.

Following the route he remembered, he climbed the stairs leading to the third floor and returned to the private dormitory area.

Compared to the clamor below, this place was much quieter. The thick carpet absorbed the sound of his footsteps.

Just as he reached the door to room B045, Li Ang stopped in his tracks.

An unfamiliar female wizard attendant stood quietly beside his door.

When she saw Li Ang approach, she immediately stepped forward and gave a slight bow, her movements smooth and respectful.

"Apprentice Li Ang Carlson?"

"That's me." Li Ang stopped, his heart stirring as he vaguely formed a guess.

"By order of Mentor Eve, please come with me to see her now."

The female attendant's voice was clear and steady, carrying an official tone, but her posture was very deferential.

Mentor Eve? So soon? Old Mori really moved fast.

Li Ang suppressed his surprise and nodded calmly. "All right. Please lead the way."

The female attendant gave another slight bow, then turned and walked ahead to guide him.

Rather than heading back the way Li Ang had come, she proceeded along the third-floor corridor in the other direction, eventually stopping before a dark wooden door carved with intertwined vines.

She took out a rune stone and pressed it into a groove beside the door. The door opened without a sound, revealing a floating platform beyond.

"Mentor Eve's workshop and residence are on the upper floor. Please follow me."

The female attendant stepped onto the floating platform first, and Li Ang followed. Once they were both standing on it, the wooden door silently closed, then opened again.

Huh? What was going on? Li Ang was somewhat at a loss. By his expectations, this thing should have been an elevator, but he had not felt any upward movement at all.