A Glimpse of Edge (Part 1)

It had to be said, being a thief really was a profession that brought in money fast.

Over the next few days, Romon counted the spoils from this haul: two hundred gold coins, two thousand silver coins, and a huge pile of copper coins.

There were also ten rolls of new cloth, probably intended for use in the hideout; six newly made, sharp daggers; five cowhide storage bags; a basic set of thief skill books; a manual on making poison; a small box filled with all kinds of toxins; and specialized lockpicking tools. There truly were quite a few good things.

If he had not feared others noticing, Romon would even have wanted to sweep away the valuables left in plain sight. Still, the things searched out from the thieves' secret room had already satisfied him greatly.

Even hunting prey for money could not compare to this speed. Moreover, after reading the thieves' diaries, contracts, and records, he no longer had any knot in his heart over killing them. Killing a group that had harmed countless people would not damage his morality in the slightest.

The only thing that still troubled Romon was that none of these goods or coins could be spent, because they were far too conspicuous.

While Romon was pondering this, in a room somewhere else, the young priest of Rika Town was speaking with the middle-aged tax official.

"Damn it! Didn't they say mages hated meddling in other people's business? A mage actually struck against the thieves outside town and cleaned them out completely. He wasn't even afraid of losing face—this fellow is simply insane!" Priest Tennis cursed viciously, with none of the propriety he displayed while preaching.

The middle-aged tax official seated opposite him was much steadier by comparison. He gave a cold laugh. "What are you worried about? That the church will discover those items you entrusted them to dispose of? Don't tell me you left evidence with the thieves. That would make you far too stupid."

"You!" Priest Tennis flushed, rose to his feet, thought for a moment, then sat back down. At the same time, he sneered. "Don't think you can stay out of this. Not only Romon's matter this time—even this affair, weren't you involved as well? Heh heh, I'm truly sorry, but in those letters I left behind, I also happened to mention your intentions."

Bakasi was stunned at first upon hearing this, then flew into a rage. "Are you an idiot?! Leaving all that behind for others to use against you—has water gotten into your brain?!" If he had initially been in the mood to watch a good show, he was now thoroughly flustered and exasperated.

"Yes, I admit I left leverage in their hands. That was indeed foolish. But I do not think dragging you into it was foolish. If I guessed correctly, your original plan was to deny everything to the death, wasn't it? If those letters truly fell into someone else's hands, and they had no connection to you, you would definitely kick me while I was down, wouldn't you?" Priest Tennis said coldly.

Bakasi's expression froze for a moment. Then he put on a smile. "How could that be? We both profited from our last transaction. Besides, dealing with Romon this time counted as us working together. How could I kick you while you were down?"

"Is that so? Then what should we do now? We did not find the letters at that hideout. Could that mad mage have taken them?" Priest Tennis was genuinely somewhat afraid of that mage who refused to play by the rules.

Bakasi shook his head. "Probably not. Why would that mage take them? There were many traces of fire in the place where the thieves kept their documents. I think those things may already have been destroyed during the fight."

"Let's hope so!" Priest Tennis said. "Ah, what a pity. If not for that mage, Romon should have been doing business with those thieves today. What a pity."

"They were lucky, but there will always be another chance." Bakasi spoke through gritted teeth. He too merely considered them lucky, never imagining that two youths could have committed such a major deed.

A day passed quickly.

The next day's plaza assembly would begin promptly at eight in the morning. Those attending included the official residents of Rika Town, Rika Town's officials, the Baron and his confidants. As clergy of the temple, Priest Tennis and Miss Eileen would attend as well.

The residents of Rika Town took the plaza assembly very seriously. Whenever one was held, nearly every townsperson over sixteen would put down whatever they were doing and arrive at the town square on time.

At the monthly plaza assembly, aside from reporting that month's taxes, production, personnel matters, and other affairs, officials would also read out any shocking or heinous incidents that had occurred during the month, before severely punishing certain people.

Romon and Fafier were only sixteen this year, so this was their first time taking part. Though they felt somewhat uneasy, they could only wait outside the plaza, listening to the voices of proclamations drifting from afar.

Rika Town's plaza followed the sealed-plaza custom of other noble territories. Though it was open to the sky, it was surrounded by a ring of hollowed-out high walls. Guards stood at the entrance, stopping those who did not qualify from entering.

The sun hung high in the sky, casting warm rays. When the plaza assembly ended without anyone making trouble, it was clear they had weathered this trial. Romon felt relieved. He looked toward those on the platform, gave a cold laugh, then let out a sigh.

Though he possessed plenty of evidence, he could not use it to make trouble. Such was the disparity in status. For those below, evidence alone was enough; for those above, evidence was not enough. One also needed strength.

But having survived this time, he could at least gain some time. Romon cast one more glance back, then turned and left.

Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, it was November. The forest outside Rika Town had long since shifted from lush green to withered yellow. The colorful flowers that had always dotted the greenery had all wilted away. Though the air still carried the fresh scent unique to grass and trees, it was no longer as rich as before, and instead held an added sense of desolation.

Winter was coming. Perhaps in another month, snow would blanket the entire forest, and sunlight would no longer shine upon the world with such warmth. The mortal realm would be enveloped in the icy cold of snow and frost. Yet that did not matter. The dense forest also needed a period of sleep and adjustment. The grasses and trees were gathering strength, preparing to grow wildly once more when spring returned.

In an open stretch at the edge of the forest, Romon closed his eyes and silently sensed nature's breath.

Slowly, an invisible energy began to drift faintly upward from around him, from countless grasses and trees. It continuously gathered in the air, becoming a brighter green glow before converging toward his body.

Some sparkling motes were absorbed the instant they touched his body, while others merely lingered around him before dispersing into the air and vanishing shortly afterward.

This power was extremely scarce, and its rate of gathering and converging was not fast.

As time passed, the energy gathered more and more slowly, until eventually not even the slightest glimmer appeared for half a day. The thin halo of energy already gathered around Romon was so sparse that it could not even fully wrap around his body.

After a long while, Romon slowly opened his eyes. Only a small part of the green energy surrounding him had merged into his body; most of it dissipated into the air.

Though he had long expected this outcome, Romon still tugged helplessly at the corner of his mouth.

"The progress is truly slow!" Romon looked helplessly at his hands.

Ever since he had successfully foiled Priest Tennis and the tax official's scheme, he had been living quite comfortably these days.

But fearing that others would notice, he had not touched the gold or silver coins. He had merely divided the copper coins collected from the thieves into three portions: one for Fafier, one for Nick's family, and the remainder for himself. Even so, he cautiously instructed them to use the money sparingly.

There were now two thousand silver coins alone, an enormous fortune. The problem was that they needed a legitimate source. These days, thanks to Miss Eileen's instructions, he could once again freely browse the books in the temple, which was a great help to Romon.

Ever since that plaza assembly, Miss Eileen had rarely appeared at the temple. This disappointed Romon somewhat, but before long, his attention was drawn away by the progress of his own training.

For some reason, his cultivation was now extremely slow. Though outsiders would still consider his progress rapid, that was because the green plants within Shennong Horn Space gave him energy unconditionally. In this world, absorbing green light was somewhat difficult.

"Is it because I lack a teacher's guidance? Or because that time I killed a wild ox without eating it, which went against the Way of Nature?" Romon sighed. He suddenly felt that although Jefa had not liked him very much in the past, Jefa's guidance had indeed allowed him to avoid many detours on the path of becoming a Druid.

Without a teacher's guidance, certain crucial points always became difficult to advance through.

Although he possessed Shennong Horn Space and the wisdom of someone from another world, both of which had made his path of Druid cultivation much smoother, there were certain critical places where those things alone were not enough. He needed someone with whom to exchange experience. He needed guidance.

All at once, he remembered that Temporary Adventurer's Permit and could not help chuckling.

As its name suggested, a Temporary Adventurer's Permit was also proof that allowed him to leave town and travel between cities, although nominally, he still belonged to this town.

After returning to town, he headed straight for the barracks. Fortunately, because of the company commander, that squad leader was fairly earnest in teaching him swordsmanship. Recently, both Romon and Fafier had been training hard here.

Romon was now assisting Ansen the apothecary in making certain potions. This had been arranged after Miss Eileen learned of it, and it allowed him to earn some money. He could always make fifteen silver coins a month.

However, there was still a vast gap between that and repaying Jefa's money within three months.

As Romon trained, he thought. His basic swordsmanship and footwork could now be considered proficient, but since he had not practiced from childhood, any qualified warrior was stronger than him in both strength and proficiency.

A Friend's Recommended Work

Immortal Pride

Across the vast skies of the six domains, heroes emerged in countless numbers: eight hundred unorthodox paths, three thousand side schools. A small youth set foot upon the immortal road—the Immortal Qin Ruins, ancient cave abodes, the Xuanyuan Sword Sect, a sword-dove taking form, the Ten Arts Immortal Canon, spreading my divine might. With one sword in hand, ten thousand bowed their heads. Proudly overlooking heaven and earth, I dared ask: who in this world was the hero?