Recommendation (Part 2)

Romon smiled and rose to his feet. "Are you well acquainted with Mr. Weilun?"

"Not really. But for a time, when my father worked as a hired hand for others, that caravan often employed old Weilun." Feiqiya rose as well.

"Lovely Miss Yvette, it seems that with Mr. Weilun here, I have no chance to defend your honor." Romon gave Yvette a slight bow.

A faint blush rose to Yvette's face. This delicate-looking young man had lovely chestnut hair, blue eyes, and a clear gaze like the sea beyond Aps City, as though it held some secret that drew people in.

"Father, you hit someone again! You're always so rough!" Yvette suddenly ran out the door like a startled fawn.

"Romon, Miss Yvette seems to be shy. But you should know, Yvette is a level-three warrior. With a frame like yours, Romon, you might not be able to take her." Feiqiya lightly nudged Romon with his elbow.

Romon smiled at him, though for some reason, Eileen's image suddenly surfaced in his heart. He followed Feiqiya outside.

"A level-three warrior? Captain Richard, who taught me swordsmanship, seemed to be only level four." Thinking this, Romon could not help murmuring, "Perhaps coming to Aps was a good choice."

When Romon and Feiqiya stepped outside, quite a crowd had already gathered by the door. Then Romon heard someone in the crowd say, "That Jacob is only a level-one mage, yet he dares run wild in our Aps. He truly doesn't know the height of heaven or the depth of earth."

Someone else said, "Don't be fooled by how impressive he looks. He's merely a hired worker at Master Sackville's workshop nearby."

Romon smiled faintly, recalling the famous Earth tale of "The Ugly Duckling." A level-one professional was like an ugly duckling: unable to spread its wings and soar like a swan, yet clearly different from the wild ducks, and so it would be rejected by the wild ducks—unless the ugly duckling had the protection of the swans. In truth, what was the difference between Jacob and himself? He was merely more humble.

Thinking of this, Romon lost interest. He tugged at Feiqiya. "I think I'm getting hungry. Let's get something to eat."

Feiqiya looked at him with some surprise, then said, "You're not going to look for Miss Yvette? She's right over there."

Romon laughed loudly, but inwardly he thought, Though I still don't know why Feiqiya sought me out, there's no doubt that he's the kind of person who knows exactly how to measure his words with others.

Over the next while, everyone gradually dispersed. The city guards arrived late, grinning as they exchanged greetings with old Weilun. Romon and Feiqiya had already returned to the tavern. On their table sat a plate of steamed dire wolf meat. There were many such wolves in the hills and forests outside the city. Dire wolves ate anything, whether ** animal carcasses or living animals, so their meat was not especially tasty. Romon speared a piece with his fork and put it into his mouth, only to discover to his surprise that it tasted remarkably good. With the sophistication of Chinese cuisine on Earth to draw upon, Romon concluded that some special plants must have been added as seasoning to the steamed meat, masking the sour taste of the dire wolf meat itself.

Seeing Romon sitting in silence, Feiqiya assumed the flavor had stunned him. He smiled. "Well? When I first tried it, I found it unbelievable too. Dire wolf meat can actually be made to taste like this. It's old Weilun's special craft. Paired with his home-brewed fruit wine, they say even nobles occasionally change clothes and come here for a meal."

Romon nodded and took a sip of the fruit wine as instructed. A flush spread across his face, and with a hint of drunkenness, he said, "Mr. Feiqiya, thank you very much for your hospitality this time. If you do not find me presumptuous, I would like to know now exactly why you came looking for me."

"Brother Romon," Feiqiya seemed somewhat drunk as well, "the first time I saw you, I felt you were someone capable of accomplishing great things. But recently, your elder brother here heard that money has been tight for you, so I took it upon myself to find you a job. Master Sackville is a level-five mage, and lately he needs some people to help him make healing potions. Would you be willing to join?" As he spoke, Feiqiya stared at Romon, his eyes bright. There was not the slightest trace of drunkenness left.

"Master Sackville? Was that Jacob from earlier working for the master too?" Romon looked at Feiqiya without avoiding his gaze.

"You needn't worry about that. Old Weilun and the master were once friends who adventured together. Once word of today's matter reaches the master, that pitiful Jacob will probably lose his job at once." Though he called Jacob "pitiful," Feiqiya's face was full of gloating.

"Mr. Feiqiya," Romon solemnly raised his wine cup, "thank you sincerely for looking after me. I don't even know what to say. I will certainly never forget you. Let me offer you a toast."

"Brother Romon, call me Big Brother. Calling me 'sir' is too distant. You're a man with a future. When you become a level-five, level-six, or even greater Druid someday, just don't forget me." Feiqiya clinked his cup against Romon's.

"Not at all. In the future, I'll still need Big Brother Feiqiya's care and guidance."

"Good. I'll take you to Master Sackville tomorrow morning. We won't drink too much today. Tomorrow, we must leave a good impression on the master."

Early the next morning, when the sky was still dim, Feiqiya entered Romon's room. Romon had already made himself presentable and was sitting by the bed waiting for him.

Feiqiya appraised him. The young man before him was delicate-looking but not immature, his gaze steady—truly like a young lion. This is my first investment. Feiqiya thought this to himself and suppressed that tiny flicker of jealousy.

"Let's go." Feiqiya showed a gentle smile.

Romon nodded.

Aps City in the early morning was shrouded in a thin veil of mist. Occasional clamor drifted from afar. The city was not very large, and the two traveled on foot along streets paved with gravel. At several places, they saw soldiers from the night patrol moving wooden barricades away from the middle of the streets. The city was waking from sleep and regaining its vitality.

Before long, Romon and Feiqiya reached Mage Sackville's shop. It was not far from old Weilun's tavern where they had drunk the day before. Leaving old Weilun's tavern, they only had to turn right, cross an intersection, and enter an alley.

At that moment, two people appeared to be arguing outside Sackville's shop. One of them, pale-faced, was Jacob, who had caused trouble at the tavern yesterday. The other was a somewhat older young man.

Romon and Feiqiya stopped some distance away and listened to them speak.

"Mr. Alec, please plead with Mr. Sackville for me. I promise I'll work properly from now on." Jacob was speaking. It seemed Feiqiya's words from yesterday were about to come true.

The young man called Alec had thinning hair and an unusually broad forehead. Frowning, he said, "Jacob, that's impossible. Mr. Vilen is Teacher's good friend, and Miss Yvette is someone Teacher watched grow up..."

"Alec, it wasn't my fault. It was those two outsiders, they—"

Hearing this, Feiqiya tugged Romon's sleeve and stepped forward. "Jacob, spouting nonsense and shifting responsibility will not spare you punishment. Besides, you should not be a citizen of Aps City either. You are merely an outsider as well."

Jacob turned around and looked at the approaching pair, his eyes seeming ready to spit fire. He shouted, "It was you two! You made me lose everything! Damn it, I'll kill you!" As he spoke, Jacob retreated two steps and began chanting a mage's incantation without a care for anything else.

Romon raised an eyebrow. He immediately recognized that it was exactly the same spell Jacob had intended to cast outside the tavern yesterday: the level-one mage spell, Flame Palm.

This man's stupidity was truly beyond cure. Using a fire-type spell in a city—did he not know what a great taboo that was? Though magical flames came from supernatural power, once they began burning, they still had to obey the laws of the Prime Material Plane. In other words, withdrawing magical power would not make them extinguish automatically.

With this in mind, Romon stepped forward without hesitation. With a forward step and a thrusting punch, bolstered by the transformed ** of Shennong Horn and Richard's martial instruction, he smashed his fist viciously into Jacob's face. The latter's chant came to an abrupt halt, and his high nose bridge collapsed in an instant.

Jacob clutched his nose as blood streamed through the gaps between his fingers. He fell to the ground in a miserable heap.

Only then did Alec's angry voice ring out. "Jacob, you really are insane! Setting fires in the city will implicate Teacher too. I should hand you over to the city guards."

Romon turned around, placed his left hand before his right shoulder, and gave a salute. "Mr. Alec, by the Heart of Nature, at old Weilun's tavern yesterday, this Mr. Jacob seemed to have been planning to cast a Flame Palm as well."

Since he had already offended the man beyond repair, there was naturally no harm in kicking him while he was down. Romon thought this to himself.

"Mage Alec, long time no see. This Mr. Romon is my good friend. He is a level-one Druid. My father recommended him to Master Sackville, hoping that he might serve the master." Feiqiya stepped forward and introduced him with a salute.

Alec gave Feiqiya a slight smile. "It's you, Feiqiya. Then this is perfect. As you can see, we are now short more than one person. Romon, is it?" He nodded at Romon. "Come with me."

Then he said to Jacob, who was sitting on the ground, "Jacob, for the sake of Master Dandy and your father, I will not call the city guards this time. But I must still give you one piece of advice: Aps City is not your father's territory, Galle. You must learn to restrain yourself."

Romon shook his head from the side. This young man's face held nothing but resentment. Expecting him to accept advice? Still, from Alec's words, this person seemed to be the son of Ibi Yuren, lord of Galle Town? A noble. He would have to ask about it clearly later.

Thinking this, Romon followed behind Alec and entered the shop.

"Feiqiya, was that Jacob just now the son of Galle Town's lord? A noble? Won't this affect your caravan's business?" he asked Feiqiya.

Feiqiya smiled at him. "Jacob Yuren? So it was him. There's no need to be afraid. We don't take the Galle Town route. In fact, fewer and fewer merchants are willing to use that route now."

"Why?" Romon asked.

Before Feiqiya could answer, Alec, who was leading the way ahead, spoke. "Jacob is the lord's youngest son, born to the lord and a maidservant, and the lord loves him dearly. The mother of the lord's eldest son, Lance, died early. The current situation in Galle Town is that Baron Ibi is close to Jacob, while Lance holds the moral high ground and has the support of his uncle, Baron Israel Halles, lord of Tam Town. Galle Town is on the verge of falling into chaos, so merchants are deliberately avoiding it."

Romon nodded. He had heard passing adventurers in Rika Town speak of Galle Town's turmoil before, but this was the first time he had heard such a clear and accurate summary.

As the three spoke, they had already passed through the shop and entered the workshop behind it.

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