"Nicholas, you big idiot! The royal apothecaries are all profiteering bastards!" the young maid grumbled as she walked.
Mana potions were far too expensive!
Three lesser mana potions had eaten up all her savings! She had worked hard for an entire year as a palace maid-and Princess Calia's personal maid at that-to earn that money! And all she got for it were three finger-length glass bottles!
By contrast, the two daggers Jiang Jie had given her looked unremarkable, yet the money from selling them had bought a full seven lesser mana potions!
Two lousy daggers were actually worth that much?
Remembering the look in that assassin's eyes when he saw the daggers, the young maid felt a surge of frustration. Were those two lousy daggers really that good?
The young maid bristled with indignation. What kind of world was this? A whole year of hard work serving someone wasn't even worth as much as two daggers?
Even daggers had a better life than she did!
At that moment, she even wondered whether she should beg Princess Calia to have a court mage test her to see if she had any talent for becoming a mage or an alchemist. A priest would do, too.
"Hello, my dear Daphne. What's wrong? You look so distracted. Don't tell me you've fallen in love?" A gentle, pleasant voice rang out, tinged with teasing.
The young maid hastily looked up and realized that she had reached the palace without noticing and run into her true mistress. She quickly lowered her head and dipped into a curtsy. "Your Highness."
Princess Calia looked twenty-five or twenty-six. Though she wore a smile, worry and sorrow that she could not let go of seemed to linger between her brows. The young maid knew why. The king's high-handed decision and Lord Prestor's true identity had broken her heart!
So whenever she saw Princess Calia, the young maid could not help feeling a momentary pang for her.
Princess Calia nodded. "Arthas had only just returned before dawn when he asked me to send someone to take care of someone for him. He even said no one else could be trusted and insisted on you. I heard you were poisoned this morning, too? How are you feeling? Are you all right? Should I find a priest to examine you?"
The young maid quickly replied, "I'm all right, Your Highness. The poison has already been cured."
Only then did Princess Calia breathe a sigh of relief. Noticing the little bag cradled in the young maid's arms, she asked, "What are you carrying?"
"Lesser mana potions, Your Highness," the young maid replied. "Nicholas asked for them."
"Nicholas? The boy Arthas rescued? I just heard that he earned a perfect score in his rogue trial? Something unprecedented? All of Lordaeron knows about it. What a remarkable young genius!" Princess Calia asked with interest, "What, does he want to become a mage instead of a rogue?"
The young maid shook her head miserably. "I don't know. Oh, Your Highness, Nicholas is in great danger right now. He's angered Baron Soroson. Could you send someone to escort him to Stratholme? He won't be safe in Lordaeron."
"Baron Soroson? That officer in Lordaeron's security forces? He has considerable influence." Calia shook her head. "I'm very sorry, Daphne, but I can't help you. It's dangerous out there now. Undead monsters have appeared in Andorhal, and the road to Stratholme has been cut off. Even Baron Rivendare, the lord of Stratholme, is considering how to return there. He may even have to ask the mages to open a portal."
The young maid had known none of this, of course. Hearing it for the first time, she could not hide the disappointment on her face.
Though she knew little about it, she could still imagine that opening a portal must be extremely expensive. Neither she nor Nicholas could possibly afford it...
"Don't worry, Daphne. I'll have my guards protect him. I'm doing this for your sake, my adorable little maid," Princess Calia said. "Now, are you going to deliver those potions to him?"
The young maid quickly nodded.
Princess Calia smiled. "Then go on.
It's almost dark." The young maid hurriedly curtsied, then left.
Watching the young maid leave with such light steps, Princess Calia murmured to herself, "Daphne cares this much about someone? Just what sort of boy is he? Arthas told me he was a somewhat strange boy, with some peculiar power inside his body, rather like that Pandaren monk who visited Lordaeron a while ago?"
Shaking her head, Princess Calia sighed and murmured again, "I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling. As though... something bad is going to happen. The archbishop once said I had the potential to become an excellent priest, and that my premonitions were more accurate than most people's. Ah, may the Holy Light watch over Father, over Arthas, and over Lordaeron!"
"Hey, hey, wake up! Time to eat!"
By the time Jiang Jie woke, night had fallen.
"Nicholas, I'm sorry. I can't get you out of the city. The princess said the road to Stratholme has been cut off! I asked the gate guards. A full curfew and military control are now in effect, and people aren't allowed to enter or leave freely... I'm very sorry." The young maid's face was full of guilt and concern.
Seeing the concern in her eyes, Jiang Jie quickly sat up.
"It's all right. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here," Jiang Jie said with a smile.
The young maid nodded and said softly, "The princess sent two guards. They aren't class holders, but they're well-trained elite soldiers. They'll patrol and stand guard outside at night. You'll be all right."
Princess Calia had sent guards?
Jiang Jie was taken aback. He had not expected the young maid to have so much influence over Princess Calia.
Thinking of the young maid's concern for him, Jiang Jie suddenly felt that perhaps he was not merely a passing visitor to this world. He had truly become someone of this world, a part of it!
He polished off the food the young maid had brought in no time, sent her away, then closed the door. Picking up the little bag on the table, he took out the lesser mana potions.
Ever since gaining internal energy, he had begun to sense the energy that existed everywhere. He could also sense the vast amount of energy contained in the pale blue liquid inside these glass bottles. It was arcane energy.
Jiang Jie opened a lesser mana potion and poured it straight into his mouth.
Then a large amount of arcane energy was absorbed by the gaming pod. What Jiang Jie actually swallowed was liquid with no effect whatsoever!
At the same time, Jiang Jie heard the voice of Xiao Feng, the AI.
One lesser mana potion could keep the gaming pod running for an hour!
Without hesitation, Jiang Jie poured all the remaining lesser mana potions down his throat!
The next moment, he vanished from where he stood and appeared inside the gaming pod.