Kill That Noble

Xie Yu chose [2. Full Disclosure]. His original goal in speaking to the cane had been to learn about Kaiming.

[The loyal solid wood cane (Affection 100) felt that he had to do everything he could to support you in avenging Kaiming. But it was, after all, just an utterly ordinary cane. All it could do was tell you everything it knew, even if it wasn't sure whether any of it would be useful.]

[It searched its memories and recalled some rumors about Wig Brown.]

The cane said:

[I heard Kaiming say that Wig Brown was a noble of legend, bearing the ancient surname Brown. Kaiming once heard from a client, "Old Cole of City Hall," that these noble magicians each had their own "bloodline" magic. What they possessed was not only businesses and families that had endured for years, but also advantages engraved in their "bloodlines."]

[There are ranks among nobles, broadly divided into "Normal State Bloodline" nobles and "Abnormal State Bloodline" nobles. The latter are nobler and more powerful.]

[Every surname represents a bloodline. The surname Brown is connected to the human soul and belongs to the "Normal State Bloodline."]

[Ever since the new policy encouraging commoners to become magicians was introduced in 1695, the kingdom has been struggling against these noble factions. But because the nobles still hold considerable power among the high- and mid-ranking magicians, progress has been slow.]

Nobles-nobles with unique surnames. There was such significance to them.

The kingdom's policies encouraged commoners to become magicians, just like the major examination that everyone could take... Yet those same policies contained clear preferential treatment for the privileged, showing signs of excluding the general populace from the magical system...

Xie Yu seemed to understand something all of a sudden, and a thought jolted him awake:

"Could the malice Magister Yize divined just now-the malice that might be a good thing or a bad thing-have something to do with these so-called nobles? My perfect score touched upon..."

The advanced questions on the exam that had made things difficult for ordinary candidates, the strange dividing threshold of sixty points-all of it suddenly came together as a struggle within the kingdom.

When he had turned that exam paper over, he had done more than move on to the advanced questions. He had also crossed the dividing line between the so-called nobles and the so-called commoners.

The Education Bureau's protection of him might mean far more than simply keeping a high-scoring candidate "free from harassment."

Malice from the nobles was clearly a bad thing, but if that malice turned into support for him from the kingdom's governing authorities, then a bad thing might become a good thing.

That was the true interpretation of Mr. Yize's vague divination result!

Xie Yu lay down on the [feather pillow that had seen countless people (Affection 0)] and pulled the inn's [goose-down quilt that liked covering two people at once (Affection 0)] over himself. Though the bedding was much more comfortable than what he had at home, it felt cold and unfamiliar.

He recalled how, just that morning, when Kaiming had taken him to meet the old man, the old man had said:

"Black Pine City has produced a perfect exam paper. The Provincial Education Department investigated by divination and found no cheating."

Kaiming had been surprised then, but delighted too. He had clearly been happy for Black Pine City.

The old man's reaction, however, had been extremely cold. His tone had also been rather unnatural when he spoke of education, and he had quickly changed the subject.

It seemed this was not simply a matter of personality.

It was a matter of where he stood.

Thinking back on Fry's warmth and Mr. Yize's friendliness, their goodwill might not have been simply because he was an outstanding candidate. It might have been even more because he was an outstanding "commoner" candidate.

Perhaps it wasn't that he "hadn't cheated"... but that he "couldn't have cheated."

That too might turn from a question of fact into a question of where one stood.

At that thought, Xie Yu found it hard to sleep.

Even with the night quiet outside the window, he could clearly feel that he had inevitably been drawn into the vortex, and that his peaceful life might be gone for good.

In his dream, countless things began to revolve around Xie Yu, and countless matters concerned him.

In the early morning, the sky was blue-gray, and Xie Yu woke before sunrise.

Though he hadn't slept very well, perhaps because he had so much on his mind and a clear goal of killing Wig Brown, he didn't feel tired.

He was up early, but someone else had risen even earlier. A cloth bag hung outside his room, containing new clothes and a small note from Fry. It read:

"Two changes of clothes. Please try to go out as little as possible for the time being. If you need to go out, please tell me."

"-Fry, who is proud of you."

It seemed he would be staying here for more than a day or two.

This fully confirmed what he had suspected before going to sleep last night: protecting him really was about more than simply keeping him free from harassment.

After a quick wash, Xie Yu put the sealed object in a pocket of his inner shirt, put on his coat, and headed out.

At the end of the corridor on the inn's ninth floor was a public space for guests to relax, furnished with sofas and a tea table. Mr. Fry sat there, reading the newspaper and drinking tea.

Noticing Xie Yu approaching, he looked up with a smile.

"Good morning. What would you like for breakfast? I'll have the inn prepare it for you. The newspapers are already reporting on you. Look: 'Perfect-scoring candidate rumored to have appeared in North Plains Province.' But because Lord Yize and I acted quickly, you're only being called a mysterious candidate for now. They haven't even gotten your name, haha."

The secretary-general was actually looking after Xie Yu's daily needs.

"Anything is fine. But besides breakfast, I'd also like to read some books," Xie Yu said.

"Of course, I understand completely. What field would you like to read about? Oh, and have you decided which academy you want to apply to?" Fry asked with a friendly smile.

"The best academy in the field of sealed objects." Xie Yu had decided on that long ago. Now that he had confirmed sealed objects fell within the scope of his Affection ability, every other option paled in comparison.

"All right, it seems you don't need my recommendation." Fry sighed softly, seeming a little disappointed, but he didn't say much more.

"But I'm not capable of getting you sealed object records. Whether it's the kingdom, the academies, the merchant guilds, or the great families, they all keep their sealed objects hidden away like treasures. Perhaps Lord Yize can find a way..."

Xie Yu said:

"I'd like to read the Kingdom's Hundred-Year Training Plan for Top Magicians series, preferably the first edition published in January 1700."

The book he had found on Kaiming's shelf belonged to that series.

Some of its contents had originally puzzled him, including the differences between a magician's cultivation path forty years ago and in the present day.

But if he introduced the factor of "nobles," many convoluted facts suddenly seemed to become clear.

At some point in history, the path to becoming a top magician had been opened, but now that door might be slowly closing under the influence of certain forces.

That was the difference between the new books and the old ones.

Fry seemed surprised by Xie Yu's specific request.

"Such old books? I'll make a note of it and try to find them for you. I'm afraid it'll be difficult to find the whole series for books of that age."

"And as you know, tomorrow I'm going to Mr. Wig Brown's funeral to meet Mr. Kaiming," Xie Yu added.

"Perhaps I could return the things for you. You can trust me," Fry said hesitantly.

"Mr. Wig Brown was a kind man. It pains me that the old man passed away quietly," Xie Yu insisted.

Fry opened his mouth, apparently wanting to object, but perhaps because Xie Yu was still young, or because he felt it wasn't quite proper to speak ill of his own teacher behind his back, he ultimately said nothing and nodded in silence.

P.S. The title and synopsis of this book's first volume have been updated.

Volume One: "Trinkets"

Everything the human eye can encompass is a trinket.