The Unremarkable Xie Yu Drew No One's Attention

It seemed that the mage named Kaiming was still lost in his fantasy that Xie Yu had done terribly on the exam and was pretending to be mad.

Xie Yu fell into thought for a moment, then suddenly felt that the current situation was pretty good.

It worked to his advantage.

Looking on the bright side, he had gone from an utterly ordinary small-town youth to the assistant of a somewhat renowned magic physician in one stroke. Although the process had been a little convoluted, his overall social standing seemed to have improved somewhat. And before the exam results came out, getting a foothold in the world of mages was better than knowing nothing and going straight to school after doing nothing but eating, drinking, and having fun.

The downside was that he didn't know whether Mr. Kaiming was good or evil, and the man was a genuine mage who could toy with him in the palm of his hand.

Xie Yu had wanted to challenge Mr. Kaiming's guess about his exam results, but after some thought, he kept his mouth shut.

When it came to his results, Xie Yu knew perfectly well that even if his score was guaranteed to be 100, his true ability was only worth 60. At heart, he was still a nobody excluded from the ranks of mages. Even if he used the Affection gained by conquering the exam paper to qualify for a so-called good school, he would definitely be exposed as soon as he entered the academy. And even if the academy took pity on him, didn't expel him, and didn't investigate his cheating, completing his studies would be a major problem in itself.

He could brag to Kaiming about his so-called perfect score, have Mr. Kaiming disbelieve him, then enjoy the look of utter astonishment on Kaiming's face when the results came out a few days later...

That would be amusing, but it wasn't what Xie Yu truly wanted.

"It's an honor to become your assistant. May I ask how I should address you?" Xie Yu said, tacitly accepting Kaiming's words.

"Good. Just call me Mr. Kaiming, but in front of patients, you need to address me as physician. You understand that, I assume?"

"Of course." Xie Yu committed it to memory and nodded.

It was a perfectly reasonable request.

The important thing was to use this short period to take advantage of the two-star mage's resources, connections, knowledge, and house to improve himself and learn more about the magic of this world.

Of course, he also needed to develop his own strange ability and understand it better.

[A three-story wooden house that loved reading (Affection 20) grew anxious:]

[Oh man, it's over. This fucking world. You really don't listen to advice, do you, friend?]

"While I'm working as your assistant, might I have the honor of living in this beautiful house?" Xie Yu asked Kaiming, reaching out to pat the door.

[A three-story wooden house that loved reading (Affection rose to 25) said joyfully:]

[Of course, of course! I have plenty of rooms, all empty. I'd love to have someone live in them.]

"Of course, though this is only my clinic, not my home. There are spare rooms and beds, but no one has looked after them in a long time, so you'll have to tidy one up yourself."

Kaiming clearly considered it a minor matter.

Anyone would be happy to have someone willing to work tirelessly and watch the shop all day.

Kaiming reached out and patted Xie Yu on the shoulder, scrutinized the young man, and gave his assessment:

"Now, hmm, although your clothes are cheap, they look reasonably well tailored and neat. They'll do for now. I'll take you to get some new ones tomorrow. As it happens, I'm taking you to meet some impressive people. My assistant...?"

His voice rose at the end, clearly because he didn't quite remember how the boy's father had introduced him earlier.

"Xie Yu," Xie Yu supplied his name.

"Assistant Xie Yu. Good, I've got it!" Kaiming held him in high regard.

[A three-story wooden house that loved reading (Affection rose to 30) looked forward to your arrival:]

[Great! Read with me tonight, read with me tonight, read with me tonight!]

He hadn't even begun to conquer it, yet the house's Affection had risen for no apparent reason... Xie Yu couldn't help thinking of the auditorium in Pinecone Town. They were both buildings, so why were they so different?

After quietly saying goodbye to the house.

With the two gold coins in his pocket, Xie Yu had almost asked out of habit whether he would receive wages or a service fee as an assistant, but after some thought, he held his tongue.

Judging by the luxury of the wooden clinic, Kaiming didn't seem fabulously wealthy, but he was a mage, and there were plenty of people like Xie Yu's father who were happy to give money to mages. He probably wouldn't care about such a small sum.

The two gold coins he had returned were enough to hire a carriage from Pinecone Town all the way to the provincial capital and back, enough to cover a family of three's expenses for a whole month, and far more than a handyman's monthly wages. Although the money had come from his father, if Kaiming hadn't returned it, Xie Yu really couldn't have done anything about it.

Considering the circumstances, there was no need to press the subject of wages. In the worst case, even if Kaiming didn't want to pay him half a copper coin, it didn't matter. He wasn't here for that little bit of money.

Kaiming's outing that day was anything but lavish.

The two walked one behind the other, making their way along the streets and through intersections toward a small, open patch of low woodland in the city center, with no tall buildings in it.

From the outside, it seemed out of place in the city, as though a stretch of untamed mountain wilderness had been dug out from deep within the pine forests of the mountains and dropped straight into the city center. There was no fence, and the bushes, weeds, and soil nearly spilled over the edge of the street. Only a few low buildings were faintly visible within.

"Black Pine City Forest Magic Academy, the best magic academy in Black Pine City, and my alma mater," Kaiming explained:

"A few old classmates from the provincial capital happen to be back. They're all impressive people. I'm going to renew our acquaintance and strengthen my connections."

He was quite frank with Xie Yu, avoiding vague terms like "getting together" so that his assistant could quickly understand the situation and avoid embarrassing himself by getting the wrong idea.

"Understood."

Xie Yu straightened his collar, trying to make himself look a little more presentable.

"An assistant also reflects on a mage's image. In previous years, I didn't have that to show, so this year I'm finally keeping up with the trend," Kaiming said with a smile.

So that was another reason he had taken in an ordinary stranger and brought him along to meet his old classmates.

Xie Yu hadn't forgotten his own business either, and took the opportunity to discuss what he had learned about the magical world with Kaiming:

"I read in a book that the medical magic profession has been affected by potion production and has declined year after year, but I can't see any sign of that in your case."

They had reached the outskirts of the Forest Magic Academy. A stone path led inside, and a bright blue slit opened in the dark blue-black sky.

"We deal with difficult and complicated ailments. A clever fellow like you should be able to work it out quickly... Brew a barrel of potion and you can divide it into ten thousand or a hundred thousand bottles. Even if each bottle sells for only one silver coin, that's hundreds or thousands of times the profit. If a disease can be cured for one silver coin, who would still pay to hire an expensive mage to cast spells? Of course, ordinary, incompetent physicians aren't completely unable to make money. They've all become medicine sellers, earning a meager profit. But we're different."

Kaiming spoke with a smile, sounding rather proud.

It seemed the decline of medical magic as a whole hadn't affected Kaiming much.

[A pine tree troubled by its inability to grow tall (Affection 0) was examining you.]

[An aged pine tree (Affection 0) wanted to drip pine resin on your heads, but you walked too fast for it to succeed.]

[A pine tree that disliked birds (Affection 0) didn't notice your presence.]

After they passed through the forest, a solid, low brick building of some age came into view. Its outer walls bore clear traces of climbing vines, but they had been cleared away late last autumn, leaving only patterns of erosion on the stone.

[An old stone house afraid of strangers (Affection 0) eyed you warily:]

[Ah, don't come over, don't come over! Don't step on my stairs, please... Don't open my door! Nooo!]

Kaiming walked up and knocked.

The door opened, and an old man looked at Kaiming with a frown. After Kaiming discreetly slipped some glittering gold coins into the old man's hand, the old man seemed to see through the physician's purpose at once and said with a cheerful smile:

"You're early. Fry, Yize, and the others are still in a meeting. The alumni gathering has been postponed. Even our principal can only sit and wait right now."

"This late this year?" Kaiming frowned. "Black Pine City isn't a big city. In previous years, didn't they finish grading the entrance exams in ten minutes?"

"How would I know? Anyway, those officials from the Provincial Education Department are still in their meeting." The old man shook his head. "Come in and sit down. You can wait."

Grading exam papers? The Provincial Education Department? Xie Yu caught the keywords, and his ears twitched.

The old classmates from the provincial capital Kaiming had mentioned had come back at the time of the entrance exam... He should have guessed.

He suddenly felt that this might have something to do with him.

[An old stone house afraid of strangers (Affection 0) screamed in agony:]

[Ah, they're coming in! They're coming in! Oh heavens, here they come! Ah...]

As Xie Yu approached, he saw that the sign by the door read "Forest Ranger's Lodge 03, visitor reception."

This house was probably the security office of Black Pine City Forest Magic Academy.

Inside, the room smelled of old newspapers. The only thing on the dark wooden counter by the door was an open visitor register.

To the right of the entrance was a reasonably spacious waiting area, though it had very little in it: three wooden benches with backrests surrounding a low tea table.

[A shy bench (Affection 0): Don't sit on me.]

[A bad-tempered bench (Affection 0): My nails are sticking out. Anyone with an itchy backside, come sit down.]

[An exceptionally hospitable bench (Affection 10): Come sit on me! Come sit on me! I love having people sit on me! Oh, humans' wonderfully soft bottoms, I love them! Slurp, slurp, slurp~]

[A wooden tea table that liked peace and quiet (Affection 0): Fuck, so noisy.]

The old man seemed to be the only person in the building.

"And this is?" The old man looked Xie Yu over.

"Teacher, I hope you've been well. This is my assistant."

Kaiming made himself at home and plopped down on the hospitable bench, prompting a string of "Ooohhhhhh" from it.

"Hmph, an assistant... Don't I know what you're like? Getting yourself an assistant to look respectable, putting on airs."

The old man closed the door. The gold coin Kaiming had paid him just now seemed no longer enough to buy his friendliness, and his expression turned sour again.

However, the old man's sour expression was directed only at Kaiming. He ignored Xie Yu, waving him over to find a seat instead of standing.

"Teacher, it must be lonely working as a forest ranger in retirement. I really haven't visited often enough," Kaiming said conversationally:

"Come to think of it, Minister Yize also took your 'Mental Power Training and Nourishment' class back then. We were all so carefree at that age, and you were famous for being cheerful and gentle."

The old man's stern brow immediately relaxed. He seemed less distant and even a few years younger as he sighed at Kaiming:

"No, you've visited often enough. At least you're willing to come once a year around this time. There are plenty of others I haven't seen in who knows how many years. Then again, what reason is there to visit a retired old thing like me?"

Kaiming said optimistically:

"Try to look on the bright side. Maybe they haven't made anything of themselves and are too ashamed to come back and see you."

"Hmph, what nonsense!" the old man muttered.

But perhaps he felt deep down that Kaiming was actually quite right, for he didn't argue.

Xie Yu listened silently at the side, quietly and unobtrusively sitting down on the shy bench. Although the bench itself wasn't very willing, it was the only one of the three Xie Yu was willing to sit on.

On an occasion like this, there was clearly no need for him to make his presence felt as an assistant.

After exchanging a few more words, the old man returned to his place behind the counter and waved a hand, causing Kaiming's name to appear in the register. Then he lay back in his own recliner and picked up a newspaper.

"What's going on this year? Forget it, waiting a little is fine... Xie Yu, let me tell you a few things first." Kaiming looked at Xie Yu and began giving him instructions.

"You'd best clip a fountain pen in your breast pocket and hold a palm-sized notebook in your hand. You don't necessarily have to write anything, but you need to look the part."

Xie Yu took the [gentle fountain pen (Affection 100)] out of his pocket, then borrowed a notebook that looked rather old under the old man's disdainful gaze.

Kaiming looked at Xie Yu, nodded, and continued:

"Unless I give you instructions, you'd best stand to the side and listen more than you speak. But don't just stand there daydreaming, either. Keep an eye out for my signals at all times."

"If I give you the signal for one, it means it's time for me to leave. You say, 'Mr. Kaiming, you have other appointments today.' As for what appointment, make something up. Make it convincing."

"If I give you the signal for two, it means you take my money and pay the bill. My purse is in the inner pocket of my coat..."

He laid out an ingenious strategy, as though the two of them were going not to a small alumni gathering, but to an epic battle that would determine the fate of the kingdom.

He actually defined seventeen signals in one go!

Xie Yu's face fell. If he'd known, he should have asked for triple wages.

"Let me see if there's anything else," Kaiming mused.

"So many underhanded tricks." Even the old man could barely stand listening anymore. He slammed his newspaper onto the table:

"I can sense with my mind that those fellows from the academy's academic affairs office have all gathered over there. They've probably finished grading the exam papers for all of Black Pine City. You brat should get lost now."

"All right, thank you for the tip, Teacher." Kaiming immediately stood up, carefully straightened his tall black top hat, and pulled Xie Yu along, intending to leave.

The old man stuck out a leg, then held out a hand toward Kaiming.

Kaiming obediently took out another gold coin and placed it in the old man's hand. Only then did the old man pull his leg back.

"Hmph, after all these years, you still do nothing but bother with underhanded tricks! You haven't improved at all. If you'd paid proper attention in my class back then and recalled what I taught you, your mental power wouldn't have trouble seeing clearly over a mere few hundred meters."

"It's precisely because you're here that I can feel at ease. Actually, I can see clearly. I just wanted an excuse to give you a few more gold coins," Kaiming said with a grin.

"Bullshit. Do you know what their meeting was about?" The old man pressed Kaiming, refusing to let him off.

"Hmm... perhaps..." Kaiming stammered, unable to answer.

But his purse was full, and he took out two more gold coins and offered them to the old man with both hands.

The old man knew this fellow was full of nonsense and gave him the answer:

"I heard that this year, someone in Black Pine City got a perfect score. The Provincial Education Department checked by divination, and there was no cheating."

P.S. Recently, I've been releasing one 4,000-character chapter a day, but I've heard that two 2,000-character chapters released on time might be better. Starting tomorrow and continuing until the book goes premium, during the new-book period, there will be one 2,000-character chapter at noon and another at 8:00 p.m. every day. After it goes premium, there will be a burst of extra chapters.