A Sorcerer’s Journey

Grimm and Nina circled above the Peronwood Range for more than ten days without any luck…

Half a month had passed in the Western Thorns. Grimm and Nina’s search still turned up empty…

In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

An impatient Grimm looked down at the city from above the sky. In a deep voice, he asked, “Nina, where are we now?”

“This is the intersecting region between the twelfth Dark Sorcerers’ Camp and the nineteenth Bright Sorcerers’ Camp. This small town is known as Europa. The place we’re heading to is the Liquid Bone Caves three hundred kilometers away from here. It’s a natural underground labyrinth. A Dark Sorcerer would definitely have an advantage hiding there.”

As Nina finished her words, the Myna that was perching on Grimm’s shoulder complained, “Master, let’s go down and ask around first. While we’re there let’s get some food! My palate’s been dry these few days…”

Nina’s wrinkled, old face squeezed out a smile.

For quite a while now, Nina had taken an interest in the Myna. She then nodded at Grimm. “Why don’t we take a rest here? We’ve been going on for days without a shower.”

Grimm pondered for a moment but nodded in agreement frustratingly.

The Myna laughed in a scheming manner. It flapped its wings and was the first to fly toward the city beneath their feet.

…

At the busiest Everton Hotel within Europa City.

Pete Gilly bowed and smiled forcefully. There was a wipe cloth on his shoulder as he skilfully carried dishes to the customers downstairs, hoping to earn some extra tips.

Moments later, Pete came back with a grumpy face. He was grumbling, “These poor bastards, they couldn’t even spare an extra copper coin.”

Huh?

At this moment, the people in the inn cried out in astonishment. Pete turned around and was surprised to find a beautiful, plump Myna flapping around on the dining table.

“Huh? Which noble’s pet escaped?”

Pete was annoyed, but he didn’t dare to harm the beautiful fat Myna. He only whipped his wipe cloth around the table surface as he shouted, “Go away! Stop fooling around here, go somewhere else.”

“Bastard, do you want to die?”

Myna screeched angrily at the waiter who tried to shoo it away with a wipe cloth. Its feathers almost exploded in rage.

“Holy mother!” Pete was startled. He took two steps to the back and hugged a table as he stared at the Myna in terror.

Yes, a Myna can speak. But with such brevity? And such attitude?!

At this moment, not only the inn, even the street was filled with astonished calls.

In dead silence, two sorcerers landed slowly on the ground and walked into the inn.

The two sorcerers, one an old sorceress, the other an enigmatic man in a white mask. Both of them didn’t care for the crowd’s ruckus as they sat beside the Myna.

Instantly, the crowd on the street fled and vanished. Even the people in the inn quietly left one by one.

Unlike the well-informed cities in the center and the ignorant small town in the islands, the border cities, especially those within range of Dark Sorcerer academies had always perceived the sorcerers as mysterious, cruel, and terrifying.

The appearance of Black Sorcerers these past few years had perpetuated such rumors.

The wickedness and power of the sorcerers made people turn their tails and run away. There were also countless rumors about how the nobles had conspired with sorcerers…

Even though stories of the black apprentices had only appeared in the outskirt cities of Section 12 for the past few decades, it was half a lifetime for normal human beings. They were so rooted in their perceptions that heroic tales about the sorcerers that had been passed down by the older generations were soon forgotten.

There were even rumors that said those who participated in the sorcerer-apprentice recruit tryouts every ten years were actually eaten by the evil sorcerers. They feasted on the eyeballs of little children, made a paste out of their innards, drank fresh blood of virgin boys, and weaved carpets out of their hair…

It wasn’t hard to understand why.

Normally, when a child had been accepted to the sorcerer academy, even if he was lucky enough to have survived, he would only return back to his home after centuries had passed. By then, everything would’ve changed.

A century was far too long for their parents and for the average human being, but legends still passed on.

Therefore, it wasn’t any wonder that their parents would think that they’ve died. Such was the difference in the hierarchy of life that couldn’t be explained.

Even a sorcerer who had mastered limitless powers would not care to explain to these lower lifeforms.

“Ma, master…master sorcerer, what are your orders?” As Pete spoke, he was trembling in fear and almost peed his pants. His teeth were chattering non-stop.

“Caw! Caw! Show me any bat dish you have.” The Myna opened its beak and asked.

Pete turned pale—he’s almost crying. He sobbed, “N-no, we don’t serve bat meat here.”

At this moment, Pete was fearful that as the consequence of his words, the two terrifying sorcerers would turn to him and say, “Since there’s no bat meat, we’ll eat you up instead…”

Stomp, stomp, stomp…

Right then, a fat man who was wearing exquisite rings in each of his ten fingers while holding a gentle black cat ran down from the first floor breathlessly after seeing the two sorcerers.

Unlike the low-leveled peasants, as a rich merchant who had been in constant contact with nobilities, Everton knew about some secret rumors of the sorcerers.

Just treat those people like gods; the reward would be beyond belief.

Because they would pay in a high-level currency known as Magic Stones!

“Boss…”

The weeping Pete saw his boss as his savior. He almost kneeled down and hugged his employer’s feet.

“Go away, you useless trash!”

The fat man scolded Pete, but it sounded like a voice from heaven to him. Pete was so touched to hear his voice—he almost wanted to give him a hug and kiss him.

He could finally leave the two cannibals. Pete fled without a trace.

The fat man bloomed into laughter. It was troubling to the fat man really, since a person of his weight had to bow to such a degree.

“Oh great sorcerers, how could we serve you, we will definitely…”

“Hey! Hey… it’s a damned black cat! Master, put this black cat into a stew and make us some glazed black cat! Today, the Myna shall get his revenge!”

The Myna was triggered by the black cat in the fatty’s hand. It flapped around hysterically.

The fat man was startled himself too. He looked at the Myna that was jumping around on the table in shock. At the same time, he held the cat in his chest even tighter.

This…

Is this the power of sorcerers? They’ve turned a myna into a monster! Or did they hex a person into the myna? Or was the myna a legendary monster?

Grimm said nothing. Nina studied the menu and ordered a bunch of items in her hoarse voice. After seeing the fat man who was still stunned, she asked in an eerie tone, “What? Is there a problem?”

“The… the… the parrot…umm, the great parrot said that it wanted to eat glazed black cat…” the fat man said falteringly. He was also observing the old sorceress’ expression.

The prized cat that had been by his side for seven or eight years, he really couldn’t do it, it was like a son to him…

Also, he’s heard of glazed bananas, which were indulgences of the nobility, but glazed black cat?

Even if the sorcerers were as evil, cruel, and perverse in the rumors, could they really bear to eat cat’s meat?

“Why, are you out of honey? Can’t you make it?”

Honey was one of the most precious ingredients for the common man. Nina, who was born among the hunters could faintly recall the memories of her childhood.

In annoyance, Nina took out a crystal bottle and passed it to the fat man. She said coldly, “Use this, it’s refined cotton honey.”

The fat man’s face was twisted and red. He accepted Nina’s crystal bottle breathlessly.

There was a huge gap in understanding between the two beings from completely different levels.

After looking at the cool, calm, and murky eyes of the old sorceress in front of him, the fat person hadn’t had much courage to say anything more. He clenched his teeth decisively as he turned around sobbingly.

“Caw! Caw! Nina, I guess he’s never accepted anything from a sorcerer and was almost touched to tears. I’ll remember your treat this time, next time I will also…”

Myna now had higher opinion of Nina. It felt very contented.

Nina had a smile on her wrinkled face. The more she looked at the myna, the more she liked it. If only her squirrels were still alive, how good would it be.

Memories of her past, as well as her brother…

After half an hourglass…

The trio, after quietly having a few tastes of the “feast” wiped their mouths. For sorcerers who had lived centuries, all delicacies had lost their appeal.

And the fact of the matter was, glazed black cat was indeed disgusting.

Even the vengeful myna couldn’t help but complain. “Damn, black cats sure taste terrible. I’m never touching those again.”

Nina threw a few pieces of Magic Stones at the anxious, emotional, but hopeful fat man. She gently said to him, “Get us two rooms with hot water.”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

The utterly excited fat man received the Magic Stones and ran without a trace. Even his sadness over the loss of his black cat disappeared. He was overjoyed.

Just as the calm Grimm was about to rise up and leave, Nina became startled as she turned and saw a figure that was leading a few nobles toward them at the hotel’s entrance.

Hmm?

That red-eyed frog, that sorcerer…

“Master Apollo?!”

Grimm and Nina both stood up in disbelief as they called out in unison. That shocked the myna that was preparing to rest after the meal. It stared at the sorcerer who made a sudden appearance.

The person in front of them was the sorcerer who represented Section 19 of the Holy Tower of the Seven Rings in the Eastern Coral Islands, Lilith Sorcerer Academy in selecting qualified sorcerer’s apprentices who either had the intelligence or natural mental abilities seven or eight centuries ago, Master Apollo.

The inspiring one who taught Grimm that knowledge was the principal source of all sorcerers!

Sorcerers were human scholars who observe, learn, and draw conclusions from the arcane patterns of all phenomena, and leverage the laws of the world with trace energy.