Chapter 168: It Turns Out Brother Lu Wei is a Mage

“This should be the place.”

Half an hour later, Lu Wei and Bai Ya stood outside the main gate of the Silver Moon Corridor.

Even as a native of Heitai Town, he didn’t know much about this inn.

He had only ever heard its name.

It was said that a single night here cost at least several Silver Coins.

Looking at it now, the environment was indeed quite nice.

A white marble arcade surrounded a garden, with a few velvet lounge chairs set between the pillars. Warm light shone from a stained-glass window on the second floor.

While it couldn’t be called “luxurious,” it was far better than the other small inns.

At least the air wasn’t thick with the body odor of Dwarves.

Nor were there the earth-shaking snores of Half-Beastmen, or the irritating sounds of brawling.

All in all, it definitely qualified as Heitai Town’s most high-end “boutique guesthouse.”

‘I wonder what kind of people usually stay here.’

‘Even I, the soon-to-be wealthiest man in town, wouldn’t dare be this extravagant. Never mind an Ordinary Adventurer.’

‘So it must be those wealthier merchants from out of town?’

Peeking through the wrought-iron gate, Lu Wei thought to himself as he reached out and knocked with the door knocker.

Before long, a woman who appeared to be a servant emerged from the side of the arcade.

She wore a white cotton apron over a linen long dress, her hair was neatly wrapped in a kerchief, and a string of small copper keys hung at her waist… Though it was the attire of a maid, her clothes were exceptionally clean and well-fitted.

In contrast, Lu Wei and Bai Ya, who hadn’t changed their clothes in over ten days, looked like beggars.

“Sorry, we have no vacant rooms.”

From behind the gate, the woman frowned slightly, her tone cold. “And if you’re here to beg, you should go to the church.”

???

‘Who are you calling a beggar?!’

‘Just you wait!’

‘When I become the richest man in town, the first thing I’ll do is buy this dump of an inn and turn it into an archery range!’

‘And you’ll be the target!’

“We’re not here for a room, and we’re not beggars.”

Lu Wei glared at the woman and explained his purpose through clenched teeth, “We’re here to see Miss Freya.”

“Hm?”

The woman paused, sizing him up with great suspicion. “Why are you looking for Miss Freya?” she asked warily.

“Someone asked us to deliver a message to her.”

“And how should I address you?”

“Lu Wei.”

“…Alright, please wait a moment.”

Perhaps deciding Lu Wei didn’t look like a robber or a kidnapper, the woman hesitated for a moment before nodding.

She then turned and walked away quickly, leaving Lu Wei and Bai Ya right where they were.

She didn’t even open the gate.

Despite having a high 15-point Charm Attribute, he was still being judged by his appearance. This just went to show that the “charm” of money was far more effective than the “charm” of an Attribute.

A beggar with high Charm would, at best, have an easier time begging for food, turning from a “stinking beggar” into a “pitiful beggar.”

But it was different if you had money.

A Wealthy Merchant, even with low Charm, would still be treated politely by everyone.

Even being “obnoxious” would be reinterpreted as being “aloof and cool.”

“So damn realistic…”

Lu Wei muttered under his breath, then collected his thoughts and turned to look at Bai Ya.

The girl didn’t seem the least bit angry about being mistaken for a beggar. Instead, she was gazing at the hydrangeas bathing in the moonlight in the garden, muttering with a look of longing.

“So pretty. You rarely see hydrangeas in the north.”

“They must have been brought from the south.”

“…”

‘I don’t know if hydrangeas are rare or not, but a simple-minded fool like you is definitely a rare sight.’

“Stop staring.”

Glaring at her, Lu Wei said in a serious tone, “Where’s that Mage Badge?”

Bai Ya paused. “Huh? It’s in my bag. What’s wrong?”

“Take it out and put it on.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Just do as I say. Why so many questions?”

Lu Wei ordered irritably, “Also, when you see Furen’s sister later, don’t you say a word. Got it?”

“Oh. Got it.”

Bai Ya nodded in confusion. Although she didn’t understand what he was up to, she still took the Mage Badge out of her bag and carefully pinned it to her chest.

“No, that’s too obvious. Pin it under your cloak.”

Lu Wei watched for a moment before offering a suggestion. “But let a little bit of it show. You’re going for a half-hidden, half-visible look.”

“Uh… like this?”

Bai Ya fumbled with it for a bit, re-pinning the badge near the sash at her waist.

This way, when she stood normally, the badge would be hidden by her cloak.

But if she puffed out her chest just slightly, a corner of the Eye of True Sight would be revealed.

A triangular badge was very rare, which was enough for others to recognize it as a Mage Badge.

“Yeah, that works. But it still feels like something’s missing.”

Lu Wei thought for a moment, then suddenly broke off a nearby rose vine that was about as thick as his thumb and climbing the wall.

He then drew his Dagger, quickly stripped off the young leaves and thorns, and handed it to a bewildered Bai Ya.

“Here. Your Magic Staff.”

…

…

「Northern Forest, Dome Pillar.」

The boundless sea of trees was steeped in darkness. A faint campfire, obscured by the dense woods, was so dim it could never be mistaken for a forest fire.

Sitting by the fire, Theodore yawned and continued to plane a wooden board, mentally calculating when the construction team would return the next day.

Anna and Zovir were already asleep on the first floor of the general store, curled up in two small sleeping bags in a corner. Their accommodations weren’t much better than when they were slaves.

But they didn’t feel wronged in the slightest.

After all, here they at least didn’t have to worry about being beaten for no reason.

A whip soaked in water really hurt when it struck you.

There was no mercy at all.

“…”

The sky was full of stars, the evening breeze was gentle, and the Milky Way stretched across the heavens, casting a hazy starlight.

Perhaps Lu Wei’s “great cleanup” from the previous night had worked, because the Dome Pillar was exceptionally quiet tonight.

Forget monsters; even the small wild animals that usually roamed the area were silent. The only sound was the gentle GUSH GUSH of water flowing through the irrigation channel.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the general store, facing Gante’s tireless, umpteenth question, Furen finally couldn’t take it anymore and admitted irritably:

“Alright, alright, I admit it! We were the ones who killed all those goblins and Kobolds last night.”

‘I knew it!’

Gante instantly perked up, leaning forward slightly and lowering his voice.

“Young Master Furen, how did you do it?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

Furen shook his head, adopting a Firm stance of “I will never betray my comrades.”

However, for an experienced Professional like Gante, that one sentence was enough to deduce a great deal of information.

‘Attracting so many monsters in a single night is impossible with ordinary bait.’

‘Only a Divine Blessing could accomplish that.’

‘And Young Master Furen, there were only three of you. Facing an attack from over two hundred monsters, including three elites—under normal circumstances, victory would be impossible.’

‘But not only did you kill all those monsters, you won with incredible ease… After all, none of you were injured, and you even had the strength to return to town today.’

‘In that case, there’s only one possibility.’

‘One of you must possess an extremely powerful Area Damage or Area Control Skill.’

‘But a Skill like that can, in all likelihood, only be mastered by a Professional.’

‘Therefore…’

“Young Master Furen, one of your companions, either Mr. Lu Wei or Miss Bai Ya, is a Professional, correct?”

Looking at the dumbfounded Furen, Gante smiled faintly as he stated his conclusion.

And, as if to show off, before Furen could even recover from his shock, Gante continued his analysis:

“My guess is it’s Mr. Lu Wei.”

“After all, besides the matter of the Skill, based on my observations, his various Attributes should also be quite high.”

“Especially his Perception and Charm, which must be at least 15 points.”

“That already meets the standard for a Professional.”

“Hmm, as for what Profession…”

Gante stood up and began to pace back and forth in the room, speaking as he thought:

“With Perception or Charm as a primary Attribute, it could be a Priest, a Minstrel, a Druid, or a Mage.”

“However, none of the first three have such a powerful, large-scale crowd control skill among their Low Ring Magic.”

“Therefore, he can only be a Mage who possesses Bloodline Power!”

He spun around abruptly, his gaze as sharp as a torch. Gante delivered his answer with unshakeable conviction, a look of immense, smug confidence on his face.

Furen, on the other hand, just stared with wide, blank eyes, completely stunned.

‘Huh? Brother Lu Wei is a Mage?’

‘How come I didn’t know that?’

‘But if I think about it carefully…’

‘Gante’s analysis actually makes a lot of sense!!’