Click-clack, click-clack.
A soft friction sound transmitted through the air.
Matthew lounged on a cushioned recliner, playing with several Magic Stones in his hands that emitted a faint glow, his lips slightly curved into a pleased smile.
After Colin left, another Wandering Wizard with a feather badge came…
Regrettably, he wasn't sensible, and Matthew had to remind him; in the end, he just barely managed to credit him a thousand Magic Stones.
Of course, Matthew never made a losing deal.
A thousand Magic Stones… That meant altering only one written exam item.
While thinking, he took eight feather badges from the wooden drawer on his right.
By today, he had already logged twenty-five thousand Magic Stones.
However… this was not the major portion.
Matthew slowly stood up, adorned with the feather badges, and stepped outside.
The Tin Saint School held such exams only once every two years.
If it was merely to receive some bribes, it might appear a bit petty…
......
The next morning at the Old Parker Hotel.
In the room, Colin stood by the window, sipping steaming red tea, staring blankly at the busy crowd on the street.
Times had changed, and the enchanting glimmering blue that once surrounded his window was no longer there…
However, the location of the Old Parker Hotel wasn't bad; the street was crowded with people bustling to and fro…it might even be described as a sea of people.
Thinking so, he couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
"Master, everything is packed up."
It was then that Renee approached, interrupting his thoughts.
"Okay," Colin replied, retracting his gaze from the window and handing the porcelain teacup to Renee.
Taking advantage of Renee's moment away to clean the teacup, he waved his hand and stored the packed items into his Storage Ring.
Today they planned to move out and not continue staying here.
After all, just yesterday, he had consulted with Sofia at the front desk about joining the School; if they kept staying here for another half a month…
As long as Sofia wasn't foolish and put minimal thought into it, she could easily deduce that he might participate in the Tin Saint School examination happening in half a month.
After all, no other Schools had exams scheduled right in half a month.
Arriving at the lobby's front desk, Sofia was still on duty… Colin wondered if she worked twenty-four hours or if someone else switched shifts with her.
"Checking out," he said, pulling out his keys.
"Alright," Sofia responded, taking the keys from Colin and refunding the deposit, casually asking, "Have you found a School you're preparing to join?"
"Not yet," Colin replied calmly, shaking his head, "Don't have enough Magic Stones for a token; just finding a place to settle down for now, taking things one step at a time."
"Alright," Sofia nodded, then added, "If you're looking for a cheap temporary place… I recommend the Sea Gull District; if you're careful in choosing, you can find a lot of affordable accommodation there."
"Thank you for the suggestion," Colin smiled as he received his deposit, his hand pausing slightly with the Magic Stones, "...this isn't charged, right?"
Sofia rolled her eyes slightly, "It's free."
Colin smiled, tucked away the Magic Stones, and left.
Now, with the Sea Swallow waiting to be sold and joining the School mostly settled… the lack of these pressures made him feel more relaxed than before.
He hailed a public carriage at the roadside.
"Sir, where are you headed?" the Coachman asked.
"White District, Horseshoe Street," Colin paused before speaking.
While he had a favorable impression of Sofia, it's better to be cautious…
Horseshoe Street was a location he learned about from elsewhere yesterday; the street had many hotels, priced similarly to Old Parker.
It was also close to both the Copper Rose District and the residence of the Tin Saint School… a good residential choice.
Along with Renee and the others, he boarded the carriage.
By noon, he successfully found a hotel on Horseshoe Street to settle down.
Staying for fourteen days, after discounts, the total cost was 320 Magic Stones… Thus, aside from the pending final payment for the Sea Swallow from the Tinghai Commerce Guild.
He now had about two thousand Magic Stones left on him… spending money like water.
In the following period, regular and peaceful, he resumed his practice and life felt much like it did back on Blackstone Island.
Thus, ten days quickly passed.
The Tinghai Commerce Guild came to him with good news—the Sea Swallow had found a suitable buyer!
"Mr. Colin, you're fortunate to have caught a good time… the buyer offered a very high price."
It was the long-haired Apprentice, Hume, who personally came to notify him.
"Lord Hume, what do you mean by that?" Colin asked as he followed the long-haired Hume into the black carriage exclusively used by the Tinghai Commerce Guild.
"The specifics are somewhat complex... To put it simply, it's because the Supreme Council issued a notice."
"It encourages the wizards under the Alliance to head to the far southern seas, offering improved benefits compared to before, so more wizards are starting to travel there.
As a result, anything related to ocean voyages has begun to increase in price... The price of ocean-going vessels changes every day.
The Tinghai Commerce Guild decided to wait a few more days, only selling your ship today."
Having said that, Hume paused, then continued to explain:
"It's not that we didn't want to wait longer, but under the professional estimation of the commerce guild, the prices of ocean-going vessels have pretty much reached their peak.
If we waited any longer, the market would soon see a flood of new ships... With the manufacturing speed in Neustadt City, a batch of new ships would quickly be released, and ships imported from outside the Wizard Alliance would also arrive soon."
Colin nodded, he had been busy with his training in recent days. In order to avoid trouble, he had hardly left the inn and was not well-informed.
"So... what was the final selling price for the buyer?" he paused and asked Hume.
Hume smiled, showing a number: "Seventeen thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Magic Stones."
Colin's heart jumped, barely able to contain his joy, but then, as if thinking of something, he asked again:
"What about the commission...?"
"The commission has not changed, please rest assured, my lord." Hume smiled. "Tinghai Commerce Guild, reputation guaranteed."
Despite saying this, it was because the situation in Neustadt City had recently changed and the backing school had ordered them to avoid trouble as much as possible.
Otherwise... if it had been before, they would have certainly charged an additional reasonable commission.
"Thank you for your efforts," Colin nodded, his face showing pleasure.
Speaking of which, there was something else recently that had made him happy—
It was his own strength.
Thanks to the high concentration of Magic Power in Neustadt City, over these ten days, his Wizard Rank had progressed forward by two points to 10/100, while his Knight progress had reached 98/100, nearing an Advanced Limit Breaking.
It's worth mentioning, not to say a Wizard's training progress was one point every five days. If roughly estimated, it would be about one point every eight days.
After all, the first point of progress had increased on the second day, a clear case of accumulating slowly and advancing suddenly.
The second point of progress took eight days... that was the real pace.
"Lord Hume, may I ask where I can see that notice?" Collecting his thoughts, Colin felt curious and asked again.
"Of course... My lord, you might not be familiar since you just arrived here. For such notices, you can simply go to any bookstore and get a copy for free with your pass," Hume answered.
"Thank you," Colin nodded.
Before long, the carriage slowly came to a stop.
"Have we arrived?" Colin asked.
Hume pulled aside the curtain of the carriage window, frowning slightly.
"Not yet..." he smiled at Colin and said, "Wait a moment, I'll ask the coachman."
Just as he was about to inquire with the coachman, a voice came from the front.
"Lord Hume, the Law Enforcement Team is blocking the road ahead," the Coachman turned and said.
A roadblock?
Colin instinctively pulled aside the curtain, peering out.
In front of the carriage, a pale white glow stretched from left to right across the road, similar to the caution strips of his past life, blocking the road.
In front of the cautionary glow stood a tall Great Wizard wearing a silver-gray Wizard Robe... It was unclear what material his robe was made of, but under the sunlight, it shimmered metallically.
Behind the Great Wizard, at the entrance of a narrow alley,
a group of Silver-armored Knights was escorting a group of ordinary wizards with distressed expressions.
"This is..." Hume murmured in shock beside him, "How did the Law Enforcement Team find the Hidden Rose Black Market?!"
Colin's face hardened as he tentatively asked,
"The Hidden Rose Black Market?"
Hume furrowed his brow deep in thought, his expression grave.
Hearing Colin's question, he composed himself and briefly explained,
"You should know about the existence of a black market in the city, right? This Hidden Rose is the largest and most representative... It has a very strong backing; it shouldn't have..."
At this, Hume's brow furrowed again, unable to resist peering again at the distant scene.
The captured wizards were not many, but what they represented was not minor.
Neustadt City... perhaps the winds of change were blowing.
Dropping the curtain, the two sat across from each other in the carriage, silent.
After a while,
Tuk-tuk-tuk—
The distinct sound of a steam locomotive suddenly came from behind the carriage.