Qi shaorong and Zhuang Hao sat down at the Yi Family Restaurant in Dilan City.
“The Flame Demon King’s tomb—are we just giving up on it like that?” Qi shaorong asked.
Zhuang Hao shook his head. “I wouldn’t say we’re giving up. I just think it’s best to wait and see.”
Qi shaorong nodded. “That’s fair… So, what do we do next?”
“Let’s go check out the Magic Towers,” Zhuang Hao suggested.
Dilan City’s Magic Towers weren’t just aesthetically pleasing. Each one held a trove of recorded spells and insights left behind by ancient mages.
To enter a tower, visitors had to pay the guards a hefty fee. A standard tower could cost 6 to 7 million gold coins, while advanced towers demanded tens of millions.
Zhuang Hao had marked seven towers on his list. “I plan to enter these seven.”
Qi shaorong glanced at him. “That’s quite a few. Won’t that cost a fortune?”
“Can’t be helped,” Zhuang Hao replied helplessly. “I’m a seven-element mage. Most towers specialize in only one element, so I need to visit more.”
Qi shaorong rolled his eyes. “What a waste.”
Zhuang Hao nodded with a wry smile. “Yeah, thankfully, I’ve got some funds to fall back on.”
Renting out that damn Earth Bear had brought in a decent sum. Still, he couldn’t understand what Qi shaorong saw in that oversized, bumbling creature. Hugging it, petting it—wasn’t it just a big, dumb beast? And technically, as a Saint-rank Earth Bear, it could assume human form.
Fortunately, the bear’s animal instincts hadn’t faded. It had zero interest in turning human.
“By the way, you really screwed over Zuo Yunfei last time,” Qi shaorong remarked.
Zhuang Hao replied coolly, “Not at all. I was fairly compensated for my labor. In fact, since he’s with Qi Heng, I even gave him a discount.”
“Oh, really?” Qi shaorong chuckled.
“Of course! You know I’m an honest guy,” Zhuang Hao said seriously.
Qi shaorong: “…”
Since Qi shaorong and Zhuang Hao had entirely different magical affinities, they headed for different towers after breakfast.
Qi shaorong paid over ten million gold coins for a temporary one-month pass to the Tower of Light Magic.
As he roamed through the tower, the ancient light spells inscribed on the walls offered him no small amount of inspiration.
After a couple of hours, he unexpectedly ran into a familiar face.
“Well, fancy meeting you here,” Goya said.
Qi shaorong looked at her. “Miss Goya, you’re here too? I thought you weren’t a Light-type mage.”
Goya smiled shyly. “I’m not. But I really like light magic, so I thought I’d take a look.”
Qi shaorong chuckled inwardly. She’s really got money to burn… coming here just because she “likes” it?
“Where’s your companion?” Goya asked, glancing around.
“He’s at a different tower. Though he has multiple attributes, unfortunately none match mine,” Qi shaorong replied, sounding a bit regretful.
“I heard your companion’s strength is almost Saint-level,” Goya probed.
“That’s an exaggeration. He’s probably just at the ninth level,” Qi shaorong replied.
“Ninth level is still impressive. You two seem very close?” Goya asked tentatively.
Qi shaorong nodded. “Yeah. That guy chased after me relentlessly, and everyone else who tried to compete with him got beaten off.”
“You like him?” she asked.
Qi shaorong nodded again. “Yup. Not like I had much choice.”
Goya: “…”
“Qishao, there you are!” A voice called out—it was Xuan Liang, the city lord.
Another rich guy, Qi shaorong thought. If he remembered correctly, Xuan Liang wasn’t a Light-element mage either.
“City Lord, do you need something?” he asked.
“You’re a Light-type mage, aren’t you?” Xuan Liang asked.
“More or less,” Qi shaorong replied.
“I’d like to formally invite you to join the Flame Demon King tomb expedition,” Xuan Liang said seriously.
“I’ll need to discuss it with my partner first before giving an answer,” Qi shaorong responded.
Xuan Liang nodded. “Of course. I’ll be waiting for your good news.”
As the city lord walked away, Goya took a deep breath. The man she once thought was a useless nobody was now being personally invited by the city lord.
Qi shaorong watched the departing figure and said, “City Lord sure is enthusiastic.”
Goya: “…” That enthusiasm depends entirely on who it’s directed at…
“If your companion refuses to go to the Flame Demon King’s tomb… will you still go?” Goya asked.
“Of course not. If he doesn’t go, who’ll protect me? I’m terrified of dying,” Qi shaorong said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Goya: “…But you’re strong too.”
Qi shaorong smiled. “Thanks for the compliment, but even being strong doesn’t change the fact that I hate dying.”
Goya: “……”
Qi shaorong emerged from the Tower of Light Magic and met Zhuang Hao at their agreed-upon restaurant.
“Any good takeaways?” Zhuang Hao asked.
“Definitely,” Qi shaorong replied. “The spell inscriptions in the Light Tower gave me a lot of inspiration.” He paused, then added, “By the way, the City Lord himself came seeking me there.”
Zhuang Hao laughed. “What a coincidence—he sought me out too.”
“What did he say to you?” Qi shaorong inquired as he brushed chili oil onto his skewers.
“He invited me to join the Flame Demon King tomb expedition.”
“Did you accept?” Qi shaorong asked.
“Not yet. I told him I’d have to consult you first,” Zhuang Hao said.
“As did I,” Qi shaorong nodded. “The first step in exploring that tomb is to clear out the tomb guardians. With so many of them, they could wear you down to death.”
“Let’s stall for now. Clearing even the outer guardians will take time,” Zhuang Hao suggested, stroking his chin. If we accept too quickly, the City Lord won’t take us seriously.
Qi shaorong nodded. “True. Besides, all these notes from the towers will keep me busy for ages.”
Stepping outside, the two saw Bal being chased and pelted by a handful of mercenaries.
Bal covered his head and fled, his face bruised and angry. Spotting Qi shaorong and Zhuang Hao, he yelled, “Sirs, help! Please!”
Qi shaorong crossed his arms and watched impassively as Bal’s attackers hesitated, glanced at the two powerful mages, then backed off.
Bal sighed with relief once the pursuers retreated. Qi shaorong looked at him and asked, “What happened? Did you double-cross someone again?”
Bal shook his head fervently. “No! We only quoted a lower rate—300,000 instead of 800,000—for some nobles going to Filori Town. They thought we undercut them, so they came after me.”
Qi shaorong laughed. “Your fee is cheap.”
Bal grinned wryly. “We run on low-profit, high-volume.”
“So you charge cheap—but can you still protect clients?” Qi shaorong asked.
Bal scratched his head. “We manage.”
“You’ve got a promising young captain,” Qi shaorong said. “I suppose that helps.”
Bal could only offer an awkward smile.
Switching topics, Bal ventured, “I hear you two impressed the City Lord.”
Qi shaorong shrugged. “He did invite us—though I haven’t decided yet.”
Bal frowned. “You’re quite honored. By the way, Miss Goya said a necromancer showed up in that town?”
Qi shaorong nodded. “He did—but he was timid. He clashed with Ahao for a few rounds, then left. Still, next time you pass by, avoid camping there.”
Bal—visibly shaken—nodded vigorously. “Absolutely! Lucky we had you along. Without you, our whole team would’ve been wiped out.”
Qi shaorong grinned. “Maybe that necromancer spared you because he thought you were handsome.”
Bal blushed under his bruises. “Me? Handsome? No—Young Master Zhuang’s the handsome one.”
Qi shaorong laughed. “True enough.”
After a brief chat, and Zhuang Hao set off for their next tower. No sooner had they left than Bal found himself surrounded again.
“Bal, you’re tight with those two mages—how did you meet them?”
“Bal, I hear they’re ninth-level. The City Lord invited them; how did you get to know them?”
“Bal, introduce me to them sometime!”
Bal basked in the attention—his vanity briefly sated—but he knew better than to promise introductions he couldn’t guarantee.
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