Leo walked in front, holding Charles's hand. Though the adult-child dynamic made Charles feel a bit awkward, he had to accept it—Leo was footing the bill today, after all.

They stopped outside an extravagant weapon shop.

Charles gawked at the grand sign above and asked skeptically, “A national chain? Can a butler really afford this?”

Leo shot him a look of disdain. “Less talking, more shopping. Are you going in or not?”

“Of course!” Charles replied eagerly.

“By the way, do you have a weapon preference?” Leo asked.

Caught off guard, Charles hesitated. “A dagger, I guess?”

It was the only weapon he’d wielded before. He wasn’t entirely sure why Leo was asking.

Leo sighed, giving his head a small pat. “Young master, don’t you know that wind warriors are supposed to use daggers?”

“Who decided that?” Charles asked, remembering the red dagger that Lin carried.

“It’s not a hard rule,” Leo explained, guiding him inside. “But light weapons and armor are standard for wind warriors.”

“The Wind Warrior sequence is part of the combat side of the extraordinary—a powerful class that relies on speed and explosive force.”

He glanced at Charles’s confused expression and added, “When you get to Violet Academy, they’ll explain all of this. But for now, just know there are three main classifications: combat, mystical, and steam.”

Charles brushed off his confusion and asked softly, “Leo, have you been to the academy?”

Leo paused briefly. “Young master, the Imperial City isn’t the only place with academies, you know.”

Charles scrutinized him, sensing he had a past he wasn’t sharing. As a fifth-order undead, he had likely been a formidable sixth-order extraordinary person in life. But Charles didn’t pry. He had his own secrets too, and as long as Leo remained loyal, he would respect his.

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“Alright, let’s look at some daggers,” Charles said with a grin.

“How about this sword?” Leo suggested, pointing to a gleaming silver blade. “It’s made of star crystal with power-enhancing magic engravings. Perfect until you reach the third order.”

Charles lifted it, activating his true vision. The blade was finely crafted with intricate engravings, indicating great effort in its creation. But the sword was much too large for him.

He shook his head, placing it back on the rack.

The engraved magic patterns were unique to the Chris family, whose skilled engravers could infuse ordinary weapons with extraordinary powers. Known as “magic-pattern weapons,” these were more affordable than actual extraordinary weapons, making them popular among lower-sequence extraordinaires.

True extraordinary weapons, however, were rare. There were only three ways to acquire one: a divine gift, the remnants of a fallen extraordinary, or crafting by high-level extraordinary using monster materials and precious ores—a skill few possessed.

“What about this one?” Leo held up a smaller dagger, but after a quick gesture, he frowned and tossed it back.

Charles raised an eyebrow. “Why did you reject it?”

Leaning close, Leo whispered, “It’s secondhand. There are cracks inside; it won’t last.”

Charles glanced at the salesman, who was enthusiastically pitching the dagger to other customers. He smirked. As expected, the Chris family wasn’t above pushing secondhand goods on unsuspecting nobles.

As Charles and Leo moved toward another display, a servant in a neat suit approached, bowing respectfully.

“Master Charles West, our lady requests your presence.”

All eyes in the House of Smaug instantly shifted to Charles, and whispers filled the room.

“Oh my, did you hear? That’s the young master of the West family! It’s my first time seeing a blue-blood noble!”

“Yes, his eyes are such a vivid blue! Definitely noble.”

“Hush! Upset Master Charles, and your whole family’s ruined.”

Several noble ladies even shot flirtatious glances his way.

“I heard Master Charles is quite the genius, with a 50% blue-blood concentration. Whoever wins his favor will live in luxury.”

“Too bad he’s engaged…”

“Oh, please. Nobles like him only marry within their ranks. Being a lover is good enough!”

“Yes, look at him! So adorable, even at his age. I’d be happy to be his lover.”

Charles stroked his chin thoughtfully. Growing up around other blue-bloods had made him forget how rare they were in the larger world.

The crowd was thickening around him, and he and Leo exchanged a glance. Leo nodded subtly.

Intrigued by this invitation, Charles figured it was worth seeing who’d sent it. If this lady’s intentions were malicious, the West family could easily trace the evidence with so many witnesses around.

He nodded at the servant and replied, “Lead the way.”