Chapter 2: Finn Roland
My name is Finn Roland, 16 years old and male.
When I was a baby, my parents were killed by a pack of magical beasts. It was my master who saved and raised me.
My master is a witch. She is skilled in various forms of magic and is knowledgeable in many subjects, such as herbalism and mathematics.
Under her tutelage, I learned to read and write, basic arithmetic, herb differentiation and medicine mixing, and simple martial arts.
I also wanted to learn magic from master, but she refused, saying my talent was low. Ultimately, I only learned a few basic spells after relentlessly begging master.
Life with my master was simple and fulfilling. We earned money by either hunting beasts or selling herbal remedies. Our customer base consisted of villagers or visiting merchants.
Three days ago, my master received a letter from her younger sister, whom I had never heard about.
The letter involved enrolling me into Elysium Academy, the most prestigious educational institution across the five continents.
My master’s younger sister, also the current principal of the Elysium Academy, wished for me to enrol and allowed me to skip the first two entrance exam tests, going directly to the third test.
I initially hesitated to accept the offer, but my master’s words encouraged me. Now, I am in the port city, Curruid, preparing for my journey to the Central Continent, where Elysium Academy is located.
………
*Ding!*
A bell’s chime resounded in the store as I opened the door to the Mercury Wings, an item shop Leon recommended.
“Welcome.”
A girl, slightly younger than me, stood behind the store counter. She had long orange hair tied into low twin tails and sapphire eyes. She had a round face with cute features that reminded me of a squirrel.
Returning the clerk’s greeting with a nod and smile, I looked around the store.
The store was clean, without a speck of dust on the floor. The shelves were neatly packed, and its products were arranged by type.
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There were consumables like medicine and dried meat, travel gear like bedding and raincoats, and camping tools like lamps and rope.
I chose a thick blanket and leather raincoat to combat the elements and nine days’ worth of dried meat. I also bought an oil lamp for the night and dried fruits in case of seasickness.
Before leaving the village, I had packed medicine and other necessities from home, so I no longer had to buy extra from the provisions shop.
“The total will be one silver and twenty coppers.”
We utilised copper, silver, gold, and platinum coins on the five continents. The lowest denomination is copper, while the highest is platinum.
Each grade is worth a hundred coins of the previous one, meaning 100 copper coins would equal a silver coin, and 100 silver coins would equal a gold coin.
Fetching a coin pouch from my bag, I handed two silver coins to the store clerk.
The coin pouch is among the departing gifts that my master gave me. It contained a hundred silver coins, enough to support a family of three for half a year.
Receiving the change of eighty copper coins, I took my items and stuffed them into my bag.
“That’s a…dimensional bag?”
Seeing my bag accept the items without any change, the clerk’s eyes widened slightly as she recognised the identity of my bag.
The bag is another of my master’s gifts, a dimensional bag. It is an artefact that uses spatial magic to ignore conventional size and weight limitations.
It appears as a black leather travel pouch the size of an infant, but it has a size capacity of 8m3 and can carry up to 5kg.
Although dimensional bags aren’t exactly rare, they aren’t common either. They are expensive, with the primary users being influential merchants or high-ranking adventurers.
The greater a dimensional bag’s internal size and weight capacity, the more expensive it became. If placed in a magic item shop, mine would cost around a gold coin.
“Yeah…Thanks.”
Once I was done packing the items into my bag, I thanked the clerk and left the shop.
Outside the shop, I looked at the evening sky. There was still an hour until the meeting time at Black Whale Inn.
With time to spare, I began to wander the streets. After all, this was my first time coming to a big city like Curruid.
Curruid City is one of the largest cities on the West Continent. It is divided into three rings, the residential area, the business district and the harbour.
The harbour is in the outermost ring. It contains the shipyards and warehouses, where ships anchor and sailors unload cargo.
The business district is in the middle ring. It contains shops like Mercury Wings, inns like the Black Whale, and restaurants.
Between the harbour and business district, there are brothels and taverns for the sailors to vent their desires and spend their coins.
The residential area is in the inner ring, where residents of Curruid City live. There are also inns and shops, but they are smaller and quieter than those in the business district.
‘Hah…’
“Hmm?”
Walking down the business district's streets, I heard a soft sigh and sensed a pulse of strange magical energy, causing me to stop in place.
Looking around, I realised that no one except me had heard the voice or felt the magical energy, not even the sorcerer in front of me.
‘Hah…’
The sigh sounded once more, followed by another pulse of magical energy. It was sensual and gently passed through my body.
Following the magical energy, I quickly found myself in a dim, secluded alleyway without a single sign of life.
Surveying the alleyway, I found the source of magical energy I was following, a glistening object on the floor.
Moving closer, I picked up a silver ring that was releasing a mystical glow.
“An artefact? This is…faerie script!”
The ring was an artefact. The letters engraved on it were faerie script, proof of its origin.
An artefact engraved with faerie script meant that it was made by a faerie, or at least with the help of one.
The faeries are beings born of nature. They are highly illusive and rarely appear in public. Even elves, a race similar to faeries, rarely see them.
Artefacts of faerie origin are always high-quality and possess immense power, significantly valued by others. Even a damaged piece can cost up to a platinum coin.
“Sidhe…”
Reciting the only word I could recognise, I examined the ring with squinted eyes.
“Hmmm…”
Letting out a thoughtful hum, I considered my next course of action. The easiest and fastest way to reveal the ring’s function was to insert magical energy.
However, this could potentially damage the ring, and due to the unknown effects, it could harm both me and my surroundings.
“…I’ll leave this for later.”
Keeping the ring in my dimensional bag, I left the alleyway and found that night had already fallen.
Raucous laughter and sounds of merriment echoed throughout the streets as people flooded the taverns after a long day of work.
Realising it was already past the meeting time; I quickly rushed to the Black Whale Inn at the border between the harbour and the business district, where Leon awaited.
Unknown to me, a pair of bluish-gold eyes was in the depths of the alleyway, gazing at my back as I ran towards the Black Whale Inn.