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“I don’t have the exact answer either, but I think harmony is the essential prerequisite. Spirit, body and manna force; these three factors must be balanced and harmonized in their ideal form to make the proper Aura Beam. Manna circulation is a process of increasing the amount of manna circulating in your body. Still, at the same time, it is also a process of cultivating spiritual capability through meditation. My emphasis on physical training is also for harmony. I believe you can use the Aura Beam directly through body parts like fists or feet without weapons if you get into the State of Harmony. If you’re fascinated by advanced magic, focusing only on manna rearrangement, and neglecting spiritual cultivation and physical training, of course, it would be impossible to be a master of swordsmanship. But if you understand the State of Harmony and make efforts to enter it, it would be possible to learn magic and swordsmanship simultaneously.”
Benjamin and Sasha, listening to Id and Lara’s conversation, were deeply immersed in their respective thoughts. While three people, including Lara, were engaged in wordless introspection, Id finished preparing dinner. The whole bore’s legs were being baked over a bonfire, and the soup was boiling in the pot, hanging over another bonfire. Benjamin awoke from his thoughts and opened a bottle of whiskey.
“I feel like drinking a lot today. If I study your method of manna circulation properly, I may be able to achieve my dream of becoming a seven-circle Wizard, which I have failed for more than a decade. Recently, I had almost given up my life’s goal of becoming a seven-circle Wizard, but you gave me new motivation today. I’m going to think about the State of Harmony that you talked about. Most sorcerers, including me, are narrow-minded. We probably focus too much on the rearrangement of manna, so we have such personalities.”
Slightly nodding in response to Benjamin’s remark, Id told Sasha.
“Sasha, it may also be good that you focus more on training swordcraft than manna circulation. I believe there are various ways to enter the State of Harmony. It can be a better way for you to follow our master’s training method since it’s natural for a swordsman. Besides, unlike master, you can clearly feel the stream of manna in your body now, so I am sure you’ll get good results.”
Sasha smiled at Id but gave him no response. On the nineteenth day after entering the Pleo Grand Canyon, the party finished their ravine trip. After a few incidents in the canyon, Benjamin realized that Id’s swordsmanship was much better than he thought at first. He was curious how far the young man, who was still a teenager, would develop his swordsmanship.
Id’s party moved out of the canyon and into the plains. The Central Plains, responsible for most of the grain production of the Kingdom of Scandia, were the feuds of some great aristocratic families who practically had power over the entire Scandia Kingdom. The party decided to take a break at a forked road, from where the distance to Scandia City, the kingdom’s capital, was about a hundred kilometers south-southwest. If they had taken the other way to the southeast at the forked road and gone fifty kilometers more, they would have arrived at the territory of Duke Usachov, Id’s biological father. Sasha was keeping an eye on Id, who was looking southeast. He seemed to want to tell Id something but decided not to speak.
Id thought it was not the time yet, though he would have to visit Duke Usachov someday. After being knighted at the Adelian Marquisate and fulfilling his master’s long-cherished desire, he would return to the Kingdom of Scandia to visit his biological father. There was nothing he wanted from Duke Usachov. He only intended to deliver his mother’s will, and he thought he should see his biological father’s face once. Id, who was staring at the road southeast during the break, told Benjamin.
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“It seems the sun is going to set soon, so we need to decide where to sleep tonight. The map shows there’s a small village a few kilometers ahead. There must be an inn in town, right?”
“As far as I remember, there was a large inn at the entrance of the village. I don’t think we need to enter the village. Let’s just stay at the inn on the national highway.”
The village seemed to consist of only a hundred households, but the inn and shop at its entrance were considerably large. They appeared to be facilities for people traveling on the national highway. The party entered the shop attached to the inn first. It was connected by well-polished roads to the Empire’s border, with large towns in between, so they did not have to carry around many things for camping. The party sold most of their travel items at the shop, leaving only some necessary items. Id sold his cumbersome travel packages and the large backpack and purchased a smaller one for armor and clothes.
Lara, who dumped her old travel clothes and boots and bought three sets of travel wear and a new pair of boots, asked the clerk.
“Can I try on the leather armor hanging over there?”
The clerk skimmed over Lara with a doubtful look and answered curtly.
“The price of that leather armor is five hundred golds. We only allow people who are capable of making payments, to try them on.”
Hearing the price of leather armor, Lara gave up on trying it on and turned around. Benjamin asked the clerk.
“What kind of leather armor can be more expensive than high-quality platemail? Did you paint it with gold?”
The clerk carefully looked Benjamin up and down and asked back.
“Are you a sorcerer?”
“Yes, I am a six-circle-master mage, Benjamin, from the Icarus Wizard Tower.”
As Benjamin introduced himself by revealing his circle, the clerk’s attitude became polite.
“The famous swordswoman Tanya of the Ur Kingdom wore that armor for a long time. It is a masterpiece of a dwarven craftsman made from buffalo hide of the Tartarian Kingdom, and Betelgeuse, the Wizard from the Mudria Kingdom, engraved magic diagrams on it. We also have our purchasing price, so I can’t sell it for under five hundred golds.”
“Can I have a look at the armor?”
Benjamin told Lara, having scrutinized the leather armor using magic.
“This leather armor is imbued with a seven-circle Anti Magic Force. If you like this, try it on.”
As Lara hesitated, Id took the armor from Benjamin and examined it closely. Since Id had a long history of tanning leather and had once made his own leather armor, he had a reasonable opinion about the quality of leather products. Id asked the clerk.
“This is well-crafted leather armor. I can believe it’s the craftsmanship of a dwarf master. How did you purchase this expensive armor?”
The clerk replied to Id.
“In the estates to which our village belongs, there was a warriors' battle recently. At that time, our Lord invited a few swordsmen, including Tanya. Tanya won a duel and acquired a magic armor to her liking, so she sold this leather armor to our shop owner.”
Listening to the clerk, Id told Lara.
“Try it on. Let’s see if it suits you first, and then we can consider buying.”
As Lara took off her jacket and put on the armor, Sasha helped her tie the leashes. The magic leather mail looked good on Lara. It was easy to adjust the size to fit the body, unlike plate mail, so many swordsmen preferred leather armor. Moreover, the subtle yet elegant design of the armor matched Lara’s appearance well, so, although she was still very young, she looked like an experienced Knight, who had gone through numerous battles.
“I was going to buy you some armor anyway. It looks good on you, but it’s going to provide less protection. Wouldn’t it be better to find a platemail?”
With a slightly awkward smile, Lara replied to Id.
“Since both the martial arts I learned from my father and the swordsmanship I learned from you are based on fast footwork, I prefer this lightweight and comfortable armor. But the price is ridiculously high, so I think it’s too much for me to buy this armor. I think I can find leather armor at a reasonable price in Scandia City.”
Id checked the gold coins Lara and Sasha had. They had a little under one hundred golds and putting together what Id had, the total sum was a little over three hundred golds. Id asked the clerk.
“We like the armor, but we have only three hundred golds now. Could you give us a discount?”
The clerk shook his head firmly.
“The shop owner strictly ordered me not to sell the leather armor under five hundred golds. I don’t have the right to give a discount.”