Chapter 16: Mage Leonard

"Mr. Mu Yan, please rest assured, I will take good care of this clansman of yours."

Mage Leonard was all smiles, yet Xia Duo could see caution and wariness in this Mage Leonard; perhaps the Lord of Savile Territory also found an outsider High-level Bard to be quite a headache.

After some pleasantries, Mage Leonard looked at Xia Duo, "Xia Duo, do you have anything else that needs handling? If not, we are returning to the Mage Tower."

"Nothing else, but—" Xia Duo looked toward Mu Yan.

Mu Yan waved his hand, "Go, go and seek the path of Magic that belongs to you."

"Thank you!"

Xia Duo bowed deeply and followed Mage Leonard away.

……

The time was approaching noon, and Xia Duo followed silently behind Mage Leonard, his mind still thinking about Mu Yan's affairs. Being able to meet Mu Yan was definitely the greatest stroke of fortune Xia Duo had encountered since crossing over.

"Xia Duo, Mr. Mu Yan entrusted me to take care of you, but the Mage Tower has its own rules. All I can promise is Apprentice-rank Knowledge of Magic; as for more, you will need to strive for it yourself."

When they walked to the square in the center of the town, Mage Leonard suddenly said this, the smile that had been hanging on his face disappeared, and his tone was quite stiff.

"Yes, thank you, Mage Leonard."

Xia Duo had never felt that the Mage Tower would give him special treatment because of Mu Yan. His original plan was to be a servant, and now being able to become an Apprentice already had him overjoyed.

The difference between an Apprentice and a servant was merely having less time spent on chores and having the opportunity to ask an Official Mage questions.

If not for Mu Yan's help, for Xia Duo to cross the threshold from servant to Mage Tower Apprentice, he would at least need to accumulate the money to purchase a 0 Ring Magic, learn this Magic, and pass the Mage Tower's assessment.

Without being able to ask an Official Mage for guidance, Xia Duo could not predict how long it would take to learn a Magic; just the 20 Gold Coins needed to purchase a 0 Ring Magic would be enough for him to save for a long time.

……

After Leonard's reminder, he remained silent, only slowing his pace slightly when passing the Statue of Archmage Savil, then resumed his original speed and walked toward the Mage Tower in the northwest.

Today was already the third day after the Midsummer Festival, and all celebratory activities would end on this day. Xia Duo noticed that Divine Office personnel of Amanata had already appeared in the square, organizing Commoners to clean and sweep the road.

This trip to the Mage Tower was different from the crowded one three days ago; the square was very empty, and since Xia Duo joining the Mage Tower was already a settled matter, his mood was more relaxed. While ensuring he did not fall too far behind Mage Leonard, he observed everything in Savile Town to his heart's content.

Having been in Savile Town for over half a year, Xia Duo had never felt as relaxed as he did today. But the relaxation was short-lived; the upcoming Mage Tower life would surely not be easy.

……

Tower of Time—the official name of the Savile Town Mage Tower. Of course, this name was not given by its original owner, but because for a long time, the Mage Tower had used the Magic Rune at the top of the tower to indicate time for everyone who could see it.

After nearly a hundred years, people got used to calling it that, and the Lord seemed to have tacitly accepted this name.

The Tower of Time was located in the northwest of Savile Town. The Wolfburg River, winding from the north, took an L-shaped turn here in Savile Town, and the Tower of Time was right in the corner of this L-shape.

To the east of the Tower of Time was the Villa District, to the south was the West District of the town. From the West District to the east were the square and the East District of the town, while the South District was south of the square.

Xia Duo followed behind Mage Leonard, crossed the square, and walked along a stretch of stone road; the tall Mage Tower loomed before him. The closer he got, the more he could feel the pressure from this near-Psionic Creation.

Looking from the outside, the diameter of the Mage Tower was at least 10 meters. Xia Duo found it hard to imagine how people of this era built such a tower nearly 50 meters high—this era had no tools like cranes.

The Dwarf Buloutuo had once participated in the construction of the Tower of Time; whenever he spoke of this, he was full of pride, but he was unwilling to reveal the details, claiming it was a craftsman's secret.

Xia Duo could not force a Dwarf to tell his secrets, but he still kept this matter in his heart; if he needed to build a Mage Tower in the future, he could look for Buloutuo.

To build a Mage Tower, of course, one needed more than just craftsmen; the most important thing was Mages. Unfortunately, before Archmage Savil could perfect this Tower of Time, he disappeared during an exploration of another plane, leaving behind a mess that took the Saville Family two generations to barely manage to finish building.

However, for Xia Duo, no matter what kind of Mage Tower it was, as long as it allowed him to learn Magic, it was a good Mage Tower.

……

Arriving in front of the Mage Tower, he heard Mage Leonard say, "Tower Spirit, Indication: Return."

Without a sound, the body of the Tower of Time split open a door. Looking from the outside, the inside of the door was pure black, showing nothing. Seeing this scene, Xia Duo felt a bit nauseous.

The memory from three days ago surfaced in his mind; it was this door, which had to be passed through every time one entered or left the Mage Tower, but that feeling was not pleasant—it was like being submerged in lightless deep water, unable to breathe, accompanied by feelings of dizziness and nausea.

Anyone who had experienced it once would never forget this feeling.

Xia Duo noticed that the corner of Mage Leonard's mouth also twitched slightly; it seemed this feeling was not something he enjoyed alone, and even an Official Mage could hardly escape it.

"Come in!" Mage Leonard said and walked in first.

Xia Duo followed immediately. When light appeared before his eyes again, he was already in a spacious hall, with a depth far exceeding the 10-meter diameter of the Mage Tower seen from the outside.

Xia Duo suppressed the urge to vomit, and Mage Leonard's grumbling reached his ears, "……, why must we still use such a primitive way of entering and exiting!"

After grumbling, Leonard at least remembered he had to arrange things for Xia Duo. He smoothed his chest and said, "Alright Xia Duo, follow me!"

Leonard took Xia Duo to the side of the hall; this was the Elevator. The assessment three days ago was held in this hall, and Xia Duo had not had the chance to ride the Elevator.

"Tower Spirit, Indication: Public Level."

As soon as Leonard finished speaking, the Elevator started moving. Xia Duo curiously stomped his feet, because he did not feel any sense of weightlessness; the Elevator here seemed more user-friendly than the elevators on Earth.

Of course, it might also be that the different Principles gave a different feeling.

A few seconds later, the Elevator stopped at the Public Level. Walking out of the Elevator, Leonard did not stop his pace and headed straight for his destination.

Xia Duo hurriedly followed. This level gave him the feeling of a hotel on Earth: a circular corridor with doors on both sides, and doorplates on the doors. Xia Duo could speak Netherese Common, but he only recognized the symbols and numbers in writing.

Because Xiao Nier, who taught him Common Tongue, was also illiterate.

……