Chapter 28: Aideliqi

Arriving at the Library Layer for the first time, Xia Duo looked around with great curiosity, though in truth there was not much to see; it was similar to the libraries before his transmigration, only with many more individual Transcription Rooms and Spell Laboratories.

The library had over 20 sections in total, but there were actually not many books within each section, and many books were duplicates; added together, they might not even equal the collection of a middle school library from before Xia Duo's transmigration.

Knowledge was too scarce, and knowledge was also too precious.

On the way here, Sami had already introduced Xia Duo to this Official Apprentice named "Aideliqi," a merchant family background, clever since childhood, but whose heart was not set on Magic, but rather on becoming a great merchant.

Yet even so, he had walked from an Ordinary Apprentice to an Official Apprentice, and afterward, he did not apply himself to Magic, nor did he leave, but instead lingered in the Mage Tower using a merchant's methods.

Those above acquiesced to his attitude.

……

Inside a Transcription Room piled high with goods, Xia Duo met Aideliqi himself, along with two Ordinary Apprentices doing odd jobs there.

"Aideliqi, I have brought you a new customer; you entertain him, I have matters to attend to and will be leaving."

"Go ahead, my reputation is publicly acknowledged."

After seeing Sami off, Aideliqi finally turned his attention to Xia Duo, "Mr. Xia Duo, is there anything you need? From as small as candles, matches, and sewing needles, to as large as Magic Scrolls and Spellbooks, I have them all here."

Aideliqi was the apprentice with the least Mage-like temperament Xia Duo had ever seen in the Mage Tower; he truly lived up to that "Merchant Apprentice" title!

After mentioning that he was prepared to sell his question-asking opportunity, a light immediately shone in Aideliqi's eyes, though upon hearing that for the time being he could only ask the Official Apprentice Jianaer, the light dimmed slightly, yet he remained very expectant.

"Mr. Xia Duo, are you really prepared to sell your question-asking opportunity?"

"It is true. Although I am now an Official Apprentice, I have also just joined the Mage Tower, and in the short term, the question-asking opportunity is of little use to me; exchanging it for the resources I need is a good choice."

Aideliqi instantly understood Xia Duo's plan and asked again, "And after that?"

"We shall see afterward; if there is a need, I can sell it again."

"Good, good!" Aideliqi said repeatedly, beginning to rummage through the cluttered desk in the Transcription Room for something. He soon flipped to an Account Book and then said, "Mr. Xia Duo, the afternoon class is about to start; can we begin the transaction from today?"

"Yes, but is it possible to advance some of it?"

"Yes, but only half can be advanced."

Speaking of this, Aideliqi then remembered that the two of them seemed not to have discussed the specific price for one question, so he took out a piece of Parchment and handed it to Xia Duo, "On this is the compensation for one question-asking opportunity, usually paid in the form of Gold Coins or Spellcasting materials. If you have other requirements, you may propose them, but there is no guarantee that anyone will be willing to accept."

Xia Duo understood; he was a middleman, not producing anything himself, relying on resource integration to earn a commission. However, Aideliqi also sold some goods here himself, which could be considered a side business.

The Parchment recorded that one question-asking opportunity could be exchanged for 10 Gold Coins, or equivalent Spellcasting materials. This was the price at Aideliqi's place; if Xia Duo were to contact someone himself, it would very likely exceed 10 Gold Coins.

But Xia Duo was very satisfied. With such a channel, he did not need to waste his own time. Gold Coins for time was a very good deal for the current Xia Duo.

"Can it be exchanged for Parchment and ink?"

"No problem."

Aideliqi turned and counted out a stack of Parchment and a small wooden bottle from the pile of goods, handing them to Xia Duo, "Advancing half is 5 Gold Coins; the ink is 3 Gold Coins, and the fourteen sheets of Parchment are 3 Silver Coins. The extra Silver Coin is a discount for our first transaction."

Xia Duo nodded and accepted them. Afterward, Aideliqi picked a question from an Account Book used for registering questions and informed Xia Duo; this was the question he needed to ask in the afternoon.

It was also a question regarding 【Mending】, only it was somewhat different from the one Dien asked; this question inquired about the structural transformation of 【Mending】 on spell targets of different materials.

It looked like it was at the level of Application. Xia Duo speculated that this apprentice should be closer to mastering 【Mending】 than Dien, but even though he was only a thin veil away from being an Official Apprentice, he still lacked the qualification to ask questions and could only turn to others for help.

Although he felt some emotion in his heart, if he were asked to help others ask questions for free, Xia Duo would not do such a foolish thing.

From this perspective, Mages seemed to be extreme egoists!

From the apprentice stage, one was already in this kind of atmosphere; he did not know what the scenery above was like, and Xia Duo looked forward to it.

……

Carrying the question relayed by Aideliqi, Xia Duo hurried away from the Library Layer and returned to the First Floor Hall. At this time, almost everyone on the first floor was gone, save for the seven or eight apprentices who had attended class together yesterday, huddled together and chatting.

Seeing Xia Duo's arrival, their voices lowered a little, but they did not greet Xia Duo at all, as if they had already excluded Xia Duo from their small circle.

However, Xia Duo did not care. Such small circles were almost impossible to survive; later, as everyone's learning progress varied, they would quickly disintegrate. Without any benefits, who would want to play house with the "slow learners"?

Xia Duo found an empty seat, took out the portion of the dictionary he had already organized, and began to read silently and memorize, continuing until the arrival of Jianaer, who was teaching at 12:30.

Like yesterday, today's lesson did not involve any specific Magic Knowledge, but rather established a magical worldview for the apprentices—from the characteristics, levels, and advancement paths of Mages, to the Mages' understanding of all things.

Xia Duo was very interested in this curriculum design. He speculated that if these Enlightenment Classes were not summarized from long-term practice, then the person who designed these courses must be a wise man.

And a wise man skilled in teaching.

After class, Xia Duo asked the question Aideliqi had entrusted to him. Jianaer answered again, though this time he did not point to a specific book to read, but directly explained how to do it, and then left.

Xia Duo could not understand it. Fearing he would forget, he did not even have time to get dinner and hurried to the library to inform Aideliqi of Jianaer's answer, receiving the other half of the compensation for this question—a small bottle of ink and 14 sheets of Parchment, for which he also paid 1 Silver Coin.

While leaving the library, Xia Duo encountered Dien, who had come to borrow books, but this time Xia Duo did not forget to renegotiate the transaction terms with Dien.

It went smoothly. Dien did not have much bargaining power; he had borrowed that book, "Geometric Principles in Ring Spells," yesterday, which was very useful, but it was not enough for him to master 【Mending】 in the short term.

He still needed Xia Duo's question-asking opportunity.

The two reached a new agreement—within this week, Dien must interpret Netherese words for Xia Duo after dinner, including pronunciation and definitions; and Xia Duo would ask one more question for Dien.

After one week, they would renegotiate.

……

Just like that, Xia Duo's days in the Mage Tower gradually got on the right track—organizing the dictionary during the day, attending classes and using his question-asking opportunity in the afternoon, finding Dien to interpret Netherese words at night, and occasionally lighting a candle to study after lights out.

Time slipped away bit by bit, and the first week Xia Duo spent in the Mage Tower passed just like that.