Chapter 82: Sincerity and Disguise

The people nearby were all whispering among themselves.

"It'll probably be very far; a lot of people are going to die along the way."

"There'll be spellcasters there, what are you afraid of..."

"Spellcasters. Real danger, and spellcasters are protecting their employers, looking out for themselves too."

Luge listened for a while, then couldn't be bothered to listen further; he couldn't get any useful information, so with the help of powerful arms he pushed his way out through the crowd.

After learning his purpose, he was invited into a room at the back.

He examined the furnishings in the room, and that glowing lamp; this was several grades higher than his and Kalu's yard.

After waiting briefly, a familiar-looking young man walked in — precisely the one he'd seen at the restaurant before, still followed by that red-haired woman. Here in the bright light, seeing him again, he only retained a trace of childishness preserved by a life of comfort; he actually wasn't a youth, his age was quite a bit older than Luge had judged in the dim light before.

"Is Lord Luge a noble spellcaster?" the handsome young man said.

Luge was just about to speak.

"Oh, I was abrupt. Hearing you're a wizard got me excited; I should have introduced myself first," the young man said apologetically, seeming very talkative, then continued, "You can call me Lorigo. I come from Fanxing City. This time I discovered a clue to a ruin in an ancient book left by my ancestors, so I want to invite everyone to assist, to conduct an exploration full of harvest together."

The handsome young man briefly explained the situation, putting on a noble's airs, yet he didn't mention his surname.

Luge noticed that the young man and the woman behind him, though trying hard to conceal it, still couldn't help glancing at his handsome face from time to time. Although he had torn off a piece of cloth before coming to simply cover his face, the light here was really too good; as long as one wasn't blind they could see his protruding big mouth.

"Luge," he said in a deep voice, stating his name, "Also a correction: I'm not a wizard, I'm a wizard apprentice."

"Haha, mysterious wizards all look the same in ordinary people's eyes. Sir's bearing clearly isn't that of those guys who only know one spell yet are incomparably arrogant. It's precisely those people who let ordinary people confuse the concepts of wizard and wizard apprentice. Actually in all the major underground cities, only the city lord might possibly have seen a real wizard..."

The young man spoke with a sighing air, as if very envious, and with a strange yearning — that meant more than just seeing a wizard.

The young man glanced back; the red-haired woman nodded quietly.

Luge had long noticed this woman attempting to probe with her spiritual power. The so-called gem summoner — he was equally curious, wondering if he could reference some interesting things from her.

Receiving the red-haired woman's confirmation, the handsome young man Lorigo turned his head back with an even broader smile.

"This ruin actually isn't far. It only appears at a specific time. It might be related to wizards..." the young man said excitedly.

The red-haired woman suddenly coughed lightly behind him.

"No matter. Mr. Luge at a glance is clearly a powerful spellcaster; I must show sufficient sincerity to you," the young man said with bright, intent eyes, "May I see your true face? I've heard powerful wizards all have strange appearances... oh, I've been rude. Please forgive me, my lord."

Excessive respect also makes people uncomfortable. Luge had heard Kalu say that powerful underground cities likewise issue warrants for troublesome wild wizard apprentices; a group of knights who've entered the supernatural realm is enough to hunt low-level wild apprentices until they're in a panic.

So this guy putting on noble airs, claiming to be from Fanxing City, his enthusiasm was somewhat beyond Luge's expectations.

He slowly pulled off the cloth on his face, eliciting a gasp of surprise.

The red-haired woman behind the young man was quite calm instead; unknown if she recognized he was that person at the next table in the restaurant, but judging by the young man's reaction he apparently hadn't recognized him.

"Your, your appearance is so peculiar," Lorigo wasn't frightened, but rather very excited, "Your strength must be extremely powerful."

The young man suddenly leaned in close and said: "Do you know a proverb?"

"Only wizards can walk on the surface."

Looking at the young man's solemn and expectant eyes, Luge felt this guy might really be taking him for some special wizard.

Actually, Luge had once asked Kalu about this saying on the road too.

Kalu was obviously unwilling to say more. When asked how to go to the surface above, to fulfill Luge's wish to sunbathe, Kalu even directly stated that his current insights in certain aspects were still limited to the wizard apprentice level, so he didn't know either.

"I know this saying," Luge said, "But sorry, I don't know that answer either."

Lorigo smiled, but didn't show a disappointed expression; clearly he had anticipated this in his heart long ago.

"I've always been filled with yearning for the surface. Unfortunately, from a very young age it was already proven I didn't have the qualifications to become a wizard," the handsome young man Lorigo said, "But I really like making friends with wizards like you. This time's reward definitely won't disappoint you. I know what real wizards like, so I prepared magic stones and an ancestor's spell notes, hoping these can move you, because these are all I can get hold of."

"Departure time is in five days. Then I'll present the notes," Lorigo said with a smile, "The quantity of magic stones will depend on the situation during the expedition, but I'll definitely make sure you're not disappointed. Each time you act along the way, I'll separately present magic stones."

Is this the survival fee-charging method of wild wizards outside? Or is this noble young master just too unconventional and generous?

Luge originally just wanted to broaden his horizons; getting benefits would be even better. But just as he was about to nod, he realized he still didn't have meal money.

He hesitated slightly.

"I just arrived here, and happen to have run out of money. Don't know if I can use magic stones to exchange for some coins with you." Luge chose his words carefully as he spoke.

Lorigo refused the exchange repeatedly, yet directly took out a small pouch containing coins and held it out before him.

"Here are one hundred Sun Coins. Please accept them, Wizard Luge." Lorigo said sincerely.

Luge originally also wanted to take the chance to see the exchange ratio, but seeing this situation, he could only reluctantly accept.

Having agreed on five days later, Luge didn't linger, striding away from this noisy place.

As for whether the other party would really hire him five days later, everything was still unknown. After all, if he hadn't brought up exchanging money, the other party hadn't even intended to give a deposit. Who knows, in these five days they might find a wild wizard with even better looks, a more mysterious image, more like a strong one.

His stomach was still a bit hungry when he came out; now after all this fuss he had no appetite instead.

Holding the money pouch in hand, he first found a shabby shop, bought some loose, oversized clothes and coarse cloth. Sometimes wearing a robe isn't a good choice; wearing that kind of thing makes it hard to disguise oneself as someone of another identity, like an ordinary mercenary. At the same time this was also prepared for Dasha and Aijin; it could simply make them a set of clothes to make do with wearing.

(Chapter End)