Chapter 6: I’m the Only Newbie

Luo Ya had been in Deep Blue for a week.

During this time, Xia An frequently shuttled between the library and the study, voraciously reading various magic tomes in a pattern of sleeping twice every three days.

Luo Ya’s daily routine now was to wrestle with the basic knowledge, and whenever she had free time, she meditated to accumulate magic power following the method Xia An taught.

Magic power was very important, and there were almost no shortcuts.

In terms of meditation methods, mages had pushed competition to the extreme over thousands of years—equal effort for equal return.

There was no monopoly on some superior technique.

There were also evil ways to accumulate magic power, but they almost all had irreversible side effects, and once used, one would suffer backlash when reaching a certain realm in the future—not worth the cost.

This morning, Xia An told Luo Ya she could go out and look around.

The card Xia An gave Luo Ya had permission to access most places in Deep Blue.

But Xia An repeatedly reminded Luo Ya to keep a low profile and try not to stand out too much.

Luo Ya noticed that Xia An seemed somewhat off when saying these things, hesitating repeatedly before speaking.

Luo Ya was no fool; her wandering life had made her extremely mature.

She roughly understood what Xia An meant.

Many people envied her position and harbored ill intentions.

Luo Ya immediately said not to worry, she could take care of herself.

An hour later, in the crowded corridor, apprentices in mage robes walked in small groups.

A thin, small figure completely covered by a cloak peered around the corner, sneaking into the crowd like a thief.

This was Luo Ya’s first time going out alone.

Her destination was the Apprentice Service Center on the 763rd floor to pick up a uniform in her size.

Previously, at Xia An’s residence, Luo Ya had worn Xia An’s oversize clothes.

Few people would notice such a girl, who was invisible unless one looked down.

Luo Ya darted left and right like a fish, relying on her small frame to slip through narrow gaps in the crowd.

Xia An’s exclusive ten floors had a private elevator to the outside.

Going from the 1,127th floor to the 763rd floor required several transfers.

Luo Ya took the private elevator to the nearest public floor and waited for the central elevator next to a group of apprentices.

Most interior designs in Deep Blue were extremely luxurious.

Ordinary metals like gold didn’t even rank.

Even the crystal chandelier cores on the ceilings were made of high-grade magic crystals.

The Eternal Lamps in the corridors were said to burn entirely from Eternal Oil.

Produced from the Return Ocean tens of thousands of kilometers away, it was refined by large ironclad ships that sailed out specifically to hunt Void Whales, drag the carcasses back to shore, and extract whale oil combined with other precious materials—extremely rare.

In the unfamiliar environment, surrounded by the noisy chatter of apprentices, Luo Ya instinctively felt uneasy.

But she touched the identity card Xia An had given her in her pocket, and her heart regained confidence.

‘I’m someone with backing now! What’s there to fear!’

Luo Ya encouraged herself internally.

“Miss, may I help you?”

Luo Ya was startled by the voice suddenly appearing behind her and quickly turned around.

A young attendant stood smiling behind Luo Ya, back straight and meticulous.

Luo Ya immediately recognized him as the attendant who had guided her and Xia An into the tower that day.

“Hello, we meet again.”

Luo Ya scratched her cheek awkwardly, feeling guilty for being so easily startled, as if she were up to something.

“And you as well, beautiful miss.”

The attendant replied politely.

Hearing herself called “beautiful miss,” Luo Ya’s girlish love of beauty made her a little happy.

“Thank you.”

“It seems you’re in some trouble.”

The attendant asked with a smile.

“Well, I’m going to the Apprentice Service Center now to pick up properly fitting clothes,” Luo Ya said.

“If you don’t mind, please allow me to accompany you, beautiful miss.”

“Thank you very much, but I am not a beautiful miss.”

“You’re being modest.”

The attendant maintained his smile.

“For mages, both the body and the soul are external things. An ordinary-looking shell is practically worthless.”

“Those sages over a thousand years old still maintain the appearance of young girls, don’t they?”

“You mean I can also use magic to become beautiful?”

Luo Ya’s small eyes lit up.

“It’s just modifying the body, not creating life or transplanting souls. It’s simple, not difficult.”

The attendant said.

“Furthermore, your appearance isn’t bad.”

The attendant chose his words carefully.

“It’s just that due to your tragic experience… you’re somewhat malnourished.”

“I haven’t asked your name yet,” Luo Ya said.

“I am called Ruiken, just a servant.”

Ruiken smiled.

Luo Ya almost for the first time carefully observed this young butler.

Black suit immaculate, worn crisply.

Tie was perfectly tied, expensive silk white gloves paired with a single-lens pince-nez.

But there was something androgynous about him, unable to tell if male or female.

The central elevator arrived—a moving platform almost the size of a sports field.

Luo Ya and Ruiken entered with the crowd.

The platform moved silently, with no sensation of bumps.

“It seems you suffered a lot on the way to Deep Blue.”

Ruiken easily controlled the atmosphere between them, always skillfully picking up new topics, never letting the conversation stall.

He also maintained the right measure in speech, making one feel like a spring breeze.

“Thank you for your concern, but it’s all in the past,” Luo Ya said.

“Your strength is remarkable.”

Ruiken smiled.

“The tragedy of war is still distressing, though Deep Blue has long been accustomed to it.”

“Oh? How so?”

Luo Ya was intrigued by Ruiken’s topic.

“Most of the time, Deep Blue is surrounded by endless wars. The nearby small kingdoms each have their own vast dynasties backing them, constantly vying for interests on this land. Repeated wars run parallel to the history of this land,” Ruiken sighed softly.

“But Deep Blue has always maintained a principle of neutrality, not favoring any side, which is why it has stood here for so long. Even if sometimes some ignorant and foolish small-minded people arrogantly try to force us to take sides.”

“Force Deep Blue to take sides?”

Luo Ya hadn’t heard this history and listened with great interest.

“And then? What happened next?”

“Then that country completely disappeared from history,” Ruiken smiled.

“That was 170 years ago. I had the honor of participating in that war.”

‘Oh, so it was over 170 years ago…’

‘Wait! No—you said you participated in what?’

“Um, may I ask… how old are you this year?”

Luo Ya stammered.

“This year marks the 570th year since I was created. In your human terms, I suppose that’s about 570 years old.”

Ruiken still had that humble smile.

Luo Ya was petrified on the spot.

“Miss, I’ve retrieved the clothes.”

Ruiken stuffed a thick stack of clothes into the arms of Luo Ya, who was still in a daze.

“Do you need me to escort you back?”

“No, no need, thank you. I can manage, I can manage…”

Luo Ya’s expression was somewhat stiff for some reason.

After seeing off Ruiken, who kept turning back every few steps to ask, “Are you sure you don’t need me?” Luo Ya plopped down on a public bench, feeling exhausted from the bottom of her heart.

Even an ordinary attendant in Deep Blue was an old monster who had lived over 500 years!

Luo Ya was like a newbie who had just left the tutorial zone and stumbled into a max-level dungeon, trembling among a crowd of big shots.

‘Am I the only newbie here?’

Luo Ya felt like crying but had no tears.