Silver Stream City.
As the largest trade hub on the edge of the Black Forest, the city’s bustling prosperity far exceeded Leo’s expectations.
The city walls were towering, and the streets were paved with wide stone slabs, where carriages, merchant caravans, and all kinds of pedestrians intertwined into a flowing stream.
The clanging of the blacksmith’s hammer, the raucous noise from taverns, and the merchants’ loud calls mixed together, creating a vivid and lively marketplace atmosphere.
After entering the city, Leo parted ways with the Stoneheart squad.
Kaiden and the others were headed to the Adventurers’ Guild to pick up quests, and planned to find a place to soak in a good bath and have a few drinks.
At their farewell, Kaiden’s expression was solemn as he promised to seriously consider Leo’s proposal.
Leo simply smiled and told them the gates of Blackwood Town would always be open for them.
Walking alone on the unfamiliar streets, Leo surprisingly felt much more relaxed.
His goals on this trip were very clear.
First, to get an adventurer’s identity for easier movement in the future.
Second, to browse the market and bring some gifts back for his “family” in Blackwood Town.
The Adventurers’ Guild was hard to miss, located right beside the central square.
It was a sturdy three-story stone building, with a crossed sword and shield emblem hanging above the door.
He pushed open the heavy wooden door.
A mixture of alcohol, sweat, and leather hit his nose.
The hall was bustling with noise; adventurers in various armor clustered in small groups, some scrutinizing the quest board while others boasted loudly about their exploits at the bar.
Leo’s arrival caused no ripple.
His simple linen clothes and slightly frail figure made him look like a greenhorn just out of the countryside, hardly like an adventurer at all.
He walked straight to the reception desk.
A beast-ear girl greeted him; a pair of fluffy cat ears twitched atop her head, giving her a capable air.
“Hello, I’d like to register as an adventurer.”
The cat-eared receptionist glanced over him with emerald eyes, then handed him a form and a pen.
“Fill in your basic information. Name and age are required. Profession and specialties are optional.”
Leo quickly wrote his name “Leo” and age “eighteen.”
As for profession, his fingers hovered briefly before leaving it blank.
The Summoner class was too conspicuous; no need to make it common knowledge.
“All done.”
He pushed the form back.
“Alright, Mr. Leo.”
The receptionist took the form and pointed to a half-height crystal ball nearby.
“Please place your hand on it; we need to record your initial level.”
“Is this mandatory?”
“Yes, your level is the basis for task permissions.”
Her tone was formal.
“But don’t worry, it only measures level. No other attributes will be detected.”
Leo breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Good.
He definitely didn’t want others seeing his ridiculous stats.
A seemingly fragile boy with both health and mana approaching one thousand—if that got detected, he suspected the guild master would smash that crystal ball on the spot.
He reached out and gently placed his hand on the crystal ball.
A gentle white light lit up inside, flickering a few times, before two clear Arad numerals appeared on the surface.
【22】
The cat-eared girl’s eyes flickered with surprise at the number.
Level 22.
For a border city, that was already not low.
Many veterans who had been here for years were only around this level.
Yet this boy appeared no older than twenty.
Either a prodigy from some noble family or just incredibly lucky.
Still, her professional demeanor kept her from probing further; she quickly noted “Lv22” on Leo’s file and pulled out a bronze badge from the drawer, handing it to him.
“Mr. Leo, this is your adventurer’s badge. You are now a Bronze-ranked adventurer.”
“Thank you.”
Leo took the badge and clipped it inside the hem of his clothes.
With registration complete, he moved to the quest board on the side of the hall.
The requests varied wildly—from finding lost pet cats to exterminating specific monsters.
His gaze focused mostly on the extermination tasks.
【Exterminate the goblin tribe southwest of Black Forest. Reward: 5 gold coins】
【Collect ten goblin ears. Reward: 30 silver coins】
【Hunt the raging gray bear; must bring intact bear pelt and bear gall. Reward: 5 gold coins】
These quests were good.
They conveniently aligned with his usual leveling route, so he could complete them effortlessly.
Leo tore down several suitable contracts.
For him, the rewards were secondary; gaining experience was the key.
Leaving the guild, Leo’s mood brightened further.
He strolled through Silver Stream City’s market like a true tourist.
He bought some high-quality rye and potato seeds, then went to a fabric shop to grab several bolts of soft cotton, planning to make new clothes for the children back in town.
Passing a malt candy stall, he also bought a large bag.
He even purchased a roughly made small magic staff for himself.
Though he rarely used one, it gave him some semblance of an adventurer’s appearance.
Just as he carried his packages, ready to meet up with Alfred and the others, some idle chatter drifting from a nearby tavern stopped him in his tracks.
“Have you heard? The Royal Magic Academy is enrolling in less than half a month!”
“That’s the sacred ground for all mages in the kingdom!”
The words “Royal Magic Academy” struck like a key unlocking the deep memories of Leo’s original self.
He remembered.
According to the original life path, the original Leo was supposed to enter this academy to study.
“The Magic Academy, huh…”
Leo stroked his chin, a playful gleam in his eyes.
As a modern soul, he was admittedly curious about this fantasy world’s version of “Hogwarts.”
Towers, spells, mysterious libraries… sounded pretty exciting.
Besides, going to the academy seemed to have many benefits.
Like safety.
Once enrolled, even the three useless elder brothers of the original wouldn’t dare lay a hand on him inside the academy.
And revenge.
He was eager to see the expressions of those who had looked down on him as a “waste with depleted talent” when he reappeared as a super prodigy.
Just thinking about it made him want to laugh.
The idea was tempting.
But Leo quickly calmed down.
He began weighing the pros and cons.
Was going to the academy really worth it?
What would he learn there?
Magic theory?
Elemental control?
As a cheater player, did he need to listen to those old scholars drone on?
He could level up faster grinding mobs in the Black Forest than anyone there.
Also, the academy was surely rife with noble infighting and factionalism.
Just the thought of managing those relationships gave him a headache.
Dealing with people was more exhausting than killing a hundred goblins.
More importantly, such places often birthed so-called “chosen ones.”
If there truly was such a “protagonist,” following them might bring benefits—but it also meant getting passively dragged into all sorts of catastrophic troubles.
He just wanted a stable life as a lord, farming, grinding mobs, living his own peaceful days.
Why stir up trouble for himself?
Sanctuary?
Did he need the academy’s protection?
Wasn’t building Blackwood Town into an impregnable fortress more reassuring than staying in some ivory tower?
As for revenge…
When he became one of the continent’s few top powers and led an undead army to blockade his elder brothers’ castles, wouldn’t that be more spectacular and satisfying?
No need to rush, no need to go play house with a bunch of kids in the academy.
Thinking this through, Leo completely abandoned the idea of attending the academy.
Not worth it.
The academy path was for those “geniuses” who needed to grow step by step.
He was an exception.
“Better to forget it.”
Leo murmured softly, turning toward the direction of the Golden Lion Trading Company.
Make money, level up, build his territory.
That was the real business he needed to focus on now.
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