Can you call me "Senior Brother"?

Chapter 30 Can You Call Me Senior Brother?

Where is the Tower of Stars in Valuwana? That is a question, and even if you asked an old Valuwanan, they probably wouldn't be able to answer it. Mages, in a world where influence is everywhere, seem to be isolated from the lives of ordinary people.

The bridge between the two is the Magic Guild. But now the guild headquarters in the capital is tightly shut.

Rorschach had been rushing into town with the caravan since sunrise and was now exhausted, desperately needing a good bed. He looked around and found a doorbell.

When pressing the door button yielded no response, Rorschach resorted to banging on it, banging harder and harder.

The door slowly opened a crack: "Who is it? Do you know where you are? What time is it?"

Thump~ thump~ thump~ thump~ thump~ thump~ thump~

No sooner had he finished speaking than the bells of St. Miller's Abbey in the distance rang seven times.

"It's seven o'clock, sir. Does the Valuwana guild not open at seven?"

"quack!"

"Huh? Speak louder!" The door opened a little wider, revealing a sleepy-eyed young man with freckles on his face.

Rorschach finally saw him clearly, and he also saw the visitor clearly: "Oh, Master!" The other party moved a little faster, and the door finally opened wide enough for him to enter sideways.

The golden hall was empty except for the two of them. Rorschach noticed a complex mechanical structure on the wall behind the reception desk: brass pipes, levers, a few exposed gears, and instruments.

"Sorry, sorry, knocking at this hour, I thought it was some drunk sans-culottes playing a prank!" The young man on duty waited for the two to come in, then laboriously closed the door again: "It's been so long since anyone greased the door hinges!"

Is this how you use the "greasy technique"?

Luo Xia didn't have a good impression of the young man who was slacking off at work: "I wasn't wearing a skirt or trousers, so I really am a sans-sergeant."

"Please don't say that, sir! But you must understand, it's rather impolite to bang on the door so early in the morning, especially with the doorbell ringing!"

"I rang the doorbell, but no one answered."

"Huh?" The young man seemed to realize something and pulled two things out of his ears. "Look at me, I was so sleepy I forgot I was wearing earplugs! I'm so sorry, I apologize in the most sincere way." However, the young man's apology was not followed by any action.

"May I ask what brings you to my humble abode so early?"

Is this magnificent hall and building your humble abode? Luo Xia suppressed the urge to retort and cut to the chase: "I'm going to the Tower of Stars."

"Oh, young spellcaster, going to the Tower of Stars, you must be Mage Ro Rosa!"

Rorschach.

The young man skipped over to the front desk. "Excuse me, Mr. Rorschach, we've been waiting for you for a long time! You see, it's always a novelty for Imperials to come to Valuwana and the Tower of Stars. Especially since there are only so many spellcasters, the circle is so small, right? Your pet is a duck! What can it do? Lay golden eggs?"

"It's a shame it's male." Rorschach found himself saying one thing and the guy could say three.

The other party pulled one of the many levers behind the front desk, muttering, "Item 0412 to be done."

With a soft "poof," a brass tube extending from the ceiling all the way to the counter spewed out a paper tube. The young man opened it to take a look, then pulled another lever. After a series of gear-whirring sounds, a drawer popped out from the wall.

"Master Rorschach, this is an item I need you to receive. My teacher asked me to give it to you. You only need to infuse this card with magic, and a pointer will guide you to your destination."

He rubbed his hands together happily: "My name is Pascal, an apprentice. Master Rorschach, coincidentally, my mentor is also Teacher Cano, we are fellow students."

"Good Pascal's apprentice."

"I'm just here to work and earn some credits," Pascal said, frustrated. "Don't you want to know what kind of person your tutor is—a vampire who makes his students work at a magic guild to earn credits?"

"Oh? What's our mentor like? Could you please introduce him to us, senior?"

"Ahem," Pascal was extremely pleased to be addressed as "senior brother" and solemnly introduced him:

"Lional Cano, an eighth-tier archmage, the newly appointed chief professor of the Tower of Stars, a member of the Arcane Elders Council, a senior member of the Alchemy Council, a senior arbitrator of the Owl Court, the only son of the Cano family, and the most prominent spellcaster in Valuwana's social circles, though not exactly handsome. A successful man who sleeps in late every morning and doesn't start work until the afternoon, and an unqualified mentor who neglects his apprentices and no one wants to enroll in his research group anymore."

Why does she start badmouthing her mentor after listing her titles? Regardless of the slightly resentful comments that followed, Rorschach just felt that the powerful figure recommended by Professor Caroline was far too influential! Sigh, life in Valuvana is tough, but it seems like clinging to a master's powerful backer would make things much easier!

The man pulled out a map and a business card, pointing to a point on the city's central axis: "Every day starting at 9 o'clock, Professor Kano dines at the rooftop restaurant in the Starlight Torch Tower. He asked us to tell you that it would be best to see him before going to the Magic Tower."

The business card was simple: "Lionel Cano," with a background of eight nested gold rings surrounding a tower of starlight. Clearly, this card revealed his rank as a high-ranking mage and his affiliation.

Considering they were going to the restaurant where the high-ranking mages were staying, Rorschach asked Pascal to look after Yaz for the time being.

Following the points on the map, Rorschach passed through "Valuwana's Stomach" again. The loading and unloading of goods had now ended, and the city's ordinary residents and nobles' servants were coming and going.

The butcher shop had already opened, and even used extremely expensive large glass panels. Inside, there were piles of plump, oily sausages, smoked meat, and fresh meat on display. Several children were drooling over the glass. The burly butcher shop owner came out and chased them away, then grumbled as he wiped away the black handprints left by the children.

Vegetables whose names I don't know filled the vegetable vendors' stalls, and they would occasionally use spray bottles to "beautify" and hydrate their vegetables.

"Oh Johnny, if you cook this bunch of fresh, tender bamboo shoots well, the master will surely reward you," a vegetable vendor said, having remembered a high-value customer and was trying his best to promote the expensive vegetables.

It was still early before nine o'clock. In his previous life as a student, Luo Xia hated going to the market. It was always noisy and dirty. But when he got here, a long-lost, somewhat familiar feeling made him walk in.

"Valuwana truly lives up to its reputation as the largest city in the southern continent; its markets are even more abundant in produce than those in the capital."

There was a bakery. Rorschach hadn't had breakfast yet, so he bought a piece of buttered bread and went to the butcher shop to get two slices of smoked meat—something that many people could only afford to buy by the slice, but now it was convenient for Rorschach to make his own "sandwiches".

Although there was no sauce, the refreshing flavor was still quite good. The oil and smoky flavor of the smoked meat, the milky aroma of the butter, and the wheat aroma unfolded one after another, making Rorschach keep eating.

With just a little bit left to finish eating, a commotion broke out in the market.

A dark-skinned, thin man scrambled out of the seafood section, followed by shouts of "Thief!" and "Damn sans-culottes!"

I'm out of drafts, so I might be typing in a rush. Please feel free to point out any errors (I'm sure there are readers who are following this...).

(End of this chapter)