Alien world

Chapter 13 13. The first trial

What could be more peaceful than falling asleep to the sound of rain?
Thankfully, Martin didn't snore, so Annan spent a peaceful rainy night.

Wake up early in the morning, the rain has stopped, the sun shines through the broken clouds, the wet bluestone slabs in the pool of water reflect the pedestrians, and the cool air carries the fragrance after the rain.

The night rains that heralded the arrival of summer made the wet trees difficult to cut down, but they sold quickly—even though they were still 20 copper coins.

In the afternoon, Annan and Martin came to the Dawn Tavern earlier than usual.

Evelyn, who lives near the tavern, came earlier and was counting yesterday's bill at the counter.Soluman Bronzebeard, the dwarf woman, was not seen.I don't know why, but the bard who always comes with the guests at the opening comes earlier than them and sits with Mr. Fast.

"...glasses of wine, six glasses of rye, a glass of fruit juice, a steak and two pounds of bread..."

Hearing Evelyn calculate yesterday's bill for the third time, Annan said as he passed the counter: "3 silver coins and 56 copper coins."

Evelyn opened her eyes cutely: "How do you know?"

"Just ordinary calculations."

Evelyn's reaction reminded Annan of Aunt Susan. At that time, Aunt Susan praised him for calculating a month's expenses casually. At first, she thought it was just because of love, but now Annan realized that he had more eyes than a bard. The knowledge that the story needs "common sense" is not universal here——

For example, there is no school in the town, only a library, and the illiterate townspeople must never set foot in it.

Knowledge is usually monopolized in the middle or upper classes.Annan once asked a similar question to a bard who seemed to be knowledgeable, and he could only add and subtract no more than two digits.

What made Annan ashamed was that when he realized this, his first thought was to make money with this knowledge...

Not far away, the bard patted Fast on the shoulder with a look of "Did you see it!?"

"That doesn't mean anything."

It just made Annan change from fairly special to somewhat special.

"When will the man you called be here?" the bard urged.

"Should..." Fast looked at the shadow of the tavern at the door, "It's already here."

Annan looked up at the figure stepping into the tavern, and couldn't get it off.

He didn't even stare at Wine Lady and Tasia with that gaze!

The guest who came in was wearing a loose gray robe, holding a magic wand in his right hand, his long curly hair caught half of his face, and the other half was a tired face.The gray-robed mage who entered the tavern sat straight at the wine table next to Fast and the bard, and put his magic wand against the table: "I need the strongest wine!"

This is not the same as the mage imagined... Annan thought, put down the rag and walked to the counter.

"This is different from what we said." The bard also stared at the guy suspiciously.

Carrying a staff like a big sword, unkempt, no magic ring on the finger on the table,
"As long as you can do something."

Under the watchful eyes of the two guys, Annan asked for distilled wine from Martin and delivered it to the wine table of the gray-robed mage.

Still hesitating how to talk to him, the gray-robed mage who raised his wine glass took the initiative to ask: "Boy, you seem to be very curious about me?"

"Excuse me, are you a mage?"

"Gudong... hiccup..."

Slapping the empty wine glass on the table, the gray-robed mage bowed his head, his curly hair parted to reveal a hideous scar on his forehead, "I am."

The bard looked at Annan with a light in his eyes.This guy can fool Annan, but he can't fool him. This kind of scar is too unsuitable for a mage: "You won't find a mercenary to pretend to be a mage?"

"Want to know... hiccup...why am I in such a mess?"

A wine-smelling belch came out, and the gray-robed mage was obviously drunk.

Annan didn't want to know, but he nodded cooperatively.

It was an old-fashioned story that Annan could half understand and half guess: the gray-robed mage was once an apprentice in the mage tower in Breeze City, and he competed with another apprentice, but no matter whether he was chosen by the mage or became a mage, that person would take him down. Left behind, what's even more ridiculous is that the man didn't even know he existed.

So the gray-robed mage decided to go outside to practice, and finally went back after becoming a level 3 mage—and found that that person was about to become an elite mage.

The gray-robed mage who revealed his heart with the strength of alcohol leaned on the chair decadently: "Boy, tell me, if you can't do your best, why do you work hard?"

"Because working hard is not for the best, but for yourself?"

The gray-robed mage just shook his head like a pogo stick.

Annan also said: "Gods are divided into strong and weak, but I have never heard of a god who was so angry that he was not as strong as other gods."

This couldn't convince the gray-robed mage, he turned his head with a sneer and said, "Faster, where did you get the priest's preparation?"

"He just wanted to comfort you."

Fast, who had been on the sidelines for a long time, sat next to him.As the boss, if you don't come here again, you will be exposed.

The bard followed, and he didn't tell stories or play the lute today.

"Effort is meaningless in front of talent." The gray-robed mage said. "It's like a person who doesn't have a magical affinity can't become a spellcaster no matter how hard he tries."

"Annan, say something more." Fast reminded.

"let me?"

"Otherwise, should I, a rude warrior, try to persuade you?"

"Okay... sir, your purpose of becoming a mage is to compete with that person, not to embark on a mysterious mage journey?" Annan hoped that he would remember his original intention, after all, it was the magic he longed for, "There is a saying called 'Roses matter because of the time you spend on them'."

Amidst the bard's "God, I'm fucking writing this down," the gray mage fell silent.

Other guests began to enter the tavern, and Martin ran to help, allowing Annan to continue talking with the gray robe mage.

"You want to be a mage?"

The sudden surprise wrapped Annan in: "Is it possible!"

"Do you have money?"

Then pour a basin of cold water.

"If the waiter at Dawn Tavern becomes a mage apprentice, I think as the boss, I should sponsor some of it." Mr. Fast said at this time. "Annan, you are very smart, you can have a brighter future."

"What about me, Mr. Fast?" Martin squeezed in and asked.

"You're different, you're so stupid."

The gray-robed mage glanced at Fast, and Fast and Annan, who understood what it meant, said: "There is a guest coming, boy, you go to deliver the wine first."

When Annan turned around, the gray-robed mage suddenly stretched out his hand towards his back, and said a spell: "Arcane Missile."

Annan, with his back to the gray-robed mage, walked to the counter unaware, because he couldn't understand at all.

"It's a lot better than your crappy heuristic."

The drunken gray-robed mage put down his hands, and said to the startled Fast and bard:
"He didn't respond at all. Either his city is deeper than the old stuff in Breeze, or he really doesn't know the Common Tongue."

(End of this chapter)