When A Mage Revolts

"....Uh, you’ll need talent to be a beggar, and I don’t think you have that," Benjamin had no choice but to continue the conversation as he spouted nonsense to the man.

Then, he quickly followed up with a question before the Accordion Man could reply, "Oh, did you see a tall thin man with freckles around? He looked quite dumb, actually. He’s also wearing tattered sackcloth as clothes?"

The Accordion Man looked troubled, "People like this are everywhere, which one are you looking for?"

Benjamin was speechless.

How should he describe that? It would not be possible for him to tell the System to draw him a facial composite so he could show it to the Accordion Man.

Instead, he lowered his voice and whispered, "You heard about the massacre that happened in this pub not long ago? The person I wanted to find, he was present during that day. Apparently, people call him ‘bamboo’."

Benjamin had no choice but to expose more information in order to get what he wanted.

The Accordion Man’s face finally lit with recognition after Benjamin’s description. He looked around before he approached Benjamin carefully and whispered, "What are you up to, finding those people? Let me tell you, it’s better for you to stay as far as possible from them. They are a volatile and violent bunch; killing people like us is just like killing an ant to them."

Benjamin’s eyes shone in excitement.

The Accordion Man definitely knew something about the knife-scarred man and his gang. Not only that, Benjamin bet that the Accordion Man was familiar with them. Otherwise, he would never speak about the incident like this.

"Nothing much, actually. I’m a distant relative of their leader, but I’ve not heard anything from them for long. I became curious, which is why I’m trying to find them," Benjamin answered.

The Accordion Man looked unconvinced. He did not buy Benjamin’s story, which led to Benjamin blurting out nonsense immediately, "See, being a beggar is such a lucrative job, one must possess some connections with people like them in order to join the market. How else do you reckon I become a beggar?"

With his head tilted, the Accordion Man considered, "Um…. That, that sounds…. Reasonable. Alright then. To be frank, I haven’t heard news about them for a long time either. But, if you really want to reach them, you could try and meet with Chief Silverfox. They are always tight; Chief Silverfox was the one who gathered most of the people in the gang, actually."

Chief Silverfox? Who?

Benjamin asked the System, but it had no idea either. However, Benjamin guessed from the tone of the Accordion Man that the Chief would most probably be one of the leaders of the mafia gangs in the outskirts.

The mafia leader who helped the knife-scarred man gain his reputation here…... Well, it was a stretch to call this a clue, but it was something nonetheless.

Should he ask the Chief? He might as well try; after all, the mafia could not do much to Benjamin.

"Where can I find Chief Silverfox?"

The Accordion Man stretched his arm and pointed at the end of the street, "Walk along this street for 10 minutes. When you reach a junction, turn left and walk for another 5 minutes. You will see an inn, and Chief Silverfox will be there inside."

Benjamin nodded as he ordered the System to memorise the route. Then, he thanked the Accordion Man with a pat on his shoulders, "Thank you. You’re really knowledgeable."

"Of course," the Accordion Man beamed with pride, "My dream is to be a wandering poet, and every street artist will be singing the songs I wrote. It is a must for me to know everything."

Benjamin smiled, "Good luck."

"I wish the same to you," replied the Accordion Man, nodding. He turned to look at the renovating pub behind him and said, "It’s almost time. I should get going to the musician interview for this upcoming bar. Goodbye."

With that, the Accordion Man bade his farewell and left to the bar.

Benjamin waved his goodbyes, satisfied with his good luck. All he did was to ask around, and he managed to meet a man with no ulterior motives.

Suddenly, Benjamin was filled with emotion.

To stabilise politics, the church slaughtered their opposition; to overthrow the church, Michelle used everyone she knew as pawn pieces; to train in peace, Benjamin ran about….. And under the same blue sky, there was also a young soul who walked into a bar that would be opening soon. With an accordion in hand and his mouth chanting his dream to be a wandering poet, he went for an interview to be a pub musician.

What a great chicken soup for his soul.

A dream, huh…...

Benjamin raised his chin to look at the sky. It was in the afternoon, and the sun was so bright Benjamin could barely keep his eyes open. Some unknown birds flew above, their squawks as noisy as the people on this street.

"My dream was probably to be the main character in the stories of the wandering poets," Benjamin shook his head as he chuckled to himself.

"Dude, how old are you? Do you really think you’re still a 16 year old lad?" The System chided, slightly baffled, "Stop dreaming now, go on, do what you need to do."

Benjamin did not get angry, "Well, we always need some chicken soup in our lives, no?"

"Eh, when it’s a chicken soup that’s been aging for decades, it’ll be too stale for use."

"Judging by the amount of preservatives in the chicken soups, it will never go past its expiry date."

"Your ambition musician just hugged you while he begged to change his occupation to become a beggar. Are you sure you want to believe in his dreams?"

"Ah, enough of your nonsense already…..."

Benjamin walked according to the directions given by the Accordion Man while he bantered with the System in his heart. He headed towards where the Chief Silverfox would be, and it was not very far; it only took Benjamin approximately 15 minutes to arrive at the doorstep of the inn.

This was an inn that had seen some time. Benjamin could feel the moisture in the air just by looking at it from outside. Moss covered the walls of the inn, and the stains of leakage extended from the ceiling to the edge of the walls.

Would a mafia lord stay in a place like this?

Benjamin was skeptical.

….Who would know. Perhaps the movies were real; mafia leaders would usually have a weird temperament. Would the ones in the outskirts of Havenwright be an exclusion?

Benjamin took a deep breath before he entered the place. The first thing he saw was the narrow lobby and a reception desk, and behind it sat a balding old man. Benjamin saw no one else; the inn was oddly silent.

The old man briefly glanced at him before he dipped his chin as he continued reading his newspaper.

Benjamin walked over and said, "Excuse me, do you know where is Chief Silverfox?"

The old man set aside his newspaper as he squinted at Benjamin in apparent distaste, "Why do you want to know?"

Benjamin did not let that affect him. After all, he was disguised as a beggar; he expected to be seen as such. The people who could start a business nowadays are usually the materialistic sort.

Instead, he laughed and took a golden coin out of his pocket. He threw it offhandedly on the desk, and it made a heavy sound as it hit the surface.

"I need him to help me find someone."

The old man looked surprised. He picked up the golden coin and studied it; he even placed it between his teeth and bit. After he verified that the golden coin was genuine, he once again looked at Benjamin in confusion.

"Is there something wrong with you? You’re rich, why do you want to look like a beggar?"

"..."

Benjamin held onto his moral belief in respecting the elderly and treating the youth with respect, and ignored the old man’s words. He repeated his purpose, "Where is Chief Silverfox? I need his help to find someone."

The old man shook his head. Then, he kept the coin and looked at Benjamin with a stoic expression, "I am Chief Silverfox. Now tell me, who do you need me to find?"