Chapter 617: Silvermoon City
Chapter 617: Silvermoon City
The moment the door to the basement opened, a wave of hot air rushed out, carrying with it the scent of cream and tomato sauce.
"This must be the best-smelling enemy I've ever encountered", Hermione said after casting a shadow shield around everyone. "But a giant cream pastry isn't easy to fight, especially since we have no experience with it."
"Don't worry, if my instincts are correct, this battle will be over quickly. I'm quite confident in dealing with this construct", Liam said, stepping into the basement first. He immediately saw the pale, humanoid figure standing amidst the chaos.
"Disintegrate." Liam manipulated the Rose Madonna, releasing a pink beam filled with color runes at the construct. The Cheese Construct, which was slowly approaching, froze upon being hit, followed by a series of minor explosions from within.
"This is—" Hermione, who had just descended, looked curiously at the motionless white mass. Just as she was about to speak, the large cheese pastry construct suddenly swelled and then exploded with a loud bang. Fortunately, Liam and the others had prepared sufficient Magic Shields, so no one was injured, though they were quite startled.
"This is truly a wondrous world. I had this feeling when I played the game, but now, being here in reality, I realize that the tabletop version can't compare to the real world", Hermione said as she examined the shattered remains. "I've never heard of such a strange construct before, from any source."
"Hello, how is the situation down there?" A middle-aged woman's voice called from above as Liam and Hermione finished inspecting the destroyed construct.
"The construct has been eliminated, everything is safe down here", Liam replied. Soon, a middle-aged female mage in a robe descended the stairs. After surveying the basement's mess, she said to Liam and Hermione, "Thank you so much for saving my husband. My name is Andoline, and I am a mage. I would like to do something to repay you for helping my family."
"We are Wizards from a distant land. I am Liam, and this is my fiancée, Hermione. We are here to exchange knowledge with other Wizards", Liam introduced himself straightforwardly. He then carefully added, "So, I hope— I hope to learn some knowledge from you."
"Of course", Andoline nodded. "Knowledge has its price. If you can offer me knowledge that interests me, I will exchange it for equivalent knowledge. Additionally, to thank you for saving my husband, I can teach you a Magic spell."
"That's fantastic", Liam said happily, surprised that he could gain new magical knowledge on his first day in this world. "We definitely came to the right place. Silvermoon City truly lives up to its reputation as a paradise for mages. In our homeland, magical knowledge is strictly guarded, and only the direct descendants of knowledge holders can learn it."
"That's unfortunate", Andoline said as they ascended the stairs. "Only through exchange can Magic truly progress. If everyone hoards their secrets, Magic will develop very slowly."
"That's exactly why we are here to study", Hermione said softly, then called out to Rose Crystal, who had been hiding on the ceiling beam to watch their backs.
Andoline was startled when a purple shadow suddenly descended from the beam, but her eyes lit up when she realized it was a puppet. "Liam, is this puppet—?"
"My name is Rose Crystal", Rose Crystal said, elegantly floating in the air and performing a curtsy. "Big Brother is my creator."
"This is truly unexpected. You are so young—please forgive me, I didn't realize you were so powerful. It is an honor to have you as a guest in my home. Please allow me to briefly leave and prepare a grand feast for you and your fiancée."
After Andoline finished her disjointed speech, she hurriedly left, leaving Liam looking bewildered and Hermione deep in thought.
"What's wrong with her?" Liam felt a bit confused. The middle-aged mage had been chatting amicably just a moment ago, but suddenly became very agitated, spouting a bunch of words before leaving.
"I think it might be because you seem very powerful to her", Hermione said thoughtfully. "If the data from the game I played is accurate, creating a Rose Madonna, an Alchemy creature with its own Life, requires a necessary spell called Construct Enchantment, a 9th-level Transmutation Spell. Being able to cast such a spell means you're at least a 17th-level professional rank powerful mage. Although the real world might not have such precise level distinctions as in the game, understanding what mastering a certain spell represents is something most people are clear about."
Indeed, things were as Hermione had said. In their subsequent interactions, Andoline became much more humble. This attitude made their communication much smoother. After dinner, Rose Crystal ran to inform the caravan at the inn about their departure, while Liam and the others began their discussions with Andoline.
For the next three days, Liam and his companions set up their tents in the clearing in front of the cottage and began exchanging various kinds of knowledge. Although the use of magic varied significantly between different worlds, the fundamental nature of power remained largely unchanged. After overcoming some initial misunderstandings caused by cultural differences, their exchanges became incredibly smooth.
With both sides eager to learn, Liam and his companions quickly gathered all the spells recorded in Andoline's spellbook. However, the look of joy on Andoline's face made it clear that she had gained a great deal from the exchange, perhaps even more than she had given.
"Time really flies", Andoline said in surprise, glancing at the calendar on the wall as their fourth morning of exchanges came to an end. "Since you plan to exchange magic in Silvermoon City, I can recommend you to Lady Elastron."
"Lady Elastron?" Hermione was somewhat surprised. "You can recommend us to her?"
"Of course", Andoline said, sounding a bit proud. "My husband and I are responsible for the food at the Moon Festival Banquet, so we have the opportunity to meet Lady Elastron. I believe she won't refuse to meet two powerful and friendly mages like you under the current circumstances."
"That sounds great", Hermione said. Half an hour later, they were standing at the gates of Silvermoon City. With Andoline and her husband vouching for them, Liam and the others easily passed the scrutiny of the silver-armored knights and entered the city. From the knights' tone, Liam could tell that mages like himself were very welcome here.
"It's because mages spend a lot of money and don't cause trouble like those rough mercenaries or adventurers, who often start fights when they're drunk", Andoline explained with a smile, answering Hermione's unspoken question.
"Where do we go next?" Liam asked.
"Let's go to our shop first", Chef Gandru said. "Lady Elastron often dines at our place a few times a month. If you stay at our shop, you're bound to meet her."
Gandru's restaurant was located next to a small square, which had a very modern feel with a fountain, benches, and an abundance of flowers and trees. There were also some small vendors selling snacks and various items.
Many children were playing there, free from the worries that plagued most medieval cities, such as the fear of being kidnapped by criminals. Silver-armored knights patrolled the plaza regularly to maintain order. Liam could sense that the two statues by the fountain were not merely stone carvings but Alchemical Construct Golems. Most adventurers would not be a match for these constructs.
"No wonder this place is called the Jewel of the Northern Lands", Hermione said, taking Liam's hand. "It seems we've come to the right place."
(End of Chapter)
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