Chapter 190: She’s Not Dead?

“A beautiful future, beckoning right before me~”

“Troubles and hardships, all left far behind me~”

“Oh, today I’m so capable, I don’t know where to begin~”

Early the next morning.

Just as the sky began to brighten, Bai Ya’s cheerful singing echoed from inside the small cabin.

She was still singing her classic hit, “What the Hell is This?”.

That was the name Lu Wei had given it.

The song was actually called “A New Day’s Morning Tune.”

It was a folk song, widely popular in the Northern River Valley Region, representing the people’s longing for a better life.

“Here, this is for you~”

By the stove, Bai Ya ladled a large bowl of last night’s stew and set it in front of Hess. Then, she poured half a bowl for herself, eating it with bread for breakfast.

Sitting on a small stool, she asked while eating:

“Do you want to come with me to the Adventurer Association to read today?”

“Or do you want to stay home and sleep?”

“PLURP~”

From inside his bowl, Hess replied while eating, “Sleep~”

“Alright, I’ll go by myself then.”

Bai Ya nodded and warned, “Don’t go running off. If someone catches you, they’ll eat you.”

“LULU~”

“Okay, and if the captain comes back, show him the note I left.”

“LULU~”

“Hee hee, such a good boy~”

After ruffling Hess’s head, Bai Ya leisurely finished her breakfast, flipped the bedsheet hanging on the clothesline, and then headed out to the Adventurer Association to read.

It was a habit she had only developed in the last month.

Despite having a photographic memory, Bai Ya hadn’t actually enjoyed reading before… or rather, she hadn’t had a place to read.

After all, Shixi Town, where she grew up, had no Adventurer Association or bookstores. Ninety percent of the town’s books were concentrated in the church and the homes of a few wealthy families.

While the books in the church could be borrowed for free, they were all religious texts and sacred scriptures, which were rather boring.

Besides, the knowledge in books was of little help to Bai Ya’s life back then, so she rarely read.

It wasn’t until she came to Heitai Town and joined the Mushroom Squad that she began to read voraciously.

“Read more, read good books. Knowledge is power.”

This was the advice Lu Wei had given her.

Bai Ya had taken it to heart.

‘What should I read today?’

Half an hour later, Bai Ya stood in the “reading nook” of the Adventurer Association’s main hall. She scanned the densely packed spines of the books before her, starting to pick out her “source of power” for the day.

Soon, she selected a book: Molding Energy: An Introduction to Energy, Construction, and Control.

It was a hefty tome with a thick, yellow leather cover. In the center was a Magic Emblem forged from brass.

As required reading for the Molding School of Mages, the book introduced the theoretical knowledge of “Molding Energy” from three aspects: “The Essence of Energy,” “The Construction of Form,” and “The Control of Will.”

It wasn’t exactly abstruse, but at least in Heitai Town, ninety percent of the Adventurers wouldn’t be able to understand it.

But Bai Ya was very confident.

‘My Intelligence is so high. I’m definitely going to be a Mage in the future.’

‘But my Perception is too low, so I’m not suited for schools like Transmutation, Curse, or Illusion Art, which have Perception requirements.’

‘Only the Molding School is the most suitable.’

‘Alright, now that I have a clear goal, it’s time to start studying hard!’

“THUMP~”

Placing the thick book on a small table in the corner, Bai Ya gathered her skirt and sat down, primly opening it to the title page.

“The ignorant unleashes a storm; the Master guides a gentle breeze.”

—Al de Rique

—Sephira Wind

—Brom Stonehand

…

After the concise epigraph was a long list of authors.

There were over a dozen, mostly from the Deepwater City Magic Academy and the Red Robe Wizard Association.

“They’re all true Masters.”

She exclaimed softly, then offered a solemn thanks to these people in her heart before officially beginning to study the knowledge of “Magic Shaping.”

Perhaps because she was genuinely interested in the subject, it wasn’t long before she was completely immersed, lost in a sea of knowledge.

Meanwhile, two men in tattered Leather Armor walked dejectedly through the doors of the Adventurer Association.

“Sigh, what rotten luck. We didn’t get it again. That kid was too fast!”

“I told you, get here early, get here early! You just had to drink so much last night!”

“What was I supposed to do? That idiot said he was buying. Wouldn’t it have been a waste not to drink as much as I could?”

“Don’t talk about it. I get angry just thinking about it. How come we never have that kind of luck!”

“I bet he made some kind of deal with a Demon. He’ll have terrible luck sooner or later…”

They reeked of stale alcohol from a hangover, their Leather Armor was spattered with mud and unidentifiable stains, and the edges of their boots were cracked… A single glance told you they were the kind of common Adventurers with neither Power nor luck.

From their conversation, it seemed they had just picked a quest from the board in the small plaza but had been beaten to it. Now they were planning to try their luck at the quest board in the main hall.

Under normal circumstances, however, the quests posted in the main hall were more difficult than the ones outside.

So, the two were soon seen pushing their way out of the crowd again, cursing and muttering. They had clearly failed to find a quest they were capable of completing.

“Forget it. Let’s go try our luck at the old spot. At least we can earn enough for the next few days’ rent.”

Muttering to himself, the shorter, chubbier of the two men tightened his waistband and prepared to leave.

But in the next second, the taller, thinner man beside him suddenly grabbed his arm.

“Hey, wait, look over there…”

“What is it?”

The short, chubby man froze, following the other’s gaze.

In the next instant, his eyes widened in disbelief, as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Sh-she’s not dead?”

…

…

“Sigh, finally back.”

Around eleven in the morning, a travel-worn Lu Wei pushed open the gate to the cabin’s yard, staggering as he walked.

Normally, with his Physique, the journey from Heitai Town to the Dome Pillar was nothing much.

But today, he had run back using Long Stride.

It was much faster, saving him nearly two hours compared to his usual travel time.

But the exhaustion was also significantly greater.

The reason wasn’t hard to understand.

It was like the difference between “walking five kilometers” and “running five kilometers.”

Almost anyone could complete the former, and as long as they walked slowly enough, they might not even feel much afterward.

But with the latter, even a person who exercised regularly would feel exhausted after finishing.

‘Looks like my current Physique isn’t high enough to support long-distance travel with Long Stride.’

‘But the speed boost is really obvious. It’s like wearing a damn exoskeleton.’

‘I feel like I could use it often in combat, though. It’s like having a haste buff.’

Muttering to himself, Lu Wei pushed open the door, tossed his bag on the floor, and glanced at the small bedroom to his left.

The door was open, but only Hess was there, standing on the bed and staring at him. Bai Ya was nowhere to be seen.

…

He and Hess stared at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly, Hess seemed to remember something, hopping off the bed and scurrying over.

Then, with a shake of its body, it dislodged a small slip of paper from the fluff on its belly.

A Fur Ball-brand messaging machine.

Or “Ball Messenger,” for short.

A very familiar combination.

“PLURP PLURP!”

Mission complete. Hess let out a soft grunt and immediately went back to sleep.

Lu Wei, meanwhile, picked up the note and read it.

Two lines of small text were written on it, unmistakably in Bai Ya’s handwriting.

[Captain, I went to the Adventurer Association to read. I’ll be back around noon~]

[You can come find me if you need anything~]

“Quite the bookworm, aren’t we.”

Lu Wei pursed his lips, casually crumpled the note into a ball, and tossed it into the fireplace.

He then walked straight into the bedroom, planning to rest for a while and wait for Freya to come looking for him.

‘She owes me 100 gold coins. Asking for half, 50 gold coins, shouldn’t be too much, right?’

‘Otherwise, I’ll just tear up the… huh?’

‘Where are my mattress and bedsheet??’

Suddenly, staring at the bed, which was now just bare wooden planks, Lu Wei was completely baffled.

He ran out of the cabin and searched around, only to find that the bedsheet drying in the front yard was his.

And the mattress was lying on the fence in the backyard, sunning itself.

Without a doubt, this was Bai Ya’s doing.

‘What a pain!’

‘I’ve only slept on this sheet for two months, it doesn’t need washing!’

‘Even if it was dirty, couldn’t she just flip it over?!’

Grumbling, Lu Wei went back inside, walked straight into Bai Ya’s small bedroom, lifted Hess off the bed, and lay down himself.

Then he immediately noticed something on the ceiling beam.

Hm?

After a moment’s pause, he rolled off the bed, grabbed a stool, and took down the “treasures” Bai Ya had hidden on the beam.

A money pouch and a small wooden box.

It was clearly Bai Ya’s secret stash.

Lu Wei wasn’t particularly interested in it, nor was he thinking of stealing the money.

He was a Crafty Merchant, sure, but he wasn’t that shameless.

However, when he saw the “abnormally swollen” shape of the money pouch, he suddenly grew suspicious.

He opened it, and his expression turned to one of utter astonishment.

Seven gold coins, eight silver coins, and a pile of copper coins…

She had this much money!

No! Something’s wrong!

Her share of the loot this time was only 2 gold and 2 silver. Even adding the money she got from the forest before, Bai Ya’s savings shouldn’t exceed 4 gold coins!

And that’s not even counting the new clothes she bought!

Where did this extra money come from?!

Frowning deeply, Lu Wei thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out what “side job” Bai Ya could possibly have. He could only tie the money pouch shut for now and open the small wooden box.

As soon as he opened the lid, the first thing he saw was the Eye of True Sight Mage Badge.

Beneath the badge was a small, tightly wrapped cloth bundle.

Judging by how much importance Bai Ya placed on both items, the bundle clearly contained something even more precious than the Mage Badge.

“Well, well, well. I didn’t expect a secret stash!”

“Don’t tell me it’s loot from this adventure that she didn’t turn in?”

With a cold smirk, Lu Wei took out the small cloth bundle and tore it open.

Inside was a wrapping of cotton.

He unwrapped the cotton, only to find yet another layer of silk.

???

Are you fucking kidding me with these nesting dolls???

The corner of Lu Wei’s mouth twitched. Annoyed, he unwrapped the silk.

The good news: there wasn’t another layer.

The bad news: it wasn’t anything valuable.

…

“How much for this pendant?”

“Sir, you have excellent taste! That’s our troupe’s bestselling souvenir. It’s only 40 copper coins.”

“Can you give me a discount?”

“Sorry, that’s the lowest price. It is coated in silver powder, after all. But if you buy two, I can give you a better price.”

“Uh, can’t I get a discount for just one?”

“I’m truly sorry, you have to buy two.”

“Sigh, fine. I’ll take two then.”

…

Sunlight streamed through the small window, casting a bright beam on the unfurled silk cloth.

A silver swan pendant lay there, its wings slightly spread. A closer look revealed that the workmanship was actually quite crude.

There was indeed silver powder, but only a thin layer. You could say the costs had been cut to the absolute minimum.

“Seriously? And here I thought it was some kind of treasure.”

After who knows how long, Lu Wei pursed his lips, wrapped the pendant back up in its layers of silk, cotton, and linen, closed the box, and placed it and the money pouch back on the beam.

‘I’ll give you 10 points for that.’

‘But not a point more.’