Chapter 1 Named Liya

The small magician named Liya had agreed so readily that Hao Ren was caught off guard. He had prepared a whole speech, but now he didn't need any of it. He looked at her with a touch of disbelief. "You don't want to know more?"

"Know more about what? About you admitting you're undocumented?" Liya said, brandishing her staff. "And seeing your reaction now, I'm even more convinced you're really just down-on-their-luck adventurers. Though I am a bit curious, how come there are children in an adventurer's party these days?"

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Elizabeth, the little demon girl, who was uncomfortably fidgeting with the pointed wizard's hat on her head (to hide her small demon horns, since Hao Ren and his group hadn't discovered the existence of freely roaming demons in this world). Hearing Liya's words, she immediately raised her head, baring her teeth threateningly. "You're the child! How much bigger can you be than me?"

"The little girl has quite the temper," Liya said with surprised, wide eyes, then laughed triumphantly. "Don't let my looks fool you, I'm a full-fledged adult—alright, this place isn't suitable for chatting. Would you like to come sit in my magic tower? If we want to introduce ourselves properly, we should sit by a warm fireplace, shouldn't we?"

This seemingly reckless female mage had invited a group of strange adventurers who suddenly appeared before her to rest in her magic tower. This was not a lack of vigilance, but rather a demonstration of caution: A mage's power in their own magic tower increases exponentially, and the tower itself has numerous automatic defense systems. Therefore, "inviting strangers into one's magic tower" is often the best way to verify whether they are hostile. If they really were a group of evildoers, they would definitely think twice about accepting the invitation—anyone who wants to plot against a mage will try to kill them outside the magic tower, not foolishly run into their home turf.

Of course, there might be super assassins who could infiltrate a mage's tower and wreak havoc, but if you really run into that kind of opponent, there's no point in considering whether to go to the magic tower or not; it's just a matter of where you die...

Hao Ren could probably guess some of the intricacies involved. After all, Holleta was also a world with highly developed magical civilization, and he had dealt with mages there. Now, facing Liya's invitation, he pretended to think for a moment and then nodded in agreement. "Alright, we don't have anywhere to go tonight anyway. But before we go to your magic tower, can I ask what kind of commission you're talking about?"

This was a necessary question. Without it, the group calling themselves "down-on-their-luck adventurers" would seem suspicious. So, Liya didn't think much of it and nodded. "Actually, it's just following me to some ruins to find something. Of course, there's a bit of danger, but it's definitely not as exaggerated as what you hear from the Mercenary Guild—every mercenary who goes out with me comes back alive! If you don't believe me, you can ask them tomorrow!"

Seeing the little magician so excited, Hao Ren couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright, we're willing to trust the employer—but we still need you to explain the details of the commission clearly."

"Of course, I'm all about integrity," Liya said proudly, puffing out her chest, then pointed her staff towards the end of the alley. "Then follow me, let's go to my place first."

The female mage led Hao Ren and his group through the intricate back alleys of White Maple Leaf City, taking hidden paths that ordinary people wouldn't tread. This ancient city, with its hundreds of years of history, was like an ever-expanding anthill. Generations of residents had built streets and houses piled on top of each other, forming the main body of the city. Within the magnificent city walls was a maze of old alleys. A newcomer who wandered in might feel they would never see the light of day again, and only those who had lived in the city for a long time dared to casually plan their route through the alleys—the female mage was obviously a very experienced "local."

Under her guidance, the group almost directly traversed this layered and heavy civilian area, arriving at the Mage District in the southeast of the city without passing through any formal city gates.

It was already nightfall.

There was a saying that nobles weren't necessarily mages, but mages were at least half-nobles—as the knowledge class and a powerful group, mages in this world represented advanced productivity and progressive knowledge, so the places where they gathered were bound to be extraordinary.

Mages were qualified to live in the center of the city, together with the lords and nobles, but these proud and knowledge-hungry homebodies clearly preferred quieter places. Therefore, most cities' Mage Districts were located outside the main city, and White Maple Leaf City was no exception. The Mage District here was located in the southeast of the city, the only place not protected by city walls, but the magic barrier formed by dozens of magic towers and various automated defense constructs provided more reliable protection than any city wall. Here, the glow of various magic devices and the scattered magic energy in the air illuminated the entire district, no less than the brilliant lights of the Lord's Mansion in the city center, and the magic towers standing quietly in the night sky added to the mysterious atmosphere of this city that never sleeps.

In such a luxurious and high-end district, Liya's shabby and dilapidated magic tower naturally stood out like a sore thumb.

Her tower was located in the area of the Mage District closest to the civilian area, a stone building only twenty-odd meters high. It had obviously been in service for quite a long time and was severely lacking in maintenance. The outer walls were mottled and cracked, the original paint had long been eroded by wind and rain, and in some of the most severely damaged areas, even the magic metal wires embedded in the tower walls were exposed, sparking in the air. Looking up along the tower, one could see windows that didn't close properly and incomplete window sills. An iron pipe protruded from one of the window openings, with un-dried clothes hanging on it.

Compared to this tower, any building in sight was magnificent.

Hao Ren silently lowered his head, thinking that the only way to justify Liya's magic tower's existence in this area was probably to write "Demolish" on the wall...

"This is my magic tower!" Liya pointed to the door with her iron staff, then noticed the expressions of Hao Ren's group, and was slightly embarrassed. "Ah... I haven't renovated it much in the past two years because of financial constraints, but don't worry, it's a magician's thing, as long as the magic structure is intact, there's no problem, the things inside are still very useful, there's hot water and heating. Let me tell you, don't look at this tower being old, it's a symbol of seniority, it's one of the earliest magic towers in this area, it was the tallest building here when my teacher's teacher's teacher was still alive!"

So, the tower hadn't been renovated at all since then, had it? Miss, how many generations have you been poor?

Lili secretly poked Vivian's arm: "Hey, bat, being this poor, you should be related, right?"

"Shut up!"

Liya felt that this awkwardness couldn't continue, and the best way to end it was to stop this group from looking at the big houses around them, so she quickly led the guests inside. "Ahem, everyone come in, don't be restrained, just be like you're at home. Ah, be careful when entering, this brick is a bit loose..."

The group entered the magic tower, and indeed, as Liya said, although the exterior of the building was a bit dilapidated, the facilities inside were still complete: at least the lights were on, the table had four legs, and the door could be closed...

The environmental control magic array inside the magic tower was operating as usual, and the warm spring-like breeze dispelled the chill of the night outside. The circular main hall on the first floor, although simple, also had a warm fireplace and seats for rest, enough to entertain a small group of visitors.

After entering, Liya casually threw her staff aside and took off her worn-out robe. These two items automatically flew to the coat rack and shelf by the wall and settled themselves. Then, wearing light casual clothes, she came to the fireplace and touched a bronze decoration on it, and the flames in the furnace immediately became brighter, and the furnace itself turned into another appearance.

The whole thing was some kind of illusion device.

"There's a warm wind barrier here, so a stove isn't actually needed, but my teacher liked this kind of useless thing, said it felt like home, so I kept it," Liya said, directing the glittering brass teapots and cups to make tea and pour water, while inviting Hao Ren and his group to find a place to sit. "Sit down, don't be restrained, there aren't any annoying rules in this magic tower, just make yourself at home."

Hao Ren sat down near the fireplace, looked up and surveyed the place. Ignoring the furniture and the magic devices of unknown purpose, he saw a row of circular picture frames hanging on the opposite wall. Each frame contained a portrait of a mage, who were nodding to the guests in the living room, and their names were written below the frames.

"My teacher, my teacher's teacher, and all the grandmasters... Haa, they're all an abnormal and improper bunch," Liya noticed Hao Ren looking at the portraits and said in a helpless tone, "The first generation, died after challenging a dragon while severely drunk; the second generation, died after challenging a dragon while severely drugged; the third generation, severely drugged and drank too much, died after challenging a group of dragons; the fourth generation, didn't drink or take drugs, but went to propose to a dragon and was beaten to death by the dragon's husband... My teacher was the most normal one, he was blown up by his own dragon-slaying spell before he had time to challenge a dragon."

Hao Ren: "...What's your family's beef with dragons?"

"Don't mention it, I'm tired," Liya waved her hand listlessly, "Before explaining the commission, let's introduce ourselves again... Ee? What's that sitting on your shoulder, sister?"

She stared blankly at Vivian, on whose shoulder sat a small girl the size of a figurine.

Hao Ren was stunned the moment he saw the little thing: "Oh crap, how did this guy get..."

"Biubiubiu!"