Chapter 242: Chapter 53 The Second Golden Body_4
Ah Dai’s face changed, and he asked, "The Assassin’s Guild? Brother, do you know where their headquarters is?" With his increased strength, Ah Dai’s confidence had grown, and he was eager to avenge Owen as soon as possible.
Yan Shi gave a bitter smile, "The location of the Assassin’s Guild’s headquarters is extremely secretive. Not only do I have no idea, but even the members of the Assassin’s Guild only know if they’re part of the upper echelon."
Ah Dai was somewhat disappointed, "It seems I’ll have to look slowly then. Yan Shi, what do you mean by brothels and gambling houses that you mentioned earlier? I’ve never heard of them."
At Ah Dai’s question, Yan Shi was momentarily at loss for words. Yan Li laughed heartily, "You’ll find out when we reach the Empire of Sunset City. They’re real money pits!"
Yan Shi shot Yan Li a glance, saying, "Brother, those aren’t good places. It’s better if you stay away."
Ah Dai nodded, not fully understanding, "Then let’s head into the city first."
As if Yan Li suddenly remembered something, he let out a loud exclaimation making Yan Shi and Ah Dai look at him. Yan Shi asked, "Did someone step on your tail, why are you screaming?"
Yan Li made a face, "Brother, it seems we forgot something very important."
Yan Shi was bewildered, "What?"
Yan Li replied, "We don’t have any money! You can’t get anywhere on the continent without money."
Yan Li’s words left Ah Dai and Yan Shi stunned. Yan Li was right, they didn’t have any money. All of Ah Dai’s money had been given to Xuan Yue, and they had spent most of it on the journey. When they left Tian Gang Mountain, Xuan Yue was too flustered to remember about the money and only remembered to leave the bracelet for Ah Dai. And when they were leaving Tian Gang Mountain, people like Xi Wen were immersed in the sorrow over the disappearance of the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang and didn’t care about such details.
Yan Shi gave a bitter smile, "Yes, how did we forget about this? Without money, we probably can’t even afford food, are we brothers going to find jobs?"
Ah Dai suddenly perked up, remembering something Owen had once told him, he whispered, "Brothers, I have a way to get money."
Yan Li was ecstatic, "What method, tell us quickly!"
Ah Dai used Yan Shi’s tall body to obscure himself, and summoned his red magic card from the Dragon’s Blood, saying, "Did you forget? I am an intermediate magician! I can use this card to get a monthly stipend. I haven’t collected it for over half a year, that should be enough for us to use for a while."
Yan Li laughed heartily, "Brother, you’re amazing, how could we forget about this. But, you really are a unique mage! One who is extremely skilled in martial arts but has poor magic skills. Haha!"
Upon hearing Yan Li comment about his poor magic skills, Ah Dai couldn’t help but think of Goris. In Ah Dai’s heart, Goris was an incredible mage. He thought to himself: Master Goris, once I’ve dealt with the Elf Clan’s matter, I’ll come to see you as soon as possible and, at that time, I hope you’ll teach me more magic. I’ll definitely study hard. He yearned to return to the Illusive Forest as soon as possible, but the issue of the Elf Clan made him unable to.
Yan Shi smiled, "Stop making fun of Ah Dai. Since we have a way to get money, let’s proceed into the city."
The City of Light, living up to its reputation as one of the most prosperous cities of the Empire of Huasheng, greeted newcomers with a broad street full of thriving shops. The endless stream of pedestrians was occasionally intersected by slowly progressing carriages belonging to nobles, commanded by their charioteers. The bustling prosperity was such a welcome sight. Ah Dai felt at home here, immensely comfortable because the surrounding pedestrians, with their black hair, dark eyes, and yellow skin, were just like him; no curious glances were cast his way.
The situation for Yan Shi and Yan Li was entirely different from Ah Dai’s. Their towering statures, shaven heads, and the weapons they carried made them stand out in the crowd, attracting attention, which made them quite uncomfortable. Yan Li was about to lose his temper when he noticed some beautiful girls among the onlookers, which instantly brush off his anger, and he even straightened his back and held up his head.
Having learnt that the Mage Guild was not far to the east of the city, the trio quickened their pace, heading straight there.
Similar to the small city of the Red Charming Clan, the Mage Guild of the City of Light was also adjacent to the Mercenary Guild. However, the Mage Guild here was far from being as desolate. Although the footfall was considerably less than the Mercenary Guild, quite a few magicians were coming and going, and, in terms of architecture, the hexagonal tall building of the Mage Guild was considerably larger than that of the Mercenary Guild. Ah Dai didn’t know that this was the headquarters of the Mage Guild across the continent.
"Here we are, let’s go in." The trio headed towards the massive doors of the Mage Guild. As they were about to enter, a wooden staff extended suddenly from within the doorway, and an aged voice said, "You’re at the wrong place. The Mercenary Guild is next door. This is the Mage Guild." Looking closely, Ah Dai saw an old man sitting inside the entrance of the Mage Guild. The man seemed to be at least seventy or eighty years old, clad in simple civilian clothes, his sagging eyelids barely giving the trio a glance.
Ah Dai had encountered a similar situation before so he quickly said politely, "Grandfather, I am a magician. I’ve come to collect the monthly tribute. These two gentlemen are my companions. Could you please let us in?" The old man slowly looked up at them, his eyes full of muddied yellowness were dimly focused. He looked the trio up and down. Afraid of not being believed, Ah Dai quickly handed over his magic card. The old man didn’t take the card, but after a quick glance, he said, "Since you are a magician, you may enter. But they are not, so they cannot."
Yan Li was about to boil in rage, "You old man, why are you so blunt? We just want to take a look. We’re not here to make a mess. When my little brother has collected his money, we will leave immediately."
The old man only grumbled, not even paying attention to Yan Li. He repeated, "Not a magician, can’t go in."
Just as Yan Li was about to explode, Ah Dai quickly stopped him, "Big brothers, since the old man refuses to let you in, let it go. He must have a hard time at this old age guarding the door. We shouldn’t make it hard for him. You wait for me here. I’ll be out fast."
Yan Shi reached out and pulled at Yan Li’s clothes, and Yan Li held his words. He spoke quietly to Ah Dai, "Ah Dai, you’d better come out fast. Didn’t you see the great number of restaurants along the street? My stomach has been itching for a good meal for a long time. After we leave here, let’s have a good meal. Ever since we left Tian Gang Mountain, I have not had a proper meal. I’m almost sick of the plain dishes."
Ah Dai nodded, turned around and entered the Mage Guild, while Yan Shi dragged Yan Li to sit down in a corner, waiting for Ah Dai to come out. Passing through the gate, Ah Dai apologized to the old man, "I’m sorry about that. My big brother is actually a good person, but he has a bit of a temper. Please don’t take it to heart."
The old man glanced at Ah Dai with his cloudy eyes and calmly said, "The world is getting worse! There are not many young people like you anymore, you should hurry up and go in."
Ah Dai gave a slight smile, bowed to the old man, and walked into the Mage Guild. The light inside the guild was not very bright. On the floor, there was a massive hexagram, some unmarked counters, and a dozen magicians chatting in the center of the hall, apparently discussing some magical insights. A magician saw Ah Dai coming in and welcomed him with a smile, "This young man looks very unfamiliar! You are new here, aren’t you?" The man, about thirty, was wearing a red magic robe, and his robe’s logo indicated that he was a high-level magician.
Seeing a warm approach, Ah Dai quickly said, "Hello, yes, I am new here. I’m here to collect the monthly tribute. May I know who should I approach for that?"
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "So little brother has come from afar! May I ask what level of magician you are, and why don’t you wear a magic robe?" It’s worthwhile to mention that all magicians consider wearing the magic robe issued by the Mage Guild an honor.
Ah Dai, somewhat embarrassed, said, "My magic robe was damaged. I actually came here intending to get a new one. I have passed the certification of an intermediate magician."
