Chapter 979: Chapter 53 The Second Golden Body_4
Ah Dai’s expression changed as he said, "Assassin’s Guild? Big brother, do you know where their headquarters are?" With his greatly increased strength, Ah Dai’s confidence had also grown, and he was very eager to quickly avenge Owen.
Yan Shi gave a bitter smile and said, "The Assassin’s Guild’s headquarters are extremely secret. Not to mention my ignorance, even within the Assassin’s Guild, only the higher-ups know the location of their headquarters."
Ah Dai looked somewhat disappointed and said, "Then it seems we can only search slowly. Big Brother Yan Shi, what were those brothels and casinos you mentioned just now? I’ve never heard of them."
Upon hearing Ah Dai’s question, Yan Shi was at a loss for words and could not speak. Yan Li burst into laughter and said, "You’ll know once we get to the Empire of Sunset City. Those are quite the gold sinks!"
Yan Shi glanced at Yan Li and said, "Brother, those are not good places, it’s better if you don’t get involved."
Ah Dai, not understanding, nodded and said, "Then let’s go into the city first."
Yan Li suddenly seemed to remember something and cried out with a ’yikes,’ which caused both Yan Shi and Ah Dai to turn their attention towards him. Yan Shi asked, "What’s with the screaming, did someone step on your tail?"
Yan Li grimaced and said, "Big brother, it seems we’ve forgotten something very important."
Yan Shi was puzzled and asked, "What is it?"
Yan Li said, "We don’t have any money on us! Without money, it’s hard to make a move on this continent."
Yan Li’s words suddenly made both Ah Dai and Yan Shi freeze. Yan Li was right; they did not have any money. All of Ah Dai’s money had been given to Xuan Yue, and moreover, it had been almost spent along the journey. When leaving Tian Gang Mountain, Xuan Yue’s mind was in such disarray that she only remembered to leave the bracelet with Ah Dai but forgot about money. And when they were about to leave Tian Gang Mountain, Xi Wen and the others were all immersed in the sorrow of the Sword Saint of Tian Gang’s disappearance, and no one had paid attention to these details.
Yan Shi said with a wry smile, "Yeah, how could we have forgotten about this? Without money, we might not even be able to afford food. Do we brothers have to find a place to work?"
Ah Dai’s expression suddenly changed as he remembered what Owen had said to him. He spoke in a low voice, "Big brothers, I have a way to get money."
Yan Li was overjoyed and said, "What way, quickly tell us."
Using Yan Shi’s tall body to shield himself, Ah Dai summoned his red magic card from the Dragon’s Blood and said, "Have you forgotten? I am an Intermediate Magician! With this card, I can collect a monthly allowance, and I haven’t done so in over half a year. That sum should be sufficient for us for a while."
Yan Li laughed heartily and said, "Brother, you’re really something. How could we forget that? But you truly are a unique magician—one with superb martial arts and poor magic. Haha!"
Hearing Yan Li call his magic poor, Ah Dai couldn’t help but think of Goris. In his heart, Goris was an incredible magician. He silently thought to himself: Teacher Goris, once I’ve dealt with the matters of the Elf Clan, I will definitely visit you as soon as possible. Then, you must teach me more magic! Ah Dai will seriously learn from you. How he wished he could return to the Illusive Forest soon! But the affairs of the Elf Clan made it impossible for him to create a clone.
Yan Shi smiled and said, "Don’t tease Ah Dai anymore. Now that we have a lead on money, let’s head into the city."
The City of Light truly deserved to be one of the most prosperous cities of the Empire of Huasheng. Upon entering the city gates, what greeted the eyes was a spacious street lined with an endless array of shops on both sides. The calls of merchants shuffled with one another, while the constant stream of passersby flowed endlessly. Occasionally, on the wide street, nobles’ carriages, under the guidance of their drivers, would slowly make their way through the bustling scene. Arriving here, Ah Dai felt as if he were coming home, feeling extremely comfortable. The passersby all shared his dark hair, dark eyes, and yellow skin; no one cast curious glances at him.
Yan Shi and Yan Li were the exact opposite of Ah Dai; their imposing statures and shaved heads, along with the weapons they carried, instantly made them the focus of everyone’s attention, causing them both much unease. Yan Li, on multiple occasions, nearly lost his temper, but when he incidentally noticed that some of the onlookers were pretty girls, his anger dissipated, and he even began to stride with his chest puffed out proudly.
After asking for directions, they learned that the Mage Guild was not far to the east of the city, so the three of them hurriedly quickened their pace and headed straight for the Guild.
Just like the small city of the Red Charming Clan, the Mage Guild of the City of Light was situated right next to the Mercenary Guild. However, the Mage Guild here was far from desolate. Although the number of people entering and leaving couldn’t compare with the Mercenary Guild, there were still many mages coming and going. In terms of architecture, the Mage Guild here was much larger than the Mercenary Guild, with its hexagonal, towering edifice dwarfing the adjacent building. Ah Dai was unaware that this was the headquarters of the Mage Guild for the entire continent.
"This is the place, let’s go in," the trio walked towards the entrance of the Mage Guild. Just as they were about to reach the gate, a wooden staff suddenly emerged from inside with an elderly voice saying, "You’ve got the wrong place, the Mercenary Guild is next door; this is the Mage Guild." Ah Dai looked carefully and saw an old man sitting inside the entrance of the Mage Guild, his white hair and beard indicating he was at least seventy or eighty years old, dressed in ordinary civilian clothes with sagging eye bags, not even sparing a glance at the trio.
Ah Dai had encountered similar situations before and quickly said politely, "Grandpa, I am a magician, here to collect my monthly allowance, and these two are my friends. Please let us in." The old man slowly raised his head to look at the three, his eyes clouded and yellow, looking dull-witted as he sized them up. Afraid that the old man wouldn’t believe him, Ah Dai hurriedly handed over his magic card. The old man didn’t take it, merely glancing at it and said, "Since you are a magician, then you may enter. They are not, so they cannot come in."
Yan Li, rage welling up, said, "You old man, why are you so obstinate? We’re just here to take a look around, not to cause trouble. As soon as my brother collects his money, we’ll leave right away."
The old man snorted and without even looking at Yan Li, repeated the same words, "If you’re not a magician, you cannot enter."
Just as Yan Li was about to fly off the handle, Ah Dai hurriedly pulled him back, saying, "Both of you brothers, if this grandpa doesn’t let you in then let’s just leave it be. At his age, he still has to guard the door here, that’s not easy at all! Let’s not make things difficult for him. You guys wait here for me; I’ll be out very soon."
Yan Shi pulled Yan Li’s garment, and Yan Li, with a humph, lowered his voice and said, "Brother Ah Dai, then you better come out quickly. Didn’t you see the myriad restaurants lining the street? Brother here has been itching for a good meal for a long time. After coming down from the Tian Gang Mountain, we haven’t had a decent meal, and my mouth is nearly tasteless from blandness."
Ah Dai nodded and turned to enter the Mage Guild, while Yan Shi, pulling Yan Li, settled down in a corner to wait for Ah Dai.
As Ah Dai passed through the gate, he said to the old man, "I’m really sorry, my big brother actually means well, he’s just a bit hot-tempered, don’t take it to heart."
The old man’s cloudy eyes swept over Ah Dai and he said indifferently, "The world has gone downhill! There aren’t many young people like you anymore, go on in."
Ah Dai smiled faintly, bowed to the old man, and entered the Mage Guild. The interior of the Guild was dimly lit, with a huge six-pointed star pattern on the ground, and several unmarked counters to the side. In the center of the hall, there were already more than a dozen mages gathered in conversation, seemingly sharing magic insights. Seeing Ah Dai walk in, one of the mages approached with a smile and said, "This young brother seems unfamiliar! You must be new here." This person was dressed in a red magic robe and appeared to be in his thirties. The insignia on his robe indicated that he was a senior magician.
Seeing someone take the initiative to greet him, Ah Dai quickly said, "Hello, sir, I’m new here and have come to collect my monthly allowance. May I ask, whom should I speak to for this?"
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "So you’ve come from afar, little brother! I wonder what level of magician you are, and why aren’t you wearing your magic robe?" It was common knowledge that mages took pride in wearing the magic robes provided by the Mage Guild.
Ah Dai, a bit embarrassed, said, "My magic robe is damaged, and I was hoping to collect a new set while I was here. I have passed the certification of an Intermediate Magician."
