Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
An invisible light passed Felipe and the mysterious man, and the silver gate was immediately opened, revealing a honeycomb-shaped pathway in splendid colors.
On the pathway, an old man in a red magic robe was staring at them with lightning bouncing out of his eyes. He lambasted, “Was Brades here just now? Otherwise, Hathaway’s experiment couldn’t have had such an accident! Also, I sensed him!”
The young man secretly grimaced. “Maybe…”
Then, he asked innocently, “What exactly has happened?”
……
Clang!
The Skull Bell of the office tower let out a long and freezing echo.
Donnie happened to be drawing the last line in his soul. So, the magic model collapsed and absorbed the ocean of energy crazily. Life and death entangled, and “power” kept branching, resulting in fierce changes.
After everything died down, a complicated “crystal” was added into Donnie’s soul. It flowed mysteriously as the vivid representation of a certain law. It also showed that Donnie had crossed the phase of apprentice and become an official sorcerer!
It was the breakthrough that countless magic apprentices had dreamed about, but most of the apprentices could barely fulfill their wish.
After they became official sorcerers, not only would they be given the power that could kill apprentices and ordinary people easily, but they would also automatically become the members of their hometown’s parliament, same as the nobles. For the children of civilians, it meant that they had stepped into the upper society!
Donnie, who was not of a noble background, reviewed himself in delight. After he almost touched the black armor several months ago, Karl, Sammy, and he never had similar nightmares. Their lives and studies were rather peaceful, and it was much easier for him to make breakthroughs in spiritual power. So, after Karl and Sammy, he became an official sorcerer before the new year! It was a reasonably good achievement even considering all the apprentices of the Heidler Magic College.
Although some people had become official sorcerers before they were admitted by the Heidler Magic College, most apprentices were never qualified to fight for the rank until the end of their freshman year. Few of them made the breakthrough before the new year.
“I feel that the few nightmares polished my soul. That’s why my spiritual power increased faster and more steadily…” Donnie had a lot of random thoughts. “The nightmares are enough to cause such changes. What could have happened if I touched the black full armor in the end?
“That’s not right. Perhaps I would have been controlled by the black armor. I can’t be too greedy… Well, I should visit home during the new year holiday and thank Mr. Dollos by the way. Without his generous help, it would’ve taken forever for me to become an official sorcerer…”
……
In year 24 of the arcana calendar, at the end of the Month of Ice, any drop of water would be frozen in the blowing wind immediately. The passersby on the street covered themselves in thick clothes and lowered their hats under the coldness.
“It’s already so cold…” On the Hexagram Station, Karl pulled his man suit and intentionally exhaled, raising a white mist from his mouth.
Although Donnie had become an official sorcerer, he hadn’t cast any spell that could resist the coldness. Therefore, he was also shivering. Holding back his black magic robe, he said, “Yes. Winter only feels like winter in Rentato.”
The Heidler Magic College was in the World of Souls with a permanent temperature adjusted by the shield of the college, making it impossible for the students to perceive seasonal changes. After they were out of the World of Souls, Heidler City had been corrupted by the air of the World of Souls for too long and therefore looked more or less the same. On the magic steam trains, there were air conditioners that provided heat. So, although they had seen snow all their way here, Donnie and Karl did not feel that it was winter until this moment.
“I need to go home. See you after the holiday,” Karl said in a sweet smile. Then, he waved his hands. “By the way, Happy New Year!”
Sammy and Jones were separated from them in the station in Heidler. After all, their destinations were different.
Watching Karl disappear into the crowd in the station, Donnie sighed faintly. It had been half a year, but he was still not used to Karl’s look yet.
Shaking his head, he got rid of the thought and walked out of the station. He had booked a train ticket to return to his hometown tomorrow, and he could only visit and thank Mr. Dollos as well as the teachers who took care of him while he was in school today.
Near the Triumph Square, Donnie walked toward the Knowledge Bookstore in joy, eager to tell Mr. Dollos the good news that he had been promoted into an official sorcerer. It was a simple, understandable show-off that Donnie couldn’t stop himself from doing.
“How did this happen?” Donnie stood before the Knowledge Bookstore in a daze, not understanding what happened.
He saw that the gate of the Knowledge Bookstore was closed, with quite a few pieces of dim and fuzzy paper stuck to it.
“How is it closed?” Donnie approached in surprise and identified the words on the paper carefully.
“This store has been closed for tax evasion by the Tax Office of Holm.”
“This store has been co-closed by the Punishment Department of the Congress of Magic and the Police Department of Holm for selling banned books.”
“This store has been co-closed by the Punishment Department of the Congress of Magic and the City Hall of Rentato for selling fake and unqualified magic items.”
…
Donnie read the orders and mumbled to himself, “What exactly did Mr. Dollos do?”
Ten years ago, thanks to the further popularization of magic items and the growing number of alchemical workshops of different categories, the life in Holm changed greatly. One of the greatest new features was the division of labor. Therefore, Heinrich, the prime minister back then, separated the government departments that used to be combined, in order to deal with the new situation.
Although Mr. Dollos did seem to have committed crimes, Donnie remembered his help and was reluctant to leave. So, he looked for the owners of the nearby stores and asked them carefully.
“A few months back, people of the tax office summoned Dollos first, claiming that he committed tax evasion.”
“Dollos never came back after he was summoned. In the days that followed, more and more people came to stick those seals. There were quite plenty of them.”
“I’m told that Dollos has already been sentenced to prison and that he won’t be released for another five years.”
Faced with Donnie who had the badge of an official sorcerer on his chest, none of the store owners dared to lie or use the nicknames that they gave to the tax collectors and the police officers.
“Sentenced to prison…” Donnie murmured in a low voice and struggled for a moment, but he still decided to visit Mr. Dollos. After all, the man had offered tremendous help to him.
However, Donnie was soon disappointed, because the staff of the Congress told him that Dollos was kept in a prison far away, and that his whole holiday was only enough for a round trip. So, taking the suggestion of the staff, he wrote a letter to Dollos and left his own mailing address.
……
Wu!
Clang! Clang!
The noise when the train came into the station scared off the kids who were playing around. Even the adults were more or less intimidated. It hadn’t been long since the railway was extended to the town, and the folks were not used to the gigantic creature that could run on its own yet.
Donnie slowly walked out of the magic steam train. Seeing the familiar buildings and mountains, he had a lot of complicated feelings.
“Huh, isn’t it Donnie White?” There were not many residents in the town. They were quite familiar with each other.
“That’s right. It’s Donnie. He seems much taller and bigger now. Wait, has the badge on his magic robe changed?”
“One black circle on the silver background. He… He is an honorable Mr. Sorcerer now!”
In the blink of an eye, the town residents whom Donnie was quite familiar with changed their expressions to one that was full of admiration and fear, as if he were no longer the Donnie they knew but a strange Mr. Sorcerer that was even more esteemed than the mayor!
Although they hadn’t met an official sorcerer many times, the generous treatment that their petty mayor offered every time had left them a deep impression. Without them knowing it, had their neighbor’s naughty kid become a high and mighty sorcerer too?
The residents’ change of attitudes couldn’t have escaped Donnie’s senses, which were now keener and keener. He was both somewhat uncomfortable and somewhat delighted. No wonder everybody wanted to be a sorcerer and a noble. At the very least, until he could really explore the world, the feeling of being respected could motivate him to work hard.
After a brief silence, somebody left the station and shouted, “White, White, your little Donnie is back! He is now a Mr. Sorcerer!”
Donnie hurried to move forward to the exit.
Very soon, a middle-aged man whose face seemed to have been whetted by frostbite appeared on the street near the station. He was old and had gray hair. Had it not been for his lack of wrinkles, he would’ve convinced everyone that he was in his fifties. Behind him was a plump woman and a young and vigorous girl.
The three of them were equally excited and delighted. The two ladies were weeping already.
“Father, Mother, Lily…” Donnie walked to them. His voice was choked with tears.
His father held his hand tightly and patted it hard. “Great, great, so great…”
At this moment, Donnie felt that all his previous ordeals were worth it!
……
Passing the new year in easiness and delight, Donnie was quite satisfied with his new life. The only unpleasant thing was that the town was still very underdeveloped. Lamps were only set up near the station, and there weren’t any home TVs. The only entertainment was Arcana Voice on the empty ground to the east of the town.
On that day, when Donnie, his parents, and his sister were about to go out to listen to Arcana Voice, a wagon with the sigil of a noble suddenly stopped before their house.
“Greetings, esteemed Mr. White. My lord, Baron Herdos, would like to invite you to his manor. He’s hoping that you could help him resolve a problem that has bothered him for a long time.” A butler-looking man got off the wagon.
Knowing that Baron Herdos was the lord of the few towns around, Donnie dare not disrespect him. “What is the nature of the problem? I would be happy if I can offer any help.”
The butler did not lie. “My lord has an ancient castle that seems to be haunted by ghosts. We asked for the help of several magic apprentices and sorcerers before, but it did not work. Two magic apprentices even died inside. We’re told that you have already become an official sorcerer, and you are a student of the Heidler Magic College. So, my lord sincerely asks for your help. You are a professional.”
Donnie had a conditional reflex of fear about such things. However, before he declined the request, the butler already said, “Whether or not you can take care of the problem, my lord will offer you ten queen gold coins as a reward. If the matter is resolved, there will be even more!”
