Su Cheng turned her head. "Thank you. But looking at it from another angle, the fact that you can admit it says something. At the very least, you have the courage to face yourself."
Charles couldn't help but laugh. "You really know how to talk."
Su Cheng looked up at the sky. "It is rare for someone to say that about me. Anyway, what tier are you? A Battle Master, I presume?"
Charles smiled slightly. "When I went to the guild for testing a few years ago, I was a Six-Star Grand Battle Master. Now... I should have advanced, right?"
Su Cheng: "?!?!!?!"
Su Cheng: "May I take the liberty to ask your age?"
Charles blinked. "Twenty-one."
Su Cheng: "......"
A twenty-one-year-old Tier-Seven Warrior.
Even in the previous timeline, you probably could not find a single one in the entire Northern Continent.
After all, Murong Yue was only a year or two younger than him and hadn't even reached Tier-Six, yet she was already renowned far and wide.
Su Cheng: "No, wait—"
How could someone like this be short of money? Even running a single job as a mercenary would bring in at least a few hundred gold coins, right?
Furthermore.
She remembered that Mayor Wayne and his four children had all died, and they were killed by a group of bandits who sacked the town.
Were those bandits gods descended from the heavens?
Wait.
Four children.
Charles was the eldest, he had a younger brother, then two younger sisters, and the youngest brother.
There were five of them in total.
Earlier, in front of Mayor Wayne's monument, it was written that four children died in battle, which meant one had survived.
Su Cheng felt completely baffled.
Could it be that when the disaster struck, Charles just happened to be away?
You have to know that Tier-Seven was already considered a mid-to-high-tier warrior. For a powerhouse of this level, human wave tactics were completely useless.
Unless the so-called human wave consisted of many Tier-Six warriors, he could slaughter those at the Tier-Four or Tier-Five level as easily as chopping vegetables.
And it wouldn't even take much effort.
How could ordinary bandits and rogues possibly have a large group of Tier-Six warriors? Even if they were heretics, it wouldn't go that far.
With that kind of strength, there was no need to do this line of work at all.
Even if they wanted to make money through crime, randomly picking a noble family in the city to rob would be much more efficient than pillaging a town like this.
Su Cheng was lost in a brainstorm.
Charles cast a seemingly curious glance at her. "What are you thinking about?"
Su Cheng looked up. "I was thinking that since you are short of money, why don't you find a lucrative job? With your strength, it should be very easy."
Charles shook his head slightly. "Besides taking care of my younger siblings, there are also many affairs in the town to handle. After the previous sheriff resigned, I was the only one who could take up the position—"
Iron Cage Town's geographical location was right on a major transportation route in the southern part of the empire. Many mercenaries, travelers, and adventurers would stop here to resupply.
With so many people, it was inevitable that various conflicts and disputes would arise.
For a position like sheriff, if nothing else, one's combat power absolutely could not be weak.
After all, in a town like this, most of the time you could only rely on martial deterrence; otherwise, the troublemakers wouldn't care at all.
Su Cheng: "...Your younger siblings are fine, they will grow up eventually, but this job seems to have no end, right?"
Mid-to-high-tier warriors also had long lifespans, so delaying for a decade or so wouldn't matter, but this position was another story.
Su Cheng: "You can't possibly wait until the next person with similar strength to yours appears and is willing to take this position before you can safely put down this burden, can you?"
"...No," Charles gave her a helpless look, then glanced upstairs. "Once they are all of age and their battle aura training is more or less complete, and when my mother gets older and no longer serves as the mayor, we will move to Golden Amber City. By then, I will slowly learn magic. Although I'm not sure if I can learn it; I heard it requires very high comprehension."
Su Cheng suddenly found herself speechless.
She didn't know how to explain to him that he would very likely never live to see that day.
And she couldn't bring herself to say it either.
Just like how she wanted to warn Grutnis about that rabbit, but couldn't utter any relevant words.
Su Cheng opened her mouth. "...If you are very worried about this, I can teach you a little magic, but first I need to know if you are a resonator."
Charles looked somewhat tempted. "Are you an elemental mage too?"
"Yes," Su Cheng nodded. "I also know a bit of spatial magic, but that is much more troublesome to teach. Have you ever undergone spiritual power training?"
He shook his head.
"Alright, but even if mid-to-high-tier warriors don't specifically practice it, they still have a foundation. After all, your senses are very sharp, and taking in so much information acts as an invisible form of training..."
The two walked down the hillside into the night. Green grass and wild weeds tore across the hills until they were cut off by the grayish-white buildings. The town was still very lively, and the night market was incredibly noisy.
The magic guild here was very small in scale. Situated on the crowded and dense commercial street, people constantly came and went in front of its doors.
The receptionist routinely looked up to greet them, then broke into a smile. "Lord Wayne—"
Charles looked a bit embarrassed, but he still politely explained his purpose for coming.
They obviously knew each other. The staff member was a little surprised but quickly directed him to a room upstairs.
Su Cheng accompanied him to the second floor. At the top of the stairs, the silver-haired young man stopped again.
"What if I'm really not?"
He asked.
Su Cheng's head throbbed. "Then I will teach you spatial magic... I will teach you, but I can't guarantee you'll be able to learn it. Besides, I also know a few other random things. Just go."
She couldn't help but give him a push.
Charles didn't budge an inch.
After two seconds, as if finally persuaded, he conflictedly stepped forward and entered the room.
"...Water attribute, medium. Earth attribute, low. Wind attribute, medium."
The mage conducting the test reported.
She clearly also knew the mayor's eldest son, the town's Lord Sheriff, and had no idea why he had suddenly taken this test on a whim.
But these results were not exactly stellar.
It was the type where one would still have to pay bribes just to get into a second-rate magic academy.
Of course, if he just wanted to learn magic, having a resonance level was better than having none at all.
Furthermore, for him, resonance level did not determine everything, because with his strength, making money in the future would be very easy.
When the time came, he could just hire an enchanter to raise his resonance level.
"That's great!" Su Cheng gave a thumbs up. "See! No problem!"
Charles also breathed a sigh of relief and showed her a grateful smile. "Thank you."
The testing mage: "......"
She decided to pretend she didn't exist.
On the way back, Su Cheng began to painstakingly explain wind magic.
The courses she had attended at the Cross Star Academy were enough for her to build a fairly comprehensive systemic understanding for a beginner, helping him grasp the definitions and relationships between elemental spirits, spells, and magic power.
Charles listened very earnestly.
His memory was also quite good; he could recite almost everything she had said.
However—
He consistently failed to sense the existence of elemental spirits.
Su Cheng raised her hand to tidy her bangs that had been messed up by the wind. "With the wind blowing this hard, do you really feel nothing at all? According to what I just said—"
The silver-haired young man shook his head blankly.
"Good heavens, what attribute is your battle aura?"
"It is a manual passed down in my family, it has no attribute."
"Alright," Su Cheng took a deep breath, "wait here a moment—"
She found an alchemy workshop on the commercial street, bought some materials for drawing magic arrays, and then aggressively dragged Charles back home.
Outside the courtyard of the Wayne family mansion, she found a large open space, drew a magic array designed to gather wind spirits, and began to chant in a low voice.
"In my name, I summon the spirits of the wind, ethereal pilgrims, boneless singers, please dance to your heart's content—"
A cyan light bloomed beside her hand, the wind howled and swept up, blades of grass bowed down one after another, and fine stones began to vibrate.
In an instant, dirt, fallen leaves, and grass stems were all swept up by the air currents, weaving into a green-brown mist within the vortex.
The wind spirits whistled and spun in the air, rising from the ground like a funnel, condensing into a rapidly spinning wind vortex above, and then growing higher and higher—
Almost disappearing into the low-hanging clouds in the night sky.
The majestic wind pressure spread in all directions. If it were anyone else, they would have long been unable to stand steadily, and might even have been dragged into the wind.
Su Cheng turned her head.
Charles stood steadily in place, looking up at the whirlwind rising into the sky. "... Truly spectacular."
Su Cheng was actually quite happy too.
It was her first time casting a fifth-tier magic spell, and she had not expected it to go so smoothly. For a moment, she almost laughed out loud.
But she still put on a calm and composed appearance. "You can sit down and start meditating."
A spell of this level would gather more wind spirits. Combined with the magic array on the ground, it could create a temporary environment with a high density of gathered wind spirits.
It was extremely helpful for beginners to sense elemental spirits.
Charles solemnly said thank you, then sat on the ground and closed his eyes.
Su Cheng, on the other hand, slowly felt her own magic and the morphological changes of the wind spirits under the spell's influence. Time quietly slipped away until it was past midnight.
The magic array lost its effectiveness.
The magic crystals powering it had completely dimmed.
Su Cheng withdrew the spell. Grass, leaves, and dirt scattered in the air, falling like rain, leaving wind-eroded marks on the ground.
Charles was still sitting quietly in place. Afraid of disturbing him, she stood aside and practiced spatial magic until the sky took on a cold cyan hue.
The silver-haired young man slowly stood up. "... I am sorry for making you work in vain."
Su Cheng felt like question marks were popping up over her head. "What?"
"I did not feel anything at all," he said, his face full of shame. "Not even once."
Su Cheng hesitated to speak, a sense of blank powerlessness rising in her heart.
She wanted to say something to confirm this result. After all, she was not teaching him how to cast a spell; in that case, gaining nothing after one night would be perfectly normal.
Right now, she was just letting him sense the elemental spirits.
And in such an environment, no less.
That single magic array alone had cost dozens of gold coins.
—Ordinary people simply did not have the means to experience the existence of elemental spirits under these conditions.
Even so, he still had not succeeded.
Su Cheng did not care about those few gold coins at all, but this feeling was truly a headache, especially since she had assumed the other party was definitely a genius.
Su Cheng: "..."
She could not say anything anymore.
Because the person in front of her looked extremely guilty, as if he had done something to wrong her.
She felt that no matter how she questioned him, it would only exacerbate the situation.
Su Cheng: "... This is perfectly normal. For many people, getting started with elemental magic takes months or even years."
Not really.
That was usually because they did not have the kind of environment they just had.
Otherwise, even with a medium resonance level, one should at least faintly sense the presence of the wind spirits, even if only for a brief second.
Instead of absolutely nothing.
Su Cheng: "... Let us do something else."
Charles looked up, the guilt and disappointment in his eyes still lingering.
Su Cheng suddenly remembered that there were actually other teaching methods, such as establishing a spiritual link to guide the other party in their comprehension.
Sometimes it was not about talent, but rather that everyone had a different way of thinking. This was very suitable for those who progressed step by step.
But that was not her style, and she did not really know how to do it.
Su Cheng coughed lightly. "Anyway, could you give me some pointers on my swordsmanship? I heard you are very good with a sword."
"Who did you hear that from?"
"... When I was buying things at that alchemy shop earlier, I heard the people inside chatting about it."
"Oh," Charles smiled. "I would not say I am very good, I just know a little. If you have questions, I will do my best to help you answer them."
The Wayne family had obviously cultivated battle aura for generations.
The house stored many training tools; there were over a dozen specifications of wooden swords alone.
Su Cheng picked one similar in size to her own greatsword. She held it in her hand to test the weight, suddenly thinking of the person who had gifted her the weapon.
If he were here, she would not need to ask someone else for advice.
She wondered if there would ever be a chance to meet him again.
Catching a glimpse of the fleeting melancholy on the young girl's face, Charles did not ask too much, but simply led her to the practice ground in the backyard.
Because they had to get up early to work, the children of the Wayne family woke up one after another. Except for the youngest who was still sleeping, the other three swarmed over.
They clung to the doorframe and poked their heads out, watching their eldest brother and the great mage standing on the sandy ground, their wooden swords clashing in the air, surging battle aura flashing and disappearing.
Both of them restrained their battle aura, entering a pure contest of skill.
The trajectories drawn by the sword edges were like intertwining wind currents. The two agile figures crossed in the air, emitting continuous sounds of collision.
Charles nodded slightly. "Alright, your turn to try and parry."
Su Cheng waited in full readiness.
The next second, the other party lunged forward like a phantom. The blade, originally pointing at her knee, suddenly acted like a viper whipping its head around, slashing upward at an unimaginable angle.
Then it accurately thrust three inches above her wrist.
Su Cheng was very sure she could not dodge it.
Her figure vanished from the spot.
Then she appeared behind the silver-haired young man, keeping her original posture unchanged, and thrust her blade forward.
Charles backhandedly leveled his sword to block the sharp blade thrusting toward his spine, then dropped his wrist, pressing her sword all the way down.
Su Cheng wanted to exert force, but she was afraid the wooden sword would not be able to bear it. With no other choice, she simply vanished again.
However, this time, the moment she appeared and before she could even stand firm, the other party hooked her ankle and yanked her violently forward.
She instinctively wanted to wrestle back, but her opponent's timing was too ingenious, and it was not pure brute strength—
Su Cheng completely lost her balance.
Although with her physique, even if she fell to the ground, she could bounce back up at top speed.
However—
Charles still reached out and caught her.
She was encircled around the waist by an arm like cast iron, lifted directly from mid-air, and then crashed into a broad chest that was as hard and scorching as a furnace.
Su Cheng: "..."
Her chin even pressed against his button.
Charles looked down at her. "You have not been practicing with this kind of weapon for very long, have you?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, I get the feeling you've developed a certain... instinct to just use spatial magic whenever you're faced with a problem you can't solve."
He mused for a moment. "In that case, let me teach you how to actually solve problems. I think there's still a lot we can explore together. Your combat intuition is pretty good."
Su Cheng was just about to reply when she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye.
She turned her head, only to find three heads crowded together by the doorframe.
Su Cheng: "..."
Noticing where she was looking, Charles hurriedly stood up straight and released the arm he had wrapped around her lower back. "Sorry."
