CHAPTER 47: ARRIVED

Richard and Sister Lisa continued their journey deeper into the city.

The streets here branched out too much, but just because the buildings were beautiful, Richard couldn’t say the city was well-planned. Many streets were slanted or uneven in size.

As they went further in, Richard realized things were not as good as he had imagined.

The city was not without its poor. In fact, they looked even poorer than villagers, as if the word Suffering was etched onto their faces.

They lived in slums with houses made of old wood, wearing robes that were worn-out and patched all over.

Many children begged for money from passersby or scavenged food from the trash.

As Richard observed, he realized the slums in this city were not few in number.

They just weren’t visible near the city gates.

But when entering the elite district, Richard easily forgot those slum areas.

So many luxurious restaurants, gown and jewelry shops visited by charming young women.

From time to time, he also saw massive Magic Shops visited by many Magi, and Magi of the Aether Will Realm were actually quite common everywhere. Many were only in their twenties, with some even reaching that realm at age seventeen or eighteen.

"Richard, the Aether Will Realm is fairly ordinary here. Of course, it’s impossible to find someone as young as you. Among the many Magi in the Aether Will Realm, those who can fight Primordial Beasts of Tier 8, 9, or 10 are the rarest.

"Most Magi in the Aether Will Realm, even if they have enough Aether and are only lacking one piece of the Aether Framework, at most they’re equal to Tier 6 or 7 Primordial Beasts.

"If they have Tier 2 Aether, they’re equal to Tier 8 or 9 Primordial Beasts. To fight a Tier 10 Beast, it takes some extraordinary Arcane Arts," Sister Lisa explained, giving Richard knowledge he had already learned from Olivia.

Perhaps Sister Lisa assumed he didn’t know that much yet.

Richard nodded a few times in response.

"Are there any Magi with Tier 3 Aether in this city?" he asked.

"Lady Rebecca, my aunt’s master..." Sister Lisa answered with an expression full of admiration.

"Also Wren. Though some rumors say his Aether isn’t that stable. He seems to have forced himself too much to master a Codex that absorbs Tier 3 Aether."

After saying that, Sister Lisa gave Richard a strange look.

"What is it?" Richard pretended to be confused, though he knew Sister Lisa was simply curious about him, since he wasn’t only in the Aether Will Realm—he even had Tier 3 Aether.

"It’s nothing..." Sister Lisa shook her head.

"Sister, what about Magi in the Life Aether Realm?" Richard asked, curious about those in the stronger realm.

In that realm, a person’s Aether becomes alive, and that was why Magi needed the Aether Framework—to allow their bodies to control living Aether.

Living Aether was, of course, different from the Aether of Magi below the Life Aether Realm.

It could be released to carry out tasks on its own in battle without further command from its Magus.

The transformation wasn’t huge, but besides having much greater power, their fighting style became far more troublesome.

"They are the true holders of power," Sister Lisa replied. "For all noble clans, they are revered elders—except for the Moonshadow Clan, since their standards and strength are still higher even though they are considered in decline. Aunt Wilson is in this realm," Sister Lisa said.

"Above them, there’s no need to mention. They are the leaders. Half of them in this city are from the Moonshadow Clan."

"They’re really that strong even though they’ve declined?"

"Yeah, they are that strong because they once had an ancestor who reached the very peak of the world. You understand how powerful that clan is, so you’d better avoid them if you ever encounter them. If we get into trouble with them, even Mrs. Wilson would find it hard to help, despite being Lady Rebecca’s personal maid."

Richard nodded but inwardly smiled.

That clan—he was the original young master of it. He was merely abandoned.

"Mm..."

Sister Lisa suddenly turned into a street lined with houses of similar appearance, medium in size but seemingly luxurious.

It appeared to be a housing complex, something he hadn’t found in Apple Town. But since Night Valley City was so large, it was likely there were many complexes built by those in the property business.

Soon after, Sister Lisa stopped the carriage in front of one of the houses.

Richard couldn’t help but feel strange when he saw the house, as its roof was full of crows resting there.

Some flew away, but others came to take their place.

This complex clearly wasn’t some gathering ground for crows, since none were perched on other roofs.

"Don’t be too surprised. Lilith can be considered an odd Magus, but she’s very kind—and very strong as well," Sister Lisa said, noticing Richard’s bewilderment.

She got off the carriage from the front while Richard got down from the back.

Just as Richard landed on the ground, the house door suddenly opened.

A beautiful young girl, about the same age as Richard, with black hair and blood-red eyes and straight bangs stepped out of the door along with a young woman in her twenties wearing a maid uniform.

"Is that the woman?" Richard asked instinctively in surprise.

He was stunned because to him, the girl was far too beautiful for her age.

"No, they’re guests," Sister Lisa answered, and Richard then noticed another carriage besides theirs.

The difference was, that carriage was too luxurious, seemingly made of gold, its windows covered with silk curtains.

The girl and her maid headed toward that carriage, their eyes briefly glancing at Richard and Sister Lisa.

The girl looked very cold, yet she still carried an air of curiosity toward them—especially Richard, who was the same age as her. She stared at him long enough as if observing him.

After that, she entered the carriage, and it soon departed.

Richard kept watching the carriage until it disappeared.

He could sense the uniqueness of that girl and knew she was extraordinary.

"Hey, Richard, do you like her? That girl really is too beautiful. When she grows up, she’ll surely become stunning and pursued by many men. If you’re truly interested in her, I think you should approach her from this age. You know, there’s always a different feeling for women toward men they’ve known since childhood."

Richard, "..."