“Lady Reki, I’d like to ask another favor…”
“‘Lady’? How could I dare call myself that in front of you? Sister Weilin, are you trying to embarrass me?”
“That’s why I said I don’t care, so what are you hung up about… Let’s get to business. Do you have any magic I can learn without spending Skill Points?”
“Sister Weilin means…” Reki tilted her head slightly, playing cute as she asked in a surprised tone, “What exactly are Skill Points?”
Weilin: …………
To any man, Reki would be an absolute goddess. Though twenty-four and still unmarried, if she ever issued a worldwide call for suitors, the applicants would likely cram all of Snowcell City to bursting…
Reki was usually poised, noble, and elegant. Yet here she was, acting like a coy woman and deliberately playing cute in front of Lega Weilin, showing a coquettish charm no one else had ever seen…
Oh my god, is she after my money too?
Weilin actually felt dazed by the charm for a moment. It was only human, unavoidable.
Hmph, but I refuse!
“Remember your station, Branch Guild Master!” Unswayed by the seduction, Weilin’s expression turned stern. “I’ll be blunt. Do you have the absolute most basic magic books here, like ‘Ice Bullet’ or ‘Holy Light’?”
Under Weilin’s righteous gaze, Reki could only retract her little scheme. But she paused upon hearing the question.
“Our Cloudstride Merchant Guild… never sells such low-grade, cheap, profitless trash.”
“Say that again? I didn’t hear you.”
“—Of course we do! Our guild sells out of those daily! We just happen to be short on supply right now. Please wait a moment, Miss Lega. I’ll send someone to procure them immediately!”
#
Ten minutes later, Weilin had a large pile of basic magic books as requested.
From Holy Light to Fireball, from Frost Trap to Low-Tier Wind Walk… she flipped through every 1st and 2nd-tier magic book available on the market, but couldn’t find a single spell she could get for free.
By the game’s rules, the Skill Points needed to learn a spell depended on its tier.
A 1st-tier spell cost 1 Skill Point. A 2nd-tier spell cost 2 Skill Points. So that meant…
Where the hell am I supposed to find a 0th-tier spell?!
Left with no other choice, Weilin turned to Reki once more.
Reki: “…An even lower-tier spell? I’m not sure. But maybe you could find an answer at the magic academy in Illusory Snow City… Speaking of which, they have a huge magic competition the day after tomorrow. The winner gets an audience with the Illusory Snow Queen herself. Would Miss Lega be interested?”
“Wait! What did you just say?!”
“An even lower-tier spell than 1st-tier, perhaps—”
“No, the part after that.”
“Er… the day after tomorrow, Frostwinter Magic Academy in Illusory Snow City is holding its annual magic competition. I heard this year’s rewards are particularly extravagant. The winner not only gets a position and equipment, but also a personal audience with the Illusory Snow Queen…”
“Okay, thanks. I have no further business.” Weilin gave her thanks and immediately got up to leave.
“Why the sudden rush, Miss Lega? Where are you going?”
“Illusory Snow City.”
?
The central main city of the Snow Kingdom, where the Illusory Snow Queen ruled and resided: Illusory Snow City.
Its scale and population were several times greater than Snowcell City.
If the Snowcell City ruled by Wu Yin was a dead city with scattered morale and suffocating gloom, then Illusory Snow City, governed by the Illusory Snow Queen, was clearly much more vibrant and lively. Though the city was vast, its functional districts were orderly and efficient. Even as heavy goose-feather snow fell from the sky, the bustling crowds in the markets created a truly “bustling” feeling…
Weilin had arrived in Illusory Snow City at lightning speed two days prior.
Her first stop was Frostwinter Magic Academy.
Though the magic academy held many precious tomes accumulated over the Snow Kingdom’s thousand-plus years of history, the concept of 0th-tier skills… perhaps it simply didn’t exist. She returned empty-handed.
Over the next two days, Weilin wandered nearly every corner of Illusory Snow City, forming a rough impression of its current state. She also took the chance to pinpoint the locations of the City Lord’s mansion and the Cold Dove Hall where Huan Xuezhi lived.
The rest of her time was spent patiently waiting for the magic competition to begin.
Slacking off always flies by. Finally—
Day two.
Location: Illusory Snow City, Frostwinter Magic Academy Plaza.
Time: Morning.
Today was the academy’s annual magic competition. Its importance was evident from the meticulous care shown—the academy had sent people first thing in the morning to sweep the plaza’s accumulated snow clean, revealing the gleaming, glossy azure-jade floor tiles.
This was also the first time Weilin had seen so many people gathered under falling snow.
It reminded her of high school, when thousands gathered on the sports field for the flag-raising ceremony. Not quite as packed, but no matter where she looked, there were crowds of people. Hoping to see the plaza’s edge through a gap in the human tide was pure wishful thinking…
Besides that…
“Ahhh—!! …Stop right there! I’m talking to you, blondie! Fucking stop! If you don’t need those eyes, go donate them to someone who does! Fuck you! Hmph, at least you can run fast…”
Damn it all, someone actually dared to grope her in broad daylight?!
Only after having her body taken advantage of did Weilin finally face the facts… She was no longer a weathered middle-aged man, but a beloved, universally appealing JK girl in black stockings.
So…
I’m truly a girl now. Do I need to learn to protect myself?
Emmmmm.
Before she learned any other Mage skills, Weilin figured she might genuinely, urgently need one—or better yet, multiple—bodyguards… Preferably the type who could absolutely carry her through the magic competition.
No sooner said than done.
Taking advantage of the moment before the competition started, with everyone still gathered in the plaza, Weilin steadied her breathing, channeled her Mana, and suddenly shouted, “Everyone, quiet down! —I have something to say! Please hear me out!!”
The girl’s clear, lovely voice was so pleasing to the ear that the entire plaza instantly fell silent.
And so, she drew the gaze of practically everyone, just as she’d intended.
“…Er.” The girl was surprised by how effective her shout had been. “Since you’re all so courteous, I won’t stand on ceremony. The reason is this: I was just harassed by a groper! I’m incredibly indignant! Therefore—on-the-spot bodyguard recruitment! Must be Level 40 or above, with attack power around that of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Responsible for escorting me safely through the upcoming magic competition. One hundred thousand gold coins per person! Priority for those who can bootlick well! The more the merrier! First come, first served!”
Weilin finished her spiel.
Now, she just had to leave the rest to serendipity.
But at these words, the entire crowd burst into laughter, as if hearing the world’s biggest joke. The looks cast at Weilin were a mix of pity, sympathy, lament, and regret. Not a single person believed her; there wasn’t even one who was half-convinced…
This otherworld’s population was ten times smaller than Earth’s, and the wealth gap wasn’t nearly as severe. Besides, if one gold coin had the purchasing power of about 100 RMB from Earth, then 100,000 coins were equivalent to 10 million RMB!
“A hundred thousand gold coins… Yo-ho, that’s my salary for a century, huh? She sure can brag. Such a cute girl, how could she actually be brain-damaged?”
