Chapter 104: Arcane City and Magic Tower
The group left Rain City the next day and headed to their third stop, Arcane City. This place was the hub of martial practitioners who focused on enhancing the power of their elemental affinities and spells. People like them were called magicians.
Unlike normal martial practitioners who regularly train their bodies, magicians were the exact opposite. Instead of training their bodies, they do research on how to maximize the potential of spells. Because of their thirst for knowledge, most magicians were skilled in spell casting.
Spell formulas that normally take around five seconds to create would be completed by them in just three seconds or less. That's what makes them powerful.
The security was tight in Arcane City. They had their identities checked before they were allowed entry. Everyone was treated equally regardless of their status.
"It's been a while since I've been here," Fredrinn muttered to himself. When he was still a player, he did several missions in this city. The thought of those times made him fall into nostalgia.
From the entrance, he could already see a tall tower in the middle of the city. It was so tall that it almost reached the clouds. That skyscraper was the home of many magicians and trainee magicians. It was both a school and the headquarters of the kingdom's magicians. It was called the Magic Tower.
"I need to see someone. You guys should look for an inn. Come and find me at the Magic Tower once you've found a place to stay." Roland said to the group.
"Yes, my lord!" With the exception of Argus and Fredrinn's subordinates, the rest turned around and left.
"I only need Sir Argus with me. You guys can follow the others." Fredrinn told his subordinates.
"Yes, my lord!"
After they left, Fredrinn glanced at his father and asked. "Which distinguished person in the Magic Tower do you plan to meet?"
"What are you saying?" Roland furrowed his eyebrows with a displeased look. "We're going to find your uncle."
"My uncle?" Fredrinn was puzzled. He rubbed his chin and sorted his predecessor's memories. A moment later, the image of a kind-looking gentleman appeared in his mind. It turned out that Fredrinn had an uncle who was a full-time magician in the Magic Tower!
Looking at Fredrinn's stunned face, Roland chuckled. "Do you remember him now? You were still a kid when he left the estate. He didn't even visit us when we were attacked by the Blackcrow Household. That goddamn old man!"
Fredrinn's uncle was the older brother of Roland. To be precise, he was Roland's cousin whom he treated like a real brother. The previous Fredrinn had some impression of this uncle, but it was too distant so he could only recall a few things about him.
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"Don't blame him, father. Perhaps he is in closed-door research and temporarily cut off his communications with the outside world." Fredrinn tried to pacify his father's frustration.
Roland wasn't truly angry. He only missed the old times and he had a bit of resentment towards his older brother for not visiting them for a long time. "How about we exchange mounts temporarily? I think I will feel better that way."
"Nope."
"Come on. Just this time."
"Not a chance."
The two arrived at the entrance of the Magic Tower in almost an hour. They had to go through numerous inspections. If it weren't for that, they would have already arrived in twenty minutes.
"They are really thorough with the inspections," Fredrinn commented.
"That's only natural. After all, inside the Magic Tower are the top researchers and magicians of the kingdom. It is only necessary to maintain this kind of security to keep them safe." Roland said.
At this moment, a guard fully dressed in knight's armor stopped them. "From this point, no magical beasts are allowed inside. If one of you is a summoner, please inform me immediately." He said with a stern look.
Hearing this, Roland was a bit surprised. "Can you tell us why magical beasts aren't allowed to enter? When I last came here, we can still go beyond the gate."
The knight frowned, but he still answered his query. "It seems like you two came from afar since you don't know about what happened recently. A month ago, there was an assassination attempt here and the culprit was a summoner. Because of that incident, magical beasts are no longer allowed to go beyond the entrance.
Summoners are also strictly followed by our security personnel if they want to enter the tower." The knight had long since noticed the Firecrown Household's insignia on their clothes so he didn't mind telling them this information.
"I see. No wonder." Roland nodded in realization.
The father and son dismounted and brought their horses into the stables. The knight guided them along the way.
"I hope I didn't offend you two. I'm only following my superior's instructions." The knight muttered.
"It's fine. You don't have to apologize. We understand your situation." Roland smiled at him.
"Thank you for your understanding. I'm Garren McCaffrey, Vice Captain of the Magic Knight Security Force. May I ask for your names?" The knight extended his hand as he introduced himself.
"I'm Roland Firecrown, the patriarch of the Firecrown Household. This is my son, Fredrinn Firecrown, the heir of the household." Roland grabbed the knight's outstretched hand and shook it.
"It's nice to meet you. I've heard about your success in eliminating a traitorous household."
They exchanged pleasantries for a while and chatted as the knight escorted them to the tower.
"This is as far as I can go. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask me." Garren saluted.
Roland nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Vice Captain Garren."
Fredrinn also thanked the man.
"I shall take my leave now."
After the knight left, Fredrinn clicked his tongue. "That man is a 5th layer Nascent Soul martial practitioner…"
"You can sense his cultivation?" Roland stared at him in shock. Even he could only sense that they were in the same realm, but he wasn't sure which layer that knight was.
Fredrinn faked a cough. "Ahem! It was just a guess. I'm not actually sure…"
His poor attempt at lying was seen through by Roland. "You have a lot of explaining to do once we return home." He muttered.
"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever."
Roland smacked the back of his head. "I won't let you hold your sister if you don't tell me the truth."
"Eh? It's a girl?"
"Yes, it's a girl. Stop changing the topic!"
"Fine! I'll tell you once we return."