I have a sovereign soul

The Next Day

Scott woke up and slowly opened his eyes, glancing at the holographic projection, which was still running and broadcasting the news channel.

He took a deep breath. After tidying his room in a simple manner, he washed his face and rinsed his mouth. The time had just passed six o'clock. Slinging his school bag over his shoulder and carrying the 3D hologram generator, Scott strode out the door.

It was Monday, and dawn was about to break. He had to hurry to school before 8:00 AM.

The distance between Streak District and Scarlet Sea High School was 20 miles. He could take the second line of the underground crystal train and transfer to the fifth line to reach his destination. However, that would cost him 10 dollars in train fare.

Scott hated spending money. Stretching his long legs, he cast the basic spell his school had taught him—Speed Enhancement Spell—and dashed like lightning toward the main city.

At this moment, the morning sun was just beginning to rise, filling the sky with limitless, multicolored radiance. It was a dawn brimming with spiritual energy.

From a distance, Vast Sea City appeared like a giant beast awakening. Every major guild was unleashing and deploying its power, casting dazzling rainbows of light.

Many sorcerers were floating in the air. Taking advantage of the transition between night and day, their bodies twisted and turned, forming a glowing, eight-digit script. Some had white cranes or dark crows flying beside them. Meteors circled around them, producing grand and powerful sounds. Together, they presented a dominating spectacle.

A massive floating airship slowly advanced through the middle of the sky, dragging a long tail behind it. The tail intertwined with the blue sky and white clouds, forming a network of magic. Finely crafted, delicate shuttles continuously weaved through the magical web, emitting beautiful whistles. This was precisely what a magical morning in Vast Sea City looked like.

Scott was leaping and bounding like a monkey filled with immense energy. With each step, he jumped over ten meters. His speed was incredible. Though his posture looked quite awkward and drew the stares of passersby, he didn't care—he remained focused on increasing his speed.

In just fifteen minutes, he reached his school. A white mist swirled above his head, and a thin layer of pure white salt had formed on his back from his sweat.

Instead of entering the school gates directly, he shivered slightly and leaped into an abandoned alley next to the school.

Deep within the small alley stood a rusty shop sign. It bore five words: "Troy's Old Goods Shop." Below it was a row of densely packed small text:

"Specializing in all kinds of used artifacts. Also offers artifact modification, battle armor enhancement, magical beast training, rune array maintenance, monastery rituals, and other professional services."

As if the window knew Scott was arriving, it suddenly opened, revealing a large, bald head. It belonged to an old man with shifty eyes.

"Haha! I lost over $3,000 gambling last night. I was worried about how to explain it to my wife, but luck has come my way right away. Hey, kid, what good stuff have you brought for this handsome man this time?" The old man grinned mischievously.

"Keep that nonsense to yourself. Even if you end up naked, homeless, and alone on the streets, don't think I'll lower my prices!" Scott smacked Troy's outstretched hand without hesitation. He hesitated for a few seconds, and though it pained him emotionally, he pulled out his hologram projector and handed it over.

A large part of him wanted to keep the device so he could further study the foldable crystal chip technology, but in the end, real gold and silver were more important. Studying at a private high school was expensive. To train in magic, one had to buy magic cores, auxiliary equipment, and constantly push to enhance their combat abilities.

At the end of the day, being poor in wealth but rich in magic power was still a good way to pave the road to true magic—a path that required heaps of gleaming white silver to walk.

"This is some good stuff!"

Troy, the bald man, clearly knew what he was doing. The moment he received the hologram projector, his eyes lit up with admiration. He didn't even test it before saying, "$8,700, no room for negotiation!"

"$9,000."

"$8,800."

"$8,900."

"$8,600."

"Hey! You lowered the price!" Scott growled in frustration.

Troy laughed and then spoke with a smirk. "Alright, alright. Just for you, I'll make it an even $10,000."

A wave of warmth surged from the depths of Scott's heart. That price was higher than the actual second-hand market value. Once again, Troy was giving him a good deal.

Despite looking like a shady old man, he was actually the only person, aside from Horyang, who treated Scott extremely well. In every transaction, he would add a little extra to Scott's earnings. Every few days, he would even give Scott some well-paying work.

Without Troy's help after Horyang left, Scott probably wouldn't have been able to keep up with the costly tuition of private high school.

"I don't need that much—$9,700 is enough. Give the remaining $300 to your wife. Just tell her you won it gambling. No need to thank me—I just can't bear to see an old bald man washing clothes on a washboard. I've got to hurry to morning assembly. Just deposit the money into my bank account!" Scott waved his hand and leaped away.

Suddenly, Troy called out behind him, "Wait, kid!"

Scott stopped and deliberately said, "Mr. Troy, don't tell me you think $300 is too much? If that's the case, I have no problem taking it back."

"Hmph, you sly brat." Troy huffed before continuing, "I just wanted to remind you—the university entrance exam is coming up soon. You, kid, better pass it properly and get into a good university. Don't think that just because you already have some artifact repair skills, you understand how vast the world truly is! The world is huge, and you'll realize that once you get to university. Compared to a real engineer, your current abilities aren't worth a single coin!"

Scott grinned and clenched his fist tightly. "I'll definitely get into university, Mr. Troy!"