Mage Legend

"Here you go again, hiding your identity," Zilvra smiled at Lynch, whispering in his ear, "I always feel like you're more of a fugitive from the Underdark than me, fearing the surface environment more than in Ratris City."

"No, it's not like that." Lynch chuckled wryly twice, "You don't understand this place, Yim. The residents here aren't averse to mages; in fact, they welcome them. Or more precisely, they welcome the 'walking vaults.' The people here are overly enthusiastic. All I can say is, there are pros and cons."

"How long do you plan to stay here?" Zilvra asked, "Aren't you always thinking about the Elf Queen's request?"

"Not long, we don't even need to settle here," Lynch answered, "If you guys have nothing keeping you, we can just switch to a new ship and keep moving."

Plans can never keep up with changes, that much is always true. Just as Lynch's group was searching the docks for a ship willing to head north, they ran into an uninvited guest.

As one of the few nations on the continent that embraces mages, Yim has the largest mage tower of the Mage Association, one of the few known to the public. Almost all mage apprentices receive their training in this country, immersing themselves in a sea of knowledge and mastering the world's most mysterious power—arcane magic.

"And then they will become something terrifying on the continent." Many people in Yim say this, but they follow it up with another sentence: "Terrifying, but wealthy."

Yim's geographic location benefits them greatly. The few countries separated by the Five Realms Mountain Range must pass through this merchant nation to trade, as only within their borders are there convenient and accessible mountain passes. Moreover, it is the second largest peninsula country on the Anriel Continent, and ocean-going ships frequent its ports. With these advantages, Yim has become the most active nation.

Lynch and his companions tried to avoid attention, but still, many port merchants swarmed up. Before winter arrives, many people are eager to offload their goods, and now is the time they're eagerly seeking buyers. But Lynch pointed to Macken's figure and said, "Go look for our leader, the noble Paladin from Holy Pate. Only with his approval can I take shiny things out of my pouch."

Paladins generally live "frugal but honorable" lives, never indulging in consumerism. Some say they resemble mendicants, but there is a fundamental difference between the two—one is dressed beautifully in shining armor, while the other is barely clothed.

The merchants' enthusiasm quickly dissipated; they had no confidence that a paladin would ever shell out for things he would never need in his daily life. Other than fine horses, no one had ever seen someone from Holy Pate take a liking to anything else.

Just as Lynch was celebrating the success of shaking off those noisy folks, a voice he greatly disliked sounded behind him, "Ah! Isn't it the apprentice mage Lynch, Von, from Dutchland? I never expected to see you here. When did you come?"

A figure in a mage robe identical to Lynch's stood before them, holding a small spatial bag, looking around thirty years old. Though his voice still sounded lively, the hunched back and deep shadows under his eyes were unsettling.

"Hello, Pajies, it's been a long time," Lynch greeted politely, "It seems you've become a Senior Mage, congratulations."

"Thank you, it's all luck," he said, though his face clearly showed a smug expression, as if the reserved nature typical of mages didn't apply to him. He pointed at Lynch's plain white robe and said, "How about you now? I've never heard of a White Robed Mage rank. Is this some new honorary title from the association elders?"

"No, I'm still just an apprentice. This outfit is just a disguise," Lynch said, attempting to introduce the companions next to him, but Pajies interrupted.

"No rush, Lynch, we've got time," he grinned lopsidedly, "Seems like the people from the Association are looking for you to discuss something important, you should head over."