Chapter 72
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Before heading back, Greyson remembered they had forgotten something huge. Looking over at the humongous Terra Beast, he wondered what to do with it. Such a noticeable and large creature was unwieldy and not particularly useful in this situation. He thought about just leaving the creature to its own devices because most likely it would just lay down somewhere and not move for thousands of years. Living beings in the forest would settle on the shell as if the beast was a mountain. Most of the Terra Armored Beasts lived like so because they were too lazy and slow to move about while having enormously long lifespans. However, Lucius quickly stopped Greyson before they left.
"You are going to leave such a natural treasure like this beast behind!"
"What are you talking about? Am I supposed to bring it along? You do realize that it's as large as a mountain. I can't carry him around like I do you." In disbelief, Greyson glanced at that cat and purposefully gestured towards the enormous tortoise-like creature behind them.
"Idiot! You should thank your lucky stars that I travel with you. I am obviously your good luck charm. I was the one who woke you up and led you to this group. This is why people want to capture us Destiny Cats. Don't you remember that all magic beasts awaken a special feature or ability instead of a partner beast like humans? Well, this Terra Beast's special ability is its shell's spatial capabilities. He can shrink to the size of your palm however the amount of things that fit on its back is the same as its full size. Pretty much, the bandits could live on its back like normal while you carry the beast around in your hand. It's a moving spatial ring that can fit endless amounts of things! Tell me, aren't I amazing?" Puffing his chest out, Lucius quickly walked over to the front of the Terra Beast to prove his words. Communicating with each other, the enormous beast slowly shrunk down into a miniature tortoise. Lucius picked up the beast with his mouth then hopped back onto Greyson's shoulder and placing the mini Terra Beast on Greyson's other shoulder.
Flabbergasted, Greyson stared at the harmless looking toy beast that now rested on his shoulder.
"How do I place items in?"
"Just ask. Terra Armored Beasts are extremely calm and well-tempered beasts. As long as you do nothing to harm them, they will continue to let you use them, just like those bandits. Their minds are rather slow and they enjoy sleeping long hours, so they are easy to keep."
"Will he understand?"
"Hmmm... well this one is too weak at this point to understand human speech. I will translate for you."
"Okay!" Greyson's mood immediately lit up with his good luck. This Terra Beast could become really useful for him later on. "I'll name him Alexus, Al for short."
"Al? Al and Lu, what is it with you and two letter nicknames? Our names are not even that long. Poor beast doesn't even know what injustice his owner placed on him." Mockingly wiping a tear for the oblivious Al, Lucius eventually quieted down after a glare from Greyson.
...
Settling everything with the bandit group, Lucius and Greyson quietly made it back to the same tree and managed to sleep for a couple more hours before the caravan started waking up and preparing to leave for Maple Country's closest border city. Half a day's journey later, the caravan had made it to the city gates of Acernis. Multiple soldiers stopped all of the entering people for the entry fee and identification. Mae, as the head maidservant of the leader of the caravan, took charge and approached the soldiers. She proactively handed them a large bag of silver coins and handed him the identification and permit of the caravan. Slightly glancing over the bag of silver, the soldier shook his head and indicated that the amount was too little. Although slightly frustrated, Mae was experienced so she quickly handed over another small bundle of coins. Coughing slightly, the soldier continued to try to get Mae to pay more, however, this time Mae hardened her expression and showed intent to just take back all the money and leave. Understanding he pushed too far, the soldier quickly stopped her and pushed out a subservient smile. Rubbing his hands together, he indicated for the caravan to enter while the other soldiers looked over the rest of the caravan. Just as the entire group finished entering, the soldier called for them to halt.
"You, with the hood, show everyone your face." A gruff voice sounded out in front of Greyson. Looking down, Greyson saw the military boots come into view. Looking back up, he could see the smirks on the soldiers hoping to see him get targeted. Snorting at their expressions, Greyson confidently pulled down his hood. However, what came into view was normal brown hair and brown eyes and human ears. Barely glancing again, the soldiers allowed him to pass. Shocked, the caravan's soldiers almost forgot to continue walking after seeing Greyson's sudden change. Chuckling over their wide-eyed expressions, Greyson just passed by with his head up. Sticking out his tongue at them, he flipped his hood back on while flashed his original platinum silver hair slightly. Scowling, they realized it was only a disguise spell. Rolling his eyes, Greyson just ignored them and continued into city.
The first thing he noticed was the monochromatic view of dark-brown hair and amber eyes. Sweetbow informed him earlier on that natives of the Maple Country normally all had the same hair and eye colors that matched the famous maple trees located there. Thankfully, he covered his features or he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Not all human countries were like this, they were similar to Snow Country and contained all sorts of colors. When he was learning, Greyson discovered that it was due to the bloodlines inherited inside the country. Maple Country was smaller compared to other outer region countries and the legend is that every citizen is a descendant of the original founding king. The founder was an elemental emperor who set apart the land for his family. Children continued branching out until there was enough population to call the land a country. The original bloodline, no matter how faint, caused the same features to develop in the citizens. It was similar to how the elf bloodline worked where they all have the same platinum hair and pointed ears. Thinking about it, Greyson had to admire the founder. How powerful must he have been for his bloodline to be in affect even now? Wandering around the market, Greyson noticed their signature food dishes. Unlike other countries, Maple Country encouraged their magicians to pursue the magician chef route. All of the restaurants contained special mana-filled creations which assisted in meditations. A lot of the magician chefs advance quickly by eating their own creations and they were also rich due to the popularity and rarity of the occupation. Even inner and central countries order their food or hire the chefs from Maple Country. Magic herbs and magic beasts were easy to find and eat, however, they often taste like rubber unless prepared with magic and a special technique. This technique was the lifeblood of Maple Country and their top secret.
Enticing smells wafted over to him as his mouth began to water. Even the sleeping Lucius' eyes shot open as he licked his lips. Looking through all the restaurants, Greyson's eyes finally stopped on a grand and expensive looking tower with 6 levels. His eyes lighting up, Greyson thought of the famous chain in the human territories. Every country contains at least one while Maple Country has one in every city. Six Treasure Gourmet is a famous chain started by the magician king level chef from the royal family. The brother of the current emperor of the Barnabus Empire, Castor Barnabus. Each level of the tower indicates the level of the magician eating. Non-magicians are not allowed to eat inside the towers. The bottom floor is the largest as many people are able to meet the requirement while each consecutive floor gets smaller and smaller. Their reputation was world-renowned for having the most delicious magic food. Easily making his choice, Greyson strode over to the entrance of the tower. Right at the entrance was an array that stopped a lot of the crowd from entering. Leaning over to the nearest man, Greyson asked what was going on.
"The array tests the strength of the entering customer to keep out people who are too weak."
"But some of them are beginner level magicians, but even they are not allowed. Isn't that the only standard?" This question got a disdainful glance as the man looked at Greyson as though he were an idiot.
"Don't you know how many beginner level magicians there are? How could there be enough space for them. Each level has strength standards as well. You have to pass the exam. Otherwise, every tower would be overcrowded." He explained.
"Ah." Greyson sounded in understanding. Curiously observing, he realized that they would enter the array and fight with same level imaginary opponents. Depending on the amount of opponents they beat, the people could enter the tower. For advanced level magicians, they had to beat at least 15 opponents. Greyson quickly got in line before it got too long again, otherwise he would not be able to eat until after dinner time. His stomach started loudly growling in anticipation because the closer he got, the more he could smell the delicious food inside. Impatiently tapping his foot, he watched as person after person failed the exam just wishing people would give up their spot after seeing so many others fail. Midday turned to evening and the sun began to set when Greyson finally reached the front of the line. He could barely contain his excitement just praying for the person before him to fail or pass as fast as possible, just as long as he would leave. A shout echoed out as the last person shot from inside the array. Thankfully, the young man landed on accurately arranged cushions laid out previously after the preceding attempts.
Not waiting one second longer, Greyson stepped up and placed his hand on the measuring stone in front. The dial correctly portrayed his advanced level stage five status which surprised the attendant who was in charge of keeping order at the array. Although he could not clearly see Greyson's face, just from his 13-year-old height, the attendant could assume that the person in front of him must be young. However, as an experienced worker, he kept his calm and smoothly arranged for the correct array challenge. Indicating for Greyson to enter, the attendant opened the entrance to the array and tossed the exit talisman to him. Barely looking at the man, Greyson caught the talisman and burst through the opening. Dark nothingness enveloped his sight before a new opening came into view. The space was not too large, around the size of a small stadium stage. In a matter of seconds a human-like figure built up from the earth. Sensing the mana emitting from it, Greyson understood this was his first opponent. Taking our Genesis, Greyson eyes sparkled blue as he sent a quick water slash down towards the earth man. Weaker than he imagined, the opponent exploded into piece from the first hit. After it was gone a new one appeared, but this time it was made of water. One hit was enough to take down the opponent again. This sequence continued through a fire man and wind man. To his surprise, the next opponent was a earth and water man. Feeling Greyson's excitement, Genesis lit up with purple lightning. Dashing towards the man, he stabbed into it. However, this time an icy shield blocked his sword tip while an earth fist shot out from the earth towards him. Reacting quickly, Greyson created his own earth wall to block the incoming attack. Grinning widely, he felt happy to test out his limits with these practice dummies.
One move after another he fought and somewhere along the line the earth and water opponent had fallen apart with an fire and wind to take its place. Without a care for the time, Greyson continued beating down every opponent that came up. Sometimes they were combined element dummies, other times they were just a single element but more powerful than before. Who knows how many moves passed before Greyson began to drip sweat and breathe heavily. Knowing he was reaching the end of his mana stores and stamina, Greyson looked at his current opponent and made a decision. Opposite from him was actually a four element dummy! A familiar thunder began to rumble as dark clouds formed and wind howled. Lightning, water, and wind circled around Genesis as Greyson jumped up and slashed down into the opponent. It tried to block with a earth and water spell, however, Greyson's strike broke right through it. Taking it straight on, the dummy burst into pieces. Exhausted, Greyson crushed the exit talisman that would push him out of the array.
Rays of light no longer remained in the sky and evening already rolled in. However, the minute Greyson opened his eyes, he could see the wide-eyed audience staring at him like he was some sort of monster. Scanning himself, he realized his robe was completely tattered and his face was out in the open. Was it because he was a mixed blood? But their looks don't seem to contain disdain or hate... Not understanding, Greyson looked over at the attendant.
"Did I pass the exam, sir?"
The attendant just stared back at him with answering.
"Sir?" Greyson continued to inquire.
"Huh, what, yes, sorry what did you ask?" Finally snapping out of it, the attendant stuttered.
"Did I pass?"
"Yes! Yes, you passed! In fact, you did more than pass, you broke the record!"
"Record?" Curious, Greyson looked over at the recording number of dummies he beat. There, he saw the large shining number, 30! Even he had not realized how many opponents he beat, he just fought to his heart's content.
"In all of our Six Treasure Gourmet Towers everywhere, the record for advanced magicians is 28! You have beaten the record! Please leave your name for the news."
"Well, my name is Greyson. Is there some sort of prize that comes with beating the record or is it just nominal recognition?" Not looking excited at all, Greyson couldn't help but wonder if that was it for beating the record.
Lip twitching, the attendant could not believe the look of disappointment on the young half-elf's face.
"Of course, of course, here take this." Holding his hand out, he handed something to Greyson. Turning it over, Greyson saw it was a badge with the insignia of the restaurant. "This is a membership badge that will allow you to walk into any of the towers without the test, you also enjoy a 5% discount on the food. The discount increases as your level increases."
Finally proper happiness appeared on Greyson's face as he quickly received the badge and kept it safely away. "Thank you, sir! I'm going to go in and eat now if that's fine. I have been looking forward to eating a meal here all day." Almost running away, Greyson could easily step through the blocking array into the restaurant. The bottom floor was extremely loud and crowded with all sorts of people present. Quickly glancing around, he found the staircase and made his way up to the second floor. It was smaller and quieter but still rather crowded. Not looking for long, Greyson continued upwards to the third floor. Up here were mostly older men with a good amount of open tables. Just picking a random table, Greyson approached to sit down. As he was moving to sit in his chair, he heard a familiar yet nightmare inducing voice.
"Magician Greyson! What a coincidence!" Her voice called out. Greyson just grimaced at his luck.
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Before heading back, Greyson remembered they had forgotten something huge. Looking over at the humongous Terra Beast, he wondered what to do with it. Such a noticeable and large creature was unwieldy and not particularly useful in this situation. He thought about just leaving the creature to its own devices because most likely it would just lay down somewhere and not move for thousands of years. Living beings in the forest would settle on the shell as if the beast was a mountain. Most of the Terra Armored Beasts lived like so because they were too lazy and slow to move about while having enormously long lifespans. However, Lucius quickly stopped Greyson before they left.
"You are going to leave such a natural treasure like this beast behind!"
"What are you talking about? Am I supposed to bring it along? You do realize that it's as large as a mountain. I can't carry him around like I do you." In disbelief, Greyson glanced at that cat and purposefully gestured towards the enormous tortoise-like creature behind them.
"Idiot! You should thank your lucky stars that I travel with you. I am obviously your good luck charm. I was the one who woke you up and led you to this group. This is why people want to capture us Destiny Cats. Don't you remember that all magic beasts awaken a special feature or ability instead of a partner beast like humans? Well, this Terra Beast's special ability is its shell's spatial capabilities. He can shrink to the size of your palm however the amount of things that fit on its back is the same as its full size. Pretty much, the bandits could live on its back like normal while you carry the beast around in your hand. It's a moving spatial ring that can fit endless amounts of things! Tell me, aren't I amazing?" Puffing his chest out, Lucius quickly walked over to the front of the Terra Beast to prove his words. Communicating with each other, the enormous beast slowly shrunk down into a miniature tortoise. Lucius picked up the beast with his mouth then hopped back onto Greyson's shoulder and placing the mini Terra Beast on Greyson's other shoulder.
Flabbergasted, Greyson stared at the harmless looking toy beast that now rested on his shoulder.
"How do I place items in?"
"Just ask. Terra Armored Beasts are extremely calm and well-tempered beasts. As long as you do nothing to harm them, they will continue to let you use them, just like those bandits. Their minds are rather slow and they enjoy sleeping long hours, so they are easy to keep."
"Will he understand?"
"Hmmm... well this one is too weak at this point to understand human speech. I will translate for you."
"Okay!" Greyson's mood immediately lit up with his good luck. This Terra Beast could become really useful for him later on. "I'll name him Alexus, Al for short."
"Al? Al and Lu, what is it with you and two letter nicknames? Our names are not even that long. Poor beast doesn't even know what injustice his owner placed on him." Mockingly wiping a tear for the oblivious Al, Lucius eventually quieted down after a glare from Greyson.
...
Settling everything with the bandit group, Lucius and Greyson quietly made it back to the same tree and managed to sleep for a couple more hours before the caravan started waking up and preparing to leave for Maple Country's closest border city. Half a day's journey later, the caravan had made it to the city gates of Acernis. Multiple soldiers stopped all of the entering people for the entry fee and identification. Mae, as the head maidservant of the leader of the caravan, took charge and approached the soldiers. She proactively handed them a large bag of silver coins and handed him the identification and permit of the caravan. Slightly glancing over the bag of silver, the soldier shook his head and indicated that the amount was too little. Although slightly frustrated, Mae was experienced so she quickly handed over another small bundle of coins. Coughing slightly, the soldier continued to try to get Mae to pay more, however, this time Mae hardened her expression and showed intent to just take back all the money and leave. Understanding he pushed too far, the soldier quickly stopped her and pushed out a subservient smile. Rubbing his hands together, he indicated for the caravan to enter while the other soldiers looked over the rest of the caravan. Just as the entire group finished entering, the soldier called for them to halt.
"You, with the hood, show everyone your face." A gruff voice sounded out in front of Greyson. Looking down, Greyson saw the military boots come into view. Looking back up, he could see the smirks on the soldiers hoping to see him get targeted. Snorting at their expressions, Greyson confidently pulled down his hood. However, what came into view was normal brown hair and brown eyes and human ears. Barely glancing again, the soldiers allowed him to pass. Shocked, the caravan's soldiers almost forgot to continue walking after seeing Greyson's sudden change. Chuckling over their wide-eyed expressions, Greyson just passed by with his head up. Sticking out his tongue at them, he flipped his hood back on while flashed his original platinum silver hair slightly. Scowling, they realized it was only a disguise spell. Rolling his eyes, Greyson just ignored them and continued into city.
The first thing he noticed was the monochromatic view of dark-brown hair and amber eyes. Sweetbow informed him earlier on that natives of the Maple Country normally all had the same hair and eye colors that matched the famous maple trees located there. Thankfully, he covered his features or he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Not all human countries were like this, they were similar to Snow Country and contained all sorts of colors. When he was learning, Greyson discovered that it was due to the bloodlines inherited inside the country. Maple Country was smaller compared to other outer region countries and the legend is that every citizen is a descendant of the original founding king. The founder was an elemental emperor who set apart the land for his family. Children continued branching out until there was enough population to call the land a country. The original bloodline, no matter how faint, caused the same features to develop in the citizens. It was similar to how the elf bloodline worked where they all have the same platinum hair and pointed ears. Thinking about it, Greyson had to admire the founder. How powerful must he have been for his bloodline to be in affect even now? Wandering around the market, Greyson noticed their signature food dishes. Unlike other countries, Maple Country encouraged their magicians to pursue the magician chef route. All of the restaurants contained special mana-filled creations which assisted in meditations. A lot of the magician chefs advance quickly by eating their own creations and they were also rich due to the popularity and rarity of the occupation. Even inner and central countries order their food or hire the chefs from Maple Country. Magic herbs and magic beasts were easy to find and eat, however, they often taste like rubber unless prepared with magic and a special technique. This technique was the lifeblood of Maple Country and their top secret.
Enticing smells wafted over to him as his mouth began to water. Even the sleeping Lucius' eyes shot open as he licked his lips. Looking through all the restaurants, Greyson's eyes finally stopped on a grand and expensive looking tower with 6 levels. His eyes lighting up, Greyson thought of the famous chain in the human territories. Every country contains at least one while Maple Country has one in every city. Six Treasure Gourmet is a famous chain started by the magician king level chef from the royal family. The brother of the current emperor of the Barnabus Empire, Castor Barnabus. Each level of the tower indicates the level of the magician eating. Non-magicians are not allowed to eat inside the towers. The bottom floor is the largest as many people are able to meet the requirement while each consecutive floor gets smaller and smaller. Their reputation was world-renowned for having the most delicious magic food. Easily making his choice, Greyson strode over to the entrance of the tower. Right at the entrance was an array that stopped a lot of the crowd from entering. Leaning over to the nearest man, Greyson asked what was going on.
"The array tests the strength of the entering customer to keep out people who are too weak."
"But some of them are beginner level magicians, but even they are not allowed. Isn't that the only standard?" This question got a disdainful glance as the man looked at Greyson as though he were an idiot.
"Don't you know how many beginner level magicians there are? How could there be enough space for them. Each level has strength standards as well. You have to pass the exam. Otherwise, every tower would be overcrowded." He explained.
"Ah." Greyson sounded in understanding. Curiously observing, he realized that they would enter the array and fight with same level imaginary opponents. Depending on the amount of opponents they beat, the people could enter the tower. For advanced level magicians, they had to beat at least 15 opponents. Greyson quickly got in line before it got too long again, otherwise he would not be able to eat until after dinner time. His stomach started loudly growling in anticipation because the closer he got, the more he could smell the delicious food inside. Impatiently tapping his foot, he watched as person after person failed the exam just wishing people would give up their spot after seeing so many others fail. Midday turned to evening and the sun began to set when Greyson finally reached the front of the line. He could barely contain his excitement just praying for the person before him to fail or pass as fast as possible, just as long as he would leave. A shout echoed out as the last person shot from inside the array. Thankfully, the young man landed on accurately arranged cushions laid out previously after the preceding attempts.
Not waiting one second longer, Greyson stepped up and placed his hand on the measuring stone in front. The dial correctly portrayed his advanced level stage five status which surprised the attendant who was in charge of keeping order at the array. Although he could not clearly see Greyson's face, just from his 13-year-old height, the attendant could assume that the person in front of him must be young. However, as an experienced worker, he kept his calm and smoothly arranged for the correct array challenge. Indicating for Greyson to enter, the attendant opened the entrance to the array and tossed the exit talisman to him. Barely looking at the man, Greyson caught the talisman and burst through the opening. Dark nothingness enveloped his sight before a new opening came into view. The space was not too large, around the size of a small stadium stage. In a matter of seconds a human-like figure built up from the earth. Sensing the mana emitting from it, Greyson understood this was his first opponent. Taking our Genesis, Greyson eyes sparkled blue as he sent a quick water slash down towards the earth man. Weaker than he imagined, the opponent exploded into piece from the first hit. After it was gone a new one appeared, but this time it was made of water. One hit was enough to take down the opponent again. This sequence continued through a fire man and wind man. To his surprise, the next opponent was a earth and water man. Feeling Greyson's excitement, Genesis lit up with purple lightning. Dashing towards the man, he stabbed into it. However, this time an icy shield blocked his sword tip while an earth fist shot out from the earth towards him. Reacting quickly, Greyson created his own earth wall to block the incoming attack. Grinning widely, he felt happy to test out his limits with these practice dummies.
One move after another he fought and somewhere along the line the earth and water opponent had fallen apart with an fire and wind to take its place. Without a care for the time, Greyson continued beating down every opponent that came up. Sometimes they were combined element dummies, other times they were just a single element but more powerful than before. Who knows how many moves passed before Greyson began to drip sweat and breathe heavily. Knowing he was reaching the end of his mana stores and stamina, Greyson looked at his current opponent and made a decision. Opposite from him was actually a four element dummy! A familiar thunder began to rumble as dark clouds formed and wind howled. Lightning, water, and wind circled around Genesis as Greyson jumped up and slashed down into the opponent. It tried to block with a earth and water spell, however, Greyson's strike broke right through it. Taking it straight on, the dummy burst into pieces. Exhausted, Greyson crushed the exit talisman that would push him out of the array.
Rays of light no longer remained in the sky and evening already rolled in. However, the minute Greyson opened his eyes, he could see the wide-eyed audience staring at him like he was some sort of monster. Scanning himself, he realized his robe was completely tattered and his face was out in the open. Was it because he was a mixed blood? But their looks don't seem to contain disdain or hate... Not understanding, Greyson looked over at the attendant.
"Did I pass the exam, sir?"
The attendant just stared back at him with answering.
"Sir?" Greyson continued to inquire.
"Huh, what, yes, sorry what did you ask?" Finally snapping out of it, the attendant stuttered.
"Did I pass?"
"Yes! Yes, you passed! In fact, you did more than pass, you broke the record!"
"Record?" Curious, Greyson looked over at the recording number of dummies he beat. There, he saw the large shining number, 30! Even he had not realized how many opponents he beat, he just fought to his heart's content.
"In all of our Six Treasure Gourmet Towers everywhere, the record for advanced magicians is 28! You have beaten the record! Please leave your name for the news."
"Well, my name is Greyson. Is there some sort of prize that comes with beating the record or is it just nominal recognition?" Not looking excited at all, Greyson couldn't help but wonder if that was it for beating the record.
Lip twitching, the attendant could not believe the look of disappointment on the young half-elf's face.
"Of course, of course, here take this." Holding his hand out, he handed something to Greyson. Turning it over, Greyson saw it was a badge with the insignia of the restaurant. "This is a membership badge that will allow you to walk into any of the towers without the test, you also enjoy a 5% discount on the food. The discount increases as your level increases."
Finally proper happiness appeared on Greyson's face as he quickly received the badge and kept it safely away. "Thank you, sir! I'm going to go in and eat now if that's fine. I have been looking forward to eating a meal here all day." Almost running away, Greyson could easily step through the blocking array into the restaurant. The bottom floor was extremely loud and crowded with all sorts of people present. Quickly glancing around, he found the staircase and made his way up to the second floor. It was smaller and quieter but still rather crowded. Not looking for long, Greyson continued upwards to the third floor. Up here were mostly older men with a good amount of open tables. Just picking a random table, Greyson approached to sit down. As he was moving to sit in his chair, he heard a familiar yet nightmare inducing voice.
"Magician Greyson! What a coincidence!" Her voice called out. Greyson just grimaced at his luck.
Before heading back, Greyson remembered they had forgotten something huge. Looking over at the humongous Terra Beast, he wondered what to do with it. Such a noticeable and large creature was unwieldy and not particularly useful in this situation. He thought about just leaving the creature to its own devices because most likely it would just lay down somewhere and not move for thousands of years. Living beings in the forest would settle on the shell as if the beast was a mountain. Most of the Terra Armored Beasts lived like so because they were too lazy and slow to move about while having enormously long lifespans. However, Lucius quickly stopped Greyson before they left."You are going to leave such a natural treasure like this beast behind!""What are you talking about? Am I supposed to bring it along? You do realize that it's as large as a mountain. I can't carry him around like I do you." In disbelief, Greyson glanced at that cat and purposefully gestured towards the enormous tortoise-like creature behind them."Idiot! You should thank your lucky stars that I travel with you. I am obviously your good luck charm. I was the one who woke you up and led you to this group. This is why people want to capture us Destiny Cats. Don't you remember that all magic beasts awaken a special feature or ability instead of a partner beast like humans? Well, this Terra Beast's special ability is its shell's spatial capabilities. He can shrink to the size of your palm however the amount of things that fit on its back is the same as its full size. Pretty much, the bandits could live on its back like normal while you carry the beast around in your hand. It's a moving spatial ring that can fit endless amounts of things! Tell me, aren't I amazing?" Puffing his chest out, Lucius quickly walked over to the front of the Terra Beast to prove his words. Communicating with each other, the enormous beast slowly shrunk down into a miniature tortoise. Lucius picked up the beast with his mouth then hopped back onto Greyson's shoulder and placing the mini Terra Beast on Greyson's other shoulder.Flabbergasted, Greyson stared at the harmless looking toy beast that now rested on his shoulder."How do I place items in?""Just ask. Terra Armored Beasts are extremely calm and well-tempered beasts. As long as you do nothing to harm them, they will continue to let you use them, just like those bandits. Their minds are rather slow and they enjoy sleeping long hours, so they are easy to keep.""Will he understand?""Hmmm... well this one is too weak at this point to understand human speech. I will translate for you.""Okay!" Greyson's mood immediately lit up with his good luck. This Terra Beast could become really useful for him later on. "I'll name him Alexus, Al for short.""Al? Al and Lu, what is it with you and two letter nicknames? Our names are not even that long. Poor beast doesn't even know what injustice his owner placed on him." Mockingly wiping a tear for the oblivious Al, Lucius eventually quieted down after a glare from Greyson....Settling everything with the bandit group, Lucius and Greyson quietly made it back to the same tree and managed to sleep for a couple more hours before the caravan started waking up and preparing to leave for Maple Country's closest border city. Half a day's journey later, the caravan had made it to the city gates of Acernis. Multiple soldiers stopped all of the entering people for the entry fee and identification. Mae, as the head maidservant of the leader of the caravan, took charge and approached the soldiers. She proactively handed them a large bag of silver coins and handed him the identification and permit of the caravan. Slightly glancing over the bag of silver, the soldier shook his head and indicated that the amount was too little. Although slightly frustrated, Mae was experienced so she quickly handed over another small bundle of coins. Coughing slightly, the soldier continued to try to get Mae to pay more, however, this time Mae hardened her expression and showed intent to just take back all the money and leave. Understanding he pushed too far, the soldier quickly stopped her and pushed out a subservient smile. Rubbing his hands together, he indicated for the caravan to enter while the other soldiers looked over the rest of the caravan. Just as the entire group finished entering, the soldier called for them to halt."You, with the hood, show everyone your face." A gruff voice sounded out in front of Greyson. Looking down, Greyson saw the military boots come into view. Looking back up, he could see the smirks on the soldiers hoping to see him get targeted. Snorting at their expressions, Greyson confidently pulled down his hood. However, what came into view was normal brown hair and brown eyes and human ears. Barely glancing again, the soldiers allowed him to pass. Shocked, the caravan's soldiers almost forgot to continue walking after seeing Greyson's sudden change. Chuckling over their wide-eyed expressions, Greyson just passed by with his head up. Sticking out his tongue at them, he flipped his hood back on while flashed his original platinum silver hair slightly. Scowling, they realized it was only a disguise spell. Rolling his eyes, Greyson just ignored them and continued into city.The first thing he noticed was the monochromatic view of dark-brown hair and amber eyes. Sweetbow informed him earlier on that natives of the Maple Country normally all had the same hair and eye colors that matched the famous maple trees located there. Thankfully, he covered his features or he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Not all human countries were like this, they were similar to Snow Country and contained all sorts of colors. When he was learning, Greyson discovered that it was due to the bloodlines inherited inside the country. Maple Country was smaller compared to other outer region countries and the legend is that every citizen is a descendant of the original founding king. The founder was an elemental emperor who set apart the land for his family. Children continued branching out until there was enough population to call the land a country. The original bloodline, no matter how faint, caused the same features to develop in the citizens. It was similar to how the elf bloodline worked where they all have the same platinum hair and pointed ears. Thinking about it, Greyson had to admire the founder. How powerful must he have been for his bloodline to be in affect even now? Wandering around the market, Greyson noticed their signature food dishes. Unlike other countries, Maple Country encouraged their magicians to pursue the magician chef route. All of the restaurants contained special mana-filled creations which assisted in meditations. A lot of the magician chefs advance quickly by eating their own creations and they were also rich due to the popularity and rarity of the occupation. Even inner and central countries order their food or hire the chefs from Maple Country. Magic herbs and magic beasts were easy to find and eat, however, they often taste like rubber unless prepared with magic and a special technique. This technique was the lifeblood of Maple Country and their top secret.Enticing smells wafted over to him as his mouth began to water. Even the sleeping Lucius' eyes shot open as he licked his lips. Looking through all the restaurants, Greyson's eyes finally stopped on a grand and expensive looking tower with 6 levels. His eyes lighting up, Greyson thought of the famous chain in the human territories. Every country contains at least one while Maple Country has one in every city. Six Treasure Gourmet is a famous chain started by the magician king level chef from the royal family. The brother of the current emperor of the Barnabus Empire, Castor Barnabus. Each level of the tower indicates the level of the magician eating. Non-magicians are not allowed to eat inside the towers. The bottom floor is the largest as many people are able to meet the requirement while each consecutive floor gets smaller and smaller. Their reputation was world-renowned for having the most delicious magic food. Easily making his choice, Greyson strode over to the entrance of the tower. Right at the entrance was an array that stopped a lot of the crowd from entering. Leaning over to the nearest man, Greyson asked what was going on."The array tests the strength of the entering customer to keep out people who are too weak.""But some of them are beginner level magicians, but even they are not allowed. Isn't that the only standard?" This question got a disdainful glance as the man looked at Greyson as though he were an idiot."Don't you know how many beginner level magicians there are? How could there be enough space for them. Each level has strength standards as well. You have to pass the exam. Otherwise, every tower would be overcrowded." He explained."Ah." Greyson sounded in understanding. Curiously observing, he realized that they would enter the array and fight with same level imaginary opponents. Depending on the amount of opponents they beat, the people could enter the tower. For advanced level magicians, they had to beat at least 15 opponents. Greyson quickly got in line before it got too long again, otherwise he would not be able to eat until after dinner time. His stomach started loudly growling in anticipation because the closer he got, the more he could smell the delicious food inside. Impatiently tapping his foot, he watched as person after person failed the exam just wishing people would give up their spot after seeing so many others fail. Midday turned to evening and the sun began to set when Greyson finally reached the front of the line. He could barely contain his excitement just praying for the person before him to fail or pass as fast as possible, just as long as he would leave. A shout echoed out as the last person shot from inside the array. Thankfully, the young man landed on accurately arranged cushions laid out previously after the preceding attempts.Not waiting one second longer, Greyson stepped up and placed his hand on the measuring stone in front. The dial correctly portrayed his advanced level stage five status which surprised the attendant who was in charge of keeping order at the array. Although he could not clearly see Greyson's face, just from his 13-year-old height, the attendant could assume that the person in front of him must be young. However, as an experienced worker, he kept his calm and smoothly arranged for the correct array challenge. Indicating for Greyson to enter, the attendant opened the entrance to the array and tossed the exit talisman to him. Barely looking at the man, Greyson caught the talisman and burst through the opening. Dark nothingness enveloped his sight before a new opening came into view. The space was not too large, around the size of a small stadium stage. In a matter of seconds a human-like figure built up from the earth. Sensing the mana emitting from it, Greyson understood this was his first opponent. Taking our Genesis, Greyson eyes sparkled blue as he sent a quick water slash down towards the earth man. Weaker than he imagined, the opponent exploded into piece from the first hit. After it was gone a new one appeared, but this time it was made of water. One hit was enough to take down the opponent again. This sequence continued through a fire man and wind man. To his surprise, the next opponent was a earth and water man. Feeling Greyson's excitement, Genesis lit up with purple lightning. Dashing towards the man, he stabbed into it. However, this time an icy shield blocked his sword tip while an earth fist shot out from the earth towards him. Reacting quickly, Greyson created his own earth wall to block the incoming attack. Grinning widely, he felt happy to test out his limits with these practice dummies. One move after another he fought and somewhere along the line the earth and water opponent had fallen apart with an fire and wind to take its place. Without a care for the time, Greyson continued beating down every opponent that came up. Sometimes they were combined element dummies, other times they were just a single element but more powerful than before. Who knows how many moves passed before Greyson began to drip sweat and breathe heavily. Knowing he was reaching the end of his mana stores and stamina, Greyson looked at his current opponent and made a decision. Opposite from him was actually a four element dummy! A familiar thunder began to rumble as dark clouds formed and wind howled. Lightning, water, and wind circled around Genesis as Greyson jumped up and slashed down into the opponent. It tried to block with a earth and water spell, however, Greyson's strike broke right through it. Taking it straight on, the dummy burst into pieces. Exhausted, Greyson crushed the exit talisman that would push him out of the array. Rays of light no longer remained in the sky and evening already rolled in. However, the minute Greyson opened his eyes, he could see the wide-eyed audience staring at him like he was some sort of monster. Scanning himself, he realized his robe was completely tattered and his face was out in the open. Was it because he was a mixed blood? But their looks don't seem to contain disdain or hate... Not understanding, Greyson looked over at the attendant. "Did I pass the exam, sir?" The attendant just stared back at him with answering. "Sir?" Greyson continued to inquire. "Huh, what, yes, sorry what did you ask?" Finally snapping out of it, the attendant stuttered. "Did I pass?" "Yes! Yes, you passed! In fact, you did more than pass, you broke the record!" "Record?" Curious, Greyson looked over at the recording number of dummies he beat. There, he saw the large shining number, 30! Even he had not realized how many opponents he beat, he just fought to his heart's content. "In all of our Six Treasure Gourmet Towers everywhere, the record for advanced magicians is 28! You have beaten the record! Please leave your name for the news." "Well, my name is Greyson. Is there some sort of prize that comes with beating the record or is it just nominal recognition?" Not looking excited at all, Greyson couldn't help but wonder if that was it for beating the record. Lip twitching, the attendant could not believe the look of disappointment on the young half-elf's face. "Of course, of course, here take this." Holding his hand out, he handed something to Greyson. Turning it over, Greyson saw it was a badge with the insignia of the restaurant. "This is a membership badge that will allow you to walk into any of the towers without the test, you also enjoy a 5% discount on the food. The discount increases as your level increases." Finally proper happiness appeared on Greyson's face as he quickly received the badge and kept it safely away. "Thank you, sir! I'm going to go in and eat now if that's fine. I have been looking forward to eating a meal here all day." Almost running away, Greyson could easily step through the blocking array into the restaurant. The bottom floor was extremely loud and crowded with all sorts of people present. Quickly glancing around, he found the staircase and made his way up to the second floor. It was smaller and quieter but still rather crowded. Not looking for long, Greyson continued upwards to the third floor. Up here were mostly older men with a good amount of open tables. Just picking a random table, Greyson approached to sit down. As he was moving to sit in his chair, he heard a familiar yet nightmare inducing voice. "Magician Greyson! What a coincidence!" Her voice called out. Greyson just grimaced at his luck.
