Chapter 3: First Steps into Magic (Part 1)

Ah Dai said in a wronged tone: "You, you did not let me go out! Didn't you say that I should listen to you in everything?"

Goris turned and walked into the room, took a deep breath, opened the window, and let in the fresh air to dilute the bad smell inside. He felt that he was really defeated by this stupid boy. He took another breath of fresh air and yelled towards the direction of the toilet: "Wipe your butt clean, come out."

Dressed, Ah Dai came out of the toilet and suddenly felt as if he had become a different person, feeling indescribably refreshed throughout his body. It seemed as though he had thrown off a huge burden all at once, and his whole body felt light. Even his muddled brain was clearing up a bit, and his whole body was full of energy. "Teacher, what did you just give me to eat?"

Goris said impatiently: "Nine Generation Marrow Pill."

"Nine Generation Marrow Pill? What is that?"

"Don't ask too many questions, sit down." Goris pointed to a stool nearby, "I want to ask you a few questions, and then take you to eat."

As soon as he heard of eating, Ah Dai's eyes lit up with an excited flame. He obediently sat on the stool, waiting for Goris's inquiries.

"Ah Dai, do you have any other names? Are you a Sunset or Washington person?"

Ah Dai shook his head, "No, I don't have any other names. What are Sunset and Washington people?"

Goris said: "Sunset and Washington are names of two other empires on the continent. Looking at your black hair and eyes, you should be a descendant of one of these two countries."

"Oh, I don't know where I'm from. I seem to have heard of the Sunset and Washington countries before, but I don't remember much."

Goris sat back on the bed, looking at Ah Dai, whose face had already turned much rosier. He asked, "Do you know who your parents are?"

Ah Dai shook his head blankly: "I only remember begging on the streets all the time. One day, Uncle Li came, he said he would give me food, so I followed him."

"So how old are you this year?"

Ah Dai thought for a while and said, "Twelve, oh, no, maybe thirteen years old." He wasn't quite sure how old he was. The children around Uncle Li who were about the same height as him were mostly twelve or thirteen years old, so he felt that he should be this age.

Twelve, thirteen years old? Okay, that's about right. Goris continued to ask: "Do you know the year and month you were born?" He regretted his question immediately after asking it. The stupid boy before him didn't even know how old he was, so how could he know his birth date?

But surprisingly, Ah Dai blurted out, "The Sacred Calendar 977, March 21." After speaking, he himself was stunned.

A flash of coldness flashed in Goris's eyes. He asked, "Didn't you say you didn't know how old you were? How come you blurt it out now?"

Ah Dai stammered: "I, I don't know either. I just suddenly thought of this date and then I said it."

Goris frowned and secretly calculated. It was now the Sacred Calendar 988 in April, so Ah Dai should be eleven by this calculation. But Ah Dai's performance just now made him feel a bit off. He said coldly, "Boy, you'd better not be messing with me."

Ah Dai shrank his body. "No, I wouldn't!"

"Come here." Goris beckoned to Ah Dai.

Ah Dai hesitantly walked to Goris. Goris reached out and grabbed Ah Dai's shoulder and murmured a few words. A wave of heat flowed into Ah Dai's body through his shoulder. At first, Ah Dai felt very comfortable, but after a while, the heat flow from Goris became stronger and stronger. Ah Dai gradually could not resist. He wanted to struggle, but found that his body was not under his control. The fiery flow of energy seemed to melt his internal organs, constantly moving around in his body. Ah Dai's bones began to crack, and the excruciating pain made him scream out.

"Ah-, teacher, I can't take it, please spare me, it hurts so much, it hurts so much!"

Goris frowned, raised his hand, and a circle of blue light enveloped Ah Dai's body, locking out all the sound.

Long after, when Ah Dai's body was already somewhat weak, Goris finally let go of him. He took a deep breath, and muttered to himself, "I didn't expect this stupid boy to have such great potential. He is suited for both practicing magic and martial arts. The use of one Nine Generation Marrow Pill wasn't wasted. This makes things better, when the time comes..." On second thought, he stopped mid-sentence and cautiously glanced at Ah Dai. Shaking his head, Goris said, "What a pity, his head seems to have suffered a heavy blow. Even the effects of the Nine Generation Marrow Pill couldn't clear the stagnated energy. But that's okay, it won't affect my experiment."

Finally, the heat flow subsided, and Ah Dai's body fell limply to the ground. He didn't understand why Goris treated him this way, and tears involuntarily flowed down.

Goris yanked Ah Dai's body from the ground and said coldly, "You are not allowed to cry. I was just testing whether you have the strength to work for me. Do you understand? It wasn't just beating you. Oh gentle water, gather in my hand and nourish the being before me." A blue light emanated from Goris's hand, melting into Ah Dai's body like a gentle trickle. This was the most common water element healing spell, Goris seldom used it, but in order not to let Ah Dai hold a grudge, he had to help him recover his strength.

Ah Dai felt the refreshing cool stream of air constantly flowing out from Goris's hands. The strength he'd lost was gradually coming back, and the previous burning pain had completely disappeared. He couldn't help but believe in Goris's words to some degree.

Goris sat Ah Dai down on a stool, turned his back to him and said, "Remember, only the strong live better. Weaklings only get bullied, and tears don't solve any problems."

Ah Dai felt that he had heard Goris's words somewhere before, causing something to resonate in his mind. He wiped away his tears and said timidly, "Yes, teacher, I understand."

Goris nodded and asked, "Okay, tell me what's your favorite food? And what do you wish most to do?"

Ah Dai answered honestly, "I like Steamed Buns the most, also... also chicken legs. As for what I want to do the most, I... I don't know."

Goris cursed in his mind what a fool the boy was, but it could also be beneficial for him in the future, "Fine, from now on, just follow me. I guarantee you'll have enough to eat every day. If you dare run away, do you remember what happened to the table today? That's what will happen to you."

The threat from Goris did not seem to have any effect on Ah Dai, he blankly replied, "As long as you let me eat to my fill, why would I run? But… but?"

"But what?" Goris turned abruptly.

Ah Dai looked at Goris's aged face and muttered, "But, if you die, what will I eat?" He clearly remembered what a girl once told him, that her grandmother died because of old age, and it was only after the grandmother's death that the girl began begging in the streets.

Goris was angered by Ah Dai's words, his body shaking. He lifted his hand a few times, but in the end put it down. Remembering his grand plan, he decided, to tolerate it. Angrily, he said, "Rest assured, even if you die, I won't. Let's go, I will take you to eat."

"Great! Teacher, you really are amazing."

"Hmph! My greatness, is it something you can know?"

Two days later, when Goris felt that Ah Dai's health had much improved, he took him out of the City of Nino. Today's weather was surprisingly clear, as if it were predicting that Ah Dai's life was at a new beginning.

"Teacher, can I come back here in the future?" Ah Dai gazed back at the small town he'd lived in for over a decade as he asked.

Goris glanced at Ah Dai and said, "Perhaps, if there's a chance in the future. Why, is there something you miss?"

Ah Dai shook his head, "No, not at all." This was the first time he lied in front of Goris. In fact, he was thinking that the girl would come back to find him. But he didn't let the words out. Although Goris had been good to him for the past few days, letting him have enough to eat at every meal and even allowing him to eat a lot of delicacies he had only dared to dream of in the past, deep down Ah Dai always felt that his teacher Goris was more dangerous than Uncle Li.

Goris didn't take Ah Dai's words to heart, and they continued on their way.

After walking for over an hour, they came to a port not far from the City of Nino. Ah Dai had been here a few times before; he loved the sea—he loved the vastness of it. As he gazed at the distant horizon where the sea meets the sky, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocky shore, Ah Dai was entranced.

"Hurry, we have to catch this ship." Goris turned back and said to Ah Dai, who was gazing at the sea.

Ah Dai started and asked, "A ship? Teacher, are you saying we're getting on a ship?" He sounded excited. He had imagined many times riding on a wooden boat like the fishermen, floating on the sea. That was what Ah Dai most longed for.

"Yes, we're going to Varangian Province. It's much faster by ship." Goris answered indifferently.

"That's wonderful! We're going to take a ship. We're going to take a ship!" Ah Dai jumped up excitedly.

Goris frowned and said, "Calm down. If you want to get on the ship, hurry up."

They quickly arrived at the dock. When Ah Dai saw a massive passenger ship over a hundred meters long, over twenty meters wide, and three stories tall, he opened his mouth wide and said in a daze, "This... This is the ship we're taking? It's so big!" The fishing boats were simply insignificant compared to the large white ship in front of him.

Goris snorted, "What's so big about it? I think it's small. Let's get aboard."

After treading the wide gangway, Ah Dai followed Goris onto a large ship called the God's Blessing. Goris had bought a two-berth cabin on the top deck. Once on the ship, Goris felt uncomfortable all over. The reason he called the ship small was mainly because he suffered from seasickness. If he hadn't wanted to get back and start his plan sooner, he wouldn't have chosen to travel by ship at all.

Ah Dai excitedly paced back and forth in the cabin, occasionally looking out through the round window. After a while, the huge sails were hoisted on the mast, and the ship began to move. Because of icebergs in the deep seas here, at the initial stage, the God's Blessing sailed along the coastline. Only when it reached a warmer area did the ship enter the deep sea and speed up.