Reforged Chapter 16: The Harsh Realities

Old man Norton sighed and blew a smoke ring, "After you've formally learned magic, you might be able to earn money by exploring ancient ruins, joining mercenary bands for quests, and other means. But before that, you either have to be like you, receiving no more than three scholarships per year, personally funded by Archmage Medivh of the royal court, or demonstrate your talent at the exchange meeting before the start of school to join a noble family. In exchange for becoming their family's court mage upon graduation, you'll receive their full financial support during your studies."

Pausing for a moment, the old man gave an example, "First of all, a copied version of the apprentice textbook for the Academy of Magic costs a whole gold coin. Of course, that's assuming you're completely literate. Without the textbook, you can't learn anything. In addition, you'll have to get spellcasting materials for practice."

Upon hearing this, Daniel and Itana's faces were completely drained of color.

Both of them came from commoner families and had never considered all these troubles before taking the test. A gold coin? Their families would have to save for countless years without eating or drinking to accumulate that sum. Now, because of a momentary impulse, they had inadvertently backed themselves into a corner.

It was obvious that no noble family would dare invest in them while the situation remained unclear.

Tall and stubborn, Daniel pursed his lips in the face of adversity, his waist still standing straight.

But the slightly weaker Itana was different. Her body unconsciously began to curl up a bit, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her skirt on her knees, her face so sad she looked like she was about to cry, with red-rimmed eyes.

Seeing their reactions, old man Norton sighed deeply.

A copper coin could indeed stump a hero in this situation.

At this moment, Duke pulled out a small booklet from his pocket, "May I lend this to Daniel and Itana?"

"What is this...?" Norton's previously cloudy eyes suddenly cleared, no, they even brightened like light bulbs, "By the Light! Where did you get this High Elf Mage Apprentice's Primer?"

"Uh, is it valuable?" Seeing the old man's strong reaction, Duke was a bit dumbfounded.

"Nonsense! Human magic was taught by the high elves. When it comes to magic, high elves are like the human's ancestors. Don't underestimate this as just a beginner's manual. Many old men in Dalaran would love to get their hands on an original copy." As he looked at it, old man Norton gasped, "By the gods of magic, are you not human but a high elf descendant? No, are you the Sun King's illegitimate son?"

As the old man spoke, Duke suddenly felt the gazes of four people around him burning his face, making it feel like it was on fire. Duke's face was also full of confusion.

"How so?"

The old man flipped to the back cover of the booklet, pointing to a signature that was almost like gibberish to Duke and the others, "Do you know what this says?"

The three youngsters shook their heads in unison.

The old man, excitedly waving his hands, roared, "Kael'thas Sunstrider! This is an apprentice's primer used by Kael'thas, the contemporary high elf prince! By the Light, Sunstrider royal family's items, even an apprentice's primer, are considered high-grade goods to human mages! Tell me, Duke, where did you get this? If you're not careful, this thing could bring you big trouble."

After the old man finished speaking, Duke was no longer afraid.

"Uh, this thing... its origin should be fine. It was given to me by a bored and passing high elf ranger general from Quel'thalas."

"Is that so?" Old man Norton and Daniel both felt relieved.

Just then, Duke suddenly heard a faint voice carried by the wind from outside the window.

"Hmm!"

Damn... Alleria, you must be really bored to have followed me!

The road was lined with dense forests on both sides. Truth be told, the carriage's speed was not slow. One could only imagine that Alleria, in her boredom, had managed to run through the forest faster than the carriage.

However, Alleria didn't voice any explicit objections, and that gave Duke a new idea.

"Respected Master Norton, may I ask, if I were to give you this High Elf Mage Apprentice's Primer, how much could I get in return, including two sets of Stormwind City Magic Academy's Apprentice's Primers?"

Old man Norton was taken aback for a moment, and from the simple and ecstatic expressions on the faces of the two young apprentices beside him, he knew that Duke had succeeded.

In both official and personal capacities, he couldn't possibly take advantage of Duke.

"Alright, you win, kid," Old man Norton shrugged helplessly, "You'll get what you want, and I'll even give you an additional 20% above the market price for your troubles. We can discuss the specifics when we reach our destination."

Norton's promise made Duke see a rising gold mine in his future.

It took three days to travel from the Northshire Abbey to Stormwind City.

This was something Duke only learned after setting off. Although the geography was basically consistent with the game world based on the known information, the actual size of the lands had been magnified by an unknown factor.

That night, Duke was 'attacked' in his sleep.

He was awakened by a sudden pain in his ear, and when he opened his eyes, he was nearly scared to death. Instead of seeing the tent ceiling, he saw the brilliant starry sky above him.

In the next instant, he saw the familiar green High Elf armor covering twin peaks of Mount Hyjal and felt a sense of relief.

High elves were a very sensitive race.

"You... how can you recognize someone by their chest?" Alleria whispered angrily in his ear.

"I'm just this tall!"

Indeed, Duke painfully discovered that after crossing over, his body remained the same, but perhaps because he was only 13 years old after the crossover, his body had shrunk. Before hitting puberty, his eye level was just right to see Alleria's chest...

Alleria was furious, grinding her teeth, but she couldn't discuss such a pointless topic with a child.

"Why did you give that old man the High Elf Mage Apprentice's Primer I gave you?"

Duke thought Alleria had come to question him about some big issue, but it turned out to be this matter. He shrugged helplessly, "I had no choice."

Alleria thought for a moment, and it did seem to be the case. She stood with her hands on her hips, staring at Duke for a long time before finally softening her stance.

"Fine, you pass."

"So... did you bring me out here in the middle of the night just for this?"

"I came to say goodbye."

To be continued...