The Northern Quarter 1

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. "Finally, I'm done!" I exclaimed as the sun started lowering itself behind the buildings, signaling the coming of evening and the end of my work for the day.

I didn't mind the work per se. It was certainly one of the better places I could have chosen, but after a while, it tends to get quite repetitive and boring.

Not that it matters now. Tomorrow is my day off, and I am very excited about it.

I said goodbye to Isadora, who was sorting out new medicine orders in the workshop and headed out the door.

I went into the center of the city, which was illuminated by the setting sun. I was really hungry since I was forced to skip breakfast again today. I found out that another perk of being a mage is that I don't need to eat often.

Eating once a day seems enough. Even though I'm still feeling hungry, I can supplement my nutrition with mana.

I could probably go several days without food and still be fine, not that I want to. In this city, there is an excellent selection of delicious food, and I always enjoy the taste of good food. Something that was seriously lacking back in the village.

I bought two grilled skewers from one of my favorite stalls on the main street. I continued walking into the northern quarter, where my room was while enjoying my dinner.

My goal for the time being, besides getting stronger, is to gather knowledge. Right now, I'm trying to learn more about the Moonlight Aster. I gathered three flowers in total, and since to pass my apprentice exam I needed just one, I still have two of them hidden away.

I need to sell them to replenish my dwindling savings. After I paid Isadora for my apprenticeship and the rent for my room, I don't have much money left and I'm poor once again. When I remember the pouch full of shining silver coins, I want to cry.

But that is all in the past. I need to look at the future. Given how difficult it was to get these flowers and how eager Isadora was to get her hands on them, they must be really precious, which means they are expensive.

But I want to find out exactly how expensive. Offering them to Isadora without knowing their real price means she could scam me, and I wouldn't even know.

The problem is that finding anything about them proved to be a challenge, to say the least. Vendors at the market don't know anything about it. And there is no mention of it in Isadora's book.

Yes, she has a book—a real book. It shouldn't surprise me since she is quite wealthy, but still. It is only the second book I have ever read in this world. I guess she must have more books hidden away since this one covers only the basics of herbalism, most of which I already know.

I would love to gather some information in a library, but unfortunately, there is no such thing in the city. Although I heard that the Count de Santis - our liege lord - has a private book collection in the fortress which is looked after by his court wizard. Ahh, I wish I could have a peek at it!

I also want to find out more about those mysterious gems I got from my battles in the Forest. I still hadn't discovered what to do with them. From the looks of it, they remind me of those monster cores I read about in novels back on Earth.

But even if I knew about them, it didn't tell me how I could use them. When I focused my magic sense on them, I could perceive two very bright lights, signaling they have a tremendous amount of magical energy stored inside.

However, that was all I was able to pry from them. I refrained from any further experiments that could potentially damage them until I found more information. Although that will probably take some time.

As I was thinking about all of this, I made it all the way through the winding streets of the northern residential quarter of the city.

The buildings were old and decrepit, their roofs sagging under the weight of years of neglect. The walls were made of stone, but they were chipped and weathered, with moss and vines creeping up their sides.

Despite the shabbiness of the buildings, the quarter's residents were determined to make the most of their humble abodes.

I passed by a row of homes, and I could hear the sound of children laughing and playing in the narrow alleyways between the buildings. The streets were bustling with activity, with merchants hawking their wares and peasants hurrying to and fro.

The smell of fresh bread and roasted meat wafted through the air, a tantalizing aroma that made my stomach growl even though I had just finished my dinner.

I went to a small building situated in one of the alleyways at the edge of the quarter. It was made of wood with a thatched roof that looked like it might cave in at any moment. Despite all of this, it was one of the best-looking buildings here.

I really made the right decision to settle here, I thought as I remembered the set of events that led me to this place.

***

After I was accepted as an apprentice by Isadora, I returned to my uncle's house and told everyone the exciting news. Everyone was surprised at first, but they soon became happy for me that I had secured my future.

Everyone except Konrad. Him having lost his exclusivity of being the only sibling who got to be in the city must have hurt his pride. But despite his angry looks directed my way, he didn't let it show how he really felt about it.

I guess our relationship won't be amended anytime soon. Not that I care. If he wants to be petty and envy others, that's his problem. I won't let it ruin my mood.

I then asked my uncle if I could stay with them during my stay in the city. Aunt Ingrid looked at me with sad eyes and said that they couldn't afford to take care of both me and Konrad, so I had to look elsewhere.

I responded by saying that they don't need to take care of me and that I will pay them rent. However, my uncle didn't want to hear it. His honor would never allow him to take money from his nephew.

So he can't take my money, but throwing me out and letting me fend for myself is fine?

I never understood such stupid reasoning, but there was nothing I could do about it. Seeing their resolve, there was no point in arguing. I had to find another place to stay.

I wondered for a bit if I should pay a visit to the Vogt in his house here in the city and try to convince him to let me stay there, but I declined the idea.

I didn't know him too well, and although I was a good friend of Myra, I didn't want to look like I was taking advantage of that.

I could stay in an inn. I certainly had the money for it and wouldn't have to worry about food or laundry. But in the end, I decided not to. It was too expensive. There is no telling what may come in the future, and spending all my savings while my future remains uncertain is not a wise thing to do.

I will abandon convenience in favor of frugality for the time being, and when my future is secured, it will be time to enjoy myself.

The next day, I asked my father to allow me to stay in the city for longer to look for a place to live. I said farewell to him. While he headed south along the main road out of the city back to our village, I turned north to look for a suitable place to stay.

The west quarter was out of the picture since only the rich and powerful lived there. Even if I could somehow convince someone to rent me a place there, it would be well outside my price range.

Staying in the south quarter would be most convenient since it was close to Isadora's shop. However, most of the places were taken by inns, and the rest were occupied by shop owners and their staff. Finding any accommodation here requires some connections, which I didn't have.

Staying in the craftsman district was out of the picture too. Despite it being relatively close and cheap, the constant noise and smells coming out of the plethora of workshops were something I couldn't tolerate. So that left only the northern quarter.