White Jade

"Moransiu, our village was attacked by magic wolves last night. If it weren't for the magic you released, the village would surely be in a different state now," Mo De recounted last night's events, still looking somewhat uneasy.

"If our village could build a sturdy wall, we wouldn't have to worry about these beasts' attacks. But for a village like ours, it's impossible to build a strong wall because we don't have that much money," Mo De clenched his fists tighter.

Building a sturdy wall had been a thought in his mind for a long time, but it was simply unattainable.

"And you, you are the hope of our village. If you can go to Mulan Academy to study magic, in five years or a few more, you could become an intermediate magician and find a decent job, meet some nobles. Then our village's wall will definitely be built," Mo De finally stated the main point, expressing his desire for Moransiu to continue studying magic.

In fact, Moransiu also had this idea.

"The Basics of Magic" can only bring a person with potential into the world of magic but cannot help them continue their practice. To continue practicing, one must have a real magic teacher and be able to continue learning magic techniques. Magic techniques are divided into three levels: advanced, intermediate, and basic. Magic skills must be learned through other means.

Moransiu now had an almost crazy desire for magic. Even if Mo De didn't actively ask him to go to Mulan Academy, he would find a way to enter the big city to continue practicing magic.

"Father, entering Mulan Academy requires a high tuition fee, right?" Moransiu asked.

"Yes, I've heard that the tuition fee for the Magic Academy is very high, but you don't need to worry. The people in the village support you in learning magic, so the whole village will save some money. Last night, in just one night, we raised more than a hundred gold coins, which should be enough for the first tuition fee," Mo De viewed a hundred gold coins as a considerable sum.

One gold coin was equivalent to ten silver coins, and one silver coin could buy about a thousand copper coins. A silver coin could buy a pancake. A good piece of beast fur could sell for one to two silver coins. For the villagers, one silver coin was enough for a family's living expenses for a month.

So, a hundred gold coins were a huge sum.

Moransiu had never seen what a gold coin looked like.

"It's already August, Moransiu. We'll leave at noon, and in another month, the enrollment exam for Mulan Academy will begin. We can't be late. If we are, we'll have to wait until next year," Mo De's eyes suddenly lit up, then slowly dimmed.

"Okay, Father," Moransiu nodded his head, feeling excited too.

Every child longed for Mulan Academy. As long as they could enter Mulan Academy, their future would be bright. It is said that no low-level magician has ever come out of Mulan Academy. As long as they can get in, when they come out, they will surely be an intermediate or advanced magician.

Mulan Academy is in Sufei City. Sufei City is a large city in the kingdom, overseeing more than a dozen small cities. There are more than a dozen large cities like Sufei in the Kingdom of Carlisle. The four major magic academies are distributed among these more than a dozen large cities. Of course, there are many magic academies in the kingdom, but they are not as famous as the four major magic academies.

"Moransiu..." Mo De seemed to have something else to say but hesitated.

"What's wrong, Father?" Moransiu looked at Mo De in surprise.

"Moransiu, there's something else I think I must tell you. Take out the jade on your neck," Mo De hesitated for a moment, finally making up his mind to speak.

Moransiu puzzledly took off the white jade necklace around his neck. He had been wearing this white jade for eight years.

"I couldn't afford this white jade," Mo De recalled the past, saying in a heavy tone.

"Father?" Moransiu was a little puzzled, his eyes full of confusion. He couldn't guess what Mo De wanted to say.

"Moransiu, remember when I told you before that this white jade was left by your mother before she died?" Mo De took a deep breath.

"Yes, Father." He was told this by his father when he was young.

"Even someone who doesn't understand jade knows that the quality of this white jade is very good. Moransiu, I couldn't afford such jade to give to my own wife, do you understand?" Mo De sounded a bit sad.

Moransiu blinked, his mind full of question marks. What did Father want to say?

"Sigh..." Mo De often sighed.

"Eight years ago, during a hunting trip, I found you, still a baby, in the Magic Beast Forest. I brought you back. Actually, I'm not your biological father. This white jade is the only clue to finding out about your origin. When you get to Sufei, you must secretly search for your biological parents," Mo De finally revealed.

This sentence hit Moransiu's heart heavily. This news was too shocking for him. For eight years, he had never realized that Mo De didn't treat him like a biological son.

"Father..." After a long time, Moransiu murmured.

"Child, if you hadn't become a magician, I might never have said this secret. But you're about to enter a wider world and have the opportunity to find your biological parents. If I didn't tell you this secret, it would be unfair to you and your biological parents. I think the person who could hang such valuable things on a child must not be an ordinary family," Mo De's words flowed much smoother. These words had been stuck in his heart for many years, and now that he had finally said them, he felt much relieved.

...

After lunch, Mo De, Moransiu, and the 134 gold coins raised by the villagers set off for Qinghe Town.

To reach Sufei City, they had to go to Qinghe Town first and then take a carriage for three days and three nights.

Moransiu had never been to the town before. It was much more prosperous than Algu Village. There were many shops and people on both sides of the street. Looking at those people wearing various clothes, Moransiu felt everything was very novel.

There were many people from the surrounding hunting villages in the town, so Mo De and Moransiu, dressed in animal fur clothes, did not attract much attention. Of course, if they knew that this inconspicuous eight-year-old boy could release fireball spells, it would be different. In the entire Qinghe Town, apart from outsiders, there had never been a local magician.

Even the lowest-level magic apprentice would be valued in Qinghe Town, let alone a real magician like Moransiu who could release fireball spells.

However, Moransiu and Mo De kept a low profile, and they didn't want to attract attention.

"Moransiu, come in."

Outside a clothing store, Mo De called Moransiu.

"You're about to go to the big

city, so you have to dress decently," Mo De said while looking at the various clothes hanging in the store. The cheapest of these clothes cost hundreds of copper coins, while the most expensive ones cost dozens of gold coins.

In the end, Mo De chose a blue cotton robe, which he thought looked similar to the robes worn by Mr. Magicians. What he didn't know was that even the cheapest magician's robe cost dozens of gold coins, and the most expensive one, you couldn't even imagine the price, but it was definitely astronomical.

"This outfit, the lowest price for you, is one silver coin and five hundred copper coins," the shopkeeper stated a price, which was almost the price of a good piece of beast fur. Ordinary beast fur wasn't very valuable, but if it was the fur of a magic beast, then it was valuable.

"Okay, we'll take two, no, three," Mo De gritted his teeth.

Mo De remembered that he had only bought clothes twice in the town in his lifetime, including this time. The first time was when he got married. This time, he was sending Moransiu to the Magic Academy to learn magic, and both of these occasions were major events.