Chapter 6: The Translucent Glass Sphere

Chapter 6: The Translucent Glass Orb

At dawn the next day, the circus set off on its journey.

Before departure, Xia Zuo privately handed over the three silver coins he had brought out from the underground cave to Audrey for safekeeping. Now, only his bag of new clothes and his broken crutch remained by his side.

His companion on the carriage was the strongman Popeye.

The two sat cramped inside the carriage, and since Popeye ate a lot, his body generated more heat than usual, raising the temperature inside noticeably.

Despite the stuffy, cramped, and bumpy carriage environment, Xia Zuo felt content—it was infinitely better than the underground prison cell or the forest thicket.

“Xia Zuo, good lad, hehe,” Popeye said.

Popeye was large and burly but a bit slow-witted.

When he spoke, he stammered somewhat, and whenever his sentences exceeded five words, he would laugh a few times and pause.

“Heh, you walked alone in the jungle for two days—very brave.”

“Thanks for the compliment, Popeye,” Xia Zuo said, poking the bulging muscle on Popeye’s arm. “You’re so strong. Do you have a secret?”

“Breathing technique, hehe… we all learn breathing techniques, but you’re too young to learn.”

“Breathing technique!” Xia Zuo’s eyes widened. It sounded like something that could improve physical fitness.

“Why can’t I learn it?”

“Hehe… you’re still growing. You can only learn it after you turn eighteen. Hehe… if you have elemental affinity, you can go straight to the Mage Academy to study alchemy and magic, so you don’t have to take missions at the Warrior Guild.”

Elemental affinity, alchemy, magic!

Mage Academy, Warrior Guild!

From Popeye’s words, mages were far more noble and rare in this world than warriors.

At the same time, becoming a mage was much harder than becoming a warrior.

“What is elemental affinity?”

Xia Zuo straightened up, gripping Popeye’s thick arm with both hands.

“I don’t know. The big sister seems to know. Hehe… she said the next stop is Rosak City and will take you to be tested. Maybe you have elemental affinity.”

Popeye touched his creamy hair. “I think, hehe… you don’t have elemental affinity, just like us.”

Xia Zuo felt a bit down but then had a sudden thought about spiritual attributes!

Right! Maybe if he leveled up and put points into his spirit, he could develop elemental affinity!

Excited, Xia Zuo rubbed his hands and looked up at the sky outside the window, feeling the blue sky and white clouds shining even brighter under the sunlight.

…

The three-section carriage jolted leisurely along the country road.

Some rushing merchants urged their pack horses forward, overtaking the circus convoy.

“Audrey, where’s your next stop?”

A messenger wearing a cloak and carrying a satchel caught up on horseback to the first carriage, apparently recognizing the big sister and her circus.

“We’re headed to Rosak City, my friend. The circus will stay there for a week.”

Audrey’s clear voice drifted from the front.

“The kids will be going crazy again. Ha, I’ll go ahead.” The messenger called out and rode off.

“Is our circus well-known?” Xia Zuo asked his companion.

“Hehe… we’re famous in Rosak Province. Every town knows us. Every six months, we tour the entire province along the main roads.”

Popeye squeezed a resilient rubber ball in his hand, the muscles on his forearm bulging with clear definition, clearly not as relaxed as he appeared.

This rubber ball seemed to be a small tool for exercising arm strength in tight spaces.

“Is our circus the only one in Rosak Province? Is there competition?”

Popeye stopped his movements, touching his hair, his thick eyebrows furrowing into a right angle:

“There seems to be. Hehe… the big sister should know about these things. Vaners used to be the fire breather for another circus, but for some reason, he joined us.”

Xia Zuo lowered his head in thought… Could it be that Vaners’s original troupe discovered his thieving habits? Audrey never mentioned Vaners’s flaws to the members; better not say anything.

…

About five days later.

The road to Rosak City changed from muddy paths to patterned stone bricks, becoming wider and smoother.

The carriage no longer bounced, and when Xia Zuo opened his water pouch, much less water spilled out.

Along the way, the convoy only stopped briefly in villages to resupply food and fresh water. Even at dusk, they pressed on through the night.

At first, Xia Zuo was surprised by traveling after dark.

Audrey, the clown siblings, and Snake took turns driving the carriage.

Then why could the pack horses keep working nonstop?

The mystery was solved upon arrival at the first village…

The pack horses were provided uniformly by the Rosak Stables.

This rental service was paid annually, allowing the circus to swap out tired horses for fresh ones at any stable with a horsehouse.

Such a thoughtful business service made Xia Zuo look forward even more to their destination.

Rosak City’s grandeur did not disappoint.

The city walls were built of tightly laid large stone blocks, five meters thick and over ten meters high.

The city gate’s huge doors were split in half and so heavy that six guards had to push them open.

To reach this place, one had to cross a five-meter-wide moat first.

The circus convoy, following merchant wagons, arrived at the city gate for inspection.

The guards, wearing steel helmets and holding long halberds, obviously recognized Audrey. Their smiles were as warm as the gleam on their silver armor.

Audrey accompanied the guards as they inspected all three carriages, including the protective gear and weapons hidden in compartments.

They checked the markings inside the gear and the steel stamps on weapon hilts—everything was in order.

As for Xia Zuo’s identity, the group did not hide anything from the guards, telling the boy’s story in full.

After hearing it, several guards muttered curses at the dead tyrant and the bandits who destroyed the village, then waved the circus convoy through.

Once inside the city, the carriage stopped after only a few minutes.

“We’ve arrived. Everyone, get off.”

Audrey opened the door of the third carriage and lifted the boy down, stroking his black hair softly. “Xia Zuo, are you comfortable in the carriage? I rushed to drive and couldn’t look after you.”

“Big sister, thank you for your concern. I’m doing great now. Eating well, sleeping well.”

A smile spread across Xia Zuo’s face.

“That’s good.”

Audrey took the boy’s hand and looked at the others. “Everyone, same as usual. Popeye, set up the tents in the square. You two siblings change into your clothes and start promoting. Snake, stay here and watch the carriage.”

The members sprang into action.

Audrey used her other hand to untie a small pouch at her waist and tossed it to the fire breather staring at her.

Vaners, his forehead shining, felt the weight of the pouch in his hand and smiled faintly—a rare expression.

“Xia Zuo, come with me. Has Popeye told you about elemental affinity?”

Audrey led the boy off the carriage parking ground and turned into a bustling street.

Loaded carts waited in front of shops for clerks to unload goods. Shouts of sellers filled the air, and all kinds of shops lined the street.

Xia Zuo sidestepped some children playing in the street.

“Popeye mentioned it. He also said he didn’t think I seemed to have elemental affinity.”

“He probably wasn’t wrong, Xia Zuo. Every child is tested once at birth. I’m taking you for a retest—maybe the village’s equipment was too old, and you weren’t accurately detected.”

They walked a hundred meters along the street and stopped at a place with a hanging sign.

The Starry Night Academy Entrance Testing Station.

“This is it.”

They went in and came out in less than five minutes.

Xia Zuo’s face showed unmistakable disappointment.

He placed his hand on the translucent glass orb that indicated elemental affinity—no change at all.

In this world, to rise swiftly and take the high road, one’s birth was crucial.

If born with elemental affinity, the whole family’s fortune could soar instantly.

Not only could one attend the prestigious Starry Night Academy for free, but the entire family could also live comfortably in the kingdom’s capital.

“Look on the bright side, Xia Zuo. We still have another path.”

Audrey reached out and ruffled the boy’s face, which was so gloomy it seemed to squeeze out water.

“Big sister, you mean joining the Warrior Guild?” Xia Zuo’s voice was low.

“Don’t look down on the Warrior Guild. If you reach my level, there’s still a chance to enter the Mage Academy.”

Now Xia Zuo was even more puzzled—what would a warrior be doing in a mage school?

“It’s too early to talk about that now—you can’t even learn the breathing technique yet. Come on, let’s get you some practical things.”

Audrey had no intention to explain further and pulled the boy’s arm into a bookstore.

When they returned to the street, Xia Zuo held two thin books.

“Big sister... you’re not going to make me read, are you?”

“Little one, don’t pout. If you’d read these earlier, you wouldn’t have nearly starved in the forest.”

Audrey’s words were true.

The two books stacked together were only a little wider than Xia Zuo’s pinky finger but contained complex content.

Xia Zuo had been about to complain, wondering why Audrey didn’t just teach him sword or staff techniques directly, but once he flipped through the pages, he was deeply engrossed.

“‘Geography of Rosak Province’: memorizing this book grants 3 experience points and increases spirit attribute by 0.02. Upon completion, the entire content is scanned and added to the host’s knowledge database.”

“‘Wilderness Survival Manual’: memorizing this book grants 1.5 experience points and increases spirit attribute by 0.01. Upon completion, the entire content is scanned and added to the host’s knowledge database.”

Double gains in experience and spirit attribute! Knowledge truly is spiritual nourishment.

I love reading! And books love me!

“Big sister, I want to buy two more.”

Audrey poked the boy’s head. “Little one, finish these two first.”

The two wandered the streets, moving between shops.

Audrey appeared as straightforward and strong as a man, but in shopping, she showed a distinctly feminine touch.

Before long, Xia Zuo’s arms were heavy with paper bags, his eyes shining with anticipation.

Inside were his work clothes, to be worn when selling tickets tomorrow.

(End of chapter)