Enter!

Matthew didn’t like this feeling.

But he needed it.

Only by maintaining this awareness could he prevent himself from being dazzled by several hundred magic stones.

Magic stones could indeed increase Spirit.

But Spirit was just the foundation.

Without enough spell models, without enough combat methods, and without trump cards for different situations, no matter how much Spirit he had, he could still be toyed with by a more experienced apprentice.

The crimson-robed apprentice wasn’t necessarily so strong that he was insurmountable.

However, the spell system he displayed was far more complete than Matthew’s.

Probing with fire ravens. Sealing paths with acid. Protecting with fire rings. Pursuing with black flames.

Every method was useful.

None of them were for show.

Matthew slowly closed his eyes.

The Royal Capital.

He had to reach the Royal Capital as soon as possible.

There would surely be more spell models there.

Protection spells. Concealment spells. Control spells. Detection spells. Trap spells.

There might even be tools and materials that could assist in spellcasting.

These were all things he was currently in desperate need of.

That night, Matthew was in no hurry to absorb the magic stones.

He knew his mental state was actually quite good.

If he wanted to absorb them, he could.

But that battle just now made him realize that he needed more than just accumulating Spirit.

He needed to think.

He needed to summarize.

He needed to understand what he had to supplement next.

Otherwise, even if he reached the rank of Third-Grade Apprentice, he might still be just a Third-Grade Apprentice with a meager spell repertoire.

That was not the result he wanted.

Outside the carriage, the night wind blew through the camp.

The acidic, rotten smell lingering in the distant woods was occasionally brought over by the wind.

Matthew sat in the darkness, his expression calm, yet his eyes were deeper than they had been during the day.

There were no bandits on the main road.

But that didn’t mean it was safe.

Truly dangerous things didn’t necessarily stand in the middle of the road with a sword.

It could be a magic fluctuation from afar.

It could be a private fight that had nothing to do with him.

Or it could be a mysterious wizard apprentice with an unknown identity and bizarre spells.

The closer he got to the Royal Capital, the more such dangers would increase.

And right now, he was still far from being strong enough.

Matthew looked down at the storage ring on his left hand.

The ring was cold and silent.

Inside lay magic stones, materials, and his possibility of rising higher.

The anticipation in his heart was stronger than it had been during the day.

But it wasn't anticipation for prosperity.

It wasn't for the high walls, the nobles, or the bustling streets of the Royal Capital.

Those things weren't important to him.

What he anticipated were spells.

Resources.

Knowledge.

And the power to truly stop being passive and running for his life.

A moment later, Matthew closed his eyes again.

He didn't absorb any magic stones.

He simply meditated.

He wanted to sink everything he had seen tonight into his memory.

Once he arrived at the Royal Capital, these deficiencies would become his goals.

Supplementing them one by one. Becoming stronger bit by bit.

Until the next time he encountered a similar battle, he would no longer just be watching from a distance.

...

The rest of the journey was smoother than anyone in the caravan had imagined.

Ever since that night by the main road when they saw the bizarre firelight deep in the woods, the people in the caravan seemed to have been suppressed by an invisible hand.

The drivers no longer chatted all the way like they did at the beginning.

The guards were also much more silent than before.

Even though this main highway to the Royal Capital was wide enough, the road surface was flat enough, and passing caravans were frequent enough, the guards would still subconsciously grip their weapons whenever the caravan passed by woods, gentle slopes, piles of rubble, or the vicinity of some long-abandoned old houses.

No one mentioned what happened that night again.

But everyone remembered.

They remembered the moment the dark red firelight exploded in the woods, the eerie sight of green mist rolling along the ground, and the light sound, like breaking glass, when that blue-white shield was shattered by the black line.

To ordinary people, that wasn't just a common danger.

It was more like they had accidentally glimpsed a world that shouldn't have belonged to them.

Before that, wizards, spells, and mysterious powers were mostly things that stayed in rumors for them.

They were scary stories told in hushed voices by old traveling merchants in taverns.

They were taboos that others didn't dare to casually join in on when noble servants occasionally mentioned them.

They were existences that most people would never truly encounter in their lives.

But that night, it had appeared so vividly in the nearby woods.

No explanation.

No warning.

It just suddenly lit up, suddenly exploded, and suddenly made everyone understand that there were indeed some dangers in this world that could not be measured by swords and numbers at all.

Because of this, the attitude of the caravan toward Matthew quietly changed after that.

At first, they only knew that Matthew was a distinguished guest personally arranged by Young Master Regg.

A distinguished guest required respect.

This was the manager's instruction and the rule of the Fiery Lion family.

But after that night, there was a bit more awe in that respect.

Because they all remembered that before anyone else had noticed anything abnormal, the first person to lift the carriage curtain and look toward that patch of woods was Matthew.

He didn't shout.

He didn't panic.

He didn't even explain much.

He just calmly had them stop, lower the fires, tighten the caravan, and told everyone not to approach the woods.

Many people didn't understand at the time.

But later they understood.

They just understood too late and with too much shock.

Therefore, on the road that followed, every time the caravan manager came to Matthew’s carriage, his voice would be even lower.

When guards passed near Matthew’s carriage, their footsteps would also become lighter.

When camping, Matthew’s carriage would always be placed in the safest position.

Water and food were always delivered to Aidan first.

Matthew saw all these changes.

He didn't become arrogant because of it.

Nor did he take the initiative to explain.

He was very clear that these people didn't know his true identity.

They might not even be able to guess that he was a wizard apprentice.

They only felt that he was not ordinary.

This "uncertainty" was exactly what Matthew wanted.

A certain identity would be weighed for its value.

An uncertain identity would keep people at a distance.

Matthew didn't like being stared at.

But if this awe could reduce trouble, he wouldn't deliberately expose the truth.

What he needed now was to arrive at the Royal Capital safely.

It wasn't to prove who he really was halfway through.

After another ten days or so, the Royal Capital finally appeared at the end of the main road.

At first, it was just a blurry shadow.

A grayish-white silhouette lay on the distant horizon, looking like a mountain yet not like a mountain.

As the caravan drew closer, that silhouette gradually became clear.

It wasn't a mountain.

It was a city wall.

An extremely high, long, and heavy city wall.

It stretched across the end of the land like a silent giant beast, coldly watching everyone who approached it.

Above the city wall, there was a towering watchtower every certain distance. Atop the watchtowers, flags fluttered in the wind, and one could vaguely see crests of different colors. Long queues were lined up before the city gates: caravans, noble carriages, armored knights, itinerant merchants leading packhorses, and travelers carrying bags were all waiting to enter the city.

Looking further behind the city wall, several taller spires could be seen.

Those spires rose above the city wall and pierced into the sky, like symbols of some power and order.

Aidan rode his horse, staring at the city in the distance, and didn't speak for a long time.

His fingers subconsciously tightened on the reins, and he didn't even notice when the horse slowed down.

After a while, he seemed to finally snap out of it and whispered, “Brother Matthew...”

A corner of the carriage curtain was lifted.

Matthew looked at him.

Aidan didn't turn his head; he just stared blankly ahead.

“Is that... the Royal Capital?”

Matthew followed his gaze.

His expression remained calm.

But when his eyes fell on that stretch of city walls and watchtowers, his heart was not without a ripple.

He had finally arrived.

The Royal Capital.

This place he had decided to come to back when he was in the county seat.

A place that might hide more spells, more materials, and more opportunities.

It was also a place countless times more complex and dangerous than the county seat.

Matthew’s gaze darkened slightly.

He didn't wear his shock on his face like Aidan.

But he knew very well that the Royal Capital was completely different from the county seat.

The county seat was a regional center.

But the Royal Capital was the center of the entire kingdom.

It wasn't just that the city walls were higher, the roads wider, and the buildings more numerous.

More importantly, power, wealth, nobles, chambers of commerce, Class holders, information, and various hidden channels that ordinary people could not access at all were gathered here.

In the county seat, a Second-Grade Apprentice might still be considered rare.

But once in the Royal Capital, what was a Second-Grade Apprentice?

Matthew thought of the crimson-robed apprentice he had seen fighting in the woods that night.

The other person’s spell system was clearly more complete than his.

Fire ravens to probe for traps. Acid Arrows to block routes. Fire rings for pre-emptive protection. Black flame chains to pursue enemies.

That way of fighting made Matthew clearly realize how thin his current methods were.

Energy Missile was very useful.

But it was far from enough.

If there were more people in the Royal Capital like that crimson-robed apprentice, then as a Second-Grade Apprentice, he absolutely could not feel any pride just because he had several hundred magic stones in his hand.

Magic stones were just resources.

They were not strength.

A storage ring was just a convenience.

It was not a trump card.

What could truly keep him alive was still spells, judgment, caution, and continuously improving Spirit.

Thinking of this, the slight excitement that had risen in Matthew’s heart because of his arrival at the Royal Capital was quickly suppressed by him.

He was certainly expectant.

But this expectation had to be kept within the bounds of reason.

If expectation turned into impulse, it would kill him.

Thus, he only calmly said, “It is the Royal Capital.”

Aidan couldn't help but say, “It’s so much bigger than the county seat.”

There was shock in his voice, but also excitement that couldn't be suppressed.

To a youth from the countryside, the county seat already seemed like another world.

But now, he saw a place even bigger than the county seat.

That impact made him almost forget the exhaustion from the journey.

Matthew glanced at him.

“After entering the city, don’t stare around.”

Aidan was startled and immediately snapped back to reality.

“Yes, Brother Matthew.”

“And don’t speak carelessly.”

“Understood.”

“And don’t mention what happened on the road.”

Aidan’s expression turned serious.

“I’ll remember.”

Matthew lowered the carriage curtain.

He knew Aidan was still young.

Seeing a place like the Royal Capital, he would be shocked, excited, and subconsciously want to look a few more times—that was normal.

But the Royal Capital was not a rural town market where one could just gaze around.

Behind every carriage, every crest, and every seemingly ordinary pedestrian here, there might be a connection to some faction.

If a youth who hadn't seen the world behaved too obviously, it would be easy for him to be looked down upon or even targeted.

Matthew didn't need Aidan to become very clever.

But at the very least, he couldn't cause trouble for himself.

The caravan continued to approach the city gate.

After the Fiery Lion family flag was unfurled in front, many ordinary travelers and small caravans around them took the initiative to move aside.

This wasn't because they were lowly.

It was simply the rule near the Royal Capital.

Noble crests represented status, but they also represented trouble.

Unless necessary, ordinary people would not stand in front of a noble caravan.

At the city gate, a guard captain wearing half-plate armor stepped forward.

His gaze first swept over the flag at the front of the caravan, then over the neatly arranged wagons and guards.

“A merchant caravan of the Fiery Lion family?”

The caravan manager immediately dismounted.

His movements were swift, and his face wore a respectful yet dignified smile.

“Indeed. The Fiery Lion family merchant caravan from the county seat, ordered to transport goods into the Royal Capital.”

As he spoke, he handed over the transit permit with both hands.

The guard captain took the document and looked it over very carefully.

This was the Royal Capital, after all.

Even if the Fiery Lion family had noble status, it was impossible for them not to be checked at all.

The guard captain asked, “Are all goods on the register?”

“All of them.”

“Accompanying personnel?”

“Sixteen guards, three drivers, five handymen, and one manager.”

The guard captain flipped through the document and then looked up toward the middle of the caravan.

“Are there any additional personnel in the caravan?”

The caravan manager paused slightly.

Then, he looked back at the fourth carriage.

“There is also a distinguished guest personally arranged by Young Master Regg, traveling with the caravan to enter the city. The guest carries a recommendation letter from the Fiery Lion family.”

The guard captain’s gaze fell on the fourth carriage.

The curtain was down.

There was no movement inside.

The guard captain didn't immediately have someone lift the curtain but said, “The recommendation letter.”

Inside the carriage, Matthew took out that recommendation letter.

He didn't get out of the carriage.

Nor did he take the initiative to show his face.

He simply handed the letter to Aidan.

Aidan immediately dismounted, took it with both hands, and quickly walked to the manager’s side.

The manager took the recommendation letter and passed it to the guard captain.

The guard captain opened the letter.

The wax seal was well-preserved.

On it was pressed the crest of the Fiery Lion family.

The Crimson-Gold Lion roared with its head held high, its claws crossing a longsword and a shield.

Upon seeing the wax seal, the guard captain’s expression became a bit more serious.

He quickly read the contents of the letter and looked up at the fourth carriage again.

A moment later, he folded the recommendation letter back up.

“Since he is a distinguished guest guaranteed by the Fiery Lion family, he may enter the city.”

The caravan manager visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you.”

The guard captain added, “Goods are to be inspected according to the rules, and personnel are to be released after registration.”

“Understood.”

Inside the carriage, Matthew listened to the voices outside, his finger lightly resting on his knee.

The recommendation letter was indeed useful.

Without this letter, it wouldn't have been so simple for him and Aidan to enter the city smoothly.

Ordinary travelers had to be questioned about their origins.

Adventurers needed relevant credentials.

Merchants had to have their goods registered.

And he didn't want to expose his identity as a wizard apprentice.

Once exposed, he would certainly receive more awe, but at the same time, it would bring more eyes.

Wizards were rare.

Because they were rare, they were more likely to attract attention.

Matthew didn't want to become a target of attention yet.

This recommendation letter from the Fiery Lion family was equivalent to providing him with a suitable shell.

Not high-profile.

But substantial.

It was enough for the guards to let him pass without making everyone stare at him.

This was the value of Regg’s arrangement.