Erich

As the most famous magic city on the Western Continent, Falan City's gates looked far grander than Rhode City's. Two high, curved walls stretched out to the left and right, constructed mostly of massive white stones.

Atop the high walls, a few elderly mages wearing pointed hats were scattered among the sentry guards.

A long queue snaked in front of the city gates. Even though night had already fallen, the people waiting to enter still stretched from the drawbridge all the way to the edge of the moat.

Whenever someone passed through the city gates, the crystals embedded on both sides of the gateway would flash, emitting a uniform green light.

Of course, there were exceptions.

A young apprentice standing in line ahead of Lu Mao's group had just stepped in front of the crystals when the light scanning his head suddenly turned a glaring red.

Two fully armed guards strode forward, preparing to seize him.

With a panicked expression, the apprentice tore off an amulet hanging around his neck. His appearance shifted, ultimately revealing the signature long ears of an elf.

The captain of the guard pointed outside the city gates. The elf hung his head and walked back the way he came under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Lu Mao instinctively took half a step closer to Sorge and whispered, “Is your Disguise magic reliable?”

Without even turning his head, Sorge clicked his jaw bone. “How could such a commonplace detection method see through this old man's Disguise magic, clack?”

He was right. When it was Lu Mao's turn to enter the city, the crystals flashed green.

The scene inside Falan City was even more bustling and prosperous than Lu Mao had imagined. The streets were uniformly paved with neat stone bricks, wide enough for eight carriages to run abreast.

The streets on both sides were hung with all sorts of unnamed, glowing trinkets. The entire town was bathed in this peculiar light, which, combined with the pedestrians bustling back and forth, made the place incredibly lively.

But as lively as it was, Lu Mao and the others couldn't even find a place to stay for the night.

They searched five or six inns along the way, only to find them all fully booked.

This so-called Elite Spell Formation Tournament had attracted too many outsiders, making the entire city terribly crowded.

Even some rooms that were clearly private residences had been converted into something like homestays to make a quick buck, and their prices were even more extortionate than the actual hotels.

“It seems we really picked a bad time. There's definitely no hope for ordinary inns,” Lumu said.

She stopped walking and tilted her head toward a particularly grand stone-and-wood building at the end of the street. “Let's try our luck at a higher-end place. There might still be vacancies.”

Lu Mao touched the last ten gold coins in his storage ring and had no choice but to brace himself and walk in.

The lobby of this inn was even more luxurious than it appeared from the outside.

Crystal chandeliers, velvet cushions, a magical fountain in the center... It had everything.

The receptionist behind the counter wore a standard professional smile. “We happen to have exactly three double rooms left. That will be six gold coins in total.”

Lu Mao let out a sigh of relief.

Under normal circumstances, he would have jumped in fright at this price, but now he was just glad he could still afford it.

He had just reluctantly handed over the six gold coins and hadn't even had time to take the three exquisite keys resting on the counter.

A young man wearing the deep blue uniform of a noble academy walked in from the door, followed by three or four companions dressed in the same manner. They walked up to the front desk, chatting and laughing, reeking of alcohol.

“Get my friends here three rooms. The best ones you have,” the young man said.

“I am terribly sorry, but the last three rooms were just booked by these guests.” As the receptionist spoke, she pointed toward Lu Mao's group.

Only then did the blonde young man turn his head to look at Lu Mao's group standing beside the counter. His gaze lingered on Lumu and Novia for a moment longer.

He retracted his gaze and looked back at the receptionist, his tone carrying an extra layer of impatience. “Are you new here? Don't you know who I am?”

The receptionist's smile stiffened. “I do, of course I do, Master Erich... But first come, first served is the rule. I'm just an employee here, I really can't make that decision...”

“Rules?” Erich's tall, thin companion sneered. “Do you have any idea who Master Erich's father is—”

Erich raised his hand to stop his companion, took half a step forward, and met Lu Mao's gaze. “Name your price. For the three rooms, how much do you want?”

“Not selling,” Lu Mao rejected him without a second thought.

Having his pride wounded in front of his friends, Erich's expression instantly turned cold.

“You must be an adventurer from out of town, right? It's far too much of an insult for these two ladies to squeeze into a place like this with someone like you.”

“How about this? Hand over the rooms to my friends, and I will invite these two ladies to be guests at the Count's estate. It'll be much more comfortable than this place.”

His companions let out low chuckles of agreement behind him.

Damn you, I usually can't even afford to stay in a place like this, and you call it "a place like this"?

Lu Mao's gaze toward Erich was filled with pure hatred for the rich.

Lumu looked up at him, her eyes even more unfriendly.

If they were in a dungeon, she would have absolutely made him pay the price for his frivolous words.

Erich felt a bit chilled by Lumu's gaze, and the last trace of fake politeness on his face vanished. He reached out to grab the keys on the counter.

“I'll pay five times the room rate. Give me the keys, and you lot can go wherever you want.”

But when it came to agility alone, how could a pampered noble playboy compare to Lu Mao, who was a ranger?

“Those last words of yours should be coming from me instead.”

Without giving the other party time to react, Lu Mao snatched the keys into his hand, turned around, and walked toward the stairs according to the numbers on the keys.

Erich wanted to give chase, but he stopped in his tracks after taking just a couple of steps.

The two guys beside Lu Mao, who looked to be at least two meters tall, were looking at him with eyes full of murderous intent. Especially the one carrying the spiked wooden club—he gave off the feeling that if Erich took one more step, that massive club would smash down the next second.

Erich's Adam's apple bobbed. His rationality told him not to act impulsively for now.

He was extremely annoyed now, regretting that he hadn't brought any retainers with him when he went out.

If only he had any of the Archmages friendly with his family by his side right now, he wouldn't be standing here awkwardly in such a dilemma.

“Very well.” He nodded, took two steps back, and squeezed out an extremely ugly smile. “Fine, I'll remember you. Just you wait!”

After delivering his threat, Erich left the inn in a huff with his companions.

Lu Mao, however, didn't care about the other party's threat at all.

What a joke. The powerhouses in his party were each more terrifying than the last. Why would they be afraid of revenge from the mere son of a Count?

Erich pushed open the inn's door. The night wind rushed in, clearing his head slightly.

“Master, what's the deal with those people? They don't look like ordinary adventurers,” the tall, thin companion caught up and asked in a low voice.

“I don't care where they came from.” Erich didn't look back, his steps hurried and heavy. “On Falan City turf, who can possibly touch me?”

“My father invited two of Lumdor's famous High Mages to watch the finals this time, and one of them is the Vice President of the kingdom's Mages' Guild.”

“Tomorrow morning, I'd like to see if they can still act as tough as they did tonight.”

“Then... Master, where are we going to sleep tonight?”

Hearing this, Erich fell silent for a moment, his tone much calmer than before. “Many distinguished guests have arrived at the manor recently, so the guest rooms should all be occupied. Clean up those utility rooms next to the warehouse; they'll do in a pinch.”

The tall, thin companion was stunned. “Utility rooms? But how could those two ladies go to the manor—”

“Do you think I'm going to share a bed with you?”