Figuring out how to get to Radiant City was actually quite an art. Inside the travel hall of Ash City, Erich pulled a copy of 《Imperial Travel Guide》 from a rack near the entrance, sat down on a bench in the corner, and began flipping through it.
The straight-line distance from Ash City to Radiant City was approximately 9,800 kilometers. Traveling by an ordinary carriage was estimated to take two to three months, costing three silver coins.
Looking further down, the mana train express line made twelve stops along the way, taking about four days in total, with a ticket price of fifteen gold coins.
Arriving in four days was perfect timing. Today was August 20th, and there were still ten days before the school term started. However, after paying for the train ticket, he would only have five gold coins left. He didn't know how much a year's tuition at Morningstar Academy was, but even thinking with his toes, he knew five gold coins definitely wouldn't be enough. Besides, it wasn't as if he wouldn't need to spend money after paying tuition; food, lodging, and basic necessities in the capital were bound to be outrageously expensive.
He looked down at the very last line: long-distance teleportation array, from Ash City to Radiant City, cost per person per trip: 1,200 gold coins.
Erich closed the guide.
One thousand two hundred gold coins. He couldn't raise that much even if he sold himself.
He leaned back against the bench, staring blankly at the chandelier on the hall's ceiling.
Taking a carriage didn't leave enough time. Using the teleportation array was too expensive. Taking the train was within budget, but it would wipe out his tuition money. A single penny could stump a hero. Erich stuffed the guide back onto the rack, walked aimlessly toward the vicinity of the Ash City train station, found a bench against the wall to sit down, and began to seriously contemplate his life.
He had actually considered not going to Morningstar Academy. But if he missed the optimal age and didn't enroll, an exiled noble like him might never get the chance to learn magic in his lifetime. There was also a level penalty for gaining experience points; he couldn't just grind low-level monsters until he was invincible, and the creatures on the higher floors of the Abyss would only become more troublesome. Without magic, it would be practically impossible to make any progress.
Therefore, he had to go to the academy.
But where would the money come from?
As Erich was lost in thought, a shadow suddenly loomed over him. Three burly men stood before him, shoulder to shoulder like a wall.
“Young brother,” the burly man in the middle spoke, his voice surprisingly amiable. “Heading to Radiant City?”
“Yes.” Erich sized them up and nodded.
The burly man's smile grew even wider. He sat down next to Erich, while the other two remained standing, looming on either side like pillars.
“Want to take our direct train? We'll only charge you one gold coin.”
One gold coin. Compared to the normal ticket price of fifteen gold coins, charging only one was no longer in the realm of a discount—it sounded like a scam.
He asked casually, “Is this train reliable? Who else is on board? How long will the trip take?”
The fierce-looking, burly man on the left sneered. “Although our Wayne family's private line can't compare to the Edmond family's, it's still one of the best in the empire.”
The leader glared at his companion on the left, his eyes clearly saying, Keep your mouth shut. Then he turned back, his tone sounding even more sincere:
“We're just hauling cargo. It doesn't have much to do with the Wayne family. This time we didn't fill up on cargo, so we have an empty carriage. We just came out to grab a few passengers to make some extra cash. Well? You in? If not, we'll find someone else.”
With that, he turned to leave, and his two companions followed him without looking back.
Erich watched their retreating backs, quickly weighing the pros and cons. There were many loopholes in their story: Why would a cargo train have an empty passenger carriage? Why would members of the Wayne family personally recruit passengers at the station? A fare of one gold coin wouldn't even cover the costs. But if they really wanted to scam him, they wouldn't need to go to such trouble. Besides, anyone powerful enough to completely crush him wouldn't bother taking such a roundabout way to scheme against him.
Erich quickly caught up to the men.
“I'm in.”
A smile returned to the leader's face. He stretched out his hand, palm up. Erich fished a gold coin out of his coin pouch and placed it in his palm.
The man weighed the coin, nodded with satisfaction, and jerked his head to the side. “Follow me.”
The three men led Erich across three or four platforms before stopping in front of a train. The locomotive was an old-fashioned mana-fuel hybrid, and the train's body was painted with the Wayne family's crest.
Aside from the engine, the train had eight carriages. By the door of the very last carriage stood a folding chair, upon which sat a dozing old man.
“James,” the leader called out, “add one.”
The old man opened one eye, pulled a crumpled notebook from his pocket, made a mark on it, and closed his eye again.
The leader slid open the iron door of the last carriage and made a gesturing motion.
The interior of the carriage was more spacious than it appeared from the outside. Two rows of temporary wooden benches faced each other with a narrow aisle down the middle, and quite a few people were already seated on them.
Seeing this scene, Erich actually felt relieved. This was probably indeed a cargo family picking up passengers along the way to make some extra cash under the table, which was why they could offer such a low price.
He found an empty seat in the middle of the carriage, next to a youth.
The youth looked to be around his age, with a slender build and skin so fair he didn't look like an adventurer who spent his days outdoors. On his lap rested a bulging cloth bag.
Erich sat down next to the youth, shrugged his shoulders to loosen up, and prepared to greet him. After all, they would be sitting next to each other for the next four days; it would be awkward to remain completely silent.
Then, his gaze swept over the cloth bag on the youth's lap.
Erich had absolutely no intention of prying into anyone's privacy, but the bag wasn't completely closed. The open slit faced right toward Erich, and the title of one of the books caught his eye.
《On Reincarnation》
Although this world did not regulate books that did not involve magic—and even actively promoted their circulation—in a world where the twelve main gods, including the Lord of Death, actually existed, 《On Reincarnation》 did not look like something that could be freely distributed.
Sensing Erich's gaze, the youth looked down. His expression shifted slightly, and he quietly closed the bag, turning his eyes toward the window to pretend he was looking at the scenery. 《On Reincarnation》 was written in magic script, which could channel mana. The youth likely assumed that the poorly dressed, ragged guy next to him couldn't possibly read magic script, which was why he merely closed the bag without overreacting.
Unfortunately, he underestimated Erich.
No matter how much of a playboy the eldest son of the Edmond family had been, he had still grown up receiving an elite magic education. Even if his original body couldn't use magic, he could at least recognize magic script.
Erich leaned slightly closer to the youth and lowered his voice.
“Brother, you wouldn't want everyone to find out you're carrying a forbidden book, would you?”
The color drained from the youth's face instantly, his expression turning into one of sheer panic.
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