The Most Arbitrary Wizard

"What do you know?"

Lauden said, "The most dangerous place is the safest place. Would the Church Court ever guess we’d dare to hide right under Mr. Blake’s former residence?"

They’d never expect it.

"But wouldn’t you have been discovered when you started building the city?" Sean asked.

Building an Underground City wasn’t as simple as renovating a basement. It was a massive undertaking that would take a long time. It was impossible not to attract attention. ’How did they manage to evade the Church Court’s notice?’

Lauden said impatiently, "You ask too many questions."

"Don’t ask what you’re not supposed to."

If Mr. Gomez hadn’t personally verified Sean’s identity, Lauden would’ve suspected him of being a spy for the Church Court. He hadn’t even officially joined them, and he was already prying, asking one sensitive question after another. ’I need to have someone keep an eye on this guy,’ Lauden thought, ’just in case.’

Sean knew his questions would make Lauden suspicious, but he wasn’t afraid in the slightest.

He had a clear conscience. Sean would bet that no one here was more devoted to Lord Blake than he was.

His loyalty to Lord Blake was absolute.

The two wandered the streets, eventually arriving at the entrance to the Holy Sanctuary.

This Holy Sanctuary wasn’t the real one, just a perfect one-to-one replica of its exterior. The reproduction was so faithful that even Sean, its original founder, couldn’t spot a single flaw at first. The interior, however, was no longer a place of learning. It had become Blake City’s "administrative center"—or to put it more plainly, a "resident services office." Most of the everyday problems Wizards faced could be solved here.

Except for being single.

There were actually plenty of women in Blake City; the gender ratio was balanced, nearly one-to-one. But nothing was handed to you on a platter here. Whether it was finding a girlfriend or a job, you were on your own.

"Here, this is your identification."

Lauden handed Sean a tag inscribed with "1149-1005-01." The New World’s timeline was different from the Real World’s, but they used the same date format. "1149" was the year, "1005" was the month and day, and "01" meant he was the first newcomer to enter Blake City that day—and probably the only one.

This numbering format was different from the ID cards of the outside world, but it was familiar to Sean. The Hall of Truth had used the same system for student IDs back in the day, as it made administration easier.

After getting the ID, Lauden then took Sean to pick up a set of Wizard robes and a bag of Silver Coins.

Blake City had its own currency. Regular banknotes couldn’t be used, but they could be exchanged at the bank.

It was important to note that the exchange was one-way: banknotes could be traded for Silver Coins, but not the other way around.

Wizards weren’t generally allowed to leave without special permission from Gomez or other administrators. Not that they wanted to. For most, life in the Underground City was no different from the outside world, only safer. So why leave?

They only ventured out for missions.

And since these were missions, they were naturally given an expense account. In other words, there was no need to worry about having cash. Blake City gave you money when you could go out, and cash was useless when you couldn’t, so it was better to exchange it for Silver Coins.

Lauden was telling Sean all this because he wanted him to exchange his money quickly.

However, Sean said with a straight face, "To be honest, I don’t actually have any money."

Kate bought the plane ticket.

The taxi ride was free because the female driver thought he was handsome.

He couldn’t bring the ten million from the Real World, and he hadn’t had time to borrow money from any kind souls. At the moment, he was completely broke, without a penny to his name.

Lauden couldn’t help but scoff, "You’re one broke bastard."

Reluctantly, he pulled a bag of Silver Coins from his pocket and tossed it to Sean. A paper slip was attached, with the three words "New Resident Subsidy" written on it. This was clearly Blake City’s "welcome package" for newcomers.

A suspicious look crossed Sean’s face. "Lauden, you weren’t trying to pocket my Silver Coins, were you?"

Lauden puffed out his chest, completely unapologetic. "Do you even know what a subsidy is?"

"It’s for people who are broke."

"If you had money, would you even need a subsidy?"

Sean didn’t reply, just gave him a meaningful look that seemed to say, ’You wouldn’t want Mr. Gomez to hear about this, would you?’

Lauden’s face flushed, and he snapped, flustered, "What are you looking at? It’s not like I kept it from you."

"And don’t say I didn’t warn you, the subsidy is only for the first month. When it’s gone, it’s gone."

The bag contained thirty coins, with a purchasing power of about three thousand from the outside world. Used frugally, it could last for two months. After that, a Wizard had to fend for themself.

They could choose to work for someone, or they could take on bounty missions at the church.

In short, Blake City didn’t support freeloaders.

"What kind of missions are they? Do they pay well?" Sean asked curiously.

The Hall of Truth had used a similar system. To hone the students’ practical skills, certain precious Magic Potions could only be obtained by completing missions.

"The specific amount depends on the mission’s difficulty, but it’s definitely more than you’d make delivering takeout on a Magic Broom," Lauden said. "But I’d advise you not to think about missions for now. Your Tier is too low. You should focus on improving yourself first. Don’t get yourself killed for money."

Lauden had seen this sort of thing too many times.

He’d had many friends before. They went out on missions and never came back.

He and Sean weren’t friends, just nodding acquaintances at best. Still, Lauden didn’t want Sean to suffer the same fate as his old companions. After all, they were Wizards on the same side. If not friends, they were allies.

Sean didn’t like the sound of that. "You’re looking down on me, aren’t you?"

Lauden gave him a strange look. "Should I be impressed?"

Sean: "?"

Lauden: "Do you know what the lowest Tier was in last year’s census of all Wizards in Blake City?"

"Tier Four."

"And you, my friend, are only Tier Three."

"The year is almost over. You’re on track to set a new record for the lowest Tier in Blake City."

With that, Lauden clapped Sean on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work. I’m rooting for you."

Sean: "..."

’Well, thanks a whole hell of a lot.’

Those words genuinely got Sean down. An Underground City this big, with tens of thousands of people at least, and the lowest among them was Tier Four? Was that even reasonable?

’Is everyone here a genius or something?’

’Or are they all just insane overachievers?’

"What about you?" Sean asked Lauden, "What Tier are you?"

This guy might be called "Old Deng," but he wasn’t actually old. He looked pretty young, about the same age as Sean.

Lauden lifted his chin proudly. "A little higher than you. Tier Six."

Sean: "..."

’No wonder I couldn’t react to Lauden’s "sneak attack."’

Sean suddenly felt like he was facing an opponent from a whole other league.

’It wasn’t just him, but all Wizards from the Real World.’

Just some random "Gatekeeper" Wizard is Tier Six? Is the New World really this terrifying?

’All I can say is, this is the Era of Polymath, after all.’

"Alright, you can explore the city on your own. I need to get back to my post," Lauden said. "If you don’t have a place to stay, head to a hotel. Sleeping on the streets is forbidden in Blake City. It’s bad for our image."

Sean: "..."

’They’re pretty particular about that.’

Well, in that case...

’First, I’ll get something to eat.’

He’d come straight to the villa after getting off the plane, only to be locked in a dungeon. He still hadn’t eaten anything.

After Lauden left, Sean found a random restaurant. While filling his stomach, he mulled over his next move.

He hadn’t come to the New World to live a quiet, stable life. He couldn’t just settle down here.

He had to either find clues proving the connection between the New World and the Real World, or find a way to break through and complete his Meditation. He had to accomplish one of the two, or this trip to the New World would be a complete waste of time.

After some consideration, Sean decided to head to the church first. He wanted to see if he could find a chance to go "home" and take a look.

...

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