Xander was deep in thought as he looked through the open window of his bedroom. The moon shone brightly, dispersing the darkness in the black sky. Just as he finished his duty that evening, he was summoned to the chief officer's room. They informed him that he was being transferred to night patrol duty from then on. When he asked for the reason, they simply stated that there was a shortage of staff for the night shift and they needed to control the increase in nighttime crimes. However, Xander knew the real reason was Gram. He must have used his influence to seek revenge on Xander for their previous conflict.
Working as a night patrol officer was different from working during the day, with its own set of challenges. There were health problems due to sleep disruption, an increased risk of dangerous situations due to a higher chance of encountering crime, difficulties in visibility, and a sense of isolation. Additionally, support services might not be available at night. Therefore, most officers preferred day patrols over night shifts.
"F**k! The night patrol officers don't even get paid better than the morning shift officers. I won't be able to sleep at night starting tomorrow," he thought.
... Chip chip... ?? CHIP... CHIP... CHIP CHIPP... CHHIIIP... CHIPP
"What's that?" Xander wondered as he saw something flying towards him, resembling a small bird. Gradually, the adorable orange bird slowed down and perched on the window rail, pecking at the closed glass. Initially, Xander assumed it was just a random bird, but when he noticed a piece of paper tied to its back, his curiosity was piqued.
Carefully, he slid open the glass doors of the window, so as not to startle the bird. To his surprise, the bird approached, allowing him to conveniently retrieve the paper attached to its back. Xander untied the paper roll and began reading its contents. It was a simple message consisting of 4-5 lines:
"Are you feeling underappreciated for the amount of hard work you put in? Do you desire to achieve greater wealth and fame? Then visit Jovinal Street, House No. 32. Tomorrow, 12:00-1:00 am. As you step into this humble abode, you'll unlock the doors to your fortune. Trust me! LORD FATE"
Xander wasn't sure if the letter was intended for him, but wasn't his goal all along to elevate his social status in life? Wasn't that why he had been working so hard, obeying every order from his superiors? Why not take a chance? However, the letter seemed too good to be true. Merely visiting there would bring him fortune. Or could it be someone's trap to lure him in? Perhaps the letter was never meant for him, and the bird had accidentally found its way to him. Or maybe it was an absurd prank?
Numerous thoughts raced through Xander's mind, leaving him wide awake for the night, while the mysterious messenger bird was nowhere to be seen.
The sun was high in the sky, and Bowen and Lydia were busy separating ruberry seeds and pulp from ruberry fruits. Once finished, they would place the Ruberry seeds in a large wooden barrel for fermentation. The shop already had a fire elemental artifact capable of maintaining the room's temperature, which aided Gia in her baking. Bowen conveniently repurposed it for his chocolate production, adjusting the artifact to maintain a heat of 45-50 degrees Celsius in the room. He also circulated mana around the barrels to enhance the fermentation process.
Lydia didn't understand what Bowen was intending to do, but nonetheless, she couldn't discourage her enthusiastic little brother. With such progress, the fermentation would be done in three days. All that was left was drying and roasting the ruberry seeds to produce ruberry powder, similar to cocoa powder. Bowen himself wasn't 100 percent confident in the production of chocolate. Although the ruberry fruit resembled and tasted somewhat like cocoa fruits, they were not exactly the same. So he needed a backup dessert that could replace chocolate. He started pondering how to create another dessert within such a short amount of time. Just then, he saw the old lady Gia entering her study. He left the shop in Lydia's care and followed Gia into her room.
"Old hag, can you spare some valuable time for this poor child?" Bowen said, looking at Gia, who was engrossed in her book, sitting on a rocking chair.
"Don't even think about asking for help with your dessert," she immediately responded, still focused on her book.
"I know, I know. This time, I've come to ask for help with something else."
"Umm... you want to learn magic?" Gia asked, giving a side-eye without much reaction.
"Eek! How did you know? Old hag, sometimes you're really terrifying. It feels as if you can read my mind."
"Wish I could do that to you now, but not yet."
"Not yet? Anyway, are you going to help me or not?"
Gia slowly closed her book and looked Bowen up and down.
"There are two conditions you must accept if you want to learn from me."
"Bring it on. I'm ready for anything," Bowen said enthusiastically.
"I will only teach you two things, and for a period of three months. Nothing more than that."
"Throughout our teaching period, I will decide how to train you. You will never question my methods."
Bowen felt that these conditions were acceptable. From the incident with Dale, Bowen came to the conclusion that Gia must be proficient in magic. And so, he wanted to try learning elemental magic from her to complete his continuous mission, the Quest for Strength.
Xander was deep in thought as he looked through the open window of his bedroom. The moon shone brightly, dispersing the darkness in the black sky. Just as he finished his duty that evening, he was summoned to the chief officer's room. They informed him that he was being transferred to night patrol duty from then on. When he asked for the reason, they simply stated that there was a shortage of staff for the night shift and they needed to control the increase in nighttime crimes. However, Xander knew the real reason was Gram. He must have used his influence to seek revenge on Xander for their previous conflict.
Working as a night patrol officer was different from working during the day, with its own set of challenges. There were health problems due to sleep disruption, an increased risk of dangerous situations due to a higher chance of encountering crime, difficulties in visibility, and a sense of isolation. Additionally, support services might not be available at night. Therefore, most officers preferred day patrols over night shifts.
"F**k! The night patrol officers don't even get paid better than the morning shift officers. I won't be able to sleep at night starting tomorrow," he thought.
... Chip chip... ?? CHIP... CHIP... CHIP CHIPP... CHHIIIP... CHIPP
"What's that?" Xander wondered as he saw something flying towards him, resembling a small bird. Gradually, the adorable orange bird slowed down and perched on the window rail, pecking at the closed glass. Initially, Xander assumed it was just a random bird, but when he noticed a piece of paper tied to its back, his curiosity was piqued.
Carefully, he slid open the glass doors of the window, so as not to startle the bird. To his surprise, the bird approached, allowing him to conveniently retrieve the paper attached to its back. Xander untied the paper roll and began reading its contents. It was a simple message consisting of 4-5 lines:
"Are you feeling underappreciated for the amount of hard work you put in? Do you desire to achieve greater wealth and fame? Then visit Jovinal Street, House No. 32. Tomorrow, 12:00-1:00 am. As you step into this humble abode, you'll unlock the doors to your fortune. Trust me! LORD FATE"
Xander wasn't sure if the letter was intended for him, but wasn't his goal all along to elevate his social status in life? Wasn't that why he had been working so hard, obeying every order from his superiors? Why not take a chance? However, the letter seemed too good to be true. Merely visiting there would bring him fortune. Or could it be someone's trap to lure him in? Perhaps the letter was never meant for him, and the bird had accidentally found its way to him. Or maybe it was an absurd prank?
Numerous thoughts raced through Xander's mind, leaving him wide awake for the night, while the mysterious messenger bird was nowhere to be seen.
The sun was high in the sky, and Bowen and Lydia were busy separating ruberry seeds and pulp from ruberry fruits. Once finished, they would place the Ruberry seeds in a large wooden barrel for fermentation. The shop already had a fire elemental artifact capable of maintaining the room's temperature, which aided Gia in her baking. Bowen conveniently repurposed it for his chocolate production, adjusting the artifact to maintain a heat of 45-50 degrees Celsius in the room. He also circulated mana around the barrels to enhance the fermentation process.
Lydia didn't understand what Bowen was intending to do, but nonetheless, she couldn't discourage her enthusiastic little brother. With such progress, the fermentation would be done in three days. All that was left was drying and roasting the ruberry seeds to produce ruberry powder, similar to cocoa powder. Bowen himself wasn't 100 percent confident in the production of chocolate. Although the ruberry fruit resembled and tasted somewhat like cocoa fruits, they were not exactly the same. So he needed a backup dessert that could replace chocolate. He started pondering how to create another dessert within such a short amount of time. Just then, he saw the old lady Gia entering her study. He left the shop in Lydia's care and followed Gia into her room.
"Old hag, can you spare some valuable time for this poor child?" Bowen said, looking at Gia, who was engrossed in her book, sitting on a rocking chair.
"Don't even think about asking for help with your dessert," she immediately responded, still focused on her book.
"I know, I know. This time, I've come to ask for help with something else."
"Umm... you want to learn magic?" Gia asked, giving a side-eye without much reaction.
"Eek! How did you know? Old hag, sometimes you're really terrifying. It feels as if you can read my mind."
"Wish I could do that to you now, but not yet."
"Not yet? Anyway, are you going to help me or not?"
Gia slowly closed her book and looked Bowen up and down.
"There are two conditions you must accept if you want to learn from me."
"Bring it on. I'm ready for anything," Bowen said enthusiastically.
"I will only teach you two things, and for a period of three months. Nothing more than that."
"Throughout our teaching period, I will decide how to train you. You will never question my methods."
Bowen felt that these conditions were acceptable. From the incident with Dale, Bowen came to the conclusion that Gia must be proficient in magic. And so, he wanted to try learning elemental magic from her to complete his continuous mission, the Quest for Strength.
