The circus set out on its journey early in the morning of the second day.
Before they departed, Xia Zhou secretly gave Audrey the three silver coins he had taken from the underground tunnel for safekeeping. Now, all he had with him were his new clothes packed in a small bag and the broken crutch.
Sharing the ride with him was the strongman Bo Pai.
The two of them crammed into the caravan, and it was rather stuffy. Since Bo Pai ate more, his body released more heat than ordinary people, raising the temperature inside the vehicle.
Even in such a crowded and stifling carriage, Xia Zhou felt satisfied. It was infinitely better than the underground prison cell and the dense forest.
"Xia Zhou, good lad, hehe..."
Bo Pai was big with a rather simple mind.
His speech was stuttering, and whenever he had to speak more than five words, he would pause and chuckle a few times first.
"Hey, you were brave to walk in the jungle alone for two days."
"Thank you for the compliment, Bo Pai." Xia Zhou poked at Bo Pai's bulging arm muscles, "You are so strong, what's your secret?"
"Breathing Spell, haha... We all know it, but you're too young to learn."
Breathing Spell! It sounds like something that can enhance physical strength.
Xia Zhou widened his eyes, "Why can't I learn?"
"Haha... You're still growing, you can only learn when you're 18. Haha... If you have elemental affinity, you can directly go to the Mage Academy to study alchemy and spells, instead of going to the Warrior Guild to complete tasks."
Elemental affinity, alchemy, spells!
Mage Academy, Warrior Guild!
From Bo Pai's words, mages in this world were far more noble and rare than warriors.
At the same time, becoming a mage was much more difficult than becoming a warrior.
"What is elemental affinity?"
Xia Zhou straightened up, gripping Bo Pai's thick arms.
"Don't know, heh... the big sister seems to know. Hehe... She said the next stop is Rosak City where you will be tested. Maybe you have elemental affinity."
Bo Pai touched his own cream-like hair, "I think, hehe... You don't have elemental affinity, just like us."
Hearing this, Xia Zhou felt a bit downcast, but then he thought of his mental attributes!
Yes! If he upgraded by adding points to his mental attributes, he might gain elemental affinity!
Xia Zhou excitedly rubbed his hands, looking up at the sky outside the window. The blue sky and white clouds under the sun seemed brighter and more pleasing.
...
The three-carriage convoy was leisurely progressing along the country road.
Occasionally, merchants in a hurry would urge their pack horses to speed up and overtake the circus convoy.
"Audrey, where is your next stop?"
A cloaked messenger with a bag of letters, who seemed to know the big sister and her circus, rode up to the first carriage.
"We are heading to Rosak City, my friend. The circus will be staying there for a week."
The crisp voice of the big sister floated from the front.
"The kids will go crazy again. Ha, let me go ahead." The messenger shouted and rode away.
"Is our circus famous?" Xia Zhou asked his companion.
"Hehe... We are famous in Rosak Province, known in all the towns. We travel around Rosak Province along the road every half a year."
Bo Pai was twisting a highly elastic rubber ball. His arm muscles were bulging and well defined, showing it was not as easy as he made it seem.
The rubber ball seemed to be a small object for exercising arm strength in a confined space.
"Is there only one circus in Rosak Province? Will anyone compete for business?" Xia Zhou continued to ask.
Bo Pai stopped his activity, scratched his head, his thick eyebrows frowning into a right angle:
"Seems there are, hehe... The big sister should know these things. Farns was originally a fire-breather from another circus, but for some reason, he joined us."
Xia Zhou pondered... Was it because Farns's former team found out he liked to steal? Audrey had never mentioned Farns's bad habit to the other members. Maybe it's best if I keep quiet.
...
About five days later.
The road to Rosak City had changed from a muddy path to a brick road with horizontal stripes. It became wider and more smooth the more they traveled.
The carriage no longer shook, and when Xia Zhou opened his water sack, it no longer spilled as much.
On the way, whenever the convoy passed a village, they would only stop to replenish food and fresh water. Even at nightfall, they would continue their journey under the cloak of darkness.
At first, Xia Zhou was surprised at their decision to travel at night.
Audrey, the clown siblings, and Sneck would alternate driving the caravan.
But why could the pack horses also keep working non-stop?
The mystery was solved when they reached the first village...
Turns out, the pack horses were uniformly provided by the Rosak Horse Shop.
This rental service was paid annually. Any outpost with a stable allowed for the exchange of tired pack horses for fresh ones that were well-fed and full of energy.
Such thoughtful commercial service made Xia Zhou look forward to their impending destination even more.
The grandeur of Rosak City did not disappoint him.
The city wall, built from tightly packed large bricks, is a whopping five meters thick and over ten meters high.
The city gate, half-opened, required the efforts of six guards to push its hefty doors.
This is the place that can only be reached by crossing a five-meter-wide moat.
The circus caravan came up to the city gate along with the merchant's wagons to undergo the soldiers' examination before entering the city.
The soldiers, wearing steel helmets and carrying long spears, seemed to be familiar with Audrey. Their smiles were as gentle as the reflections on their silver armor.
Audrey went along with the soldiers, inspecting all three carriages, even exposing the armor and weapons hidden in hidden compartments.
The guards checked the markings on the inner lining of the armor and the stampings on the hilts of the weapons, finding no issues.
As for Xia Zhou's identity, the group did not hide anything from the soldiers, faithfully recounting the boy's story.
Upon hearing the tale, the soldiers cursed under their breath about the deceased Evil Old Man and the bandits who destroyed the village, before beckoning the circus caravan to move on.
The cart stopped a few minutes after entering the city.
"We're here. Everyone, get down from the cart."
Audrey opened the door of the third carriage, taking the boy into her arms and stroking his soft, black hair; "Xia Zhou, are you comfortable on the cart? I've had to drive and couldn't take care of you."
"Big sister, thank you for your concern, I'm doing great. I eat well and sleep well." Xia Zhou smiled warmly.
"That's good."
Audrey held the boy's hand, looking at the rest of the group, "Everyone, operate as we usually do. Bo Pai, move the tents to the square. You two, the clown siblings, get changed and start advertising. Sneck, you stand guard here."
The members began to move upon receiving their orders.
Audrey took off the small pouch from her waist with her other hand and tossed it to the staring Fire-breather. "Farns, go and take a look in the pharmacy."
The shining Fire-breather, holding the pouch and feeling its weight, cracked a rare smile.
"Xia Zhou, follow me. Has Bo Pai told you about elemental affinity?"
Audrey led Xia Zhou out of the parking area and into a bustling street.
Carts full of merchandise were parked in front of shops, waiting for shop assistants to unload the goods. Loud cries from street vendors filled their ears, and countless shops caught their eyes.
Xia Zhou sidestepped some children playing in the street, "Bo Pai mentioned it to me. He also said he didn't think I have an elemental affinity."
"He's probably right, Xia Zhou. Every child is tested at birth. I will take you for a re-test, just in case the village's testing equipment was too old for an accurate result."
Audrey and Xia Zhou walked down the street for hundreds of meters until they stopped at a place with a hanging sign.
Starry Night College Enrollment Testing Station.
"This is it."
They went in and came out in less than five minutes.
Xia Zhou had a look of dejection on his face.
He placed his hand on the semi-transparent glass ball which indicated whether one had elemental affinity, the glass ball remained unchanged.
In this world, one could ascend to a higher level just by being born.
If one was born with an elemental affinity, their whole family would be set for life...
Not only would they get to study in Starry Night Academy for free, their entire family could also enjoy a life of luxury in the capital.
"It's okay, Xia Zhou. We still have another way."
Audrey extended her hand and rubbed the boy's dejected face.
"Big sister, do you mean I should join the Warrior Guild?" Xia Zhou's voice was low.
"Don't underestimate the Warrior Guild. If you can reach my level, there is still a possibility to enter Mage Academy."
Xia Zhou was more confused. What's a warrior doing in Mage Academy?
"It's too early to worry about these things. You cannot even learn the Breathing Spell. Let's go and buy something useful."
Audrey had no intention of clarifying Xia Zhou's confusion, pulling him into a bookstore.
When they returned to the street, Xia Zhou was holding two thin booklets in his hand. "Big sister…you aren't going to make me read books, are you?"
"Don't sulk, kid. If you had read these books earlier, you wouldn't have passed out from hunger in the forest."
Audrey was right in what she said.
The two booklets, even when stacked together, were only slightly thicker than a little finger. But the content within was not simple.
Xia Zhou initially complained about why Audrey didn't directly teach him some tricks about wielding weapons, but after flipping through the books, he was engrossed in them.
"'Geography of Rosak Province', remembering this book will grant 3 experience points and increase your spirit attribute by 0.02 points. Upon completion, the system will automatically scan and record the content of the entire book, and store it in the host's knowledge reserve."
"'Field Survival Handbook', remembering this book will grant 1.5 experience points and increase your spirit attribute by 0.01 points. Upon completion, the system will automatically scan and record the content of the entire book, and store it in the host's knowledge reserve."
Experience and spirit attributes acquired simultaneously!! Knowledge is indeed nourishment for the spirit.
I love books! And books love me!
"Big sister, I want to buy two more books."
Audrey poked Xia Zhou on the head, "Kid, finish these two first."
The two wandered around the street, going back and forth among the shops.
Although Audrey was as forthright and robust as a man, she showed quite a feminine side when it came to shopping...
Within no time, Xia Zhou's arms were laden with paper bags, his eyes filled with anticipation.
These included his work clothes, which he was to wear the following day when selling tickets.