Unaware of the emotions that Steward Li and his family were going through; Yang Ze was sitting in the garden peacefully. At the moment he was enjoying the company of the beautiful flowers around him that he had never seen before.
With a deep breath, he began to make plans for the future. Unlike other people, he didn't need to work hard to progress in martial arts or realm. This left him with nothing else to do.
So, the biggest question that lay in front of him was how to spend his time. He can't just sit at home doing nothing. There were no phones or internet. Even the most primitive methods of entertainment were absent in this small city. The life of people here was to wake up early in the morning, go to work, come back home, spend their time making love to their spouse and then go to sleep.
For Yang Ze, who didn't have anyone or anything... this was a routine that he couldn't follow even if he wanted to. At this moment Yang Ze was just sitting there confused.
"Should I take a look around before making a decision?"
Even though he took a stroll through town in the morning, almost all of the shops were closed. Now that it is noon, perhaps he could get some information there and at the same time, get rid of this goddamn boredom.
After making up his mind, he changed into a clean robe and walked down the hill.
....
"And then he kicked him."
"Gulp."
"What happened next?"
"Aaah, my throat feels dry after so much talking."
"Quick, someone gets this guy a bottle of wine."
"Here, take it. Now tell us what happened next?"
"Then the boy looked up at the sky and shouted in a loud voice. 'I am the strongest now.' "
"Excellent."
"Good story."
"Here take some silvers."
Inside a small inn, a crowd of people was cheering. In the middle of the crowd, there was a man who seemed to be in his early twenties.
After finishing his story, he collected small pieces of silver before bowing down to the crowd in front of him.
"Next time, this Lu will definitely bring some more exciting true stories from around the world."
"Cheers mate."
"Yeah, take care, Mr. Lu."
At the corner of the inn, Yang Ze was sitting with a smile. There was a plate of roasted chicken and some orange juice placed on the table in front of him.
"Interesting."
Taking a sip, Yang Ze smiled. He had never seen storytellers in his life. He had to admit; that they were far better than what modern TV shows and movies made them to be. His voice would sometimes pitch low, sometimes high. Sometimes he would just stop for a long time letting people immerse themselves in their imagination. Even he himself was no exception. It was a masterful way of telling the story... one that only someone with vast experience could do.
"Hey. Care to accompany me?"
As soon as the storyteller Mu was passing through the table, he heard a young voice reaching out to him.
Looking at the young boy who was sitting there, storyteller Mu decided to ignore him. He had travelled a lot, and from a single glance, he could distinguish a rich person from a normal one. The boy sitting in front of him wore a simple white robe without any accessories on his body. His expression was the same as the boy next door. There was not even a trace of the inborn arrogance that all the young masters from important families had on them.
"Well, I would love to accompany you brother, but I have some important matter to do."
After speaking, he ignored the boy and walked some steps before he heard the sound of metal hitting the table.
*Ding
As a person whose livelihood came from other people's donations, he was way too familiar with this sound.
"Gulp."
Turning around, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva while looking at a piece of gold quietly lying on the table.
"Now that I remember, I have already finished the important work yesterday."
Slapping himself softly, he rushed to the chair that was placed in front of the boy.
"I am such a fool."
With a smile, he swept his hand over the table. The moment his hand reached the end of the table, the piece of gold was swept under his sleeves by him.
"How may I help you?" Compared to his arrogant and annoyed tone, his expression this time was full of smiles. It was as if he had turned into a completely different person now.
"Do you know about the Yuyang City?" Yang Ze asked with a smile.
"Yuyang.. Yuyang....."
After a short while, the man nodded with a smile.
"Yes, I know. It is a moderately sized city that is at a distance of 300 miles northeast. Does this brother want to know about that city?"
"Not that city. Do you know any cities in the surrounding area that are of the same size as Yuyang city, if not bigger?"
The boy's question was somewhat confusing, but he didn't dwell too much on it. Since he was being paid, it was his job to answer honestly. With a smile, he nodded before speaking, "Well, there are several small villages around here, but if you are talking about a big city, I would say the city of Ignis."
"Keep talking."
Throwing another piece of gold, Yang Ze signalled to him to continue.
"Yes, yes."
Shaking his head like a chicken, storyteller Lu collected the money before shouting 'Rich Guy' in his heart. For him, this amount of money was usually earned in a month or two. Now that someone was willing to give him this much just for some information, he suddenly wanted to quit storytelling and become an information broker.
"The city of Ignis lies 100 miles to the east. If we are just talking about size, it is almost as twice as big as Yuyang City."
"The city is controlled by Blossom Martial Academy, so it is a safe haven for many ordinary people."
"Wait."
Suddenly Yang Ze spoke with a frown.
"Isn't the nearest Martial Academy thousands of miles from here?"
Yang Ze still remembers how everyone was excited because a Martial Academy was coming to the Yuyang city to recruit people. If there was a Martial Academy near them, then why weren't they going there instead of waiting for that Xuanwu Academy?
'What could be the reason?'
Before Yang Ze could think of an answer, he was suddenly enlightened by the storyteller.
"Well, it is not exactly a Martial Academy."
"What do you mean by it?"
"A long time ago, the five main families of the Ignis city decided to form an alliance. As a result, this Martial Academy was formed. Unlike the real Martial Academies, this one is controlled by five families. Only people who are approved by them are eligible to join it."
"Interesting. Then do you know how strong is it compared to the real martial academy?"
"Heh."
Upon hearing this question, Mr. Lu laughed for a while before shaking his head.
"I usually travel to the city of Ignis twice a month. One time after finishing my story, I was sitting in the inn, enjoying the food. At that time, someone raised the question that you asked. Do you know what the answer that everyone came to an agreement was?"
After a long silence, he spoke.
"The difference between them is as big as the difference between an expert and a newborn child. They are not at the same level at all. Even taking their name along with any other authentic Martial Academy is considered an insult to the true Martial Academy."
"I see."
It was at this moment, that Yang Ze had some idea about the strength of martial academies. Even a city that was twice the size of Yuyang city couldn't come close to a martial academy after piling up its entire forces together. It was no wonder that there was such excitement after learning the Xuanwu Martial Academy was going to visit Yuyang City.
"One last question."
After gulping down the entire glass of juice in one go, Yang Ze threw another piece of gold.
"Do you know anything about Spirit stones?"
Yang Ze couldn't ignore the requirements of Spirit Stones to upgrade his plug-in. Till now he was so occupied by other matters that he didn't focus his attention on this aspect. Now that there was a storyteller in front of him who had obviously visited a lot of towns, perhaps he could get his answer from someone like him.
"Spirit stones?"
Thinking for a long time, the storyteller nodded his head.
"Occasionally the five families will release their tasks. I heard the rewards they offer are various medicines, money, and spirit stones."
"I see."
After taking a deep breath, Yang Ze stood up before walking out of the inn. Right now, his priority was to increase his strength as much as possible before going to the city of Ignis. As much as he wanted to stay in this place and live in peace, he couldn't ignore the requirements for the upgrades.
He also needs different martial arts and secret techniques if he wishes to become stronger. And those things were impossible to find in this small city of Darati.