Chapter 12 - Florida Man Gives Food to Starving Homeowner After Squatting in Their Residence
The butler returned to his chamber. Inside, a king-sized bed, a working desk, and a chair were the only remaining furniture. Another elderly man in a butler suit, holding a cane, stood straight and bowed to him.
"Lord Roland," uttered the elderly butler with a cane. "You shouldn't have pretended to be me. I could have gone out and checked on the visitor myself."
The cane-wielding butler was Adam, the real butler of this mansion. As for the other 'butler', he was the true lord of the mansion. His name was Roland, the Baron of Terra City, and he was also a two-circle mage who excelled in appraisal magic.
After returning to his room, Roland deeply sighed and ordered his butler, "Get Jane to monitor our guest."
"Yes, my lord. But is there something wrong with the guest?" asked Adam.
"Something is strange about that man. I appraised him, and he appeared to be a commoner without aura or mana. But somehow, I saw him using a spatial spell in front of me."
"A spatial spell, my lord?"
In this world, mages held a high status in society. Ninety-five percent of the mages were nobles, while the rest were illegitimate children of noble families, whose statuses were suppressed to that of field medics or battlefield pawns. High-ranked mages all had titles and served exclusively for the emperor in the capital city. Every five-circle mage had the obligation to report themselves to the emperor, or they would be branded as heretics or traitors.
In addition, five-circle mages were well-known for their exclusive spells - Spatial Magic. They could store a large amount of items in their personal subspaces and withdraw them whenever they needed. Yet, Felix had one, but he was not a real mage. Roland appraised him many times but couldn't sense any mana circle inside Felix. This puzzled him.
"I don't want any mishap. I already lost my grandson to the likes of Turo. It won't be strange if Bill Turo or his father send another assassin after me."
"Understood, my lord. I'll tell my daughter to keep watch on him."
Adam bowed and left Roland's chamber.
Meanwhile, Roland deeply sighed and thought of his granddaughter. "I guess we have to retreat. This city is not safe for us anymore."
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Meanwhile, Felix stared at the quest window.
"Pill of longevity? Oil scanner?" His expression turned dark. Opening the inventory menu, he examined the details.
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Lesser Pill of Longevity
This pill was created by Wu Buyi, a disciple of the Great Singularity. It was deemed defective by its creator due to being made from expired ingredients. However, it remains a potent supplement for elderly people who wish to extend their lifespan.
Consumable item
Effects:
- Increase lifespan by 10 years.
- Reduce physical age by 10 years.
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Pocket Mana Oil Scanner
This pocket watch is an automatic mana oil detector with a range of ten square miles. It vibrates and shows approximate points of interest with its smart screen when it detects specific natural resources. When you are on top of the resource, it will emit beeping sounds.
This scanner is necessary for future main quests. If lost or broken, it can be purchased from the Florida Man Online Store for 1,000 mana.
Infinite battery life. Does not need recharge.
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The pill seemed useful at a glance, but Felix couldn't use it due to its side effects - it would reduce his physical age by 10 years!
He didn't want to revert to an 8-year-old child!
On the other hand, the oil scanner foreshadowed future troublesome quests.
"Do I have to search for oil in this world or what?" Felix complained.
"…"
Felix rolled his eyes and summoned a hand-sized pocket watch from the inventory, playing with it.
At a glance, it looked like a luxurious gold watch. By pressing the sole button on the bottom, the cover automatically opened, revealing a touchscreen monitor. On the screen, it showed a green-lined radar grid. The blue button at the center indicated Felix's current location, blinking every second. Unfortunately, it didn't detect any oil.
Felix put the scanner away and glanced at the longevity pill's icon on the screen.
'I'll trade this thing for some emergency cash. Anyway, I'm exhausted today.'
Felix closed all system windows and threw himself on the bed, shoes still on.
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7 AM, the next morning.
A knock on the door jolted Felix awake. He sat up on the bed and stared at the empty room with blurry eyes.
"Sir, I've brought you breakfast and hot water," the butler's voice reminded Felix that he was no longer on Earth. He jumped off the bed and opened the door, revealing his messy hair.
Roland still pretended to be a butler. He looked up and noticed that Felix still wore the same outfit as last night. He smiled bitterly and pushed a cart tray carrying a wooden bucket of hot water and a dish full of vegetables and bread buns. There was no meat in the meal.
Felix pursed his lips and pointed at the dishes. "No meat?"
Roland dryly laughed. "I'm so sorry, sir. Meat is rare these days. Ranches and farms refuse to sell their livestock or meat to us because of the exclusive contracts with the Turo Family. If I had some meat, I would have gladly cooked some for you."
Felix scratched his head, not being a fan of vegetables. Suddenly, he had an idea. With a flick of his fingers, several dissected meat packages and their clean hides materialized from thin air. Felix grinned and pointed at the piles of meat.
"I have some bear meat with me. Take a piece and cook me something for my lunch. You can take a portion of it as your commission."
Felix handed Roland one kilogram worth of bear meat. He stored the rest in his inventory, planning to cook or consume them later.
Meanwhile, Roland trembled and collapsed to his knees. He pointed at the package of meat.
"I-I-Is that a five-star monster, the Bear Lord?"
"Is that what you call that stupid four-armed bear?" Felix smirked.
Roland gulped and gave Felix a meaningful look. He gulped and revealed a half-truth fact.
"Y-Yes, sir! That monster blocked the southern road, and the Aero Academy refused to send their soldiers to subjugate it. Rumor says its hide neutralizes all fourth-grade spells, and the strongest four-star aura swordsmen can't even scratch its skin!"
'A good shotgun to the face did the job, though,' Felix had the urge to retort but remained silent, amused by the elder's monologue.
As Roland reminded Felix that its meat was tough, he picked a piece and massaged it. It was hard as expected. Felix imagined how painful it would be to chew it.
"I've changed my mind. Boil it, cut it, or do whatever is necessary to tenderize it. I can't imagine chewing these hard steaks."
"C-C-Certainly, sir! B-But can we really keep some of it?"
"Yeah, take some. I can't eat it all. Share it with your people."
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR!"
Roland gulped and silently unloaded the dishes and the bucket of water from the cart tray. Taking the meat, he left Felix alone.
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Roland brought the tray cart to the kitchen, where the real butler, Adam, was waiting. Handing over the meat, the master inquired about the investigation.
"Any report from Jane?"
Adam widened his eyes when he noticed what the meat was. His voice cracked, "I-Isn't this monster meat?"
"Bear Lord's meat, yeah."
"B-B-B-Bear Lord?! A five-star monster?!"
"Just make us a stew for lunch. Anyway, about my previous question, where is Jane and her report?"
"A-Ah, yes. Ahem!" Adam coughed and adjusted his voice. "My daughter sneaked into his room last night. Nothing seems unusual. That man didn't contact anybody or attempt to leave his room."
"…I see." Roland wearily smiled and sighed, "I can't read that man. He can definitely use spatial magic, but he is not a mage. What the hell is he?"
"…"
Adam glanced at his master, hesitant to share his opinion. Still, he mustered his courage and spoke up.
"Could it be that the person is a high-ranking mage in disguise, strong enough to hide his mana from your appraisal spells?"
"…"
Roland's expression turned ashen, fear reflecting in his eyes.
"A six-circle mage?! No, a magus?! That can't be, right?! There are only three six-circle mages in our country!"