The same lake, the same lakeside pavilion.
But stepping out of the pavilion and crossing the garden-style bridge, one arrives at a whole new world.
What greets you is...
Ah, the air of freedom!
Students no longer need to adhere to the old school rules; a single Magic Card from the dress-up series can make you vibrant and colorful.
"Goodbye, uniform!"
Dark even saw a senior sister, who usually pretended to be serious, scream on the spot.
Her uniform, which covered every important part of her body tightly, instantly transformed into a black lace dress with puff sleeves, revealing large areas of her shoulders and collarbones.
Another senior, who looked honest with a bowl cut, transformed his hairstyle into a slicked-back look with a swipe of a Magic Card as he stepped off the bridge.
His uniform also turned into a fitted suit that showcased his physique.
The Magic Card in his hand turned into a bright red rose.
He placed the rose in his chest pocket and walked with a confident stride, completely shedding his previous rustic appearance.
Changing clothes, playing, dating, shopping, drinking, singing, and dancing...
Traveler's Street is like a fairyland completely opposite to St. Marian, offering everything St. Marian does not!
And to fully enjoy these, you only need a little bit of credits!
...
Although the Academy Cup is held every academic year, no one would start saving for the end-of-year competition at the beginning of the term.
Moreover, there's a saying circulating within St. Marian that doesn't quite apply to the general public—"The more you spend, the more you earn!"
But since there are indeed a few role models, many people habitually use this as an excuse to indulge in spending.
Of course, there are also those who can't even afford to indulge!
...
When Dark saw Vitt and Robert again after a small round on Traveler's Street, they were dejectedly walking out of a toy store.
Apparently, their nearly depleted credits were not enough to buy the toys they wanted.
Dark didn't have the leisure to pay attention to others, so he just glanced and walked away.
Thus, he didn't see another credit-rich student, Emma Mortis, being approached by the two underachievers.
...
Emma originally came to Traveler's Street to find some miscellaneous books not available in the academy library, but she suddenly noticed Dark, who seemed to be searching for something, and instinctively followed him.
As a result, she got caught up with Vitt and Robert.
Angry and embarrassed, Emma said, "So, isn't it your own problem that you don't have enough credits? A normal person should have 480 credits even without any extra points. What about you?"
Vitt awkwardly said, "I have 250..."
Robert blushed again, "Emma, we just want to borrow 5 credits from you! It's easy for you, isn't it? We'll pay you back on Monday when classes start!"
Vitt glanced at the new Magic Chess set in the store and couldn't help but say, "Just 5 credits short!"
Emma looked at this classmate, known as the "Son of the Brave," and suddenly felt a bit sad.
Then a thought emerged.
Her brows furrowed again, and she suddenly said seriously, "I can lend you the credits, but you must pay me back double. And for each day you delay, you have to pay me double the credits! The second day is double the first, the third day is double the second, and so on. I only accept a one-time payment. If you agree, I'll lend you the credits, with the House Card as proof!"
Robert immediately agreed without thinking, "Pay you 0 credits tomorrow, 20 credits the day after, 40 credits on Monday, just two classes' worth for each of us, no problem!"
Vitt, although feeling something was off, was so eager to buy the Magic Chess that he subconsciously ignored the oddity.
With the House Card as proof, the two signed the contract and rushed into the toy store to buy the latest Magic Chess that could sing and dance rap!
...
Meanwhile.
After wandering for a long time, Dark finally found a store specializing in magical instruments—Morgan's Shop.
Traveler's Street is filled with all kinds of general stores, and many cheap items can be found in any of them.
But the [Magic Brain Dropper] is a highly specialized alchemical tool, very expensive, and can only be found in specialized shops.
Dark searched for a long time before finding Morgan's Shop squeezed between two jewelry stores.
He pushed open the old wooden door and was immediately hit by a musty, damp smell.
"Little one, don't touch anything. You can't afford to pay if you break something."
The one-eyed Morgan behind the counter just lifted his eyepatch for a glance and knew Dark was a freshman.
And how many credits can a freshman earn in a month?
Morgan knew all too well.
He rudely issued an eviction order: "The cheapest thing in our store costs over a thousand credits, which you freshmen can't afford."
Dark glanced at the test tube set on the shelf and suddenly asked, "Even this set of test tubes costs a thousand credits?"
"This..."
The one-eyed Morgan was stumped, and after a long pause, he angrily said, "Why isn't this set of constant-temperature magic test tubes worth a thousand?"
Dark: "What about this beaker, this flask, this evaporating dish?"
The one-eyed Morgan slammed the table: "None of your business!"
Dark shook his head, realizing the shopkeeper had a bad temper and was a bit childish, possibly due to that time of the month.
He didn't argue with the one-eyed Morgan and started looking at the shelves.
There are test tubes and beakers, so there must be droppers, right?
"Flame Crucible, Spirit Alcohol Lamp, Magic Separator... Versatile Glass Rod, Magic Dropper..."
This Magic Dropper seems to be a lower-grade version of the Magic Brain Dropper, only capable of extracting a bit of magic.
A dropper is a short tube with a narrow opening at one end and a rubber bulb at the other, used to measure liquid by drops.
But in the craft of making Magic Cards, it is usually used to extract magic, knowledge, thoughts... even souls!
Legend has it that some magicians would inject their souls into Magic Cards to create magical spirits with an intelligence level of standard 3.0!
The Magic Brain Dropper Dark wanted is a grade lower than the Soul Extractor.
It's not an unbuyable rarity.
But it was indeed not on the shelf!
He had to go to the counter and wake up the one-eyed Morgan, who was pretending to sleep.
"Hello, sir. Do you have a Magic Dropper?"
The one-eyed Morgan didn't lift his head: "What does a freshman like you need that for?"
Dark maintained necessary politeness: "For experiments."
The one-eyed Morgan looked up with a strange expression but still said, "Wait a moment, I'll check inside."
A moment later, he did bring out a Magic Brain Dropper, though it wasn't in the best condition.