"Chaos Academy? Where is that?" Ryan asked in confusion as he got up and heard Quillin's explanation.
Quillin looked troubled, his expression far from his usual calm demeanor. He glanced at Ryan before answering, "The Chaos Academy is located in the Chaos City, at the junction of the Beast Forest, the Allied Empire, and the Dark Empire. It's in a place constantly under attack by magical beasts. Because of that, criminals from the continent are sent there. The Chaos Academy is located within this chaotic city. But that's not the worst part. Everything in the academy, from housing to materials, even learning magic spells, must be purchased with gold coins. Every six months, there's a survival trial, and the mortality rate is extremely high. However, the students who graduate from there are known for their exceptional combat skills across the continent."
Ryan listened to all this, clearly puzzled. "If that's the case, why are you so down? Which school doesn't require gold coins to study?"
Quillin shook his head and replied, "To enter the Chaos Academy, you must reach level 7 before you can graduate. I've heard that some people never graduate in their lifetime. For us mages, that's a nightmare. Of course, there are exceptions, such as dual-class individuals. If you reach level 6, you can graduate. Like you—being both a mage and an alchemist gives you some perks. But for me, it's a different story."
Ryan, hearing this, felt relieved and smiled. "That's a good thing, isn't it? Without pressure, there's no motivation!" Ryan wasn't worried at all; all he needed was more magic power. As for being an alchemist, he was still fascinated by it. It was a fascinating field that had completely captivated him.
"You can still smile?" Quillin was deeply frustrated. He had been living peacefully in the Allied City, and if it weren't for meeting Ryan, his family would never have sent him away. Thinking about it made Quillin want to slap himself.
Quillin was technically from the royal family. The day before, after hearing Ryan's views on how to treat orcs, Quillin had shared it as a joke with his father. Before dawn the next day, he received a notice from the Mage Guild. He couldn't believe it and rushed to the Mage Guild to confirm it. That's when he found out that Ryan was involved. He realized what had happened. Originally, Quillin wanted to establish a good relationship with Ryan, but after seeing Ryan effortlessly defeat a fifth-level mage yesterday (though that mage had made a mistake), Quillin understood Ryan's true power. The incident with the magical beast eggs on the street further convinced him.
"Ryan, Ryan, you have to check this out! There's something on the notice board in the hall!" Alice, panting heavily, ran into Ryan's room. In fact, the two of them were staying in adjacent rooms. Alice had woken up early and decided to check the Mage Guild's notice board. When she got to the hall, she was surprised to see Ryan's name on the bulletin.
Ryan and Quillin hurried to the hall, where they found a crowd of lower-level mages gathered. As soon as they saw Ryan, they quickly stepped aside. Ryan muttered to himself, wondering what was going on. He walked closer and saw that his image was posted on the notice board. The notice read that Ryan had violated the rules of the Mage Guild, and in order to maintain harmony, he was being sent to the Chaos Academy for further study. Quillin was also listed as his accomplice. They were required to leave the Mage Guild within three days and attend the opening of the Chaos Academy in a month and a half. If they failed to arrive on time, they would be expelled from the Mage Guild.
"Let's go," Ryan said, noticing the strange looks from the crowd, as well as the dejected Quillin and the concerned Alice and Delis. Ryan smiled inwardly. For him, this was actually a good thing. With so many secrets and somewhat progressive ideas, staying in the Mage Guild was risky. He had been worried, but now that he was leaving, he felt a sense of relief.
"Alright, little brother, today you've got to help me figure out something. I need a magical pet too," Quillin said, realizing that it might not be so bad. But then he thought about the magical beast egg Ryan had bought yesterday, and he suddenly became anxious, urging Ryan to hurry.
Ryan shook his head and replied, "The beast eggs in the capital probably won't be as plentiful as in Chaos City. We've already visited the major shops here yesterday. Let's head to Chaos City instead. It's near the Beast Forest, and there are probably more valuable creatures there."
"That's true." Quillin glanced at Delis, who was holding Big Nose, and at Alice's wrist, where the red Skeleton Vine coiled. Who would have thought that it was the most terrifying magical beast? If they left, who knew how many people might follow them. After all, these merchants shared information with each other. While the major guilds were in competition, they still exchanged private information.
"So, what should we do next?" Quillin asked.
"I still need to buy some things from the guild. You take care of finding a caravan to Chaos City. It's too dangerous to travel alone. We leave tomorrow—remember, the journey to Chaos City will take over a month." Ryan had also checked the map at the Mage Guild. From Allied City to Chaos City, they would have to pass through most of the Allied Empire's provinces, including the Duchy of Darcy and the Duchy of Jersey, before finally reaching Chaos City, which is located on the edge of the Beast Forest. The journey would take about one and a half months. However, the return trip from Chaos City to Allied City would only take 10 days, as they would travel down the Quin River and then disembark in the Allied provinces. The source of the Quin River was the Beast Forest, but because the water current was quite fast, traveling overland to Chaos City would actually be faster. Traveling by water would not only be slower but also much more expensive. This was mainly because the upstream boats had to be propelled manually in the fast-flowing areas. Ryan thought about water reservoirs on Earth and realized that just a few reservoirs could double the speed of the boats, but the people in this world hadn't thought of such solutions yet.
The first thing Ryan needed to do was buy some essential tools for a low-level alchemist. Though he already had a set, it wasn't complete. He also needed to finalize the cost-sharing details for his inventions—the alchemy pen and the filter.
"Grinder, drying agent, alchemy pouch, alchemy gloves, alchemy mask, concentration tester... The total comes to 57,000 gold coins, with B-grade treatment. You only need to pay the cost of 23,000 gold coins. Since you're a junior alchemist, the Mage Guild will reward you with 10,000 gold coins, and there's an additional 20,000 gold coins reward for your two inventions. After that, you'll have a remaining balance of 7,000 gold coins. This is a Magic Crystal Card, and the royalties from your patents will be deposited into this card each month." Ryan took a pile of receipts and went to the payment desk. The most expensive item was the alchemy pouch, which had a level 7 spatial expansion magic array inside. The pouch was about the size of a small bowl but could hold up to one cubic meter. When opened, it unfurled like a large carpet. To take things out, you had to reach in with your hand. It was different from a space ring, which allowed you to retrieve items using mental power. Ryan had been shocked when he first saw it, but to his surprise, he had to pay for it. Ryan realized that he would need to learn more about the Mage Guild's rules and regulations.
Afterward, Ryan bought a detailed book on alchemy fundamentals. He didn't want the finished formulas but preferred to learn about weapons, like the firearms he was familiar with on Earth. He knew that the Mage Guild had an abundance of gold and magical materials, especially low-level magic cores, which were extremely cheap. Ryan had been itching to try his hand at alchemy, but he held himself back. On Earth, dynamite wasn't very powerful in small quantities, but in large amounts, it could be extremely destructive. Ryan saw a path ahead of him, so he was focused on understanding the basics first.
"Damn." Ryan casually flipped through the pages and was immediately startled. His face changed as he saw the contents. The book, which was supposed to be an alchemy primer, was a lot like traditional Chinese medicine recipes—only listing ingredients and methods, with very little information about the nature of the materials.
For example, the recipe for Mana Recovery Potion simply called for magical beast blood, bone marrow, Sky Blue Flowers, Black Star Grass, and several other ingredients to be mixed through a series of steps to form a potion. But it didn't explain the reasoning behind it. Ryan realized that the 2,000 gold coins he spent on this "Low-Level Alchemy Encyclopedia" might have been a waste. The book didn't even mention the function of the Sky Blue Flower, which had infuriated Ryan.
"Little brother, it's all set up. Tomorrow, there's a fast ship heading to Chaos City. It's mostly filled with swordsmen, knights, and mages heading for the trials," Quillin said as he entered Ryan's temporary room. Ryan looked up and saw Quillin had noticed his frown. Alice was sitting with a magic core, meditating, while Delis was teasing Big Nose. Big Nose was clearly more interested in the magic core in Alice's hand, occasionally glancing over at her. Quillin pulled Ryan out of the room.
Ryan wasn't surprised. After all, Quillin must have had ways to deal with those old folks who sent him on errands. He answered, "So when do we leave?"
"Tomorrow noon. We'll take the carriage, and by the afternoon, we'll be boarding the ship," Quillin replied.
"Poor," Ryan muttered as he sat in the carriage, looking at the farmland outside. The low, dilapidated straw huts, the barefoot farmers, and the naked children all showed the poverty of this continent. It reminded Ryan of ancient Europe. In the distance, he could vaguely see a large stone castle, unlike the wooden castles of the knights he knew. Ryan couldn't help but sigh.
Ryan was traveling with a large caravan. Initially, he had planned to leave Alice and Delis behind, but neither of them listened, so he had no choice but to bring them along. Before they left, Ryan had arranged for Quillin's family to look after Alice's father and brother. Alice's father, Terry, was on his way to Allied City, but Alice and Ryan were leaving. Now, Ryan, Alice, and Delis were riding in the same carriage, which was similar to a modern-day chartered vehicle. Quillin, however, had outdone him. Not only did he bring two bodyguards, but he also brought a beautiful maid along. Both bodyguards were middle-aged men. Although they appeared to be level 3 swordsmen, Ryan keenly noticed an aura around them. It was subtle, but Ryan could still sense it.
The caravan traveling with them consisted of three level 1 magical beasts known as Giant Crocodiles. These creatures were over 20 meters long and 4 meters tall, omnivorous, and very gentle. Only large guilds could afford to keep such beasts. The caravan was carrying salt, cloth, and other daily supplies—several dozen carts full of salt and fabric. The destination of the goods was unknown. The caravan also had 20 bodyguards, half of whom were swordsmen. The road from Allied City to the port was paved with stones, wide and frequently traveled by various merchants. Some were foot travelers with backpacks, others were small merchants driving carts, and some belonged to large guilds, like the one with the Giant Crocodiles. These creatures weren't particularly valuable because of the high cost to maintain them, and only large guilds could afford to keep them. Along the road, the merchants' goods were varied and strange. Some even drove Cygnet Beasts, herbivorous creatures that fed on Cygnus Trees. These beasts were very gentle, similar to pigs on Earth. The Cygnus Tree was a common shrub found in the region. Periodically, armored knights on horseback could be seen patrolling the roads. These were light cavalry.
Alice was in a very good mood today. The day before, Ryan had spent over 2,000 gold coins to purchase a level 5 Water Magic Core. Alice, who was about to advance to a level 1 mage, was immediately boosted to level 1 Water Mage by the magical elements within the core. She spent the entire day familiarizing herself with water-based spells, such as the Water Orb spell. Meanwhile, Ryan was watching the scenery outside with curiosity, and Delis was barely awake, having been worn out by Ryan the night before. The magic elements in the core were purer than those Ryan could meditate to summon. They didn't require any effort to collect with mental energy, and once they merged into magical power, they were far more abundant than what he could generate through meditation. Since the core was made up of pure magical elements, there was no concern about impurities.
"What a huge river!" As they neared a massive river, Ryan saw a vast gorge, and the port area was marked by two gigantic castles. Between the castles, a wide road led to the port. It was early spring, and the tide was at its lowest point, with the water level 20 meters lower than usual. As a result, Ryan's group had to descend several steps to reach the port. The people around them noticed their attire and gave them a wide berth, as there were four mages in the group, with Delis also wearing mage robes.
"Quillin, why are there people from the Church of Light here?" As Ryan's group reached the ship they were about to board, they saw several knights and priests dressed in white robes, bearing the emblem of the Church of Light. Ryan asked Quillin in confusion.