At that moment, Ron lowered his head not in respect, but to mask the seething hatred in his eyes. He was still just a powerless teenager. Picking a fight here would only end in his own destruction. For now, all he could do was endure, waiting for the day when he could strike back with strength.
Mrs. Mirraf, blissfully ignorant of the storm brewing behind Ron's calm exterior, continued to speak with her practiced, sugary smile. "Ron, your sister asked me for help before. She wanted me to introduce her to work at Mr. Sal's house in Kula City. You should know about this, right?"
Ron's eyes twitched. Veins bulged on his forehead. His hand, still holding the rabbit, slowly clenched into a fist. How dare this woman mention it? Did she really think he didn't know she sold his sister into slavery?
"I know," Ron replied flatly, his voice eerily calm. Yet, his grip on the rabbit tightened, and a flicker of rage flashed across his downcast eyes.
"That's good. Now your sister is doing well at the Sal household. Although she has to work hard every day, she doesn't worry about food or drink. I saw her yesterday at the Sal house, and she even looked fatter," Mrs. Mirraf spoke eloquently, as if everything were as beautiful as she described.
Then, she sighed. "However, you are alone now, and Alice is very worried about you. So, she asked me to find a job for you too. You know, I've always been a kind person."
"So, I found out that Mr. Kregi's house in Kula City needs a male servant," Mrs. Mirraf looked at Ron with a smile, her face covered in white powder, showing no sign of insincerity. "So, would you like to give it a try?"
Male servant? Ron sneered inwardly. This woman spoke nicely, but if it weren't for the system's intelligence, he might have believed her lies.
"Mrs. Mirraf, thank you for your kindness, but I don't want to work right now," Ron said indifferently, causing Mrs. Mirraf's expression to stiffen momentarily.
However, her face quickly returned to normal, and she asked curiously, "Why? As far as I know, the money your sister gave you should be running out soon, right?"
"If you don't find a job, do you want your sister to keep supporting you? That's not possible!"
Ron shook his head, pretending to be naive, and said, "I want to check out the Knight Academy first."
"Knight Academy?" Mrs. Mirraf was taken aback, then laughed. The Knight Academy Ron mentioned was the only public academy in Hippo Town. As long as you paid enough tuition and were of the right age, you could have a chance to enroll. The academy not only taught literature and skills but also selected suitable talents to teach breathing methods and train them to become knights.
Since its establishment over twenty years ago, the academy had cultivated ten knights, which meant on average, one knight was trained every two years. Therefore, the children of Hippo Town all wanted to enter this academy and become the lucky ones. However, in reality, Mrs. Mirraf knew that the ten knights the academy had trained were all from non-commoner families. Those children's families were either wealthy merchants, powerful judges, or even descendants of nobles in Kula City. The so-called lucky ones were just a scam.
So, Mrs. Mirraf's lips curled up slightly, and she said with a hint of sarcasm, "Ron, I advise you to be more down-to-earth. You can't become a knight."
Ron, however, seemed a bit defiant and muttered quietly, "How would I know if I don't try?"
Looking at Ron's stubborn face, Mrs. Mirraf felt disdainful inside, but she smiled perfunctorily on the surface. "Alright, since you want to do this, give it a try first. If you don't succeed in the end, come to me again, and I'll keep that job for you."
Mrs. Mirraf and Ron passed by each other, and she left with a laugh and a sway of her hips. She knew Ron would definitely not become a knight and couldn't even afford the tuition. So, she wasn't worried at all, knowing that Ron would come to her in a few days, walking right into the trap.
After Mrs. Mirraf walked away, the confusion on Ron's face disappeared instantly. "Laugh now, but in a while, I'll make sure you can never laugh again," Ron sneered. His previous words were naturally to deceive Mrs. Mirraf. He still needed time to improve his strength and could only lie low for now.
"However, Mrs. Mirraf was right about one thing, I do need a legitimate job," Ron calmly thought to himself. He had taken Barto's wallet earlier, so he wasn't short of money. But now, without parents or property, if he wanted to spend this money reasonably and without arousing suspicion, the simplest way was to find a suitable job. "I'll think about it when I get back," Ron continued forward and returned to the stone house an hour later.
He touched the rabbit's belly and didn't feel anything unusual. So, he took out a small iron pot and placed it on the ground. Then, with a kitchen knife, he carefully cut open the rabbit's belly. Swish! The rabbit's internal organs and blood all fell into the small iron pot. Ron endured the smell of blood and carefully searched through the internal organs for a while. Suddenly, he stopped.
"Is this the elemental fruit?" In Ron's blood-stained hand, he was holding a bead the size of an egg between his index finger and thumb. Although the bead was covered in blood, it still emitted a faint green glow under the sunlight. Ron quickly washed it with water, and the green bead was as clear as jade, like a living thing, radiating vitality. "Once I get the breathing method and combine it with this elemental fruit, I might really have a chance to become a knight!" Ron was extremely excited. After playing with the elemental fruit for a while, he carefully wrapped it in a cloth and put it away.
"This rabbit can't be wasted either; it's been a long time since I've had meat." Ron swallowed his saliva and hurriedly took the rabbit, cleaned it, and started a fire. Although he only had a little salt as seasoning, Ron, who hadn't had any meat for a long time, still enjoyed it very much. He even didn't leave the bones untouched, licking them clean.
In the afternoon, Ron set off again for Hippo Town. By evening, he turned and arrived at the boundary between the civilian area and the wealthy area.
In Hippo Town, there were two places where people could gather to drink. One was the Pirate Tavern in the civilian area, where the drinks were cheap, but the environment was noisy and chaotic. The other was the Passionate Bar in the wealthy area, where the drinks were expensive, but the decoration was exquisite, and the style was elegant. And most importantly, there were performances by bards and sexy ladies, which made it very popular with the wealthy.