Chapter Nine: Ali

As Andy approached the central square, the first thing he saw was a dense throng of people. Even before he could glimpse the crowd surrounding the Dark Moon Circus, he already felt as if he could barely move forward.

Cheers and shouts echoed from not far away, waves of applause rising and falling, reminding him of the time he attended a concert by A-Mei on Earth. Of course, he hadn’t been there as a fan; he was outside the venue selling souvenirs.

With the strength of a quasi-knight, Andy easily forced his way into the inner circle, leveraging his physical advantage. But almost immediately, he found himself retreating in embarrassment.

He had pushed his way into a stout matron, who then grabbed him and lectured him at length about public manners. Seeing her face still full of unfinished intent, Andy fled in haste.

After catching his breath in the outer ring, Andy activated his "Expert-Level Concealment Technique." With its ultra-short cooldown and disregard for mana expenditure, Andy could stay hidden indefinitely. Silently, he slipped back into the crowd.

"Hey, who’s shoving me?" "Huh, where’s the person?"

"Who the hell is pushing? Are you in a hurry to reincarnate?"

"Hm? Where did they go? Is it a ghost…?"

After a bout of chaos, Andy finally secured a decent spot. His gaze was immediately drawn to the girl dancing on stage.

Her smooth blue hair fluttered with her dance, leaping like waves upon the sea. Her attire was bold: a tea-colored bandeau, a black miniskirt, and a nearly transparent chiffon shawl. Her bare midriff revealed healthy, sun-kissed skin. The bells on her wrists and ankles jingled with every step.

While the girl was certainly pleasing to the eye, most of the audience’s attention was fixed on her dance partner—a fully grown golden lion. Now, the lion had set aside its beastly majesty, moving its head, stretching its paws, and swishing its tail in time with the girl’s steps, appearing comical and earning waves of laughter from the crowd.

Andy watched the girl with particular interest—not merely for her beauty. He distinctly sensed the magical fluctuations of a mid-level apprentice from her.

In the coordinated dance between girl and lion, Andy detected traces of wizardry.

It was the zero-level spell "Beast Soothing," and the first-level spell "Beast Taming."

After the beast-taming girl took her bow, a burly man took the stage. With a single flourish, he conjured a ball of fire, then kneaded it as if it were clay, shaping it into a fiery dragon. With a breath, the dragon came alive, swirling around him in flight.

Andy’s pupils contracted. Such control over fire—the man’s "Ignition Spell" had to be at least master-level; otherwise, he could never manipulate it so effortlessly.

Scanning the surroundings, Andy noted the staff maintaining order for the Dark Moon Circus. He sensed at least three sources of knight-level power fluctuations, one of which carried the aura of a high-level wizard apprentice. As for whether there were grand knights or full-fledged wizards present, Andy had no way of knowing—even if there were, his own abilities wouldn’t detect them.

And this was merely a small touring team from the Dark Moon Circus. Andy, who had previously grumbled about their escort fees, found his complaints greatly diminished after witnessing their strength.

The night of the Crown Gem Festival continued its uproarious revelry. Andy, struck by inspiration, decided to practice his listening technique amidst the clamor. With "Expert-Level Auditory Skills" engaged, the sounds of the square grew even more cacophonous. Music from the stage, cheers from the audience, conversations among acquaintances, and the whispers of young lovers all flooded into Andy’s ears.

With his expert control over wizardry, Andy swiftly sorted the sounds, making the chaos distinct and layered. According to his needs, he could amplify, reduce, filter, or focus on particular voices.

Suddenly, a voice caught Andy’s attention. It wasn’t one he knew well, but he had just heard it earlier that evening before leaving home. Its owner was the nonconformist girl, Jera.

"High-level wizard apprentice! Really? Bill, you’re amazing!"

A raucous laugh followed. "Wahahaha, it’s nothing, really. Only third in Dallas." Andy was more familiar with this voice—it belonged to the kill-mat youth, Bill, also a wizard apprentice. How had these two ended up together? Well, their hairstyles said it all.

Bill’s brash voice continued, "In Dallas, there are only three high-level wizard apprentices. One is my teacher Stein, one is Lord Colin’s son Edward, and then there’s… me. Although I was the last to advance, Stein had years of experience and became a wizard. Edward, born with a silver spoon, had endless resources, and was practically pushed into becoming a high-level apprentice. The only one who achieved it through talent and hard work is me, Bill Armstrong."

Andy was startled—a high-level wizard apprentice? That guy had actually advanced. He was even younger than Edward, if Andy remembered correctly. That was big news. If memory served, the kid only had level two mental strength—perhaps he had some hidden methods or fortuitous encounter.

Their conversation continued, punctuated by Jera’s coy admiration and Bill’s feigned humility, making for a lively exchange.

Andy hadn’t intended to keep listening, but then the conversation mentioned him, and he focused again.

It began when Bill Armstrong, eager to amuse the girl, told a joke about some loser who had studied wizardry for six years without becoming even a low-level apprentice, and whom Bill had pranked to disastrous effect. Bill’s storytelling was animated and vivid.

As expected, the story elicited a peal of laughter from Jera. Then she said, "Hilarious! I can’t believe someone could be so dumb. But, Bill, your story reminds me of someone—the toad Andy Charles. Hmph! He even tried to hit on me."

Andy was speechless—did this girl have to be so self-important?

"What, Andy Charles! That loser? He dared to hit on my sister? Next time I see him, I’ll let him taste my fireball!"

"Don’t misunderstand, Bill. I have nothing to do with him. He’s always sucking up to my parents, making them sing his praises in front of me. It’s so annoying. Tomorrow my parents are even helping him with his coming-of-age ceremony. I’m actually thinking about how to mess with him at the ceremony." (Andy shivered)

"Heh, I do have a good idea, but you’ll have to play along," Bill said with a sly laugh.

"Bill, you’re so annoying! What’s the idea? Tell me, tell me!"

"Ahem, alright, stop shaking me, I’ll tell you. Here’s the plan… Tomorrow at his coming-of-age ceremony, if he tries to talk to you, just be a little gentle, give him a hint of hope. Then I’ll make a dazzling entrance, sweep you away, and we’ll see how he reacts. Hehehehehe…"

Andy quietly listened to Bill’s scheme to embarrass him, recalling the "Grease Spell" incident from a few days ago. Andy chuckled softly, flicked his fingers, and a few tiny flames dropped to the ground, transforming into fire beetles the size of soybeans. With a mental command, their flames dimmed, nearly extinguished, and they silently flew toward Bill.

Master-Level "Ignition Spell."

"Haha, that’s a great idea," Jera laughed. "Bill, you’re so wicked. You always think of such genius plans."

"Of course! Who do you think I am? The youngest high-level wizard apprentice in Dallas. Jera, let’s not stay here watching these performers. No matter how slick they are, it’s just the basic zero-level Ignition Spell. Let’s find a quiet place—I’ll show you a fireball. Fireball is the ultimate romance for wizard apprentices!"

Bill eagerly invited Jera to a secluded spot, and whether they’d be watching fireballs or something else, Bill didn’t really care. To his frustration, he discovered Jera wasn’t listening to him at all. Instead, she wore a strange expression, staring at him—more precisely, at his lower half.

"Damn, we’re still on the street, isn’t this moving a bit fast?" Bill was just starting to feel smug when Jera shrieked, "Ah, Bill, you’re on fire!"

"On fire?" Bill was baffled.

"Your crotch is burning!" Jera involuntarily squeezed her legs together, pointing at Bill.

Bill looked down.

"Ahhh!"

He yelped, slapping at himself. He had never learned any fire-extinguishing spells, nor had he fought many wizard battles. Encountering this for the first time, the high-level wizard apprentice was as panicked as a child.

In truth, after advancing to high-level apprentice, Bill’s body had been transformed by magic and could basically ignore low-damage fire spells like Ignition. That’s why he hadn’t felt any pain.

It didn’t hurt, but that area looked terrifying.

"Ahhh!"

Flailing about, Bill finally dropped to the ground and managed to put out the fire. He let out a long breath and sat up, gritting his teeth. "That was Ignition Spell! Who set me up? Don’t let me find you!"

"Ah, Bill, it’s burning again!"

"Damn, I’ll slap it, slap it! Finally out. Which idiot…"

"It’s burning again!"

"Again? I’ll slap it, slap it, slap it!"

"It’s burning again, Bill, let me help you. Ha-hey!"

"Mother of mercy! Don’t stomp on it…"

A burst of bright laughter rang in Andy’s ears. "Having fun, sir?" asked a petite girl, about fifteen or sixteen, with pale blue hair and large eyes. Unfortunately, she wore a cartoon fox mask, denying Andy a glimpse of her face. She stood quietly beside him, as if she’d been watching for some time.

Andy was surprised. His mental perception had detected no one approaching. Moreover, he was still in expert-level concealment; even Bill hadn’t noticed him when Andy had played his trick. How had this girl spotted him? From her words, it was clear she had seen everything he just did.

Andy paused for a moment, then silently recalled the seven-word mantra he used when navigating society: "Bold, careful, thick-skinned." He smiled calmly at the girl and said, "I never expected to meet you at the Crown Gem Festival. May I ask your name?"

The girl blinked quietly, the fox mask hiding her expression. "Sir, you may call me Ari."

"That’s obviously not her real name," Andy thought, and then her voice sounded in his ear: "And what should I call you, sir?"

Andy didn’t answer right away; instead, he turned to watch the fireworks rising over the square. Ari didn’t press, waiting quietly.

Then Ari saw the wizard apprentice who had caught her attention suddenly conjure a flame between his right fingers. The fire shaped itself into a burning crimson card.

"Trist!" Andy’s voice rang out.