Although he had been away from home for ten years, Rob's impression of his hometown was still clear.
When he was at the Royal College of Magic and Magic, he had filled out the Free city-state's Sword Bend Harbor as his hometown. It was one of the largest coastal cities in the Free city-state, and was as prosperous as two and a half Labrador Ports. But in reality, Rob's hometown and Sword Bend Harbor were worlds apart. They had nothing to do with each other.
The young man actually came from a small town called Ryan, located in the northeast of the Andella Duchy. The Andella Duchy was a medium-sized country belonging to the Sacred Alliance. It was founded less than a hundred years ago, and its current ruler was the Bauhinia Duke, Tommen the Third.
Rob did not lie about this matter out of vanity. He felt that a small town like Ryan did not sound as impressive as a big city like Sword Bend Harbor. He was just a poor student who could not even gather enough money for his school fees. No matter which city he came from, it did not change the fact that he was from.
The young man just did not want to drag Ryan into this. In his memory, Ryan was a beautiful and peaceful town. Because it was close to the Endless Sea of Trees, it was far away from the flames of war. The people in the town were honest and simple, and their only specialty was sugar. Although the economy was poor and the location was isolated, everyone always had a smile on their faces. They would greet each other when they saw each other, saying things like "Hahaha, the weather is good today" or "You look good." During harvest time, they would even take out their crops to share with everyone.
Over the years, the most powerful person in the town was probably the mayor's second son, a Grade 1 Apprentice Knight. He was the dream lover of all the girls in Ryan and the idol of all the boys. Rumor had it that he was recruited into the reserve knights, went to the capital, met the Bauhinia Duke, and even talked to the Duke.
During a military parade, Duke could not find a place to relieve himself. Anxious, he asked the young man standing guard, "Child, where's the toilet?"
"There were so many people present at that time, but His Excellency the Duke chose my son! This means that Lord Duke knows who he should trust the most in a critical moment! "
This was how the mayor explained the matter. Sometimes, when he was in high spirits, he would ask the apprentice knight to stretch out his hand and shout, "Come, come, come, let us see, it is this hand that points the way for Lord Duke."
At this time, the apprentice knights would often blush and beg in a low voice, "Dad, don't … don't say anymore."
Yes, Ryan was such an ordinary place. The people here lived ordinary lives, and things like magic seemed far away from them. Most people had never seen a Mage or any other high-level profession in their lives.
Hmm, if I return to Ryan, as long as I keep a low profile, I should be able to conceal my identity and live like an ordinary person.
Perhaps the young man had already foreseen his tragic future, and in order to leave himself a way out, he mysteriously hid his hometown.
The reason why he chose Sword Bend Harbor was because when Rob was on his way to the Royal College of Magic and Magic, he was accompanied by a merchant from the Free city-state. The merchant told him about the prosperity of Sword Bend Harbor, and then described the customs of Sword Bend Harbor to him. Not only did the smart young man memorize everything, he could also imitate the merchant's accent.
Thus, when he said he was an orphan from Sword Bend Harbor, no one doubted him.
In the entire continent, besides Rob himself, no one knew that he actually came from the small town called Ryan in the northeast of Andella Duchy, and that his family lived there.
The young man had complicated feelings for the man he called his father.
Rob's father was not a native of the small town. He used to be The Brave. Hmm, this profession had different names in different places. Some people would call them adventurers or mercenaries. In short, they were a group of people who traveled the world, helped others solve problems, and occasionally caused some trouble for themselves.
As for their strength, it was uneven. There were some powerful fellows, but most of them were not much stronger than ordinary people.
But their lives were quite carefree.
The standard life of The Brave was like this: Sleep until you wake up naturally every day, bring your groggy head to the guild to accept a mission, and drink to your heart's content before leaving! — Complete the mission or die — Use the money earned to return to the tavern and drink to your heart's content! (If you come back alive) — Sleep until you wake up naturally the next day.
Basically, it was a cycle that kept repeating itself. In any case, it had nothing to do with health or wellness.
Rob's father used to lead a befuddled life, until he was separated from his companions while carrying out a mission. He accidentally ran to Ryan, and met a beautiful and kind girl there.
Old Ricks suddenly realized that he could not run anymore, and the ale in his hand was not as strong as before.
So he returned to the small town called Ryan, and together with the beautiful girl, they divided the small attic they lived in into two parts. The first floor facing the street was changed into a small shop, and they opened a grocery store called "Us Couple."
A year later, they gave birth to a little boy named Rob.
So the grocery store got a new name.
Rob often thought how good it would be if the original story continued like this.
The family of three could live happily in this quiet and beautiful town forever. For this, he was willing to give up everything he had now, such as the future Supreme Magister, the hope of mankind, and the most talented magician in history. He never really cared about these things.
The teenager clenched his fists. It was all that man's fault.
When Rob was six years old, Old Ricks somehow became addicted to gambling.
At first, it was just a small game, but later, his gambling addiction became stronger and stronger. Not only did he lose all the money he had saved from opening the grocery store, but he also owed a lot of money.
His mother quarreled with him every day because of this. One night, it was raining heavily. She was so angry that she slammed the door and ran to the suburbs alone. When she was young, her grandfather told her that if there was something unhappy that she could not tell others, she should tell it to the tree hole. She would feel better after saying it.
After she left, she never came back. When she passed by a dangerous bridge, the bridge suddenly collapsed. The next day, people found her from downstream. She was no longer breathing.
When his mother was buried, Luo Bu cried the whole night. He had never hated a person so much. The youth felt that this had happened because of that man. It was all because of his willfulness and bad habits that his mother had left this world.
Since then, the teenager did not say a word to that man.
After his wife passed away, the man seemed to have given up on himself and gambled even more fiercely. When he had no money, he picked up his old profession again and took on some dangerous tasks.
Every time he went out, the teenager hoped that he would die like this.
Unfortunately, his wish was not heard by the gods in heaven.
No matter how dangerous the task was, Old Ricks could come back alive. No matter how serious the injury was, there were a few times when he looked like he could die at any time, but after lying in bed for four or five days, he was immediately alive and kicking.
Was this the legendary saying that good people don't live long, but bad people live for a thousand years?
The teenager felt unprecedented despair.
Until Rob's eighth birthday, Old Ricks called him to his side, took out a purse from his chest and handed it to him.
"I know you have always wanted to escape from this family. Then go to the Royal College of Magic and Magic. When you were born, I invited a friend to see you. He said that you have the potential to become a magician. From that day on, I began to save money for you. One gold coin a year. This year, it is just enough for you to pay for a year's tuition. However, you need to find your own way to pay for the travel and food expenses."
Luo Bu opened the pouch. There were exactly eight shiny gold coins inside, no more, no less.
The teenager knew that his family's grocery store could earn six silver coins a year if business was good.
In other words, these eight gold coins were undoubtedly a huge sum of money for his family.
But how did he earn so much money without making a sound?
The youth recalled the dangerous missions this man had taken on all those years ago, how many times he had stumbled back home covered in blood, crawling back to his bed like a dead dog, breathing laboriously in the middle of the night. Luo Bu finally understood what it was that kept him from closing his eyes.
Luo Bu fell into silence as he sensed the lingering warmth of the eight gold coins that had yet to dissipate.
Old Ricks was addicted to gambling. When he was anxious, he would even bet his underwear, begging everywhere to borrow money. The teenager never thought that he had always carried such a huge sum of money in his arms. Even when his gambling addiction was at its peak, Old Ricks did not think of using this money.
No, it should be said that he did not even have such a thought.
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