In the wee hours of the morning, the wind was blowing the window loudly. It was the perfect time to enjoy the rare warmth in bed.
However, Ali, who had finished his work in the Violet Hospital, could not fall asleep at all. The confusion about the future, the alienation from the nobles who went in and out of carriages, alchemical cars, and aircrafts, the doubts about whether or not there would be corresponding gains after the hard work, and the uncertainty about life all made his mind tumble. He could not calm down at all.
"Sigh." Ali sighed heavily and sat up from the bed. He put on his coat and walked to the only table in the narrow room. He picked up a jar and poured a cup of weak ale into a cup before drinking it in big gulps. This inferior ale was the only 'luxury' in his life.
Holding the cup, Ali walked to the window and sat on the ground. Looking at the trees outside, which had few leaves left, shaking in the wind and seemed to be shivering nonstop, he somehow felt more or less miserable.
Outside the window was a quiet and empty street. Only after a long time did he see a carriage or an alchemical car pass by. The noises they made set off the quietness and desolation nearby. On the opposite side of the street were relatively old buildings. Because it was the poorest residential area, there were no gardens or other things at all.
However, Ali was very clear that the owners of the houses nearby were not worse off than most of the citizens of Renstadt in the past few years. They were even more leisurely than most of the citizens of Renstadt. Because of their keen eyes, they discovered that more and more foreigners were coming to Renstadt, and the new alchemical workshops, which were short of hands, were recruiting workers from everywhere. Therefore, they modified their houses and rented them to the foreigners at a relatively low price. Because of the large number of rooms, they made a lot of money, too.
After the alchemical workshops that were full of magic emerged one after another and achieved enviable achievements, the textile guild had a sense of crisis and began to invite sorcerers who were good at golems and puppets to improve the current textile devices. After two to three years of research, the efficiency of the textile machines had astonishing breakthroughs. Therefore, the scale of the textile industry began to expand, and the number of hands needed gradually increased. In the meantime, the price of textiles dropped, and the people of the Kingdom of Holm could finally afford extra clothes.
After drinking a mouthful of ale, Ali opened the window and felt the cold wind blowing in his face. He could not help but shiver, and the gloominess in his heart was slightly relieved.
The Silver Moon hung high in the sky, cold and beautiful. Ali, who was drinking his ale, suddenly saw that the big dog beside him was also looking outside, in the direction where Renstadt was leaving the city. There was a trace of eagerness and desire in the dog's eyes. Ali smiled and said, "Do you also feel that the future is uncertain? Is it because you don't know which direction to strive for? "
He was talking to himself. He didn't expect the big dog to understand him at all.
The big dog glanced at him coolly but did not bark. It was still looking at the direction where Renstadt was leaving the city 'melancholy and longing'. After its wounds were healed, it would immediately escape from the dangerous city of Renstadt!
Ali turned around and looked at the direction where Renstadt was leaving the city, just like the big dog. Looking at the city wall that was covered in silver moonlight, he sighed softly, "Although the city wall of Renstadt is tall, it is far inferior to the invisible wall between the nobles and the ordinary people. It is cold, ruthless, tall, solid, and insurmountable …"
He did not try to organize his words but directly expressed his feelings in his heart. After all, his listener was a dog.
"Is it really impossible for the ordinary people to enter the world of nobles? Why is it that everybody has eyes, nose, soul, and brain, and can think, but they are naturally noble and look down on us? Does the quality of one's birth decide one's whole life? " Ali expressed his thoughts about the nobles and the ordinary people. Wandering in pain, he could only choose between silently accepting the reality that he was born to be ruled and questioning the nature of the nobles. Obviously, he did not want to be inferior forever.
The big dog whimpered in a low voice and finally looked at Ali. How childish!
The status of the nobles came from the power they controlled, just like the many strong werewolves. It was an objective fact that would not change just because someone questioned the situation. If you wanted to change, you had to obtain more power yourself. By then, the nobles would welcome you into their circle, so you would not want to change the situation.
"Do you agree with my idea?" Seeing that the big dog finally reacted, Ali felt slightly better. He continued rambling, "In fact, I know very well that in order to break the invisible wall, I have to achieve enough to be respected. However, there are too many industries and opportunities in Renstadt for me to make a decision, fearing that I will miss the real opportunity. Also, the glamorous carriages, alchemical cars, and aircraft outside of Mills School make me feel that the distance between us is so far away that it is impossible to cross …"
He breathed out the feelings that he had been accumulating recently. He felt much better and more refreshed, regaining the vigor of a young man younger than twenty.
"After saying that, I've made a decision. Right now, I don't know much except for words. Maybe I can learn while working in a hospital or an alchemical workshop, but such studies will not give me a solid foundation, and I will not know what I'm good at and what I want. So, I'm going to save money and go to a generic school." Ali stood up and said to the Silver Moon with a sacred expression.
"I know that the path is difficult, the distance is long, and the wall is tall, but it doesn't mean that there is no chance. Mr. Evans was born in a poor family, and he could barely have enough food and clothes. However, with his own efforts and persistence, he became a musician, a music master, a sorcerer, and a grand arcanist step by step! I have the queen's gold coins that my parents gave me anyway. I'll be able to save enough money to go to a generic school in a couple of months. My situation will be much better than Mr. Evans' when he was young! "Ali clenched his fists and encouraged himself.
Lucien's story was too legendary. It had been adapted into all kinds of stories by the bards and was highly praised by the nobles and the civilians alike. It was a very inspirational series.
"Although I'm not as talented as Mr. Evans and cannot become a master of music and magic, as long as I study hard, I'll definitely succeed in the fields that I'm good at!" From Jane's letter, Ali knew that it was an era where talents were scarce. Few people could even read, and the talents who had learned all kinds of knowledge were even fewer. No matter how good they were at it, as long as they grasped a little bit of it, they would not have to worry about not being able to find a job that suited their identity.
If they were good at it, they might be able to become a sorcerer, a Knight, or other professions that allowed them to communicate with the nobles as equals.
In such an era, knowledge would not be useless. Therefore, although learning was a waste of time, as long as they passed the phase, they would walk more steadily and steadily than other people!
Having made up his mind, Ali felt that the Silver Moon was even more beautiful and dreamy. He smiled at the big dog next to him in a good mood. "If I were a main character in a bard or a drama, maybe I would've awakened my talents in arcana and magic in the generic school, made a lot of friends, defeated the demons and devils who were conspiring to destroy the world, and become a legendary sorcerer who changed the era. Hehe. In that case, you would've been a famous dog in the history books and the first partner of a great man!"
As he talked, he exclaimed, "According to the bard's story, you should be a powerful dog with a rich background and a real magic creature. Our meeting made the wheel of fate turn slowly …"
While talking, he examined the big dog's body in great interest. In the end, he sighed and said, "You are indeed a common dog."
When he talked, he clearly sensed that the big dog's eyes were filled with 'resentment'. Huh? Resentment?
The next day was Ali's holiday. He and the big dog, who was getting better quickly, were running around the city looking for other temporary jobs and trying to save enough money as soon as possible.
"A new alchemy workshop? Manufacturing electron tubes? What's that? " Ali suddenly saw an announcement. Out of curiosity, he took the big dog to the address of the new alchemy workshop.
When they were about to reach the alchemy workshop near the city gate, Ali saw that the big dog lowered its head and moved closer to him.
"What's wrong? Are you afraid of the crowd?" He asked subconsciously and then stopped paying attention.
The big dog was Nasdell. He was looking for any chance to escape from Renstadt, but his reaction just now was because of something else.
"The disgusting vampire also came to Renstadt?" Nasdell turned around and looked at the back of the man in the crowd. "Humph. You will definitely die in the dangerous city of Renstadt!"
After walking for a while, Nasdell's eyes lit up, because the city gate was not far away!
"As long as I can get out of here, I can get rid of the danger!"
"This guy always treats me like a dog. I'll find a way to give him some treasures in the future!"
Nasdell's heart was filled with desire. Regardless of the fact that his body was not fully recovered, he suddenly jumped out and ran as fast as he could, like a fish trying to swim back to the sea!
Fifty meters, twenty meters, ten meters, five meters … The city gate was getting closer and closer. Nasdell was getting more and more excited.
Bang!
A loud crash sounded. A speeding alchemy car stopped in front of the city gate. The owner pretended to be angry and said, "Who's the owner of this dog? Are you trying to kill me by running on the road? "
Ali was shocked when he saw the big dog was hit by an alchemy car. The big dog spat out blood, and its limbs twitched. Then it stopped moving.
When he realized what was going on, he hurried to apologize to the owner. The owner said a few words and then asked Ali to drag the big dog away.
Looking at the big dog's body, Ali sighed. "It seems that we are not partners who can turn the wheel of fate. But thank you for being with me these days. I've regained my confidence. I'll give you a good burial."
He dragged the big dog to the woods outside the city and buried it very carefully. Then he calmed himself down and continued his journey.
After Ali left, the 'grave' suddenly cracked open, and a big dog slowly crawled out of it.
"Luckily, I knew how to play dead. Finally, I left Renstadt …" Nasdell murmured in pain. Then he looked back at Renstadt and said in fear, "Renstadt is really dangerous!"
"I have to report this to the prince!"
…
In the Holy City of Lance, Benedict III looked at the Grand Cardinal Philip in front of him and said, "You can't get the response from the Angel King?"
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