Mia's attitude made Baiyi's heart ache but at the same time, he also felt a sense of helplessness. The influence of her parents was indeed a very unstable factor for Baiyi. More importantly, the little girl was very obedient. Today, she could change her favorite new clothes with just a word from her parents. Then, would she change her Soul Armature with just a word from her parents tomorrow?
Of course, this example might be a little extreme but if his true identity as the Great Demon Walker was exposed, would Mia still be able to stand firmly by his side despite the influence of her parents? That was a question that Baiyi could not help but ponder over.
Before he left, Baiyi thought that her parents were just ordinary commoners. They were the kind of people that were commonly seen in the small aristocracy. They might have a lot of good points but as long as he showed enough wealth and power, they would still give their daughter to him with both hands. However, from the looks of it, Mia's parents were far more outstanding than Baiyi had imagined. It was truly admirable. Baiyi felt that he was really inferior to them.
However, since he had decided not to make a move on her parents and it seemed like it was impossible for him to replace her father's position, the simplest and safest shortcut was definitely not going to work. In the future, he would have to study Mia's values and way of thinking. It would be a long and complicated process and he would have to wait until Mia had fully matured.
Fortunately, it was just a long time. Although it was not as convenient as directly replacing her father, it was not impossible. After all, the influence of one's parents was not absolute. As long as Baiyi's influence was strong enough to make Mia ignore the influence of her parents, he would not have to care about who was Mia's father.
I can not take your daughter away from you but I can make your daughter listen to me more. As the Fifth Walker, Baiyi was quite confident about that.
Looking at the embarrassed look on the little girl's face, he reached out to pinch her cheek and comforted her, "Don't worry, I won't ask your parents for money. The clothes are yours too, so you can't give them to Tisdale and Attie. If they want it, I'll buy it for them."
Hearing his words, Mia opened her mouth to say something but Baiyi put a finger on her thin lips and said, "Don't worry about your parents. I'll make it clear to them. By the way, where are they?"
"Mom went to prepare lunch and dad went out. Just now, Uncle Guy from next door told him that a caravan had arrived so he had to go and prepare," Mia replied.
"Caravan? At this time? "Baiyi asked curiously.
It was normal for a small town like this to have merchant caravans. The fruits of the farmers' labor were exchanged for gold coins through them. However, it was only August, and summer was not over yet. Many crops were not ripe yet, so it was strange that the merchant caravans chose to come at this time.
"I heard from Uncle Kai that there was a flood in the south this year and the harvest wasn't good, so some of the caravans that went to the south didn't go there and went to the north instead. The number of caravans in the north suddenly increased. However, they will come again during the autumn harvest and this time, it seems like they are here to sell their goods, "Mia told Baiyi what she had heard.
Baiyi nodded. The rainstorm in the South had started when he had just returned to Arfin City. For a period of time, the news had been spreading through the streets and alleys of Arfin City. He also heard that the Imperial City had begun to organize disaster relief. Tisdale had told him about it before, so she must have heard the news from the alchemy workshop.
But I'm sure that these caravans are not here to serve the people. They must have suffered heavy losses in the south so they're in a hurry to recover their losses. Baiyi speculated. During lunch, he heard Mia's father talking about the caravan again. He said that the goods that the caravans brought this time were very cheap and he asked Mia's mother to prepare some money so that they could buy some new things for their house.
However, Mia's father was very busy. After stuffing some food into his mouth, he left in a hurry so he did not have the time to talk too much.
After lunch, Baiyi opened his visor and took out the little animal coin bank that he had hidden in his body. He placed them in Mia's room that he had just cleaned up. Then, he looked for Mia who had just helped her mother clear the dining table and suggested, "Let's go to the caravan and have a look?"
Nodding her head, Mia put on her sunhat and intimately hooked her arm around Baiyi's arm. The two of them walked towards the only street in the town. It was not too far away from Mia's house. Along the way, they could see a lot of peasant women chatting and laughing as they walked towards that direction. There were also a lot of children running excitedly on the cobbled street. The whole town seemed to be bustling with noise and excitement as if they were celebrating some kind of festival.
Along the way, a lot of people greeted Mia warmly and looked at Baiyi with awe and respect. Since it was a short road, the two of them walked very slowly. Looking at the lively scene, Baiyi whispered into Mia's ear, "Everyone is so happy!"
"Well, it's because it's very rare for a caravan to come so everyone is very excited," Mia explained. "Actually, I was like this when I was young too. Every time a caravan came, my parents would always buy me a few new clothes and some delicious candies and pastries. That's why I always hoped that the caravan would come here every day." A cheeky smile appeared on her face as she spoke.
But after a while, the cute smile disappeared. Mia seemed to have realized something as she shook Baiyi's arm gently and said, "But Mr. Hope, when I heard the news about the caravan coming today, I wasn't excited at all. I know it's because I've seen the prosperity of Arfin City and I'm not interested in the things that the caravan brings …"
"That's normal, Mia." Baiyi stroked her head gently, "People will always grow up. The things that made you happy and moved in the past will eventually become ordinary as you grow up. This is a process that everyone has to go through. Don't mind it too much. As long as you can remember the joy that you felt in the past, that's enough."
Mia nodded her head gently and took the initiative to hold Baiyi's big hand that was stroking her head and said, "I know, Mr. Hope. I understand that. But I'm just a little worried … You're very good to me. My life is already very beautiful and I'm very happy now but I'm worried that I won't be satisfied with this kind of life in the future. What should I do then?"
Who would have thought that this girl's sense of anxiety was quite strong? Holding her little hand gently, Baiyi continued, "Then work hard. Work hard to pursue a better life that you want. When you're not satisfied with the better life, move on. The reason why human beings can continue to progress and develop into the civilization that it is today is because of these contradictions and dissatisfaction. They are the driving force behind human development. "
Mia was good at everything except for her lack of ambition, especially after she met Baiyi. Her material conditions had improved by leaps and bounds, causing her to slack off a little. Baiyi did not want to lower his standards so he kept thinking about how to teach her a lesson.
Although he had decided in the Void not to place too many restrictions and plans on Mia's body, there was still a need to guide her. He could not interfere too much with the path that Mia wanted to take to become stronger, but she should at least have the intention to become stronger, right?
Fortunately, Mia was aware of this problem on her own and it gave him a breakthrough. Thus, he gave her a big talk. Although it was somewhat irrelevant, it was enough to instill the concept in her mind.
The girl nodded her head as if she understood it. Suddenly, she raised her head and asked, "But, Mr. Hope, I'm already very satisfied with my current life, right?"
"That's because you haven't experienced a better life yet," Baiyi replied. "Right now, you're just a student, an Advanced Sorcerer. The luxurious life of an Advanced Sorcerer is far beyond your imagination. I'm afraid that what I'm providing you now is not even as good as the life of a student."
"Is that so? It's hard to imagine … "Mia lowered her head and pondered for a moment before replying.
Looks like I'll have to bring this girl to see more of the world from next semester onwards … Baiyi thought to himself. This girl is too easy to satisfy …
As they chatted, the two of them walked to a small square in the middle of the town. When they first arrived, the square was relatively deserted with only a few elderly and children. But now, it was bustling with noise and excitement. Most of the people in the town had gathered around the rows of carriages that were parked neatly. The carriages were filled with all kinds of goods.
The lively scene was as if it was a festival.
Baiyi glanced at the carriages from afar. Most of the goods were daily necessities such as cloth and salt. The slightly more expensive ones were wine, tobacco and all kinds of clothes and toys. There were no luxury items or magical items. It was obvious that the goods were specially chosen to cater to the needs of this town.
However, Baiyi did not see the emblem of the Chamber of Commerce on the carriages. It seemed like it was an informal caravan that was organized by individual merchants. This kind of thing was quite common. No wonder they came early. Such informal caravans did not have a clear concept of time.
But if they were in a hurry to make money, why did they choose this small town? This town was a standard agricultural town, and its purchasing power was very limited. Don't be fooled by the bustling scene, it was all stuff with a low profit margin, and you wouldn't be able to make much money. If you really wanted to make money, you could head south for two days, and there were a few mining towns. That was a better choice.
However, it was only a fleeting thought. Baiyi did not take it to heart. He did not need to care about what these merchants were thinking. There was nothing in this small town that could be coveted by evil people. Even if they were bandits in disguise, it would not matter. This town was not too far away from Arfin City. Now that he was here, what else could they do?
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