<p>Chapter 6 Strange Rumors</p>
<p>After losing her parents, surviving in the harsh Lower City was almost impossible for a little girl who seemed only four or five years old.</p>
<p>Everyone was struggling to live for themselves. Having one more mouth to feed meant an extra expense.</p>
<p>Shaya quietly observed from the back of the crowd.</p>
<p>After a while, an elderly man at the forefront of the crowd suddenly leaned on his cane, slowly turned to face the gathered onlookers, and tremblingly pulled out four copper coins from his pocket, then quietly said, “All of you who live on Sickle Street, if you can, please gather some money. One or two copper coins may not seem much, but let’s first help the poor child bury her mother.”</p>
<p>“Of course, the premise is that it won’t affect your own lives… After all, it’s always embarrassing to be generous at the expense of others.”</p>
<p>The old man seemed to have considerable authority in the area. After he finished speaking, there was a brief silence in the crowd, then everyone extended their hands toward their pockets.</p>
<p>You one coin, I two coins, he three coins…</p>
<p>Except for a few hesitant onlookers who secretly left, everyone else contributed to some extent.</p>
<p>Soon, the old man’s hand was piled high with copper coins.</p>
<p>After counting, there were about thirty coins, while the cheapest cedar coffin would still require at least forty copper coins, not counting the land management fees for the cemetery after the burial.</p>
<p>However, for this group of impoverished commoners, this was already the limit. They also had their own families, wives, and young children.</p>
<p>The old man sighed, “It’s alright, it’s alright. Let me think of a way… Perhaps asking Old Hep who makes coffins is a good choice.”</p>
<p>After discussing for a while, the crowd gradually dispersed.</p>
<p>For those hustling to make a living, even the act of showing mercy couldn’t last too long.</p>
<p>Soon, only two people were left at the dirty and chaotic alley entrance.</p>
<p>The old man looked up and noticed a well-dressed young man standing before him, handsome and exceptional in demeanor, seeming somewhat out of place with the overall tone of Sickle Street.</p>
<p>He hesitated, then spoke humbly, “May I ask who you are?”</p>
<p>Shaya shook his head, revealing a slight smile: “You are a man of noble character, old sir. If you wish, you can simply call me Shaya.”</p>
<p>“Then, Mr. Shaya?”</p>
<p>Hearing the gentle tone and refined speech of the other, the old man immediately guessed he came from the Upper City, and ultimately refrained from calling him by name.</p>
<p>Shaya didn’t mind and took a bright white silver coin from his pocket, gently placing it in the old man’s hand: “How should I address you?”</p>
<p>“Just call me Old Peter. But what is this…”</p>
<p>Clearly shocked by the sudden influx of money, Old Peter was stunned.</p>
<p>“This is for that child.”</p>
<p>Shaya replied, while carefully observing his expression, seemingly confirming something.</p>
<p>In the Hiren Empire, depending on the region and price differences, one silver coin is roughly equivalent to about one hundred copper coins, enough for the Lower City commoners to support themselves for more than a month of hard labor.</p>
<p>This was also true for Old Peter.</p>
<p>Moments later, Old Peter took a deep breath and looked seriously at Shaya, saying, “I’m sorry, sir, but trafficking in people is prohibited here.”</p>
<p>As he said this, he was about to return the top silver coin to Shaya.</p>
<p>Shaya was somewhat taken aback, not expecting the misunderstanding, and laughed: “You’re overthinking it. This money is just meant to give the child’s mother a proper burial. The extra can be used for her food expenses in the days to come.”</p>
<p>It was understandable for him to think this way.</p>
<p>After all, being a “noble” Upper City resident passing by and suddenly becoming generous sounded a bit far-fetched.</p>
<p>But Shaya felt much relieved, at least Old Peter was not someone who would embezzle money.</p>
<p>Not handing over the money to him when there were many people around was also out of this consideration, as concealing wealth was a basic survival rule in extremely impoverished areas.</p>
<p>After accepting Old Peter’s repeated thanks, Shaya turned his head and glanced at the shed.</p>
<p>That glance happened to meet the gaze of the little girl crying pitifully.</p>
<p>Her skin was somewhat dark, and she didn’t look pretty or cute, but what impressed Shaya was that the little girl had a pair of gem-like pure big eyes, like works of art in a museum.</p>
<p>Shaya offered her a brief smile, then withdrew his gaze.</p>
<p>“You must not have had breakfast yet. This is freshly bought buttered toast from the bakery. Please share it with that child.”</p>
<p>Saying this, he handed the remaining whole piece of toast in the paper bag to Old Peter.</p>
<p>“What a kind-hearted Upper City resident. May you stay healthy and happy in the new week!”</p>
<p>Old Peter’s expression was filled with gratitude, and he gently touched his chest with a finger in a gesture of prayer.</p>
<p>Upon hearing this, Shaya paused: “New week? Is today Monday?”</p>
<p>After receiving an affirmative response, he vaguely guessed what had occurred to him.</p>
<p>The flow of time in the Abyss seems to be quite different from that of the real world?</p>
<p>Setting up the formation and materials took over a day, just finishing up around late Saturday night and then immediately activating the formation.</p>
<p>He had originally thought it was Sunday morning, but unexpectedly it was already Monday.</p>
<p>Even though he felt like he was only with the Witch for a moment, a whole day had passed in reality. He didn’t know if this rate of time flow was fixed or variable.</p>
<p>Shaya silently noted this information for later, planning to find a way to test it next time he went.</p>
<p>Ultimately, he declined Old Peter’s invitation to visit and left Sickle Street directly.</p>
<p>He did not say anything to that child, nor did he give any extra instructions to Old Peter, after all, he was not doing this for gratitude.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>In contrast to the generally impoverished Lower City, the Upper City was much larger and more prosperous, almost rivaling Shaya’s past life.</p>
<p>By the time Shaya traveled back to the academy along the smooth Rhine Avenue in the capital on a horse-drawn carriage, it was nearing noon.</p>
<p>Indeed, Shaya Adelaide, 16 years old, was a student currently attending the Norton Public Royal Training Academy.</p>
<p>The academy was located in the very center of the capital, a prime piece of real estate, large in area, built with funds from the royal family, originally only admitting the children of nobles, though in recent years, it occasionally made exceptions for exceptionally talented commoner students.</p>
<p>More than a hundred years ago, it was a specialized institute aimed at training young knights. However, as the theory of magic matured and public sentiment shifted, more and more students began to lean towards the study of magic, simply because wielding weapons was not dignified for nobles, while casting spells was much more elegant.</p>
<p>The knight system and the magic system became the rough dividing line between noble and common students.</p>
<p>Compared to the rigorous training of body and will in knightly practice, cultivating magic required substantial amounts of money and materials which common students could hardly afford, thus the knight system, once viewed as an honor, gradually became the bottom of the nobles’ hierarchy of status in the academy.</p>
<p>Shaya currently found himself in a somewhat awkward situation.</p>
<p>Though he was about to inherit the title of viscount left by his deceased father, the Adelaide family in a true sense only consisted of him and his sister. Furthermore, in recent years, in order to gather materials for the teleportation ritual, Shaya’s financial situation had been quite strained, thus nominally a knight student, he appeared somewhat out of place.</p>
<p>He had neither the nobility’s dignity nor the means to cross the insurmountable gap between himself and the commoners.</p>
<p>As a result, Shaya had not many friends in the academy.</p>
<p>Today is Monday; there were two classes in the morning, one a general course that did not record attendance and the other a mandatory physical training course for the knight system.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the instructor for this course was a powerful knight originally from the Judgment Tower, who, after being injured on a mission, had been forced to step back.</p>
<p>He had also brought over the strict personality of the Judgment Tower that prioritized rules.</p>
<p>This course was quite difficult to pass. The most basic requirement was no absences!</p>
<p>And because his trip to the Abyss caused him to miss a class, Shaya had to find the instructor to plead, hoping he might be lenient.</p>
<p>Fortunately, he usually displayed good talent, though he hadn’t revealed his knightly practitioner level, he was still among the best in the class.</p>
<p>Following the familiar path, Shaya passed through various classical buildings with strong Hiren style and arrived at the area where his instructor usually stayed.</p>
<p>It was a training ground by a lake, similar in size to a soccer field in his previous life, filled with various equipment like iron dummies, weighted locks, and wooden weapons, a place for the knight system students to train their physique. The office area of the instructor Sital was in the adjacent loft, also overseeing this place.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, Shaya knocked on the loft door.</p>
<p>“Come in.”</p>
<p>A deep, slightly hoarse male voice came from within.</p>
<p>After receiving permission, Shaya pushed the door open and bowed slightly: “Good afternoon, Mr. Sital.”</p>
<p>“Oh, it’s you.”</p>
<p>The man sitting behind the desk had bulging muscles, standing at least one meter eighty, with a fierce-looking face, dark skin, and an expression that was hard to decipher.</p>
<p>This was his instructor, Sital.</p>
<p>Although he looked a bit fierce, Shaya knew very well that he was actually a very responsible instructor.</p>
<p>Shaya bowed again and sincerely said, “I apologize, Mr. Sital. This morning I suddenly…”</p>
<p>“You don’t need to observe your noble manners in front of me. The training load for the next class will be doubled, and this absence will be forgotten.”</p>
<p>Before he could finish, Sital shook his head, chuckled lightly, and said.</p>
<p>Ah this.</p>
<p>He hadn’t even started to explain, yet he was let off?</p>
<p>Shaya was a bit stunned. Wasn’t this supposed to be something strictly enforced? Was this the privilege of an excellent student?</p>
<p>He had never experienced this kind of treatment in his last life, and at least enjoyed it once in this one.</p>
<p>His expression brightened, he bowed his head and replied, “Praise you, great knight!”</p>
<p>“However, I must remind you of one thing.” The instructor looked at his proud student with a slightly serious expression, “Recently, during a few classes for the upper grades, I’ve been hearing rumors about you. I’m not entirely sure of the details… You are my student, and I believe you won’t do anything against the knightly spirit, so be cautious about this matter.”</p>
<p>“Rumors?”</p>
<p>Shaya was taken aback.</p>
<p>After bidding farewell to Mr. Sital, he was deep in thought on his way back.</p>
<p>Who could it be?</p>
<p>What was the content of the rumors?</p>
<p>Why did it involve me?</p>
<p>Thinking of these questions, he unknowingly returned to his apartment.</p>
<p>Standing at the door, without reaching a conclusion, Shaya sighed and decided to put it out of his mind for now, planning to find out later.</p>
<p>After all, he didn’t know many people in the upper grades.</p>
<p>If he had to say, there was only one.</p>
<p>With that thought, he pushed the door open, and the strong medieval-style decorations immediately came into view: sofas, fireplaces, oil paintings, living room, carpets… the overall appearance was very tidy, not at all like a boy’s room.</p>
<p>A pair of small black maid shoes was quietly placed at the door, and the sound of running water could be vaguely heard from the washroom in the room.</p>
<p>After losing her parents, surviving in the harsh Lower City was almost impossible for a little girl who seemed only four or five years old.</p>
<p>Everyone was struggling to live for themselves. Having one more mouth to feed meant an extra expense.</p>
<p>Shaya quietly observed from the back of the crowd.</p>
<p>After a while, an elderly man at the forefront of the crowd suddenly leaned on his cane, slowly turned to face the gathered onlookers, and tremblingly pulled out four copper coins from his pocket, then quietly said, “All of you who live on Sickle Street, if you can, please gather some money. One or two copper coins may not seem much, but let’s first help the poor child bury her mother.”</p>
<p>“Of course, the premise is that it won’t affect your own lives… After all, it’s always embarrassing to be generous at the expense of others.”</p>
<p>The old man seemed to have considerable authority in the area. After he finished speaking, there was a brief silence in the crowd, then everyone extended their hands toward their pockets.</p>
<p>You one coin, I two coins, he three coins…</p>
<p>Except for a few hesitant onlookers who secretly left, everyone else contributed to some extent.</p>
<p>Soon, the old man’s hand was piled high with copper coins.</p>
<p>After counting, there were about thirty coins, while the cheapest cedar coffin would still require at least forty copper coins, not counting the land management fees for the cemetery after the burial.</p>
<p>However, for this group of impoverished commoners, this was already the limit. They also had their own families, wives, and young children.</p>
<p>The old man sighed, “It’s alright, it’s alright. Let me think of a way… Perhaps asking Old Hep who makes coffins is a good choice.”</p>
<p>After discussing for a while, the crowd gradually dispersed.</p>
<p>For those hustling to make a living, even the act of showing mercy couldn’t last too long.</p>
<p>Soon, only two people were left at the dirty and chaotic alley entrance.</p>
<p>The old man looked up and noticed a well-dressed young man standing before him, handsome and exceptional in demeanor, seeming somewhat out of place with the overall tone of Sickle Street.</p>
<p>He hesitated, then spoke humbly, “May I ask who you are?”</p>
<p>Shaya shook his head, revealing a slight smile: “You are a man of noble character, old sir. If you wish, you can simply call me Shaya.”</p>
<p>“Then, Mr. Shaya?”</p>
<p>Hearing the gentle tone and refined speech of the other, the old man immediately guessed he came from the Upper City, and ultimately refrained from calling him by name.</p>
<p>Shaya didn’t mind and took a bright white silver coin from his pocket, gently placing it in the old man’s hand: “How should I address you?”</p>
<p>“Just call me Old Peter. But what is this…”</p>
<p>Clearly shocked by the sudden influx of money, Old Peter was stunned.</p>
<p>“This is for that child.”</p>
<p>Shaya replied, while carefully observing his expression, seemingly confirming something.</p>
<p>In the Hiren Empire, depending on the region and price differences, one silver coin is roughly equivalent to about one hundred copper coins, enough for the Lower City commoners to support themselves for more than a month of hard labor.</p>
<p>This was also true for Old Peter.</p>
<p>Moments later, Old Peter took a deep breath and looked seriously at Shaya, saying, “I’m sorry, sir, but trafficking in people is prohibited here.”</p>
<p>As he said this, he was about to return the top silver coin to Shaya.</p>
<p>Shaya was somewhat taken aback, not expecting the misunderstanding, and laughed: “You’re overthinking it. This money is just meant to give the child’s mother a proper burial. The extra can be used for her food expenses in the days to come.”</p>
<p>It was understandable for him to think this way.</p>
<p>After all, being a “noble” Upper City resident passing by and suddenly becoming generous sounded a bit far-fetched.</p>
<p>But Shaya felt much relieved, at least Old Peter was not someone who would embezzle money.</p>
<p>Not handing over the money to him when there were many people around was also out of this consideration, as concealing wealth was a basic survival rule in extremely impoverished areas.</p>
<p>After accepting Old Peter’s repeated thanks, Shaya turned his head and glanced at the shed.</p>
<p>That glance happened to meet the gaze of the little girl crying pitifully.</p>
<p>Her skin was somewhat dark, and she didn’t look pretty or cute, but what impressed Shaya was that the little girl had a pair of gem-like pure big eyes, like works of art in a museum.</p>
<p>Shaya offered her a brief smile, then withdrew his gaze.</p>
<p>“You must not have had breakfast yet. This is freshly bought buttered toast from the bakery. Please share it with that child.”</p>
<p>Saying this, he handed the remaining whole piece of toast in the paper bag to Old Peter.</p>
<p>“What a kind-hearted Upper City resident. May you stay healthy and happy in the new week!”</p>
<p>Old Peter’s expression was filled with gratitude, and he gently touched his chest with a finger in a gesture of prayer.</p>
<p>Upon hearing this, Shaya paused: “New week? Is today Monday?”</p>
<p>After receiving an affirmative response, he vaguely guessed what had occurred to him.</p>
<p>The flow of time in the Abyss seems to be quite different from that of the real world?</p>
<p>Setting up the formation and materials took over a day, just finishing up around late Saturday night and then immediately activating the formation.</p>
<p>He had originally thought it was Sunday morning, but unexpectedly it was already Monday.</p>
<p>Even though he felt like he was only with the Witch for a moment, a whole day had passed in reality. He didn’t know if this rate of time flow was fixed or variable.</p>
<p>Shaya silently noted this information for later, planning to find a way to test it next time he went.</p>
<p>Ultimately, he declined Old Peter’s invitation to visit and left Sickle Street directly.</p>
<p>He did not say anything to that child, nor did he give any extra instructions to Old Peter, after all, he was not doing this for gratitude.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>In contrast to the generally impoverished Lower City, the Upper City was much larger and more prosperous, almost rivaling Shaya’s past life.</p>
<p>By the time Shaya traveled back to the academy along the smooth Rhine Avenue in the capital on a horse-drawn carriage, it was nearing noon.</p>
<p>Indeed, Shaya Adelaide, 16 years old, was a student currently attending the Norton Public Royal Training Academy.</p>
<p>The academy was located in the very center of the capital, a prime piece of real estate, large in area, built with funds from the royal family, originally only admitting the children of nobles, though in recent years, it occasionally made exceptions for exceptionally talented commoner students.</p>
<p>More than a hundred years ago, it was a specialized institute aimed at training young knights. However, as the theory of magic matured and public sentiment shifted, more and more students began to lean towards the study of magic, simply because wielding weapons was not dignified for nobles, while casting spells was much more elegant.</p>
<p>The knight system and the magic system became the rough dividing line between noble and common students.</p>
<p>Compared to the rigorous training of body and will in knightly practice, cultivating magic required substantial amounts of money and materials which common students could hardly afford, thus the knight system, once viewed as an honor, gradually became the bottom of the nobles’ hierarchy of status in the academy.</p>
<p>Shaya currently found himself in a somewhat awkward situation.</p>
<p>Though he was about to inherit the title of viscount left by his deceased father, the Adelaide family in a true sense only consisted of him and his sister. Furthermore, in recent years, in order to gather materials for the teleportation ritual, Shaya’s financial situation had been quite strained, thus nominally a knight student, he appeared somewhat out of place.</p>
<p>He had neither the nobility’s dignity nor the means to cross the insurmountable gap between himself and the commoners.</p>
<p>As a result, Shaya had not many friends in the academy.</p>
<p>Today is Monday; there were two classes in the morning, one a general course that did not record attendance and the other a mandatory physical training course for the knight system.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the instructor for this course was a powerful knight originally from the Judgment Tower, who, after being injured on a mission, had been forced to step back.</p>
<p>He had also brought over the strict personality of the Judgment Tower that prioritized rules.</p>
<p>This course was quite difficult to pass. The most basic requirement was no absences!</p>
<p>And because his trip to the Abyss caused him to miss a class, Shaya had to find the instructor to plead, hoping he might be lenient.</p>
<p>Fortunately, he usually displayed good talent, though he hadn’t revealed his knightly practitioner level, he was still among the best in the class.</p>
<p>Following the familiar path, Shaya passed through various classical buildings with strong Hiren style and arrived at the area where his instructor usually stayed.</p>
<p>It was a training ground by a lake, similar in size to a soccer field in his previous life, filled with various equipment like iron dummies, weighted locks, and wooden weapons, a place for the knight system students to train their physique. The office area of the instructor Sital was in the adjacent loft, also overseeing this place.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, Shaya knocked on the loft door.</p>
<p>“Come in.”</p>
<p>A deep, slightly hoarse male voice came from within.</p>
<p>After receiving permission, Shaya pushed the door open and bowed slightly: “Good afternoon, Mr. Sital.”</p>
<p>“Oh, it’s you.”</p>
<p>The man sitting behind the desk had bulging muscles, standing at least one meter eighty, with a fierce-looking face, dark skin, and an expression that was hard to decipher.</p>
<p>This was his instructor, Sital.</p>
<p>Although he looked a bit fierce, Shaya knew very well that he was actually a very responsible instructor.</p>
<p>Shaya bowed again and sincerely said, “I apologize, Mr. Sital. This morning I suddenly…”</p>
<p>“You don’t need to observe your noble manners in front of me. The training load for the next class will be doubled, and this absence will be forgotten.”</p>
<p>Before he could finish, Sital shook his head, chuckled lightly, and said.</p>
<p>Ah this.</p>
<p>He hadn’t even started to explain, yet he was let off?</p>
<p>Shaya was a bit stunned. Wasn’t this supposed to be something strictly enforced? Was this the privilege of an excellent student?</p>
<p>He had never experienced this kind of treatment in his last life, and at least enjoyed it once in this one.</p>
<p>His expression brightened, he bowed his head and replied, “Praise you, great knight!”</p>
<p>“However, I must remind you of one thing.” The instructor looked at his proud student with a slightly serious expression, “Recently, during a few classes for the upper grades, I’ve been hearing rumors about you. I’m not entirely sure of the details… You are my student, and I believe you won’t do anything against the knightly spirit, so be cautious about this matter.”</p>
<p>“Rumors?”</p>
<p>Shaya was taken aback.</p>
<p>After bidding farewell to Mr. Sital, he was deep in thought on his way back.</p>
<p>Who could it be?</p>
<p>What was the content of the rumors?</p>
<p>Why did it involve me?</p>
<p>Thinking of these questions, he unknowingly returned to his apartment.</p>
<p>Standing at the door, without reaching a conclusion, Shaya sighed and decided to put it out of his mind for now, planning to find out later.</p>
<p>After all, he didn’t know many people in the upper grades.</p>
<p>If he had to say, there was only one.</p>
<p>With that thought, he pushed the door open, and the strong medieval-style decorations immediately came into view: sofas, fireplaces, oil paintings, living room, carpets… the overall appearance was very tidy, not at all like a boy’s room.</p>
<p>A pair of small black maid shoes was quietly placed at the door, and the sound of running water could be vaguely heard from the washroom in the room.</p>
