Chapter 71: The Abandoned City, Ventoris (II)

Ventoris, an abandoned city by the empire…
Following the bearded man, Jiang Zhe and Allen slowly drove the carriage toward the rumored gathering place of scoundrels and thieves.
Ventoris… it could be considered a city, after all—it had a barrier made of mud and stones serving as its walls—assuming those seemingly flimsy things could even be called walls.
Seeming to notice the confusion in Allen and Jiang Zhe’s eyes, the bearded man spoke in a deep, mysterious tone, “If you had been born two hundred years earlier, what you saw might have been very different… Back then, we built walls of mud and stones to defend against beast attacks, but now… it’s no longer necessary!” He pointed at a section of broken wall in the distance and added calmly, “I warn you—don’t cause trouble once you’re inside. I won’t help you just for a gold coin!”
“Wow,” Allen said with a smile after glancing at the bearded man, “Don’t worry. We definitely won’t start trouble on our own. But if others come to trouble us… I guess no one would want to mess with a group of magic apprentice kids, right?”
“A few?” The bearded man instinctively glanced at Jiang Zhe beside him and chuckled. “Yes, indeed, no one would want to mess with a bunch of little magic kids. But I suppose those little magic kids wouldn’t want to go to war with thousands of people either, right?”
“Thousands of people?” Allen exaggeratedly shrugged. “Of course. We just want to find a place to rest and head to Galic early tomorrow morning!”
“Very good!” The bearded man smiled slightly before jumping down from the carriage and walking toward the broken wall—probably where the so-called city gate was.
Slowly driving the carriage, Jiang Zhe and Allen followed the bearded man into the city. For a moment, they regretted coming here.
To be honest, this place was the worst they had ever seen—collapsed houses, dirty roads, and even the air seemed to carry a layer of dust. Along the roads, sometimes some Serlanders would lean against the ruins, staring coldly at the passing carriage as if it were prey.
“Hey, Vif, is this carriage your loot?” Outside a mostly collapsed mud-brick house, a muscular man with a bare chest leaned against the wall, arms crossed, greeting them with a hint of amusement.

Glancing at the other man, the bearded giant said with a hint of regret, “I really want to say yes, Tami—they’re my guests!”
“Guests?” Instantly, the burly man’s expression changed as he walked toward the carriage, saying in a low voice, “Ventoris doesn’t need guests, Vif! What we need is food, gold coins, weapons!”
As he spoke, a large crowd emerged from the ruined houses along the road, clearly not there to welcome the carriage.
“Tami!” shouted the bearded man named Vif, frowning. “There are just a few kids in the carriage. They’re heading to Galk—they’ll leave tomorrow!”
“And so what?” Tami slowly walked up to Vif, licked his lips, and said in a low voice, “It’s better if there are just a few kids, right? That carriage looks pretty valuable—since they’re going to Galk, there must be food and water inside, right?” As he spoke, he tried to walk toward the carriage, but Vif grabbed his arm.
“Tami!” Vif said slowly, frowning at the burly man. “There are just a few kids in the carriage!”
“And so what?!” The burly man Tami shook Vif’s hand off and roared angrily, “All I know is that there’s not enough food in the city. Before winter even arrives, we’ll starve to death!”
“There’s no winter in Theland, Tami…”
“But we’ll still starve! Do you understand? As of today, it’s the eighty-ninth time… We Thelanders haven’t been crushed by the imperial knights’ iron hooves, but hunger can utterly defeat us! That kid named Ka is only eight years old… Last year I went to Jacosenbu, where the local nobles fed dogs with whole pieces of clean bread—so big—but what about our children? What do our Thelander children eat? The damned roots of the Vals tree—so small that they can only last one night! I hate this damned land!”
Vif patted Tami’s shoulder and said softly, “Tami… if you really hated this place, you wouldn’t have chosen to stay here…”
Staring deeply at Vif, Tami said in a deep voice, “I don’t care what those elders plan to do. I’ll use my own methods to change things—I hope you can help me!”
After thinking for a while, Vif nodded hesitantly and said softly, “Let me think about it!”

“I really want to, but I don’t have much time for you to think, Viv. I hope you can give me an answer tomorrow!” With that, Tami glanced at the carriage and at Jiang Zhe and Allen sitting in the driver’s seat, then said viciously, “If those brats dare do anything to upset us, I’d be happy to impale them one by one on spears!”
Looking at Jiang Zhe and Allen with a hint of pleading, Viv nodded and said, “I think they’ll be careful!”
“Hmph, that’s good!”
A few minutes later, the bearded man Viv led Jiang Zhe and the others to his residence. Sure enough, it was indeed an inn that provided lodging.
“This is it!” Saying that, Viv pushed open the slightly tilted wooden door, sending dust flying, then glanced at Allen with malicious intent.
“Wow,” Allen said after a quick glance, shrugging and smiling awkwardly, “It’s a little worse than I expected…”
“Hmph, is that so?” Viv said with a faint smile, looking at Allen teasingly, “Don’t jump to conclusions yet, kid!” With that, he strode inside.
“Dad, Dad’s back…”
“Brother Viv…”
Hearing the voices inside, Allen turned to look at Jiang Zhe and sighed, “It’s better than sleeping in the wild, right, buddy?”
“Hmph!” Jiang Zhe grunted indifferently, then knocked on the carriage door weakly and said, “Come down!”
The carriage door opened, and several girls stepped out one by one. Their frowning expressions showed they were clearly dissatisfied with the surroundings.
“Allen,” Lisa said shyly, pulling at his arm, “Do we… really have to live here?” She waved her hand, trying to disperse the dust in the air, but that only made Lelira cough uncontrollably.
“It’s even worse than I imagined…” Lavia sighed slightly at the sight, frowning but forcing calmness, “But it’s better than sleeping in the wild—at least we don’t have to worry about rain…”
“I’d rather sleep in the carriage,” Lisa muttered unhappily, pouting as she glanced at the house. “I was hoping to find a place to take a bath too…”
“Alright,” Lavia said softly, stroking Lisa’s hair and pointing quietly at Jiang Zhe and Allen, who were tying the horses down. “Stop complaining. We can sleep in the carriage, but they—Sos and Allen—haven’t slept for a whole day and night!”

Glancing back at Jiang Zhe and Allen, Lisa nodded and smiled innocently, saying, “Mm, I understand!”
“If it’s just for bathing…” Taking advantage of the pause in their conversation, Dia smiled and interjected, “I think I can manage that—water for six people!”
Looking at Dia with a complex expression, Raviya nodded and said softly, “Thank you, that’s exactly what we need!”
Just then, the bearded man, Vif, stepped out again, leaning against the door and mocking the group of kids, “What? Did you plan to sleep outside?”
“Of course not!” Raviya replied politely with a faint smile, then strode into the house, with the others following closely behind.
“Hey!” Glancing at the backs of the kids, Vif shook his head.
The house was crowded with many people, including a dozen or so children. The older ones were about seven or eight years old, while the younger ones were only three or four. Standing against the wall were three youths in their twenties…
“Are you guys the kids?” One of the youths stared at Raviya as she entered, instinctively pulling out a small knife from his pocket. The others followed his example, but before they could do anything, Vif shouted at them to stop.
“Stop it, Pa! What do you think you’re doing in front of the children?”
Glancing around at the children who were staring at him with wide eyes, the youth named Pa hurriedly put away his knife.
Looking at those dirty kids staring at him with innocent eyes, Raviya turned to Vif and asked, “Are these all your children?”
“Yes!”
Frowning and looking around, Raviya asked in confusion, “Are all these kids yours? Isn’t Ventoris short of food?”
Vif gave Raviya a cold glance before finding a crooked stool to sit on and said in a low voice, “Since their parents died, I’ve become their father. They are my children. What’s the problem, kid?”
“None… I’m sorry!” Although slightly displeased by Vif’s tone, Raviya still maintained his noble manners.
“Hmph!” With a mocking snort, Vif pointed to the wooden ladder in the corner of the house and said, “There are enough empty rooms on the second floor for you to stay in. But don’t get any illusions—this is Ventoris… As we agreed, no food, no water, nothing you need. One gold coin per room!”

“One gold coin per room?” Ravia frowned. “Weren’t it one gold coin per night?”
“That’s right,” Vif said with a smile, arms crossed. “It is indeed one gold coin per night, but that’s only for one room. I suppose if you…”, he turned to look at the boys and girls standing at the door, adding jokingly, “if you’re willing to crowd into one room, then ignore what I said!”
Giving Vif a deep look, Ravia snapped at Allen, “Three rooms, Allen!”
“No problem!” Allen shrugged nonchalantly.
Muttering under her breath, Ravia climbed the wooden ladder to the second floor. However, the creaking sound from the ladder made her a bit worried. Following her were Lisa, Lailira, and Dia…
“Here!” Allen casually pulled out three gold coins and tossed them in front of Vif, then said jokingly, “Three gold coins for three rooms. You’re really something, buddy!”
“Heh!” Vif caught the three coins, blew on one, and smiled. “But you still gave them, right? It’s been almost ten years now. You kids are the only ones who take care of my business…” He pointed at himself and introduced himself, “Ginevieve Dorby. You can call me Vif!” Then he pointed at the few youths in the room who were staring at Jiang Zhe and Allen unfriendlyly and introduced them one by one, “Ban, Pa, Comi!”
Shrugging, Allen smiled self-mockingly, pointed at himself, then at Jiang Zhe, and said, “Allen Skander. You can call me Allen. He’s my buddy, Sos!”
“Hmm,” Vif nodded meaningfully, then licked his lips and said jokingly, “Actually… we can provide you with some food and water…”
As if unable to believe what they heard, the three youths were shocked. “Brother Vif? Are you joking? That little food isn’t even enough for us…”
Raising his hand to stop them, Vif smiled at Allen. Allen grinned and leaned casually against the dusty wall, teasingly saying, “But it costs money to buy, right?”
“Of course!” Vif grinned and rubbed his chin. “Believe me, kid. Gold coins can’t fill your stomach. One person’s share costs two gold coins!”
Looking at Vif amusedly, Allen scratched his head and teased, “I see. So you’re planning to rob us in a different way, huh?”

“Hmm,” Vif thought for a moment before nodding and saying, “You can understand it this way: I’ve always believed that blindly using force isn’t a good way to solve problems…”
“Then how do you explain what just happened? Dozens of people armed with weapons surrounding us—surely it wasn’t for a friendly talk?”
Hearing Allen’s sarcasm, Vif glanced at the three youths with angry expressions, shook his head at them, then sighed slightly before saying to Allen, “Kid, there are things you can’t avoid just by not wanting to—I remember when I was young, my family was very poor. Heh, I should say the whole region of Theland was poor. It’s been almost thirty years now. Back then, I wanted to open an inn because if you didn’t want to take a long route from Galk to Sassen, you had to pass through Vantoris. One silver coin per room. Those wealthy merchants wouldn’t mind paying a silver coin. Of course, for those noble kids who like to adventure around, I wouldn’t mind renting them a room for a gold coin per night…”
“Oho, are you talking about us?”
“Heh,” Vif smiled slightly, picked up a three- or four-year-old girl who had come over to him, stroked her messy hair, and said in a deep voice, “Vantoris is a place inhabited by thieves and scoundrels, a city full of evil. I’ve heard that more than once. Maybe it’s because of such misunderstandings that fewer and fewer caravans pass by, and neighboring areas like Jacosenb no longer welcome us…”
“You’re trying to say you’re actually friendly? ‘Welcoming’ a passing carriage with dozens of people armed?”
Looking deeply at Allen, Vif shook his head and said in a deep voice, “Then I can only say that life is more important! Kid, you won’t understand!”
“I don’t want to understand your thoughts at all,” Allen said with a strange expression. He stepped forward a few steps, took out a dozen gold coins from his pocket, and placed them on the single wooden table. Then he tilted his head and looked at Vif, saying, “Six people’s share!”
Vif grinned, took the dozen gold coins in his hand, and said, “Deal!”
Shrugging, Allen casually turned his head and suddenly saw a child in the room eating something from a wooden bowl with a hole in it. After just a quick glance, his expression became very strange. He turned back, tilted his head, and looked at Vif, saying, “The food you mentioned… it can’t be…”

“I’ve said it before, don’t get any illusions—this is Ventoris…” With a teasing look at Allen, Vif shrugged and then called into the house, “Ram, prepare more food for tonight!”
“Why? If that’s the case, we won’t be able to last until…” A woman’s voice came from deep within the house. Soon after, accompanied by light footsteps, a dark-skinned woman stepped out from the shadows. She froze when she saw Jiang Zhe and Allen.
“It’s okay,” Vif said soothingly, handing the twenty gold coins that originally belonged to Allen to the woman. “If there’s not enough food, have Ban and Pa go to Jacosenbu… No, better go to Galic. Use these gold coins to buy some food. We’ll keep some and give the rest to others…”
“So many?” The woman looked at the gold coins in her hands in disbelief.
“Hey,” Jiang Zhe asked quietly, glancing at Allen, who was rolling his eyes, “How much food can twenty gold coins buy?”
“How much food?” Allen grinned irritably. “An ordinary commoner family spends only one gold coin a year. What do you think, buddy?” He sighed and, with a hint of resentment amid Jiang Zhe’s shrugs, said, “I got scammed by this guy. I’ll have to tell my old man—he’ll definitely give me a good scolding!”
“Scold you?” Jiang Zhe shook his head slightly and then said in surprise, “Actually, I was quite surprised just now. You know, Allen, coming from a noble family yet you casually shook his hand and had such a pleasant conversation with him…”
“Hm?” Allen looked at Jiang Zhe with a puzzled expression. After thinking for a moment, as if realizing something, he shook his head and said softly, “You’re wrong, buddy. I’m not a noble at all. Though I don’t want to admit it, I’ve been influenced by my old man since I was young… I’m from Operios. Get it? Other than battle mages, I’m a merchant. My old man has taught me since I was young that what matters most to a merchant is profit. What is profit? Paying less and getting more in return… What is the cost? Gold coins! How much effort does a smile or a handshake take?”
Staring in astonishment at Allen’s long speech, Jiang Zhe nodded with a half-smile and affirmed, “Right! You’re right! Allen, I see you in a different light now. You shouldn’t go to Riox, nor any knight academy. It would be a waste not to become a merchant…”

“Are you mocking me? I’m a knight who yearns for freedom and glory—ah, no, a battle mage, with being a merchant as a secondary role… There’s no way around it; my old man only had me, and sooner or later he’ll drag me back…”
While Allen and Jiang Zhe were joking around, footsteps came from the second floor. Soon after, several girls hurried down. Judging from their expressions, they were clearly dissatisfied with the place they were about to live in.
“Excuse me,” said Ravia after descending the wooden ladder to Viv, “is there any water? I mean clean water—we want to take a bath!”
“Water? Take a bath?” Viv suddenly burst into laughter. Glancing at the girls, she sneered, “You mean you want us to use the precious water meant for drinking to bathe you? Hm?”
Frowning, Ravia said in a low voice, “Then give us a large wooden basin, something cleaner… Never mind, we can clean it ourselves. Just prepare a bigger one for us!”
“A wooden basin? What do you want it for?” Viv looked at Ravia in confusion. It seemed she suddenly remembered something, her face showing surprise, before she turned to Allen and pointed at him.
“See? This guy is even more suited to be a merchant than me!” With a sigh, Allen reluctantly took out another gold coin from his pocket and tossed it in front of Viv.
“Wait,” said Viv after catching the coin. She stood up, rummaged through the dark corners of the room, and found a large wooden barrel. She carried it to the only table in the room, then licked her lips and asked hesitantly, “Can a mage… create water?”
“It’s not creation, it’s condensation!” Dia corrected Viv. She stepped up to the barrel, muttered a few spells, and instantly, the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. A large amount of water elements quickly condensed inside the barrel.
“Oh my god…” The three young men were stunned. The one named Pa rushed over, dipped his hand into the barrel, and then stared at Viv, murmuring, “Is… is this really water?”
“Hm!” Viv nodded slowly, as if hesitating.
Noticing the children staring at the barrel, Ravia turned to Viv and asked, “Is there a place where we can boil water?”
Viv silently pointed to a corner of the room, where a simple iron frame was placed atop a pile of kindling.
“Allen!” Ravia pointed at the barrel.

“No problem.” With a slight smile, Allen stepped forward and effortlessly lifted the wooden barrel filled with water, carrying it to the iron rack. Staring at the barrel for a while, the young man named Pa snapped out of his daze and said hurriedly, “I… I’ll go get kindling!” “We don’t need that,” Allen chuckled, turned around, pointed at the barrel behind him, and said to Jiang Zhe, “Hey, buddy, give me a hand!” With a snap of his fingers, a blaze of fire erupted from the pile of dry wood. Watching the flickering flames with an unreadable expression for a long time, Wei Fei sighed softly. “Magic…”