"Hill. Ranger. Silver Level Adventurer."
This was a tall woman dressed in tight-fitting clothes. She held a Crossbow and had a Refined Short Gun holstered at her side. Her skin and hair combined to give a single impression: pale. With her fair skin and light-blonde short hair, her figure could even be described as unremarkable. Her face, however, was absolutely stunning.
She made no effort to hide her slightly pointed ears. Rorschach guessed the Ranger was a Half-Elf. He was surprised to see a Short Gun, and that her main weapon was a precision-focused Crossbow. 'Are Rangers in this world already evolving into something like Hunters?'
During the test, Hill had moved while shooting a distant straw dummy with her Crossbow. Then, with a combat roll, she had somehow drawn her Short Gun and blasted a nearby dummy.
'It's not a Matchlock Gun?' Rorschach had been observing her closely.
"Singrev, but just call me Singrev. Gold-rank Advent… Adventurer! My profession is Innovative Warrior." This was a Dwarf who wielded a warhammer. He was registered as a Warrior and also had a Skill for simple mechanical repairs.
But Rorschach had read in the academy's library that an [Innovative Warrior] was, in fact, to be considered a Priest of the Ancestral Dwarf King. From the time he ascended to godhood until he fell silent, the Ancestral Dwarf King had held the divine positions of the God of Mines, the God of Forging, and the Master of the Furnace. His Priests' primary skills could be summarized in three areas: metal production and shaping, mechanical design and manufacturing, and smashing things with hammers of all sizes.
As an engineering grunt in his past life, Rorschach felt an instant affinity for the Dwarf. 'He's like a patron saint for mechanical engineering and a fellow sufferer from the thankless field of material science!'
The representative from the Lowe Commerce Association cautiously asked Rorschach, "Master Mage, forgive my presumption, but would you be willing to reveal one of your offensive and one of your support spells?" Asking a Caster about their spells was a major taboo, but it was necessary for the job.
"Fireball Skill." Rorschach didn't bother being secretive about a Low Level Spell. He flung a Fireball that struck a straw dummy in the training yard.
The dummy was instantly knocked over, and the Fireball quickly burned it to a blackened, disintegrated heap. And that was with Rorschach holding back its power.
"Water Creation Skill. Besides putting out this fire, it can also provide the team with pure water."
Rorschach tossed out a Water Bomb to extinguish the flames. Unlike the True Water Creation Technique he'd demonstrated during the assessment, what he had just used was actually Rorschach's Water Bomb Skill. Just like his Fireball Skill, the ball of water was imbued with kinetic energy to be launched.
"Exquisite Magic! Thank you, Master Mage."
Hill, Singrev, and Rorschach were the candidates the association's representative settled on. Together with the capable Mr. Ah Le, the association's caravan manager, they formed the team for this trip. Rorschach and Singrev could even form a "Warrior, Mage, Priest" core—even if Singrev was filling two roles, and even if he was a Priest with no healing abilities… which he probably didn't have.
The association treated the team to a meal, though they couldn't get drunk—only light beer was served. After the contracts were signed, the representative clapped his hands. A servant brought out three sets of leather gear. The Ranger received a shoulder holster, the Dwarf Warrior a pair of gloves, and Rorschach a form-fitting leather inner vest. "A small token of our appreciation. We look forward to a pleasant partnership with the Lowe Commerce Association."
The three of them tried the items on, and they were all a perfect fit. 'This merchant has a good eye.' Getting food, drink, and gifts, they were beginning to appreciate the Lowe Commerce Association's strength and generosity.
The association's caravan consisted of four wagons of furs and leather goods, and one wagon for supplies, tents, Rorschach's baggage, and Singrev's armor. The coachmen all wore matching uniforms and looked sharp and capable. Even more impressively, after confirming all the guards could ride, the association provided everyone with a tall, sturdy horse.
During the hunting season back in his hometown, the young nobles had to join the Viscount in the great hunt. That was when Rorschach had learned to ride. He was no master equestrian, but he was competent enough.
"Mr. Ah Le, these are fine horses!" The Dwarf had been assigned a bay mare and needed a mounting block to get on. Mr. Ah Le smiled faintly. "After we ride them to Valuva, the capital of the Holy Kingdom, they're going to be sold as well."
It turned out that horses were more expensive in the Holy Kingdom than in the Empire. Horses from the northern Empire were taller and stronger, making them a hot commodity. If you herded a group of horses into the Holy Kingdom to sell them, two sets of taxes would claim up to sixty percent of their value. However, if they were used as draft or riding animals, the tax was cut in half. That was why many merchant caravans heading to the Holy Kingdom would have each person ride one horse and lead another, with four horses per wagon. On the return trip, people would ride in the wagons, with only two or even one horse per wagon.
Only after hearing Mr. Ah Le's explanation did the others understand the clever trick.
The Imperial Capital's Queens District was lush, spacious, and quiet, a hub for universities and academies. The central district was prosperous and magnificent, with wide roads where one could see the grand architecture of the Imperial Palace, the Empire Council, and various departments, as well as a dazzling array of shops. Now, as the caravan neared the city walls, the buildings became denser, lower, and more disorderly, though thankfully the main road remained wide and solid.
The old Rorschach had always been broke and rarely set foot outside the academy unless invited by Bart. The current Rorschach was riding slowly through the heart of the Empire, passing through this city, and leaving it behind.
'I haven't been in this world for very long, so how am I leaving already?' Rorschach felt a sense of unreality. The memories he'd inherited were so full of the Royal Magic Academy. Graduating, leaving the academy, and now leaving the Imperial Capital—the feeling of detachment from it all was even more surreal than the fantasy of using Magic itself.
[Fireball Skill (Purple)]
[Water Creation Skill (White)]
[Basic Level Decomposition Skill (Purple)]
[Flying Arrow Skill (Purple)]
[Rorschach's True Water Creation Technique (Purple)]
[Rorschach's Water Bomb Skill (Purple)]
[Rorschach's Magic Power Drive (Purple)]
He hadn't mastered many spells yet, but his proficiency was quite good. During his idle days, Rorschach had spent plenty of time messing with the leaves and stones on campus, raising his Basic Level Decomposition Skill to Purple proficiency.
As an Elemental Spell, its greater significance was that Rorschach had obtained a "Purple" entry through simple practice. When learning or constructing new spells, identical entries would inherit the proficiency level. This was undoubtedly an advantage compared to directly learning and practicing complex, multi-step Casting Techniques.
From a magical perspective, an "entry" should be a step in the casting process. While deconstructing the Elemental Spell, Rorschach realized that each casting step consumed a different amount of Endogenous Magic Power and had a different activation time. Increasing an entry's proficiency would also unlock more effects.
Once his Basic Level Decomposition Skill reached Purple proficiency, Rorschach could control the scale of the decomposition. It could even affect plants and flowers with weak Vitality—originally, the Basic Level Decomposition Skill was only effective on what this world considered "Inorganic Material."
As Rorschach pondered these things, the caravan had already passed through the city gates. The south gate of the Imperial Capital opened up to vast, open country and endless fields of wheat. The road stretched straight ahead, meeting the horizon where the sky touched the earth. Looking back, he could only faintly see the highest spires of the bell tower and the Parliament Building over the top of the city walls.
"What's our Master Mage looking back at? We've only just set off and you're already missing the glitz and glamour?" Singrev's speech always had a Dwarven flair.
"You're right. Our journey has only just begun… Also, just call me Rorschach."
"Alright, Uncle Rorschach!"
"I'm still young! I don't want an old guy like you calling me 'Uncle'!"
Singrev and Mr. Ah Le both chuckled. The Ranger, Hill, remained silent, riding at the very front of the group and vigilantly scanning her surroundings, showing no interest in joining their pointless banter.