"Are there any vacant rooms? I want to stay for one night." Durin took the initiative to ask.
The white uncle's right hand paused, then he put down the iced beer in his left hand, took a key from a pile of keys, threw it to Durin, and said in a flat tone: "Go upstairs and turn left, the third room. Pay the accommodation fee first, 15 copper circle coins per night, hot water is free. Broken items are charged separately."
Durin nodded, took out 15 copper circle coins from his inner pocket, and then asked: "May I ask if you can provide some food here?"
The white uncle shook his head and replied: "The chef only works during the day. You also know that Piltover's public security hasn't been very good lately. In an hour, I plan to close the shop."
Seeing the regret on Durin's face, the white uncle thought for a while and said, "If you don't mind, I can make you a simple dish for an extra 5 copper circle coins!"
"Of course, that would be best." Durin readily agreed.
The white uncle then stood up from behind the counter and said: "Alright, I'll go now. You go to the room and wait."
Durin nodded and walked up the stairs to find his room.
Before long, the white uncle walked over with two trays, each containing a piece of fluffy white bread and a portion of cream of mushroom soup, which was steaming hot and looked very tempting.
The white uncle said with a smile: "That's all there is. It's really a bit simple, I hope you don't mind."
"How could I?" Durin dipped the white bread into the cream of mushroom soup, put it in his mouth to chew, and asked vaguely, "By the way, boss, has the serial killer in Piltover not been caught yet?"
"Not yet! These Enforcers don't know what they're doing. Are taxpayers' money just feeding this bunch of good-for-nothings!? I heard that some time ago, the police inspector of the Piltover Guard headquarters died in Zaun. Tsk tsk, now another serial killer has appeared inside Piltover. In my opinion, this batch of Enforcers can all get out!"
Speaking of this, the middle-aged white man complained with righteous indignation, "They've even implemented some nonsense curfew now. No one is allowed on the streets after eleven at night. Enforcer patrols move in squads of three, checking IDs every now and then. It's driving everyone crazy!"
"We don't even know what the criminal looks like, not even if they're a man or a woman, damn it! It's seriously affecting my business. Without foreign travelers, how is my shop supposed to survive? Dammit!"
The middle-aged white man grumbled and cursed, his words filled with dissatisfaction and resentment toward the Piltover Guard.
After finishing his meal, Durin returned the tray to the man, closed his room door, and counted his current assets: 10 gold cogwheels, 5 silver lun coins, and 27 copper circle coins.
This money should be enough for him to join Piltover University and stay in Piltover for at least half a year.
After reaching this conclusion, Durin lay down on the bed with peace of mind to rest for the night.
Early the next morning, Durin asked the innkeeper for the route to Piltover University. Then, he traveled from Clockwork Avenue in the Harbor District to Gwell Street, followed the winding Cogwheel Boulevard into the Academy District, and finally arrived at Unknown Plaza.
When Durin first saw the words "Unknown Plaza," he thought it was a typo on the road sign.
It was only after reading the introduction on the stone tablet regarding the plaza and the "Jindai Luo Sphere" that he realized this was a highly famous and artistically valuable landmark in Piltover.
This spherical structure, made of light blue metal plates pieced together, sat upon a base shaped like a circular gear. Around the base, four miniature spherical metallic bodies were scattered in the four cardinal directions.
The designer of this landmark was also Piltover's most famous artist, Jindai Luo Woods.
The final sentence of the introduction on the stone tablet was also revered as truth by the people of Piltover: Knowledge is unknown, the world is unknown, and the future is unknown; only through continuous learning, innovation, and hard work can the unknown be made known.
Walking another three or four hundred meters to the left from Unknown Plaza led to Piltover University, renowned throughout the entire continent of Valoran!
As the highest institution of learning in Piltover, Piltover University's recruitment was open to the entire continent and even the whole of Runeterra.
Upon arriving at the university gates, the first thing one saw was a gilded statue standing atop a sphere, shimmering under the brilliant sunlight.
The statue held a wrench in one hand and cradled a book in the other, opening its arms toward the sun.
This was the statue of Cecil B. Heimerdinger, the founder of Piltover University and also the university's chancellor.
An "Admissions Office" sign was placed at the school gate. Durin walked straight toward the registrar sitting at a long table, who wore a gray mage robe with three blue stripes at the collar.
"I would like to verify my Mage Apprentice qualifications," Durin stated.
"2 silver lun coins," the registrar said expressionlessly. "Register with me first, take a number tag, and come back for the test when it's your turn."
So expensive?!
Durin was startled, but he still pulled two silver lun coins from his inner pocket and handed them over.
The registrar expressionlessly took the 2 silver lun coins, stuffed them into a drawer, then picked up a fountain pen and asked, "Name, age, and do you have any family background in Piltover?"
Durin thought the first two questions were normal, but the last one confused him. What was the connection between them?
However, he chose to answer honestly: "My name is Durin, I am 22 years old, and I don't know anyone in Piltover."
The registrar nodded, scribbled the information into a notebook with the pen, then picked up a tag numbered 11 and handed it to Durin, pointing in a direction. "Go wait in the first-floor lobby of the Administration Building."
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"