43: Chapter 43 Initial Trust, with the Centaurs

It seemed to notice that there was a bit of awkward silence between Ross and Edmund.

Vera tugged at the corner of Edmund's robe and whispered to her brother:

"Edmund, this is my first time carrying out an external commission. You are not allowed to mess it up for me at a time like this. Otherwise, you'll be sorry."

In a corner where Ross could not see, Vera's fingers, cleverly concealed by the cuffs of the robe she was wearing, were already pinching a piece of flesh on Edmund's body.

Edmund's face twisted for a fraction of a second before quickly returning to calm.

Ross watched the siblings' little antics without making a sound.

"It seems I'm being treated as a burden. Well, that makes sense after all; who would believe that someone could reach a mental power of 600 in less than about four months of enrollment?"

Ross muttered to himself.

"Still, it's better to explain things clearly so as not to be looked down upon, and it also avoids some cliché conflicts."

Although Vera and Edmund did not look like the type to bully newcomers, nor did they harbor any malicious intent toward Ross,

it was merely out of a misunderstanding of Ross's strength and a reminder of possible accidents.

"Ahem, Senior Edmund, fellow student Vera. Would you allow me to say a few words?"

Ross's voice rang out at the right moment while the siblings opposite him were engaging in their little tricks.

Upon hearing Ross's voice, Edmund quietly moved Vera's clenched fingers away from his body.

He also gave Vera a look, hinting to his younger sister that there were outsiders present and not to throw a childish tantrum.

Vera seemed to realize that something was amiss; she placed her hands behind her back and looked at Ross with a slightly uneasy and flustered expression.

"Pardon our unseemly behavior, Junior Ross. My sister Vera has grown up with me since childhood, and our parents spoiled her a lot, which is why she developed this kind of personality..."

"It doesn't matter even if you are a newly entered Level 3 Wizard Apprentice, just pay more attention to safety. By the way, Ross, do you have anything to say?"

Edmund's face still maintained a graceful maturity and composure.

"Yes, Senior Edmund, and Vera as well. Actually, you don't need to worry about my strength."

"In fact, although the time I've been enrolled is not long, my mental power has already broken through to the level of 400," Ross replied.

Ross wanted to showcase his strength so as not to be easily looked down upon,

yet he did not intend to reveal his strength completely. After all, although the siblings opposite him seemed quite friendly,

Ross, who came from an orphan background, always regarded his own safety as the most important thing.

A mental power of 400 was almost enough to transcend ordinary Level 3 Wizard Apprentices.

Apprentices reaching this level, regardless of the intensity of their mental power or magic power, their daily wizardry, or their experience in handling tasks, would no longer be treated as novices.

Exposing a mental power of 600, aside from making the other party feel more at ease,

would bring no further benefits to Ross.

Furthermore, when carrying out the commission, if any real crisis arose, Ross was not someone completely powerless.

This level was just right—having some talent, but not yet reaching an astonishing degree.

"400 mental power? But aren't you a Wizard Apprentice who enrolled at the same time as me? I've only just reached nearly 300 in mental power. Your mental power is improving way too fast, Ross!"

A look of disbelief was revealed in Vera's eyes.

At this moment, both of them were somewhat surprised to hear that Ross's mental power had already reached 400.

Even on Edmund's long-unchanged face, a trace of dumbfounded surprise appeared.

However, as a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice, he had heard of the rapid progress of some genius Wizard Apprentices in the academy.

And it was within Edmund's acceptable range.

"Reaching a mental power of 400 means your strength is more than a notch stronger than Vera. I acknowledge your strength and take back my previous words."

After expressing his attitude, Edmund fell silent once again.

At the same time, Edmund also whispered something to Vera.

Afterwards, Vera swallowed back the words she had wanted to ask Ross about how he progressed so quickly, and stopped.

However, Vera still very proactively said to Ross and Edmund:

"Since everyone has no objections, why don't we set off as soon as possible?"

"After all, Boulder Town is still quite a distance away from the Elius Wizard Academy."

"If we delay too long, I'm afraid we'll have to spend quite a bit of time staying overnight, and staying in the wild for too long will make it much more dangerous."

Hearing Vera's words, the three of them also reacted, realizing that Boulder Town, their destination this time, was indeed not close to the academy.

Ross also had a good impression of Vera's attentiveness, as she wasn't just any ordinary Level 3 Wizard Apprentice.

After leaving the mission hall, Ross, Vera, and Edmund

near the market outside the academy, used a magic stone to hire a carriage driven by a pair of Centaur brothers.

These two Centaur brothers looked like they had long dealt with Wizard Apprentices; not only were their words appropriate, but they also spoke very little.

For a Wizard Apprentice like Ross, traveling long distances on foot to Boulder Town was an extremely time-wasting and extravagant matter.

And carriages driven by such Centaurs were not only faster and steadier than those driven by ordinary animals,

but their reverence for wizards was also something ordinary cattle and horses could not possess.

Magic stones, which were useful even to Official Wizards and existed as a universal equivalent,

had a very high value in mortal society.

A single magic stone was something an ordinary mortal had to work for a month to earn.

This was also a kind of benefit that mortals living close to wizard gatherings could enjoy.

Although for mortals, the living expenses and consumption here were several times higher than those far away from the academy,

the magic stones they could earn were much more.

Leaving the academy to head to the mine caves of Boulder Town to investigate abnormal events, Ross's party needed some reliable coachmen.

These two Centaurs were very suitable. In the Wizard Bazaar, this Centaur race practically monopolized half of the carriage industry.

Their reputation and reliability were trustworthy to wizards.

The two Centaurs each put on a harness woven from linen and cotton threads below their necks and above their shoulders.

Then, taking a deep breath, their four horse legs exerted full power, pulling the carriage along the flat ground toward the direction of Boulder Town.

The space inside the carriage was not very large, but for the three of them, including Ross, it was a fairly comfortable ride.

Around the carriage were seats made of wooden boards soaked in tung oil, topped with cotton cushions.

Ross, Vera, and Edmund sat inside the carriage.

The three of them were preparing to exchange the mission information they each knew about Boulder Town.