——Thank you, everyone. So many monthly votes, and we're in the lead again. I'm happy — even if we can't hold on to it later, I'll still be happy. Because I've seen everyone's passion. Having great patrons is wonderful, but what matters more to me is everyone's support. Many hands make light work; unity is strength; a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
All right, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Anyway, thank you — here's the third update.
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The Month of Vitality (March) — the weather was gradually shaking off its chill, and merchants, carriages, and travelers heading toward Altor were steadily increasing once more.
By the last week of March, it was as if every soul from every surrounding nation had descended upon Altor. This great city standing on the western edge of the continent had grown crowded and fervent, for in just a few more days, the triennial continental music extravaganza — the Altor Music Festival — would begin. Countless musicians, instrument performers, and Bards, along with nobles and merchants who loved music, were making their way to Altor one after another.
On top of that, Altor had always been the last major city before adventurers and mercenaries ventured into the Dark Mountains. As a result, during this period the city had erupted with a vitality and liveliness it had never shown before.
Even in the afternoon, the gate to the Nolan District remained congested. The exquisite, rosy-haired young girl Lilyth tugged helplessly at her brother Sara, slowly shuffling along with the crowd into the city.
"Brother, where are you looking? Pay attention to where you're walking!" Lilyth hissed through gritted teeth at Sara, but as always she kept her voice low, as though afraid of drawing anyone's attention.
Sixteen-year-old Lilyth was lively and pretty, yet she seemed to carry a faint melancholy about her at all times. This quality had won the hearts of many boys back in her small hometown — one young noble's son had even been prepared to give up his title and forgo a marriage alliance with another noble family of the same bloodline, all for her sake.
Sara craned his neck forward, his face brimming with excitement. "Lilyth, look — Moon Elves! How exquisite, how beautiful! Their ears really do move on their own just like the legends say — absolutely adorable!" He pointed at several stunning elf maidens not far away who were entering the city together.
Lilyth's curiosity stirred, and she rose on her tiptoes, straining to get a better look.
Their skin gleamed like silver moonlight, their features delicate and refined. Around their necks, several elegant "divine markings" seemed to harbor profound secrets, and their long, slightly swaying pointed ears lent these Moon Elves an otherworldly charm.
"They're not all that much prettier than me," Lilyth muttered after her heels touched back down, then gave Sara a fierce pinch. "Brother, rein in that perverted heart of yours and watch your behavior. This is Altor — a city under the gods' watchful gaze!"
When she said "gods' watchful gaze," Lilyth instinctively lowered her voice and cast a wary glance at the teeming crowd around them.
Sara, whose pink hair gave him a passing resemblance to his sister, looked somewhat effeminate. He reluctantly withdrew his gaze, and seeing they had already passed through the gate, hurriedly pulled his sister toward a secluded corner. "Lilyth, relax. Which do you think is more likely to attract the Church's suspicion — your tense, low-profile act, or my easygoing enthusiasm?"
"But we're... after all, we're Magic Apprentices," Lilyth whispered, glancing left and right, the words mumbling out of her mouth.
Sara spread his hands. "So what? Nobody in Altor knows. We'll consult a few scholars with our questions and then leave."
"You're not going to attend the Altor Music Festival, Brother?" Lilyth's disappointment was plain.
Sara assumed the stern air of an elder brother and shook his head. "It depends on what the translation turns up. If time is tight, we have to leave immediately. Lilyth, the music festival comes around again in three years, but whether we can become full-fledged arcanists — this might be our one and only chance in this lifetime! Don't be willful. We are going to be mysterious, powerful arcanists."
He mouthed the word "arcanist" silently, using only his lips.
"I understand. The Altor Music Festival happens every three years." Growing up in the constant, suffocating terror of being caught and killed by the Church at any moment, Lilyth knew she had no right or standing to be willful. "We will be noble, mysterious arcanists."
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Inside the Copper Crown Tavern, adventurers and mercenaries shouted and laughed, peppering their speech with filthy language. Now and then two of them would take a liking to each other and slip off together — to the back door, a corner of the alley, or an upstairs room — to settle matters of the flesh or of coin.
Lilyth had grown up in a small town. The rowdies in her local tavern were nothing compared to the vicious, brazen men here. After struggling to fend off pair after pair of unwelcome hands, she finally managed to squeeze her way to the bar alongside her brother Sara.
"Hey, you two — how about a drink?" The dwarf Koen, as always, was already roaring drunk.
Suppressing the urge to use her arcane magic to obliterate every last one of the damn men behind her, Lilyth nodded to Koen, roughly understanding the tavern's customs. "Two mugs of ale, please."
Koen let out a cheer. "Hic — Dwarf Koen likes straightforward girls like you the most. I'll throw in a third mug of ale on my own tab."
Three frothy mugs, giving off the rich aroma of oats, were promptly placed before Sara and Lilyth.
Sara paid the copper nars, lifted his mug, and took a sip. "That's quite good."
"Of course — Dwarf Koen would never sell a drink he wouldn't enjoy himself." A brief flicker of sobriety passed through Koen's bleary eyes. "You two need something?"
"Uncle Dwarf, we come from a small town near Altor. A while back, we happened to come across a document from ancient times, and we'd like to find a scholar who can decipher its contents." Lilyth vaguely explained the reason for their visit. "Could you recommend a few scholars for us?"
Koen belched. "An ancient document — was it written in Arcane Empire script or the Common Language? Or maybe Elvish, Dwarvish, Draconic, Abyssal, or Infernal?"
"The manuscript we found isn't the original — it's already been translated into the Common Language," Sara said, exchanging a glance with his sister and giving a slight nod. "But because we don't have the preceding or following portions of the text, we can't make sense of it at all. That's why we're looking for a scholar to help."
Koen chuckled. "I'll bet this document is about a treasure, isn't it?" After so many years running an adventurers' tavern, he'd seen plenty of cases like this. Some people struck it rich and bought estates. Others disappeared forever.
"We don't know either, since we can't read a word of it." Lilyth concealed the key details and tried to produce an honest smile.