’Sigh. They were making it difficult to refuse.’

Lu Cang: "Mm, very well."

"Please let them know I’ll have an answer for them after some time."

The guide bowed to Lu Cang.

Then he departed alone.

Lu Cang stood inside the Mage Tower, looking down at the tower’s ring-like layers.

The scale of this structure was like a Miracle.

But it wasn’t a true Miracle.

’Oh well, I’ll have plenty of chances to come here in the future.’

...

Lu Cang left the Mage Tower. The streets outside were blanketed in white snow.

But there was no shortage of pedestrians.

Many people were bundled up in thick clothes, and Lu Cang could sense a strong presence of the Fire Element on them.

’They must be using warming Magic Tools.’

’A world with Magic is so convenient.’

In weather like this, a Level Three or Four Adventurer could easily freeze to death in the wild without proper insulation.

Inside the city, however, the temperature was clearly not as low.

Lu Cang could freely control the Fire Element, and his Magic Robe had its own cold-resistant effects.

So he wasn’t affected at all.

Following the map’s guidance and moving quickly via the Celestial Passage Bridge, Lu Cang soon arrived at Kernoya’s Grand Library.

The moment he stepped through the library’s main doors,

Lu Cang immediately released his Perception, sweeping through every space within.

’She’s... not here?’

Pari wasn’t here.

Lu Cang had almost subconsciously assumed that Pari would be ’waiting’ for him at the Kernoya library.

’Was that just being presumptuous?’

Lu Cang chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He didn’t dwell on it and instead began searching the library for books containing Hidden Knowledge.

’Anyway, I’ll just borrow these books first.’

From among millions of books, he finally selected about twenty that held Hidden Knowledge.

Lu Cang wasn’t in a hurry to read them right away.

Instead, he calmly placed the books back into his container and headed for the main hall of the Life Church.

「Life Church — Hall of Healing」

"Little Lu Cang, have you come to see me?"

"Yes, I came to visit Sister Kumironi."

Because of the matter with the Death Church, Kumironi had to attend a short meeting at the Church after arriving in Kernoya.

The meeting had just ended, and Kumironi was now helping to treat some of the patients the Church had taken in.

Kumironi was also one of the very few Healing Mages capable of treating certain terminal illnesses.

In a world with Healing Mages, most ailments were easily cured, and the vast majority of people were healthy.

But there were still some extremely difficult and complicated diseases that were hard to treat.

"Lady Kumironi... If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what I would have done."

"You’re our savior!"

The patient knelt on the ground, tugging at Kumironi’s sleeve and weeping profusely.

’It seems they really need Kumironi.’

"Sister Kumironi."

"What do you think of Lorren?"

Kumironi: "Hmm, it’s pretty good."

"The lives of the vast majority of citizens are secure, and they don’t have to constantly worry about foreign invasion."

"Sister Kumironi, if I were to join the Lorren Kingdom, what would you suggest?"

Kumironi thought for a moment.

She answered, "That would be great."

"You don’t need to be like that fellow Iz. He always has his own strange principles. In fact, I think it would be good for you to join Lorren."

"You don’t have to feel that joining Lorren would be restrictive. The only thing in this world that can truly restrict a person is a lack of power."

Hearing Kumironi’s response, Lu Cang felt a sense of relief.

He chatted with Kumironi for a while longer, gaining a deeper understanding of the situation in Lorren.

He also watched as Kumironi treated an endless stream of patients.

Throughout their journey, Kumironi had actually rarely needed to take action.

To put it bluntly, Iz and the others simply didn’t get injured.

Even if they were about to be injured, Obades would be the first to take the hit.

Only if they were still injured after getting past him would it be Kumironi’s turn to heal.

So...

The ones Kumironi treated most were, instead, the small animals they encountered along the way, or some injured Adventurers they met in the villages where they stayed overnight.

After bidding farewell to Kumironi, Lu Cang spent the rest of his time wandering around Kernoya.

The White Tower, the Mage Tower, and the Observatory were the three great towers within Kernoya.

He heard that the Observatory was the domain of Divination Masters, with many Divination Masters of the Astrology Element.

The White Tower was a gathering place for Scholars and a holy land for high-end research. Many Mages were also members of the White Tower.

In addition, the Life Church had also claimed a large swathe of land outside Kernoya City. It was a land of growth, a paradise for Planters.

On his first day here, Lu Cang wasn’t in a hurry to study.

Instead, he took the time to familiarize himself with the customs and culture of Kernoya.

...

「The next day.」

Lu Cang went to the Imperial Palace again, this time entering through the main gate.

"Haha, Lu Cangqing, back so soon?"

"Are you satisfied with the conditions I offered?"

"If there’s anything you’re dissatisfied with, feel free to speak up!"

Lu Cang, with perfect courtesy, said: "Your Majesty’s conditions are indeed excellent. I just wish to reconfirm the duties I would be required to perform."

"If I accept your terms, will I truly be as free as you say?"

Luo Tedan: "Naturally."

"You can do whatever you wish. As long as you do not deny your relationship with my Lorren Kingdom, do not sell our intelligence to foreign nations, and do not leak our secrets to others, you are free to do anything else you please."

"You can just treat this Chief Mage title as a nominal position, one where you only enjoy the power."

Luo Tedan’s promise was no small thing; his words resounded with conviction.

Lu Cang could hear the sound of Adam’s apples bobbing as those present swallowed, their eyes filled with envy.