Gu Ze looked at Li Wei, seeing his persistence.

He let go, saying helplessly, "In the end, it seems I’m the one who needs you to look after me."

"I’m truly an unqualified teacher."

Gu Ze gave a bitter laugh.

Li Wei smiled. "Teacher, in that case, you can’t refuse me next time I ask for your help."

"Hahaha, when have I ever refused you?"

The two walked on, laughing together.

After walking for a while, Gu Ze said, "When I leave, you should come with me to meet Bas."

"Bas is from Central Earth. He comes to the Northern Territory to do business."

Li Wei looked surprised.

Central Earth was the most prosperous and wealthiest place in the Human Empire.

It was no exaggeration to say that if you threw a brick there, you could hit four or five nobles.

For Bas to be able to do business from Central Earth all the way to the Northern Territory, his status must be extraordinary.

Li Wei understood what Gu Ze was getting at.

He wanted to introduce him to Bas.

It wasn’t that Gu Ze hadn’t thought about this before.

It’s just that he didn’t know how to bring it up.

Gu Ze’s relationship with Bas was a strange one—both familiar and distant.

Bas had saved his life, and afterward, whenever Bas came to Maple City, the two would meet.

Other than that, they had no other interactions.

After this incident, Gu Ze decided that even if he had to owe a huge favor, he would give Li Wei a push.

Besides, Li Wei was a young and accomplished genius Mage.

Bas wouldn’t refuse to get to know such a promising talent.

Gu Ze felt the chances were quite high.

"If you have the chance, you must go see Central Earth. It’s much more prosperous than the Northern Territory," Gu Ze said to Li Wei.

Li Wei nodded and said with a smile, "Teacher, you’re still young too. There’s plenty of time in the future; you’ll definitely have the chance."

A vast mountain range separated the Northern Territory from Central Earth.

This mountain range stretched for tens of thousands of miles, impossibly steep and soaring into the clouds.

It was known as the Ice and Snow Great Wall.

The ice and snow of the Northern Territory were blocked by this mountain range, unable to travel south into the Central Earth Continent.

This allowed Central Earth to enjoy spring-like weather all year round, with beautiful scenery.

Excellent climate conditions, coupled with fertile land.

The Central Earth Continent had been the center of human activity since ancient times.

Once, Humans, Beastmen, Elves, Dwarves, Giant Dragons... all lived on the Central Earth Continent.

Later, several world wars broke out, and the Central Earth Continent changed hands many times.

Eventually, the current world order was established.

The Human Empire occupied the vast and fertile Central Earth Continent.

The Beastmen were relegated to the isolated and barren frozen tundra of the Northern Territory.

The Elves retreated to the primeval forests, cutting themselves off from the world.

The Dragon Race withdrew to the overseas Dragon Island, and nothing has been heard from them for hundreds of years.

Traveling from the Northern Territory to the Central Earth Continent was not easy.

Otz had waited two months for his title to be conferred by the Human Empire on the Central Earth Continent.

This was partly due to the vast distance between the Northern Territory and the Central Earth Continent.

Conferring a noble title wasn’t just a matter of words.

There was also the noble’s glorious insignia symbolizing the rank, the exclusive imperial attire corresponding to the title, and the land deed for the fief granted by the Empire.

All the accompanying items had to be sent from the Human Empire on the Central Earth Continent to the remote Maple City.

All of this took time.

Li Wei returned to his room.

Receiving five hundred Contribution points had left him much better off.

At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about resources for his Cultivation in the near future.

Crafting the Source Heart Necklace had previously used up almost all of his savings, and Li Wei had long been down to his last few Gold Coins.

Although the Source Heart Necklace was expensive to make, it was more than worth the price.

Li Wei had no regrets.

「August 31st.」

’Tomorrow is payday for the manuscript.’

Li Wei was a little excited.

’Crap, I think I forgot to write this month’s manuscript.’

Li Wei stayed up all night to write a manuscript.

「The next day, September 1st.」

Early in the morning, Jimmy found Li Wei.

He looked at Li Wei reproachfully. "Mage Li Wei, you still haven’t given me last month’s manuscript."

"I’ve come looking for you several times, and you always say ’next time for sure’."

"If you don’t give me the manuscript, we’ll have to stop publishing next month."

Li Wei was a bit embarrassed. He quickly handed the manuscript he had written overnight to Jimmy.

"Sorry, I was too busy last month."

"This is the one I just finished. There might be some typos, could I trouble you to correct them, Jimmy?"

Jimmy’s face lit up when he received the manuscript.

"Of course, Mage Li Wei."

He took out a coin pouch and handed it to Li Wei, saying, "This is your payment for August, 18 Gold Coins in total."

Li Wei accepted the pouch. "Thanks for your hard work."

Jimmy said, "In October, the traveling merchant caravan from the Treasure Basin Commerce Association will return. You might get a huge payment then."

Li Wei smiled. "I’m looking forward to it, too."

"Oh, right, are the Presidents and Director Gus free? I’d like to treat you all to a meal."

Jimmy was a little surprised. He quickly replied, "Things have been a bit chaotic in Maple City recently, so the Presidents haven’t been going out. They’ve been staying in the city."

Everyone had their own way of dealing with the turmoil.

Some people traveled light, and their first reaction was to avoid dangerous areas.

Others were backed by their families, so they would naturally live or die with them, relying on their family’s power to withstand disaster.

Clearly, Merson, Monis, and Gus all fell into the latter category.

The three of them were all supported by considerable noble families.

Leaving wasn’t a realistic option for them.

In fact, it was safer to stay in Maple City and rely on their families.

Li Wei and Gu Ze, on the other hand, were in the former group.

After hearing Jimmy’s words, Li Wei said directly, "That’s perfect. Help me invite the two Presidents and Director Gus. We’ll have dinner at Lafei Restaurant tonight."

"You come too."

Jimmy nodded in agreement. "Okay, I’ll tell the Presidents and the Director."

Watching Jimmy leave, Li Wei returned to his room and put the coin pouch into his Spatial Ring.

Of course, he wasn’t looking for Merson and Monis just to have dinner.

Li Wei wanted to ask about the Divine Worship Ceremony.

It wasn’t that he wanted a blessing from a Divine Spirit.

He simply wanted to avoid the most dangerous period of time.

He also wanted to understand the current turmoil in Maple City.

Both of them were well-informed and knew many things that the common folk didn’t.

That evening, Li Wei, Merson, Monis, Gus, and Jimmy had dinner at Lafei Restaurant.

Merson raised his glass and said, "Thank you for the invitation, Mage Li Wei."

The others also raised their glasses in a toast.

Li Wei smiled. "Everyone, there’s no need to be so formal. Without the Xinghuo Literature Society, I wouldn’t be where I am today."

"Mage Li Wei, you’re too modest."

"Come, come, let’s drink."

After three rounds of drinks, everyone began to open up.

Merson and Monis got into a heated conversation, complaining about all the bullshit drama among the nobility.

Li Wei and Jimmy listened with looks of curiosity and excitement.

It’s human nature to gossip.

"Oh, right, when is the City Lord planning to hold the Divine Worship Ceremony? I’d like to prepare and try to win the grand prize."

Merson, slightly flushed from the alcohol, said, "Not sure. Probably in another month or two."

"The sacrificial altar isn’t even finished yet, but they’ve started building it."

Monis said, "Let’s not talk about that, it’s boring. I heard some rather explosive news recently."

Everyone turned to look at him.

Monis glanced at the group and said mysteriously, "I heard a Grand Mage has come to Maple City seeking revenge."

Jimmy looked astonished. "Who would dare to offend a Grand Mage? Do they have a death wish?"

Monis chuckled. "Well, this person isn’t simple either, or they wouldn’t have provoked a Grand Mage in the first place."

"He slaughtered the man’s disciple and grand-disciple."