Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

Chapter 539: 235

Hearing this offer, many people nearby couldn’t help but gasp in low voices.

This was a thousand Empire Gold Coins, a sum beyond the wildest dreams of ordinary people.

Rein smiled and shook his head, “Sorry, ‘Cookie’ is my partner.”

“That is truly a pity,” the noble youth didn’t get angry at Rein’s refusal but continued to chat for a bit before returning to his own group.

….

After setting up camp, Jenny seemed to think of something and turned to ask Rein, “Lord Rein, will our stopping here affect your participation in the Sword Bearer assessment?”

“What I mean is, do you need to arrive early?”

“It doesn’t affect me. As for the time, the assessment is the day after tomorrow,” Rein replied with a smile, shaking his head.

He wasn’t worried about the preliminary assessment.

By the campfire, another group composed of several young people overheard that Rein was here for the Empire Sword Bearer assessment and couldn’t help but look over in surprise.

They glanced at Rein, then at the three women and one of the women clad in leather armor muttered, “Doesn’t look like someone here for an assessment. Must be an offspring of some major noble, right?”

“Maybe, but look at the insignia on their side, a hammer and a sword? Doesn’t seem like it belongs to a major noble,” a young man said with a puzzled expression.

Another nodded and added, “Yeah! I don’t recall any noble crest like this among the Marquis of Mingster. And as for a Duke, it’s even less likely, the Duke of Mingster’s crest is the Serpent Shield.”

Soon, their conversation shifted back to the topic of the assessment.

“I’ve heard rumors that in this noble ennoblement assessment, there’s a young man who is very strong, apparently outscoring the second place by a wide margin.”

“The noble ennoblement assessment? No no, Steve, you might not be aware, but typically in the Sword Bearer assessment, the strongest contenders are actually from the army.”

“Huh? Is there a reason for that?”

“Normally the age limit for the Imperial Sword Bearer assessment is twenty-eight, but you might not know that for military personnel serving the Empire, this age can be appropriately extended to thirty-five.”

“So, our biggest competitors in the assessment are not the young people who received an invitation through the noble ennoblement assessment, but the elite from the army, who have been honed in real combat, and are extremely skilled in various Extraordinary Battle Techniques and witchcraft.”

“Of course, some of the third-level Wizard Apprentices from the major Wizard schools are also incredibly formidable.”

“Ah, it seems like there’s little hope… May the goddess of fortune bless me and help me pass the assessment smoothly!”

…

With his heightened perception, Rein overheard almost the entire conversation of the others.

Army elites?

Third-level Wizard Apprentices from wizard schools?

Interesting…

After a brief rest, the caravan continued on its journey.

As the saying goes, ‘You can’t tell the distance to a mountain until you try to reach it.’

The saying was proven true on this occasion.

They had seen the towering city from afar, but it took nearly a day for Rein and his companions to travel from the lakeside to the city gates.

As the group gradually approached the massive city built against the mountain, Rein could see the huge birds of prey spiraling in the sky.

“Is that… griffins?” Vinica, an expert on birds, who also saw the birds of prey in the sky, identified them as griffins almost at a glance.

“Correct,” Rein nodded, witnessing griffins for the second time.

At that moment, the flying Blood Feather let out a loud cry upon seeing the griffins, showing no fear but rather an eagerness to challenge them.

Half an hour later, the caravan arrived at the city gate.

There stood a huge thirty-meter-tall statue made of obsidian at the grand entrance, depicting a human knight, fully armed with sword and shield.

A brightly-dressed Wandering Bard was explaining to a group of young people, “This is the first Duke from the Bavarian family more than two thousand years ago, and a dear friend of the Empire Emperor at that time…”

“He made outstanding contributions to the stability of Mingster Province.”

Rein’s gaze moved to the immense city gate, which had one large and two small doors, totaling three gates.

The smaller side doors were presumably for pedestrians or small parties, while caravans needed to enter through the main gate which was arched and about fifteen meters high and seven to eight meters wide.

Naturally, nobles had the privilege to skip the queue.

Consequently, the caravan quickly entered the city.

“Lord Rein, thank you for your escort along the way, Agatha and I will head to the World’s End Inn,” Jenny said, bowing slightly.

“Should you need anything, you can find us at the World’s End Inn,” she added.

“Alright, Miss Jenny, Miss Agatha, until we meet again,” Rein replied with a smile and a nod.

Once Jenny sorted her business affairs, she planned to rent or buy a residence. As for the short Matteo, he would also be staying temporarily at the World’s End Inn.

The Obsidian hound and the Blood Feathered Horned Eagle were left in Matteo’s temporary care.

After bidding farewell to Jenny and Agatha, Rein and Vinica headed straight to the address mentioned in the invitation.

Mingster, Shaded Boulevard number 1!

….