In the blink of an eye, more than an hour later.

Richard and Gro leave Whitestone Tower Academy and appear in a tavern in Whitestone.

This tavern called "Salt and Fire" is a very ordinary kind in the whole White Rock City - the area is not large, the food is not good, the service is not good, everything is medium-rated. And the main reason why Richard and Gro chose it was that it was not far from the White Rock Tower Academy, so they didn't have to walk a lot. After all, the two of them were just going to take a brief break and have lunch by the way.

Because of the daytime, there are not too many people in the hall of the tavern, and the attendance rate is only about 30%. Most of the people sat in a scattered manner, eating in solitude. In the corner, a circle of people sat around a long table, talking loudly and drinking, which was the only excitement.

In the middle of the hall, there is a raised platform. On the high platform sat a woman in her thirties, dressed in emerald clothes, with an average face. At this time, the other party was playing a harp, and at the same time singing something in a low voice, with a gentle rhythm, it sounded relaxing, but it was nothing more than that.

Compared with the professional artists in the tavern, the women play and sing a little old-fashioned, and because they are not skilled, they are often misadjusted. Fortunately, most of the taverns don't know how to appreciate it, and no one makes a fuss.

In the corner, Richard and Gro sat at a square table, and Richard thought about things as he listened to the sound of the woman singing on the high platform.

I have to say that through talking to Bucky, I still got a lot of information, and I need to digest it.

The first is the identity of the girl Ruth, according to what Bucky said, the other party is the kind of real princess, she has not suffered any anger since she was a child, nor has she been tired, so she cleaned the room by herself before, and she behaved so badly.

The country where the other party is located is a wizard country, so the reason why the other party came to the White Rock Tower Academy is not to become a wizard, but to see more and understand the wizarding world.

The extent to which the other party has money is also exaggerated, and he can lend money to others to the extent that he can't afford to repay it and mortgage it with his body, but he is afraid that how can he get hundreds of thousands of gold coins or hundreds of high-grade crystal coins with his net worth. In comparison, a prince like Gro is simply a parallel commodity - after all, when he was in Emerald City, Gro emptied all his savings, and it was less than 10,000 gold coins.

Then there's Ruth's country.

According to Bucky, the reason why Ruth is so rich is entirely because her country is a legacy of a former empire, which should be true.

According to the knowledge learned from reading books in the library in the past few days, on the East Coast, there were indeed several wizarding empires that integrated wizards, kingship, and churches, and carried out a long-term reign of black terror.

Later, a series of accidents caused several empires to split, and it became what it is now with a large number of small countries on the East Coast and dense wizarding organizations.

Because of this, relatively powerful wizarding organizations such as the White Stone Tower are highly vigilant against kingdoms that have the potential to develop into a new empire, lest the former black rule come again. Macbeth's assassination of the king in Egypt is a clear example.

It's just that I don't know, Ruth's country, specifically the remnants of that empire, according to records, the oldest one seems to be called the "Barentnon Empire", and the most recent one is called the "Black Spirit Empire".

In addition to this, the situation of the quaint ring burning in the library earlier today should also be taken seriously.

The anomaly of the quaint ring is likely to be related to the secret of the White Stone Tower that Mullen said, but what is the secret of the White Stone Tower?

Richard thought so, and after the tavern had finished serving the guests at the previous table, he stepped over and handed the two menus to Richard and Groh.

Richard withdrew his thoughts and looked at the menu.

Gro next to him spoke up and ordered: "Bring me a white bread, a broth, a fried mushroom, a lettuce, and a piece of good beef...... Well, this one is a bit expensive, forget it, just the first few. ”

"Yes. The man nodded in response, with a slight disdain, and then turned to look at Richard.

Richard spoke, but it was simpler than Gro: "A white loaf of bread, a small plate of jam, and a mushroom soup." ”

The man's gaze couldn't help but become more contemptuous, thinking that he might have run into two poor ghosts.

Richard ignored it, handed the menu back, and placed a silver coin: "Tip." ”

The man's eyes lit up instantly, and he changed from contempt to respect. Anyway, it's the uncle who tips. As long as the tip is high, a glass of water can be carefully served.

Of course, Richard did not tip plainly, and made a request: "The bread should be fresh, not overnight, the jam should not be adulterated to me, and the mushroom soup should not be served until it is cold." Understood?"

"Understood!" the guy nodded vigorously, took the menu and tip, and quickly left.

After a while, the food that Richard and Gro asked for was delivered, and Richard began to eat, continuing to think about what he had thought about as he ate.

Gro was talking.

"Your Excellency Richard. Gro looked at Richard and asked, "What do you think of Professor April's Introduction to Apprenticeship?"

Richard looked up, saw Gro, and asked, "What do you think?"

"What ...... me," Gro said, "I think I should take it as an elective." After all, I haven't even completed three life reshapes, but I can't understand the book when I read the book, and if someone guides me, maybe I can do it faster. The course is about to start next week, so it's too late to sign up. ”

"In that case, what else is there to say, let's learn. Richard said, "Haven't you already made up your mind?" ”

"Uh...... But the money ......," Grollio hesitated.

"What's the money?" asked Richard, "aren't the elective courses enough?"

"No, no. Gro shook his head, "I mean, I may not be able to pay you back for the time being." ”

"The high-grade crystal coin I paid for helping you get on the giant ship in Emerald Gold City?" asked Richard.

"Well, yes. Gro nodded, "Now you and I know that a high-grade crystal coin is almost a thousand gold coins, and I only have a total of nearly a thousand gold coins now. If I want to take some courses with high fees, I won't give you the money for the time being, so I can only find a way slowly, so ......"

"It doesn't matter. Richard said lightly, he really didn't pay attention to this kind of thing, "Just think of it as my upfront investment to you to help you become a wizard." If you still have any difficulties in the future, you can also borrow money from me, as long as the amount is not large, I can lend it to you. Wait until you become a real wizard and give it back to me. ”

"Become a real wizard?" Gro's eyes flickered, slightly confused, "It feels so far away, I'm not sure if I can be promoted to a second-level apprentice in three years' time." ”

"Then you're going to have to work hard. ”

"Uh, okay. Gro spoke, and began to continue eating. At the same time, I made up my mind that I would study hard. Otherwise, I am not sorry for him to abandon his status as a prince to come here to endure hardship, and I am even more sorry for His Excellency Richard for helping him all the time.

Then, he heard what appeared to be a strange noise behind him, followed by ......

"Poof!"

Gro felt a strong force, and before he could react, Richard pressed his hand into the broth bowl in front of him.