Sorcery Monarch

Chapter 52: The Butterfly Effect

 

March 6th, morning.

 

Blood Moon City.

 

Golden sunlight bathed the castle built into the mountainside.

 

Two towering spires pierced the sky, with surging waves of magical energy spreading outward continuously.

 

The white walls of the towers were intricately carved with complex spell runes that gleamed softly with magical light as mana flowed through them.

 

A few swift birds flew by, attempting to pass near the towers.

 

"Crackle!" A sharp sound rang out, and silver lightning struck swiftly, enveloping the birds in an instant.

 

The birds didn’t have time to cry out before they were scorched black by the deadly lightning, spiraling down to the ground.

 

Weighing less than half a pound, the birds thudded onto the dusty ground, dead beyond recognition.

 

Two small figures quickly emerged from the dark corners of an alley, snatching up the charred birds before anyone else arrived.

 

Jifan cautiously watched the alley, wary that a tall vagrant might appear and snatch away the hard-won meat in his arms.

 

His small hand, hidden in his sleeve, gripped a rusty, chipped dagger tightly. The blade, although old, was still sharp enough to kill!

 

In the dangerous slums, being ruthless was just one of the basic survival skills.

 

But today, Jifan seemed to be lucky, managing to bring his prize back to his dilapidated shack without incident.

 

He carefully knocked on the sturdy wooden door and, as agreed, let out three dog-like barks.

 

The thick wooden door slowly opened, and a frail figure peeked out from behind the gap, speaking in a worried yet hopeful voice:

 

"Brother, why are you back so early today? Did you get hurt?"

 

Slipping inside with practiced ease, Jifan slid the door’s heavy bar into place, placed a small stone on the door frame, and patted his sister's head before pulling out the charred birds from his arms with a smile:

 

"A gift from the lord. We’ll have meat to eat today."

 

Little Jixiang beamed as she looked at the blackened birds, nodding eagerly before rushing to the kitchen to fetch a basin of water.

 

The two spent half an hour cleaning the charred birds, revealing the small amount of meat underneath.

 

Stifling her hunger, Jixiang sipped at a bowl of water, her large black-and-white eyes watching intently as her brother worked.

 

Jifan carefully chopped the meat into small pieces and placed them into a chipped iron pot. He glanced at their dwindling firewood, then at his sister's thin face, and made a decision:

 

"The spoils from the first level of the sewers are getting scarcer. Even if it’s dangerous, I’ll have to go deeper. Otherwise, we’ll both starve..."

 

"I’ll need to find Tom later. He’s not the brightest, but he’s reliable, and at least he can fight decently..."

 

"If we find something valuable on the second level, some relics or parts, we might even save enough for the martial arts school fees..."

 

"If Tom and I become professionals, we’ll never have to go hungry again..."

 

His complicated thoughts slowly faded as the rich scent of soup began to fill the air.

 

Jifan served most of the meat to his sister while he only sipped some broth.

 

Looking down, he saw that his sister was pouting and offering him her bowl.

 

His nose stung with emotion, and he forced a smile as they split the small portion of meat between them.

 

After giving his sister strict instructions not to open the door for anyone, Jifan prepared to leave.

 

At that moment,

 

Little Jixiang, watching her brother’s retreating figure, spoke softly with a hint of hesitation:

 

"Brother, can we not go underground? It’s too dangerous. We could always get the lord’s porridge..."

 

Jifan paused, turning to look at his sister’s worried face. He hesitated for a long moment before nodding slowly:

 

"Alright, I won’t go."

 

With that, Jifan carefully removed the stone and closed the door, gazing up at the sunlight streaming down, feeling a weight on his chest.

 

Clenching his teeth, Jifan eventually turned and headed into the darker alleyways.

 

He had to go to the underground ruins—his sister didn’t have much time left!

 

But to his surprise, the usually crowded entrance to the underground ruins was nearly deserted. The few familiar faces he saw were all running toward the opposite street.

 

Just then, a burly figure rushed over, calling out to Jifan:

 

"Jifan, hurry! A big shot is recruiting people, and the pay is said to be great. We need to get there quickly!"

 

Jifan immediately recognized the man—Tom, his old comrade who had saved his life before.

 

Normally a bit disheveled, Tom had tied his hair neatly today, donned his tattered leather armor, and carried a wooden-handled axe, clearly having brought out all his belongings.

 

Something seemed off about both the others and Tom. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Jifan suppressed his thoughts and bluntly asked:

 

"A big shot? Who’s the big shot? And what’s he recruiting for? More cannon fodder?"

 

Tom quickly shook his head. He was about to scratch his head before remembering to stop, thinking hard before finally exclaiming:

 

"I remember now! It’s a big shot from the merchant guild, the generous Mr. Adam Smith!"

 

"He’s hiring new cart-pushers and guards. They say he’s prepared over a hundred carts of supplies and is recruiting thousands of people..."

 

Hearing Adam Smith's name, a shrewd merchant immediately came to mind for Jifan. He glanced at the sparse crowd at the ruins' entrance, unable to resist asking:

 

"We probably won’t qualify as guards, but what about cart-pushers? What’s the pay?"

 

Tom shook his head in confusion and gave the same familiar answer that always left Jifan exasperated yet amused:

 

"Uh... I forgot."

 

Rolling his eyes, Jifan patted Tom’s arm as they hurried toward the opposite street, asking:

 

"Did you find out where he’s going and how long the job is?"

 

This time, Tom nodded quickly, pointing to the gathering crowd ahead with an incredulous tone:

 

"They say it’s to a place 300 kilometers away, a village called Bay Village. It’ll take about five days to get there, but there weren’t this many people earlier..."

 

Not bothering to respond, Jifan pushed through the crowd, signaling Tom to clear the way...

 

Bay Village.

 

The villagers who weren’t selected for the reserve soldier positions continued working, keeping busy.

 

The kobolds, who had worked all night, retreated to their underground burrows to sleep.

 

"Ding, you have changed the fate of 35 people and gained 300 Fate Coins."

 

Matthew looked at the gathering of children, his eyes filled with confusion:

 

"What’s going on?"