I Refuse To Be A Mage - Chapter 9

For the next hour, the two of them enjoyed treatment fit for kings in the shop.

Even Brandon, who was accustomed to preferential treatment and flattery, felt somewhat elated—these were all alchemists of esteemed status in the empire!

I can brag about this to my father for a whole year!

Ji Chi, being inexperienced in worldly matters here, had not yet deeply understood the strictness of the hierarchical system. He simply took it as the NPCs being enthusiastic and kind, accepting their goodwill quite naturally.

Shelley, who thought he saw through everything, became even more convinced of his guess. This person definitely has blood ties with some big shot!

Shelley respectfully led them to an exhibition hall. This exhibition hall covered several hundred square meters and displayed hundreds of small exhibition platforms. The platforms were covered by magic arrays above them, allowing visitors to see the items on display but not touch them.

Shelley introduced them with some pride: “This collection spans two floors and encompasses all types of potions from the Saint Trilley Empire, as well as quite a few from other regions. Moreover, we send mercenaries out every year to search for potions never seen before, and they continue to expand our collection here.”

The first floor had the largest number of collection potions, with each type placed close together. Especially the common potions distributed around the perimeter—some of the same types were simply combined together for display.

On the second floor, the number of potions was much fewer, and the protective magic arrays became increasingly intricate. The magic array on the central platform even flickered faintly with electric light.

Shelley stood beside seven exquisite and magnificent platforms in the center, turning his face toward Ji Chi. “These are all the epic potions developed by our empire’s Saint Alchemists. The seven potions are respectively suitable for seven professions.”

Ji Chi nodded. He had obtained all these potions before and they were indeed applicable to different professions.

“However,” Shelley stared at the bottle of blazing fire potion that had returned to Ji Chi’s hands, his expression becoming very serious with a trace of disbelief, “I can sense the fire element inside, but it doesn’t seem to be for fire mages to replenish magic power, is it?”

Ji Chi nodded. “Its function is to cause fire damage.”

Shelley’s expression became even stranger. “Causing fire damage through violent fire elements, that would be for warriors… not necessarily, could it be for rangers? That’s not right either…”

“It’s for all professions to use. As long as it can hit the enemy, even ordinary people without profession talents can use it,” Ji Chi explained aloud.

Shelley gasped. Although he had vaguely guessed it, hearing the truth stated directly still made him lose his composure.

All professions—no, an epic potion usable by all races!

He couldn’t help but cast his gaze toward the very center of the seven platforms.

Originally, to show the equality of the seven professions, the seven platforms formed a small circle around the collection center. Now, perhaps the center position would need to be occupied.

Shelley turned around and bowed deeply toward Ji Chi. “It may be presumptuous to say this now, but may I represent Interlet in purchasing this potion? No matter what price we have to pay.”

Ji Chi looked up at him for a while, then smiled gently. “No…”

Shelley became anxious and quickly interrupted. “I know this might touch upon your master’s interests… but our shop absolutely won’t use it for other purposes. I can swear to the God of Light with my profession and life!”

Ji Chi still shook his head.

But then, he pulled out another epic potion from his pocket. “What master wants to sell is this other bottle. The Blazing Flame Potion is a meeting gift from the East.”

Shelley was stunned. He stared at the other bottle with frost-white freezing effects and lost all expression.

For a moment, he didn’t know whether this emotion counted as pleasant surprise or shock.

Ji Chi reached out and pulled at the fabric covering his face, pretending to look troubled. “However, there’s a small request. My master doesn’t wish to receive unnecessary attention, nor does he want to bring trouble to the Elliott family.”

Shelley stiffly accepted the two potions, one red and one white, from his hands. Taking a deep breath, he said solemnly. “Please rest assured. Today, only one customer of unknown identity came here.”

Ji Chi smiled. “Thank you. I hope we’ll have pleasant cooperation in the future as well.”

After leaving Interlet’s main entrance, Ji Chi tucked a magic storage bag into his chest. He hadn’t asked for money, but had swept clean all the materials needed for making high-level potions in the shop. Then he looked somewhat curiously at Brandon, who had been silent the whole way. “Don’t you have anything to ask me?”

Brandon’s excitement had passed, and he looked at him sullenly. “Even if I ask, you won’t tell me.”

Ji Chi pulled down the hood from his head. “Even if I tell you, you won’t believe me.”

He walked slowly, crossing from the potion area into the equipment area. “Why don’t you believe it? Perhaps one day, Madam Emma really could become an engineer.”

Emma was the teacher who taught them the Principles of Magic. She had joked in class about wanting to become a mermaid engineer.

Brandon obviously remembered that joke, but he also clearly knew it was just a joke.

“Wishful thinking. How can something innate be changed?” Brandon turned his head away and muttered.

Something innate… Ji Chi stopped talking, only smiled sarcastically, a flash of darkness passing through his eyes.

The only things innate to humans are escapism and resignation to fate.

****

Clang clang—

The timekeeping bell echoed throughout Central Street. Ji Chi looked back at the magic clock hanging high up and bid farewell to Brandon. “I need to go find Evan. Do you want to…”

“It’s definitely him! What’s a dark creature doing here in broad daylight? He must have stolen the Saintess’s belongings!”

A commotion drowned out Ji Chi’s words. He frowned slightly and looked toward the source of the disturbance.

At some point, a circle of people had gathered in the center of the street. Through the gaps, one could vaguely see a thin figure standing anxiously in the middle, shoulders hunched, clutching something tightly to his chest.

That figure looked somewhat familiar. Ji Chi looked again and again, then decided to approach the center of the commotion.

“It’s definitely him! Sneaky and obviously up to no good!”

“That’s right. Dark creatures avoid us when they see us, but you’re the only one who came forward. If it’s not you, then who? Quickly hand over the Saintess’s purse, or I’ll use light magic!”

Amid the shoving, the thin figure stumbled and fell to the ground. The hood covering his face fell off, revealing a young, pale face.

“Ugh—it’s an undead. How unlucky.”

“To encounter an undead in broad daylight, what bad luck today.”

“If you’re dead, why can’t you just stay dead? Coming out to steal things—you probably weren’t any good when you were alive either.”

Curses, disgust, and maledictions poured toward the little undead in an endless stream. He dodged helplessly, picked up the dust-covered hood, and tried to hide in it again.

“Enough! I’ll say it one more time! Take out the Saintess’s purse!” A middle-aged monk wearing church robes raised his staff, a point of light gathering at its tip, pointing sharply at the little undead. “Just a lowly dark creature—don’t expect protection from Central Street!”

“I didn’t…” the little undead protected the bundle in his arms, defending himself in a small voice.

“What are you all doing?” A clear, gentle, and sweet voice rang out from the side, flowing through everyone’s hearts like a morning prayer, washing away all kinds of hostility.

The surroundings became noticeably quiet for an instant. Some people in the crowd lowered their heads, devoutly murmuring in low voices.

The crowd parted, making way for a broad, unobstructed path for the girl in the sunlight.

She slowly walked toward the center of the street. Her long, snow-white dress hem swept across the ground without picking up a speck of dust. The golden hair cascading over her shoulders was more dazzling than the afternoon sunlight, and her sky-blue pupils were clearer than the sky itself.

What made her remarkable was not that perfect, god-like countenance, but the sacred and solemn bearing that surrounded her entire being.

“Saintess Coralie…” Brandon had somehow made his way to Ji Chi’s side and was now staring straight at the Saint with a suspicious blush on his face. “To actually encounter her here…”

Ji Chi also took a few extra looks at the Saintess. He had quite a deep impression of this NPC.

When the game had just launched, it happened to be during the Pilgrimage Assembly. The first thing thousands of flooding players saw was the Saintess holding a ceremonial staff, walking down the long steps of the church in winding fashion, bathed in wind and warm sunlight, raising her head to bloom with a holy smile.

Thousands of otaku went crazy. Ji Chi could still recall the ghostly wails and wolf howls that had surrounded his ears back then.

This was just a small episode. Ji Chi mainly remembered her because of a hidden quest.

The final reward seemed to be an offensive skill? Ji Chi was a bit confused, but he didn’t intend to let this Saintess Coralie (skill) slip by.

Saintess Coralie walked to the center of the crowd, furrowing her beautiful brows as she looked at the little undead curled up on the ground. “Why are you attacking him?”

The leading monk bowed and answered. “Saintess, it was he who stole your purse.”

Eager to perform in front of the Saintess, he suddenly stepped forward and tore open the hood in the little undead’s hands. A small bundle wrapped in cloth rolled out, slightly unfolding to reveal the light amulets glittering within.

There was an uproar all around.

“So it really was him who stole it. He didn’t even spare the light amulets.”

“Right, with such rich light magic power, whose could it be if not the Saintess’s?”

“I said Central Street shouldn’t let dark creatures in. Now they’ve even stolen from the Saint.”

“What else do you have to say?” The monk raised the corner of his mouth, coldly staring at the dust-covered little undead, waving his hand to dispel the increasingly dense dark elements. “What a filthy creature.”

Filthy creature…

Saintess Coralie’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Her gaze swept over the scattered bundle on the ground, then she suddenly smiled gently, her tone carrying a hint of coolness. “I think he has nothing to say.”

The middle-aged monk was delighted. “Exactly! I knew…”

“Because I already found my purse just now.” Saintess Coralie gently took out an exquisite small bag from beneath her snow-white holy robes, smiling as she looked at him. Deep in her transparent blue pupils lurked mockery. “It was in the corner of the bookstore. It was my oversight…”

The monk was stunned and looked back at the little undead kneeling on the ground, frantically gathering up the scattered light amulets.

This is impossible. Did I wrongly accuse him?

But as a monk of the Church of Light, how could he make the mistake of falsely accusing a dark creature? The monk broke out in cold sweat. He could already feel more and more suspicious gazes stabbing into his back like needles.

“No… then how did he get those light amulets? Even if he didn’t steal the Saintess’s purse, he must have stolen someone else’s!” The monk steadied himself, his voice stern but weak inside. “Just an undead—how could he possibly yearn for light?”

The little undead held the bundle containing the light amulets tightly in his arms, his hands covered with black burns from the light elements.

Hearing these words, his frantic movements paused. He slowly raised his head to look at the monk, his eyes filled with unreadable emotions.

“Ah—aren’t these the amulets I sold?” A clear young voice came from the crowd. The little undead turned to see Ji Chi, and his rigid expression relaxed slightly, a hint of hope appearing in his dim eyes.

Ji Chi stepped forward, glanced at the group of monks, and said slowly, “I sold them to this little customer. Is there a problem?”