Chapter 267: The Slums

The wizard array that the Turchi family had auctioned off for 80,000 magic stones in the Barren Lands would only have fetched around 7,000 to 8,000 magic stones in the Land of Dawn. However, due to the strict control of wizard arrays by the Land of Dawn, such items were extremely rare in the Barren Lands.

Typically, individual wizards didn’t have much use for wizard arrays unless they wanted to fortify their homes or build personal bases.

More commonly, organizations or factions had a greater demand for wizard arrays.

Helag and Israel talked for several hours, drinking quite a bit in the process.

With Helag’s physique, alcohol had little effect on him. He was practically immune to getting drunk.

After their conversation, Israel grew even more impressed with Helag.

He found that the young man was incredibly knowledgeable, able to discuss various topics with ease and depth. Helag wasn’t just skimming the surface—he had a profound understanding of many subjects.

Israel couldn’t help but admire Helag, recognizing him as a true genius.

After finishing their drinks, they each called for a carriage to take them home.

There were plenty of carriages waiting near the tavern, as it was one of the few places that saw good business at night.

When Helag returned home, he found David fast asleep, while Reese was buried in a book on magical theory.

“Take it easy, there’s plenty of time. No need to rush,” Helag said, noticing that Reese seemed to be under a lot of pressure lately.

The source of her stress appeared to be Helag himself. He was learning and progressing so quickly that Reese felt she was falling further and further behind.

She feared that one day she would become a burden to Helag, something she didn’t want to happen.

As a result, Reese had been working tirelessly, eager to improve.

“You’re back! Did you get drunk?” Reese asked, surprised and happy to see Helag.

Helag had already told her about passing the Wizard Array Master evaluation.

He walked over, pulling Reese into his arms, gently stroking her back. “You don’t need to put so much pressure on yourself. No matter how strong I become, I’ll never leave you behind.”

Reese leaned into his embrace, whispering, “I know, I just don’t want to slow you down…”

“There’s no such thing as being a burden. Just focus on your cultivation at your own pace. Rushing things will only cause problems. By the way, when you and David reach the limit of gaseous cultivation and can’t break through, let me know. I think I can help.”

Helag planned to give them the World Tree sap when they reached the limit of gaseous cultivation. That way, they could make the most of its effects.

Simply extending their lifespans wasn’t very meaningful at the moment—they were still young and far from needing that.

What they needed more was a push to break through from gaseous to liquid cultivation.

Both of them were still some distance away from that stage, so they needed to continue meditating and cultivating slowly.

“It’s late. Let’s get some rest.”

Helag’s hand slowly slid down…

***

Mozambi was the largest slum in Silvermoon City.

Technically, it wasn’t even a slum by the strictest definition.

Seranthiel regularly distributed food to ensure that the people here didn’t starve.

Compared to the slums of the Barren Lands, Mozambi was much better off.

Being able to eat was already a dream come true for many.

Mozambi was located on the western edge of Silvermoon City, closest to the city walls.

It was a sprawling area filled with low, makeshift buildings. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that most of the structures were small shacks.

These shacks were mostly built from tarps, and only those with better means could afford to build wooden houses.

In the Land of Dawn, wood wasn’t cheap.

Few in the slums could afford it. Most people were content just to have a roof over their heads to shield them from the elements.

The conditions in the slums were terrible, with sewage flowing freely.

Although there were sewers, no one maintained them, so they were practically useless.

As a result, Mozambi always had a faint stench in the air.

In some areas, the smell was stronger, while in others, it was less noticeable.

As for the black sewage that covered the ground, the residents had long since grown accustomed to it.

Many people even used the slightly cleaner parts of the sewage as their water source, with some directly drinking from the ground.

Diarrhea and illness were common, and most people went to their graves without ever realizing that their sickness came from drinking the filthy water.

They had grown up like this, so it was all they knew.

In front of some shacks, women with pale legs sat idly. They weren’t particularly attractive.

But there were always men in dirty clothes who, upon seeing those pale legs, would swallow hard and find themselves unable to walk away.

After some hesitation, they would search their pockets and produce five copper coins, handing them over.

The women didn’t care about the filth on the coins. After counting them, they would lead the men into the shacks, pulling down the curtains behind them.

In a more open area in the distance, a crowd had gathered.

An old man, looking to be in his seventies, stood in front of a large pot, stirring its contents.

Inside the pot was a white, dough-like substance—breadfruit.

This breadfruit came from a tree discovered by wizards during their plundering of other planes. The tree’s fruit contained this white, doughy food.

When boiled, the fruit turned into large chunks of dough-like material, and just one fruit could fill a person’s stomach.

However, it had little flavor and minimal nutritional value, serving only to stave off hunger.

Initially, breadfruit was scarce.

But after wizards modified and cultivated the trees, their yield increased dramatically, solving the problem of hunger.

Every major city in the Land of Dawn had slums, and each city regularly distributed breadfruit to the slums to meet the basic food needs of the residents.

The breadfruit was handed over to local leaders in the slums, who were responsible for storing and distributing the food.

These leaders were usually people with some influence or reputation in the slums, individuals with organizational skills who could manage the distribution.

Franz, now 178 years old, was the elder of the Mozambi slum and the most respected person there.

He was the only official wizard in the area, a crystallized-level wizard.

Many years ago, he had the opportunity to leave the slums and join various organizations.

While he wasn’t qualified to join Seranthiel, he could have easily joined a merchant guild or a smaller organization, which would have been far better than staying in the slums.

—