"Big Brother Loren, are you alright?"

  ?Alisa couldn't help but ask. She had just seen Loren get bumped into by that thief who was being chased.

  ?"I'm fine."

  ?Loren pulled his hand out of his pocket and shook his head at Alisa.

  ?He didn't tell Alisa that his gold coin card had been stolen. However, thinking of the immature little face of the girl he had just seen, Loren was still somewhat in a daze.

  ?That brief glimpse of the girl's tender face had inevitably reminded Loren of his own younger sister. But when his sister was around the same age as that girl, she had passed away from leukemia.

  ?"Alisa, let's go. We should go look at weapons," Loren said, exhaling. His mood was somewhat complicated. Losing five thousand gold coins was absolutely nothing to him. Besides, out of habit, he had left his magic mark on the gold coin card as soon as he got it. Once he activated the magic mark, he had absolutely no need to worry about losing track of his target.

  ?Right now, his mind was full of the little face that had flashed before his eyes. But before dealing with that matter, his main task was still to accompany Alisa to buy her weapon first.

  ?"To think such a small child would become a thief..."

  ?Alisa was still muttering about it, showing an expression of unbearable pity. She had also seen the tender face of the thief just now. Standing in place, she looked again in the direction the burly men had disappeared before finally leaving with Loren.

  ?Eventually, the two of them arrived at the largest weapon shop on the commercial street, "Volcanic Rock." The shop was run by dwarves who possessed secret forging techniques. The equipment they crafted was of excellent quality. Whether it was ordinary gear or magic equipment, the dwarves were universally recognized as having the best craftsmanship.

  ?"If Big Brother Loren needs a staff in the future, you can also come here to take a look," Alisa recommended to Loren after a brief introduction to the weapon shop. "If you have sufficiently precious materials, Big Brother Loren, you might even be able to persuade the dwarven master here to forge a custom staff just for you."

  ?"A custom staff?"

  ?Loren nodded. He indeed had a need for such a thing, but there was no rush. He had to wait until he became a Level 3 Mage, unsealed the second layer of the Ring of Infinity, and opened the "Mithril Secret Realm" first.

  ?I just wonder if the master here will be able to forge the staff I want when the time comes, Loren thought to himself.

  ?"Miss Alisa, if you see any piece you like, just tell me directly. The Master has said that the bill for the weapon you purchase will be charged to Lord Carlo's account."

  ?Upon seeing Alisa walk in, the receptionist on the first floor of the Volcanic Rock weapon shop quickly said this, and then invited the two of them up to the second floor. That Lord Carlo was Alisa's grandfather.

  ?Loren revealed a somewhat surprised expression. "Alisa, do you know the people at this shop?"

  ?With her face slightly flushed, Alisa said, "Mhm, the dwarven master who runs this shop is a good friend of my grandfather."

  ?"I see."

  ?Loren showed an expression of realization.

  ?The two followed the receptionist upstairs. Unlike the layout of the first floor, the decoration on the second floor was much more luxurious, and each piece of equipment was displayed in its own individual showcase.

  ?Although there were less than twenty pieces of equipment displayed on the second floor, every single one was a premium item and emitted fluctuations of magic power.

  ?"Miss Alisa, if you see any piece you like, just tell me directly. The Master has said that the bill for the weapon you purchase will be charged to Lord Carlo's account."

  ?"So Grandfather already knew?"

  ?Alisa showed a somewhat surprised expression. She had originally been saving up her own money to buy the weapon; she hadn't expected her grandfather to find out anyway.

  ?"It seems the Dean pays a lot of attention to you, Alisa."

  ?Loren said, amused.

  ?A faint blush appeared on Alisa's face. "I don't want Grandfather to take care of me in every little thing either, but... Grandfather really is something. I definitely have to have a good talk with him next time."

  ?Alisa muttered, but in the end, she accepted her grandfather's kindness. Clasping her hands behind her back, she began choosing the weapon she wanted.

  ?This time, the dwarven master had forged five longswords of different styles, even with different magic attributes. Alisa could choose the one most suitable for her from among them.

  ?"Big Brother Loren, which one do you think is better?"

  ?Alisa felt that all five weapons were quite good. Furthermore, the Battle Aura she cultivated was the "Attributeless Battle Aura." Although this type of Battle Aura lacked an inherent attribute, it was incredibly versatile and could theoretically transform into the form of any other Battle Aura.

  ?"When choosing a weapon, the most important thing is suitability. So you should try them yourself. I haven't researched much about longswords either," Loren said.

  ?"Mhm..." Alisa nodded in agreement. She then reached into the showcase, took out a water-blue longsword, began injecting Battle Aura into it, and gave it a few test swings.

  ?"Miss Alisa, we have low-level alchemy dolls prepared in the room over here. You can test it out there," the receptionist nearby immediately suggested.

  ?Alisa's eyes lit up. "Then I'll have to trouble you. Big Brother Loren, I'll go test the weapon first."

  ?"Mhm, don't worry about me. I'll just look around casually," Loren said with a smile. Reassured, Alisa followed the receptionist into the combat room.

  ?While looking at the layout here, Loren simultaneously sensed the activated magic mark. The location of the mark wasn't too far from here, and it was moving rapidly. Judging by the movement, Loren knew that the little one was constantly running in circles nearby.

  ?Is that child trying to shake off those guys? Loren thought to himself. At the same time, his gaze swept over several pieces of magic equipment, and he couldn't help but reveal a pleasantly surprised expression. "The magic inscribed on the rings here are all Level 5?"

  ?The magic rings he had previously stored were all purchased from the Magic Network. Rings with magic above Level 5 were basically the type you could only encounter by luck on the network. He hadn't expected to find such a benefit in a physical store.

  ?Loren didn't know that he was only able to directly enter the second floor because he came with Alisa. Under normal circumstances, the second floor was not open to the public.

  ?These magical items on the second floor were prepared by the dwarven master for the younger generation of his close friends, and were almost all sold at cost price. If these things were sold on the open market, setting aside the price, their quantity would be extremely scarce.

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  ?Suddenly, he beckoned to another receptionist.

  ?"Sir, how may I help you?" The receptionist knew he had come with Alisa, so she didn't dare show any slight.

  ?Loren pointed to the magic equipment in several showcases. "This one, this one, and this one. I'll take them all. Tally up a price for me."

  ?Upon hearing this, the receptionist couldn't help but reveal a shocked expression. Because all the items Loren pointed to were magic equipment inscribed with mid-level magic. For instance, one of the black rings was inscribed with the Level 5 magic "Balrog Summoning," another necklace was inscribed with the Level 4 defensive magic "Crystal Shield," and the others were also inscribed with various types of magic... The starting price for these items was at least eighty thousand gold coins each. With Loren asking for all of them in one breath, it was no wonder the receptionist was too shocked to speak.

  ?Which family's eldest young master is this...

  ?It took her quite a while before she hesitantly asked, "Sir, are you sure you want all these pieces of equipment? The combined price of these items is almost over four hundred thousand gold coins."

  ?If Loren hadn't come with Alisa, the receptionist might have thought he was just messing with her.

  ?However, Loren's reply was very simple. He directly took out his personal black card used for storing gold coins. "I can swipe a card here, right?"

  ?Upon seeing the black card Loren brought out, the expression on the receptionist's face completely changed. "Yes, you can, valued customer. Please wait a moment, I will process it for you right away."

  ?Speaking respectfully, the receptionist brought out a special card-reading machine, which was also a product of magic technology. After calculating the price of the several pieces of equipment, Loren straightforwardly swiped his card to pay the bill, thus acquiring ownership of those magic items.

  ?Watching Loren pay the bill without batting an eye, the female receptionist's gaze toward him grew somewhat heated. However, upon remembering the beautiful and adorable Alisa who had come with Loren, she could only suppress her little thoughts.

  ?Compared to Alisa, her own looks were far too inferior.

  ?Loren didn't care what the receptionist was thinking. He was merely making his routine resource stockpile. The quality of these magic items was quite good, and buying them would increase his ability to protect himself.

  ?The first layer of the Ring of Infinity unlocked the "Golden Secret Realm." If he wasn't afraid of drawing too much attention, Loren could easily buy the entire imperial capital using the wealth from the secret realm.

  ?However, money ultimately couldn't be used for fighting, so converting it into resources and combat power was the correct way to use it.

  ?Up until now, Loren had already stored quite a lot of magic equipment, scrolls, and potions in his Ring of Infinity.

  ?With these things, even if a Level 7 or 8 Grand Mage came looking for trouble, Loren was confident he could retreat in one piece.

  ?In fact, if he laid a trap beforehand, he might even be able to scheme a Level 7 or 8 Grand Mage to death!

  ?Not long after Loren finished buying his things, Alisa also came out. In the end, she chose an ice-blue longsword imbued with ice-attribute magic power.

  ?Upon injecting Battle Aura, it could convert Alisa's Battle Aura into the ice attribute. Furthermore, it had a special spell formula attached to it. As long as it was activated, she could briefly possess a layer of frost armor.

  ?Alisa couldn't put it down. When Loren asked about the price, she embarrassedly answered, "One hundred and twenty thousand."

  ?"Grandfather definitely knew my money wasn't enough to buy a weapon, so he arranged this long ago." After walking out of the Volcanic Rock shop with Loren, Alisa stuck out her tongue playfully and said.

  ?"That truly is an enviable annoyance," Loren joked with a smile, causing Alisa's face to flush slightly.

  ?The two continued to stroll along the commercial street.

  ?Holding her magic beast cub and carrying her longsword on her back, Alisa looked around curiously all the way. In truth, she didn't have much time to wander around the commercial street; she spent most of her time cultivating inside the academy.

  ?The competitive pressure among the students was too great. Even someone with Alisa's talent had to work hard to improve herself.

  ?Loren kept his attention on the trace of the mark.

  ?Then, he purposefully led Alisa in a certain direction.

  ?Suddenly, a small black figure darted through the crowd not far away. The silver hair that inadvertently slipped out from the girl's hood was very eye-catching. Loren saw her, and he also saw the beautiful wine-red eyes filled with the will to survive. He then continued leading Alisa in that direction without changing his expression.

  ?Soon, the burly men also came running over, and Loren and Alisa just happened to block their path.

  ?The burly man tried to pass from the side, but Loren also took a step to the side, blocking his path again. Seeing Loren rubbing his head and showing an apologetic expression, the burly man forcefully suppressed his anger. But just as he tried to step to the side once more, Loren blocked him yet again.

  ?"How about... you stop moving and let us pass first."

  ?After a few times, Loren looked at the burly man whose face was already flushed red, and said to them with a somewhat innocent expression.

  ?"You brat, a good dog doesn't block the road! Get out of my way right now!"

  ?Having been blocked by Loren several times, the burly man finally exploded upon hearing Loren's words. Saying this, he swung his arm, intending to shove Loren aside.

  ?Just as Loren raised an eyebrow, ready to do something, Alisa took a step forward and blocked in front of Loren.

  ?Subsequently, when the burly man crashed into her, he only felt a sensation like soaring through the clouds. With a single-handed shoulder throw, Alisa hurled the burly man, who was more than twice her size, flying out.

  ?Finally, the burly man felt a burst of severe pain from his back. The impact of crashing onto the ground made his chest feel stuffy, as if blocked by a rock. With this heavy "thud" against the ground, the burly man almost felt his back break. His vision went black, and he nearly fainted from the pain.

  ?This scene left the surrounding crowd somewhat stunned. Such a slender and beautiful girl throwing a bear-like man into the air was a highly impactful image.

  ?The burly man's companions all glared angrily at Alisa. Just as Alisa placed a palm on the longsword on her back, one of the men, who had sharp eyes, clearly saw the uniforms Alisa and Loren were wearing.

  ?Earlier, the crowd had been too dense, blocking their view. But after Alisa's throw, the space around them had cleared out.

  ?"Smack!"

  ?That person hurriedly slapped the back of the heads of his companions a couple of times and pulled them back.

  ?Just as his companions turned their heads in anger and confusion, the person who recognized that Loren and Alisa were from Valoran Academy had already bowed and was apologizing to them.

  ?"We are sorry, my two lords from Valoran Academy. We were too reckless."

  ?The man apologized while bowing.

  ?Only then did the others realize what was happening. With a shudder, they immediately lowered their heads.

  ?Attacking students of Valoran Academy in a public place was undoubtedly a provocation against that massive institution. No matter how powerful the organization behind them was, it wouldn't be able to protect them!

  ?This was the prestige that powerful academy commanded in this city.

  ?"If there is a next time, the sword in my hand won't be so polite," Alisa said.

  ?She had no need to be polite to these shady thug-like individuals, and naturally wouldn't treat them with the same attitude she used with Loren.

  ?The men nodded hurriedly, helped their badly bruised companion up, and left.

  ?Meanwhile, the little one hiding in the crowd not far away and peeking out pulled her hood down and slipped back into the crowd, running in another direction upon seeing those men leave in a panic. Just now, she had suddenly realized she was being targeted by another group of people.

  ?As she left, the girl couldn't help but reach into her pocket and touch the burning hot gold coin card. Thinking of Loren, whom she had run into again just now, the girl felt a slightly strange sensation in her heart. However, she quickly shook that strange feeling out of her head, and her gaze became resolute.

  ?What she didn't realize was that as she ran off, Loren's gaze had also fallen precisely in the direction she disappeared.

  ?..

  ?"Alisa, that shoulder throw of yours just now was really cool. You directly threw such a huge guy flying, scaring the people nearby."

  ?After the girl left, Loren smiled and said to Alisa. He had originally wanted to use magic to act tough, but after Alisa made her move, he could only regretfully give up the opportunity.

  ?Hearing this, Alisa couldn't help but look around, and then she immediately blushed. "Big Brother Loren, let's hurry and leave."

  ?She didn't want to be scrutinized by so many people with such strange looks.

  ?Seeing her previously heroic demeanor suddenly soften, Loren found it quite amusing. This girl seemed to only get serious when fighting; as soon as she returned to her normal state, she was very prone to shyness.

  ?Soon, Loren was half-pulled and half-dragged away from the area by Alisa.

  ?Just as the two were planning to return to the academy, Loren said to Alisa, "Alisa, I still have some things to do. Will you be okay heading back to the academy by yourself?"

  ?"What else does Big Brother Loren have to do?" Alisa asked, somewhat confused, hugging the fluffy magic beast cub in her arms.

  ?"Some private matters, and I have some things to prepare," Loren said.

  ?"Do you need my help?"

  ?"No need, just head back to the academy. It's just some very simple things on my end; I can handle it myself." Loren smiled and then bid her farewell.

  ?"Oh, okay then." Alisa nodded. She didn't press further, just feeling a bit regretful. Then, hugging the magic beast cub in her arms, she waved at Loren: "Then Big Brother Loren, see you at the academy."

  ?"Mhm, be careful on the way."

  ?Loren said. After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but laugh again, thinking of the scene where the slender Alisa had directly thrown that giant bear of a man flying.

  ?Seeing the smile on his face, Alisa also seemed to realize something. Her face flushed red, she hurriedly said goodbye again in a panic, and quickly ran off.

  ?Big Brother Loren wouldn't think of me as that kind of violent woman, would he? Alisa couldn't help but think to herself, feeling somewhat mortified.

  ?Only after Alisa left did Loren begin to sense the recently activated magic mark again.

  ?He didn't know why, but whenever he thought of that fleeting, tender little face, Loren felt a lingering concern for the girl.

  ?"I can't just let you take the gold coin card I worked so hard to earn," Loren muttered softly. He didn't know why he had to use this excuse to convince himself to go find the girl.

  ?..