Chapter 19: Life Like Flames

About half an hour later, Xia Zhou walked out onto the street holding a box of potions.

Besides a Flame Enhancer Solution of stronger concentration and a fire-proofing elixir, Taylor chose for him a fairly unpopular potion as well.

It must be said, those who have attended Mage Academy have wider thinking capabilities and broader horizons.

"Flame dye, by adding this solution to the Fire-breathing Potion, one can spew flames of different colors. By swallowing this potion, it will cause physical harm, estimated to cause a decrease of 10 health points within 60 minutes. If just held in the mouth, it will deduct 2 health points per hour."

Taylor took out flame dyes of three colors: purple, green, and white.

Xia Zhou could mix and create six colors according to the dye formula in the potion box.

Taking into account the normal red glow of flame, he could spew up to seven different colored flames.

This was a novel program that had never been seen in Rosak Province before and could only be seen in the capital of the kingdom, Starry Night City.

Walking on the street with a smile on his face, Xia Zhou was already imagining the scene of enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Before leaving the potion shop, he asked Taylor if he could share the latest information on Elemental Affinity with Audrey.

Taylor returned to his usual format as a quiet middle-aged man, accounting while waving his hand to shoo Xia Zhou out of the shop:

"What information about Elemental Affinity? I don't know what you are talking about, you must have heard about it in the tavern?"

Xia Zhou smiled to himself, as there indeed was no need to hide anything from Audrey.

The boss lady is usually well-informed, she even knows the third-in-command at Piyec Fort, she might have heard the related rumors long ago.

At that very moment, a military messenger from Piyec Fort, who had just traveled hundreds of kilometers, steps into Rosak City.

Upon entering the city and seeing the circus banner on the pointed tent, the weary messenger hurriedly left a letter backstage at the circus and went straight to Rosak Castle, brushing past Xia Zhou on his way.

When Xia Zhou entered the small tent, Audrey happened to finish reading the newly arrived letter.

"You have a look as well. A piece of good news."

Audrey handed the letter to Xia Zhou and, turning towards the other members, declared loudly:

"Everyone, we have another big deal incoming. The conflict near Piyec Fort has come to a halt, the commander of the fort has invited us to perform there again!"

"Ya~Ho~"

The Clown Siblings let out a joyful and weird cry, drowning out the voices of Sneck and Bo Pai.

The previous performance at Piyec Fort lasted for a month, earning more than twice the usual income, without having to change locations frequently, making it a dream job from the circus's standpoint.

Xia Zhou read the letter and breathed a sigh of relief.

The rogue alchemist in the hole and the bandits are not of the same gang, but they cooperate with each other very closely.

The soldiers of Piyec Fort captured a rogue alchemist with the aid of the corpulent mage.

The man swallowed a deadly poison and committed suicide within a minute of being captured.

However, all his items were retained.

Secret letters of the man with the bandits, potion development journals, the survivor boy's identity records, etc., were all kept intact in the cave.

The army of the Fort successfully destroyed nearly ten hidden lairs of the bandits by tracing the problem to its source, thus putting an end to the bandit unrest in the southern part of Rosak Province.

Batch after batch of bandits were sent to the execution platform and gallows within the city. Executioners worked day and night to carry out their task, and a faint smell of blood could be smelled from any part of the city no matter how far away...

Audrey put the letter into her pocket, and when she caught eyes with Xia Zhou, both of them showed smiles at the same moment.

In addition to performing, the trip to Piyec Fort also included collecting the reward for Bounty Orders from the Castle.

The rewards may even surpass the income from the performance itself!

...

Half a month later in the evening.

Inside a small reception room on the third floor of Piyec Castle.

The alchemical lamps cast a soft orange glow, illuminating the valuable ornaments on the display cabinet by the wall, making the room with red carpets appear even more solemn.

Audrey sat to one side, her hands clenched together resting on her impressively rounded thighs, watching two figures standing across from each other not far away.

"Xia Zhou, brave child, the information you provided for Piyec Fort holds significant meaning."

Wilson was wearing a brown military uniform with a stand collar, adorned with three shiny golden medals on his chest, his face austere and his tone solemn.

"After being reviewed by the Rosak Council, it was decided that I will be the one to commend you."

Wilson took a scroll tied with a red ribbon from the table behind him.

"This is the first reward, a naturalization document of Rosak Province. According to the 'Starry Night Kingdom Citizenship Management Law', all commoners who are recorded in the historical archives of each province can obtain the qualification for citizenship."

Xia Zhou looked at Wilson with confusion and incomprehension, feeling that the citizenship Wilson spoke of was somewhat different from what he had in mind.

First, he took the scroll in both hands, and then asked, "Uncle Wilson, what do you mean by citizenship?"

Wilson chuckled gently and explained in simple and easy-to-understand language.

Xia Zhou's eyes lit up, and he swiftly picked up the steel pen on the table and left his clearest and neatest signature on the naturalization document.

"Host's [Identity] status recorded as having changed. Updating character template to add a progress item related to [Identity]. Because you have recorded in the Rosak provincial annals, you gained 1 point in Charisma attribute. Unlock 1 [Character Skill]."

..

[Identity] Fire Breather

[Origins] Starry Night Kingdom, Rosak Province

Obtaining an Origin means that your personal information has been recorded in the archive of the place you belong to.

Upon your first meeting with the people of Starry Night Kingdom, you can reveal your place of origin to gain higher initial favorability.

..

[Charisma] 3+1→4 (By making a significant personal contribution and being recorded in the annals of the Rosak Province under your real name. Your deeds will be known by each and every person who joins the Warrior Guild or Mage Academy.)

..

[Character Skill]

[Greeting Etiquette·Starry Night Kingdom] Within the range of Starry Night Kingdom, by introducing yourself in the fixed format "I am Xia Zhou of Rosak", you can temporarily gain the effect of +1 Charisma. The effect lasts until the first meeting is over.

..

In his previous life where he was granted citizenship and an identification proof at birth, who would have thought that for the commoners of this world, obtaining citizenship was an unreachable goal.

Before attaining citizenship, anyone, when introducing themselves, could only say "I came from such a place", but not "I am so and so from such a place".

A simple change in phrasing, posed strict legal constraints.

People without merit to the provincial council and the Kingdom were not allowed to place their place of origin before their name.

In many cases, a certificate of citizenship can also be used as a certificate of good citizenship or a pass.

For instance, this heavily guarded Piyec Castle.

Before today, if Xia Zhou wanted to enter the castle alone, he would definitely be subjected to harsh questioning, and even if everything he said was true, he might not necessarily be allowed in.

But after obtaining his citizenship, he just had to show his citizenship documents, and the guards would try to fulfill his requests within their authority.

"Xia Zhou, here is your second reward, you can choose one from them."

Wilson took out two small booklets and placed them on the table.

They were the property deeds for houses in Rosak City and Piyec Castle.

The one in Rosak City was a small flat, and the one in the castle was a small house with a backyard.

Xia Zhou caught a glimpse of Wilson's hopeful look and knew that the house in the castle was the one this uncle had added in.

He did not forget what Wilson told him when they first met - that Wilson wanted to recruit him into the army at Piyec Castle.

That would never happen, as he was going to the Starry Night Academy to become a Mage. Even after he arrived at the capital, it was unlikely that he would come to such a remote place as Piyec Castle...

Xia Zhou silently apologized in his heart, pretending not to know Wilson's intentions, and directly grabbed the property deed of Rosak City.

Wilson remained calm, laughing at himself:

"A house with a backyard can't even compare to a flat in Rosak City. It seems you don't like Piyec Castle."

Audrey came forward and patted Xia Zhou's shoulder:

"Hehe, this young fellow already knows about the changes in Starry Night Academy. If you want to keep him in the army, these rewards will not be enough."

Wilson seemed to realize where he had lost and laughed:

"The news travelled quickly. That people who gain Acquired Affinity can enter the Starry Night Academy, is indeed a good thing. Mages were rare due to the previously high entry requirements. Maybe even the castle's armies will be able to have Mages accompany them."

Wilson looked at Xia Zhou, his eyes cunning, "When the time comes, I'll ask the commander to issue a bounty order in the academy, how does that sound, young man?"

If the reward isn't high, I won't accept it. Hehe...

Xia Zhou exchanged polite pleasantries with a smile, and left the castle with Audrey under Wilson's company.

…

The following morning, his month of performances officially began.

When Xia Zhou stepped onto the stage, his waist was wrapped with a belt of glass vials filled with potions.

In the clear glass, flowed differently colored fire-breathing potions. The color of the potion corresponded to the color of the flame.

Xia Zhou took a random cute child from the audience and spat a white flame at them.

"My God! White flames! They're fluttering like butterflies, so adorable!"

The child hugged the adult's arm excitedly.

Never before seen flame colors, full of incredible attraction, and the boisterous audience quieted down.

There was a ring of ventilation skylights at the apex of the tent, bright sunlight came through the window, casting several bright columns of light onto the stage.

Xia Zhou walked into the middle of the light column and took a large mouthful of a higher potency fire-breathing potion.

"Hoo~~"

White flames sprayed out from the column towards the upper diagonal direction.

The fire-breathing performance seemed to turn into a meditative ceremony for seeking soul consolation.

A sense of purity and peace spread from the leaping white flames to the hearts of the audience.

After puffing out flames for over ten seconds, Xia Zhou unexpectedly found that many in the audience were lost in memories.

He turned his head to look backstage, and in those pairs of eyes behind the curtain, was a complex look of expectation and reluctance.

Xia Zhou took another gulp of the potion.

The white flames and sunlight became one, reflecting off each other, like intertwined dance partners in the air, inseparably embracing each other.

Xia Zhou's departure was a foregone conclusion, even if there were a few months left as a buffer.

The troupe members witnessed his transformation from a country boy to a fire-breather.

Sneck always felt that the scene of Xia Zhou collapsing by the roadside seemed to have happened only yesterday.

Bo Pai could still recall the process of picking Xia Zhou up from the muddy grass onto the carriage.

That frail, feather-light boy, seemed to have suddenly become capable of holding his own in the blink of an eye.

The Clown Siblings had red eyes, silent tears falling from their cheeks.

Audrey crossed her arms and forced herself to look calm, occasionally wiping away tears with her fingers.

The more time she spent with Xia Zhou, the more she realized that his potential should not be bound by the remote Rosak, and certainly should not be wasted in a circus troupe.

Starry Night Academy was indeed going to lower its entrance requirements, and the new tests would begin in at most three months.

This news was spread to every corner of the castle earlier today.

The young boys and girls no longer had to only consider joining the Warrior Guild after they become adults.

All those who had not practiced the Breathing Spell could now go to a testing station in each city every June and July to test their Elemental Affinity again.

Those who had already practiced the Breathing Spell... They were no longer suitable for Meditation practice due to internal injuries.

Xia Zhou's departure from the circus was a testament to the birth of a new generation of mages.

"White is the light of the sun," Xia Zhou sprayed out a long stream of white flame.

"Green is the vitality of life."

"Purple is the inevitable hardship."

"Bright red flames are our will to overcome difficulties."

Xia Zhou took out the cyan potion, a mixture of green and white, "This is the color of the rain, it calms our anger, and soothes our pains."

"After the storm, we will see the eternal and radiant sun again!"

Huge surging white fireballs gracefully ended the performance.

The applause in the audience went on for a long time.

Audrey pulled Sneck and the others onto the stage, holding Xia Zhou's hand, and bowed to the audience.

"Such a unique performance, young man. You need to give it a name."

Audrey's eyes were full of anticipation as she looked at Xia Zhou.

"Let's call it Life like Flames."

Xia Zhou put aside the hacker information that popped up in his mind, gently hugged Audrey and said, "Thank you, Big Sister, thank you for helping me become a fire-breather."