There should have been his last two gold coins and a dozen silver coins in this pocket, but at this time, it had become empty, with nothing left.
Lucian touched it with his hand and even opened the pocket to take a closer look, but he didn't even see a shadow of a silver coin. He suddenly panicked.
This was the only money he had left. If it was gone, he wouldn't even have enough money to go home, let alone continue to stay in Doral and look for suitable job opportunities.
More importantly, he couldn't even pay for the dozen silver coins in front of him now!
The noodle shop owner was naturally experienced and knowledgeable. Seeing Lucian's appearance, how could he not know what had happened? The smile on his face suddenly turned cold.
"Sir, please pay the bill."
Lucian squeezed the pocket, a trace of cold sweat slid down from his forehead, and thoughts ran through his mind.
What should I do?
What should I do?
Seeing that Lucian was silent, the owner's face turned colder, and the tone of his voice became slightly higher.
"Sir, you're not planning to dine and dash, are you?"
The other customers in the noodle shop heard the noise and looked over.
Seeing Lucian's slightly panicked expression, and then looking at his washed white clothes, the crowd immediately roared with laughter.
"Haha, a little poor guy wants to come here to eat and drink. Boss, you're just unlucky."
"Boss, I know he doesn't have much money. I think you're going to pay for this bowl of noodles!"
"Hey, this guy looks decent. How can he do such a shameful thing?
Could it be that you're starving? "
…
Listening to the people around him talking, Lucian's face turned red, but he couldn't find any words to refute.
The fact was that he couldn't find any money to pay the bill. Naturally, he could only bear the cold face of the owner and the ridicule of the people around him.
He frowned and thought for a moment. Then he gathered his courage and said, "Boss, I …"
As soon as he opened his mouth, the uncle sitting opposite him suddenly slapped the table.
"Here's a gold coin. Pay for my share in front of this young man."
Lucian was stunned. The owner glanced at the uncle, wiped his hand, and put away the gold coin on the table. Then he left.
When the others saw that there was no more drama to watch, they all laughed and no longer paid attention to it.
"Thank … Thank you …" Lucian's expression was a little awkward, but he was also a little excited as he hurriedly thanked the uncle.
The uncle waved his hand and looked him up and down. "Looking at you, you don't look like a freeloader. Why?
Are you in trouble? "
Lucian calmed down and carefully thought about it. He quickly understood.
It must be that wretched shorty who bumped into him on the road just now!
He must have taken the opportunity to steal my money!
Lucian was extremely remorseful. Before he left home, his parents had warned him countless times to be careful of thieves outside, but he didn't expect that he would still fall for it.
If it weren't for this kind-hearted uncle helping him out, he would be lucky if he could get the boss to agree to pay the bill with his work.
"I … may have met a thief …" Lucian explained with a wry smile.
"Well … there are a lot of people in Doral, and there are a lot of thieves. I met one when I first came here, so it's not strange."
The uncle nodded with a smile. He looked at Lucian again and continued to ask, "You should be a mage, right?"
Lucian was stunned. "How did you know?"
"I sensed the waves of magic on you."
Seeing the surprised expression on Lucian's face, the uncle pointed to himself. "Don't be surprised. I'm also a mage, but my level is not high. I'm only a level-three mage now."
Lucian nodded, but still felt a little strange.
He was not surprised that the uncle, whom he had never met before, knew that he was a mage, but that he was a level-three mage.
Since the "Magicians' Peace Pact" was announced ten years ago, the magicians on the continent were no longer judged by their individual strength. Instead, they were judged by the role they could play in the magic industry and the professional knowledge they had.
The so-called "level three magician" assessment standard had long been thrown aside by the Magician's Guild, and no magician would use this standard to judge their own level.
Moreover, under the leadership of New Flyer, in the new magic system that had flourished on the continent these years, the traditional rating of mages had long been outdated. It could not accurately describe a mage's ability.
For example, with Lucian's current level, he would probably be a level-two or level-three mage according to the traditional rating, because he rarely studied those destructive spells.
However, with the new magic theory education he received in Phillip Academy, his understanding and mastery of magic were far beyond those traditional mages.
As long as he was willing, his combat power would not be worse than a level-five or even level-six mage.
It was just that things like battle prowess were very boring to the mages on the continent, so not many mages would seriously study it.
After all, under the restrictions of the Peace Pact of Mages, mages could not participate in wars, so naturally, they could not show their destructive power.
Moreover, even if they did participate in wars, in the face of all kinds of powerful military magic machines, the individual strength of a mage was simply not enough to be of much use.
As for the traditional choice of joining a merchant guild as a guard, it had long been replaced by all kinds of guards equipped with light military magic machines, so mages had nothing to do with it.
Moreover, rather than joining a merchant guild as a guard, it was better to join a merchant guild as a researcher, or engage in other related magic research work. The money earned was more than being a guard, and it was easier, and there was no danger to one's life.
In short, it was very rare to see someone like this uncle, who used the title "level-three mage" to introduce himself.
At the very least, it was the first time Lucian had met someone like this.
"What?
You're not familiar with the concept of a level-three mage? "The uncle seemed to have seen through Lucian's thoughts and laughed.
"Young mages like you are definitely not familiar with it."
Lucian forced a smile, not knowing how to respond.
Fortunately, the boss walked back at this moment, and handed the change to the uncle, alleviating the awkward atmosphere.
The uncle took the money, stood up, and waved at Lucian.
"Let's go."
Lucian was surprised, as he looked at the uncle in confusion.
The uncle said with a smile, "Didn't you have all your money stolen by a thief?
You don't seem like a local, so how are you planning to live? "
Lucian gritted his teeth, "I will try to find a short job to earn some money for my journey back."
"So it's a good thing, I have a short job that requires some magic knowledge.
For three days, one gold coin a day. If you're willing, then you can leave. "
Lucian hesitated a bit before gritting his teeth and standing up.
The uncle smiled at Lucian and said in a serious manner, "Young man, it's fine to have difficulties for now, there will always be a way to solve it."
Lucian gave an "un" sound. After following him for a bit, he couldn't help curiously asking, "Uncle, can I ask what kind of job it is?
That's right, I haven't asked for your name yet. "
"You can just call me Rondo.
As for the job ….. I opened a small workshop and recently received a job. It's to make a batch of Magic Fans for a factory, so I need to recruit some Magic Array workers to help me. You have no problem drawing the Primary Grade Wind Magic Array, right? "The uncle suddenly asked.
"Ah?
Ah, no problem ….. This Magic Array is rather simple … … "
"Then it's fine." Uncle Rondo nodded.
"The other side was in a rush, so I wanted to recruit some temporary workers in the city, but I bumped into you when I was eating.
You don't need to thank me, if you can help me finish this batch of goods and don't delay, I should be the one thanking you. "
Lucian quickly waved his hand, "No, no, no, not only did you pay for my meal, you also gave me a job. No matter what, I should be the one thanking you."
Uncle Rondo revealed a faint smile and didn't argue with Lucian about this. He brought him out of the noodle shop and turned a corner, arriving at a bus stop before getting into a Magic Car.
The bus drove out of Doral City and when it was several kilometers out of the city, it stopped at a small stop on the side of the road.
Uncle Rondo brought Lucian out of the bus and walked along the road for a bit before a small manor appeared in front of them.
"We're here."
Lucian looked at the somewhat old manor in front of him and felt strange.
Why did uncle Rondo open his small workshop here?
This place was this far from Doral City and it wasn't in the industrial area outside Doral City. Whether it was transporting parts or finished products, it was very inconvenient, so it clearly wasn't a suitable location.
"This is a small manor that my ancestors left me. To find such a large piece of land in the industrial area in the city, it would take quite a bit of money." Perhaps seeing the doubt in Lucian's eyes, uncle Rondo explained.
"Oh … …"
Lucian gave an understanding sound before following uncle Rondo to the entrance of the manor.
There were two guards at the entrance of the manor. Seeing the two of them come over, they revealed a grin to uncle Rondo before waving their hands to let them in.
After entering the manor, Lucian looked at the ruined manor and his heart filled with even more doubt.
Since this was uncle Rondo's small workshop, he should at least hear the sound of the magic machines working, right?
At least ….. the manor shouldn't be covered in a thick layer of dust and even have cobwebs all over, right?
After taking two steps, Lucian suddenly felt a bit of vigilance and stopped.
"Uncle Rondo, I ….. I suddenly thought of something, so I can't do this job anymore. As for the money I owe you, I promise I'll return it to you in the future." Lucian said in a hesitant voice.
Uncle Rondo took a deep look at Lucian and the gentle smile on his face gradually disappeared. What replaced it was a strange smile that made Lucian's heart turn cold.
"What?
You owe me fifteen silver coins and you want to leave like this?
How could that be. "
Lucian couldn't help taking a step back.
"Uncle Rondo, you … …"
Londo suddenly raised his hand, and Lucian immediately felt a strange magic wave reverberating around him.
"Magic fluctuation interference?"
Lucian was shocked. Just as he was about to mobilize the mana within his body to stabilize the mana space around him, two burly men suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
One of the large men hit the back of Lucian's neck and his vision turned dark as he fainted.