Chapter 37: 78 Brown Street

Lin Wei smiled faintly and nodded gently. "That's right, I'm also here to take that test."

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Weiss's face, her voice tinged with excitement. "That's really wonderful!"

"So, once we enter the city, do you plan to rest for the night?" Lin Wei asked.

Weiss shook her head. "No, Father told us that once we arrive in Saint Ervikkan, we should go straight to 78 Brown Street, to avoid any accidents."

"78 Brown Street?" Lin Wei committed the address to memory without revealing it. "So that's probably the location of the test..."

"In that case, let's go together!" Velia could hardly contain her happiness; the Lin Wei she had watched along the way was, like herself, also headed for the wizard academy's qualification test.

Lin Wei agreed with a soft "Mm," a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. "Let's go."

...

78 Brown Street.

"This place seems so remote!" Velia glanced around the nearly deserted street and muttered softly.

Lin Wei quietly observed their surroundings as well. The buildings on Brown Street all looked aged, exuding a stifling sense of oppression. "Perhaps the wizards don't want ordinary folk to discover their existence..."

Velia nodded and instinctively moved closer to Lin Wei, as if his presence offered her a sense of security.

Weiss shot a sidelong glance at Velia, secretly scoffing in her heart, "Fickle Velia!"

Two minutes later.

The three of them stood before a dilapidated two-story building.

"78 Brown Street..." Lin Wei glanced at the house number, a look of contemplation in his eyes.

Velia seemed a bit nervous. She looked back at Weiss. "Sister, are we really going in? According to Father's description, the wizards are supreme beings. If we accidentally anger them, will they turn us into human specimens?"

Weiss, hearing this, couldn't help but show a trace of panic on her face, but quickly masked it. "Just relax."

Lin Wei pondered for a moment, then walked slowly to the door of the rundown building and knocked gently.

Knock, knock, knock!

No one responded from inside.

"Did we come to the wrong place?" Velia wondered aloud, uncertain.

Lin Wei narrowed his eyes, remaining silent. He could clearly hear the faint sound of footsteps approaching.

Bang!

The old door suddenly swung open.

Velia and Weiss both gasped in surprise, startled by the sudden change.

"Who are you? What are you here for?"

A stiff-faced middle-aged woman peered out from behind the door. Her face was unlined, yet she gave off an aged impression.

"Good day, ma'am. We've come... to take the test," Lin Wei explained, ignoring the two beside him and addressing the woman directly.

At his words, a twisted smile forced itself onto the woman's face, her facial muscles moving awkwardly. "It's been almost two months. Finally, some little ones have come, and three at once."

"Come in!" She flung the door wide.

Lin Wei gave a slight bow, following behind her.

Weiss and Velia trailed close to Lin Wei, wary of any sudden mishap.

As soon as they stepped inside, the once-open door slammed shut with a bang.

Weiss and Velia, unsurprisingly, shuddered in fright.

Lin Wei, however, had a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "Just now I sensed a ripple of wizard power in the air..."

The middle-aged woman's knees seemed unable to bend, making her waddle from side to side like a duck as she walked, her spotless brown leather shoes tapping crisply on the wooden floor.

"Little ones, let's go up to the second floor first and let that old geezer authenticate your tokens," she suddenly said, turning to the trio.

Weiss and Velia clung to each other, too nervous to utter a word.

Lin Wei replied politely, "Thank you for your trouble."

A rasping laugh like a knife scraping a wall came from the woman's throat as she spoke to Lin Wei, "You're an interesting one, boy. You give me a sense of kinship, but I can't detect any wizard aura on you."

Lin Wei's heart skipped a beat, but he only smiled mildly and said nothing.

The woman fixed Lin Wei with a deep look, then continued up the stairs.

A sense of caution rose in Lin Wei's heart. "As expected, if I had any trace of wizard power, I'd likely be recognized by others of the same kind... If not for the special effect of the Shadow of Holy Light, the sliver of spiritual power I possess might have been detected by this woman."

The Shadow of Holy Light, which could "grasp fragments of the future world," not only allowed glimpses into the future but also shielded its bearer from others' perception and divination. The degree of concealment, of course, depended on Lin Wei's own strength. Since the woman hadn't noticed, her mastery of wizard power was probably not very strong.

Led by the woman, the three arrived at a room with its door wide open.

"Old one, the little ones are here," the woman said, her laughter chilling.

After a few seconds, a response came from within, the voice so aged it sounded as if it belonged to a dying crone. "Come in."

The woman glanced at the trio. "Come with me. Relax, children. The old one is a very kind person."

Lin Wei remained calm and composed, while Velia and Weiss gulped nervously.

As soon as they stepped into the room, Lin Wei's pupils shrank to mere slits, and Velia and Weiss wore expressions of disbelief.

What awaited them was not the wizened elder they had imagined, but a little girl with braided pigtails.

The little girl regarded the three with an ancient, hoarse voice. "Come, little ones, show me your tokens."

Weiss glanced at Lin Wei, struggling to suppress her unease. "I'll go first..."

Lin Wei nodded.

Weiss reached into her back pocket, groped for a moment, and withdrew a thin iron token.

She respectfully handed it to the little girl.

Seeing this, Velia also took out an identical iron token and, following Weiss, bent down to place it in the girl's hand.

The little girl furrowed her brow, putting on a serious air that made the scene all the more bizarre.

"These tokens seem different from mine..." Lin Wei had been observing their actions closely. The instant Weiss produced the iron token, he sensed that something was amiss.