After they entered the territory of the Earth Fire Land, the Snow Vulture flew for two whole days before
they finally alighted at the center of the land, which was where the Casting City was to be found.
Before they entered the city, they got off the Snow Vulture, Elder Samuel included. In accordance with
the city's law, all warriors had to walk into the city. Riding a Snow Vulture was definitely not allowed.
However, this rule did not apply to an innate spirit and a casting master of Spirit Level.
This was the privilege of being a powerful warrior. Its fairness was contestable, but it was the law.
Up until Ricky's arrival in the Casting City, he had not understood Elder Samuel when he had said that
he only had limited privileges. After a few minutes of his walking down the road, he had already
encountered over ten demi-immortals. From their casting identity cards, Ricky learned that they were
all casting masters of Demi-spirit Level. Among the likes of them, Elder Samuel was considered just an
ordinary strong casting master.
'The Casting City! What an amazing place! There are so many talent warriors here. And goodness,
there are casting masters of Demi-spirit Level everywhere!' Ricky secretly thought to himself, rather
surprised. He had grown more interested in the Casting Guild now.
Among the crowd full of demi-immortals, they looked rather common even with Elder Samuel, who in
the Snow Sect looked much more intimidating as a demi-immortal and a casting master of Demi-spirit
Level. Ricky was a totally ordinary warrior compared to them. Bertha, as a beauty, was the only one
who attracted some gazes as they went on their way.
Ricky looked around carefully as Elder Samuel led their way.
The first impression Ricky had about the Casting City was its immense size. He made a rough
comparison and estimated that it was more than ten times the land area of the Snow Sect!
Finally, they arrived at the gatekeeper's post, where they were to pay the entrance fee. Ordinary
warriors were expected to pay one hundred silver coins in order to enter. This took Ricky by surprise.
'Damn, it's so expensive!' Ricky silently cursed, worried about his finances.
According to the law, a casting master of Demi-spirit Level only needed to pay ten silver coins.
Therefore, Elder Samuel could enter at a much lower price. As for Bertha, she only had to pay forty
silver coins to be admitted because she owned a casting identity card. Ricky was the only one who had
neither a higher position nor a card. One hundred silver coins were paid to grant him the right to enter.
For the first time, Ricky saw firsthand what a casting identity card could bring about in terms of
privileges and benefits.
Once they had entered the city, Ricky saw nothing but streets crowded with a lively throng and
crammed with various things.
It was a big city with a vast network of streets. Vendors were shouting out loud to sell their goods.
Various pieces could be found here, such as the Treasures from Heaven and Earth, or casting
materials. Everything was bustling on the street.
Ricky had never seen such things before. He grew so excited that he wanted to buy everything that
caught his eye. But he was stopped by Elder Samuel before he could pay for them. According to Elder
Samuel, most of these pieces were not truly useful. They were the tricks the vendors used to prey on
gullible warriors who had come to the city for the first time.
'Oh, thank God I have Elder Samuel beside. Otherwise, I would've wasted my money on those useless
things, ' Ricky sighed to himself, feeling lucky to have an experienced elder accompanying him.
And so, Elder Samuel brought Ricky and Bertha to a large courtyard. Finally, they had arrived. It was
the place of the Casting Guild.
They were allowed into the courtyard after Samuel showed his identification card as a casting master of
Demi-spirit Level to the guard. Three young men led them to their respective rooms. Ricky looked
around, pleased at the comfortable environment of his room.
Obviously, this was also one of the privileges Elder Samuel enjoyed as a casting master of Demi-spirit
Level. Because of him, Ricky had the chance to experience it even though he had no identity as a
casting master yet.
Along the way, he saw many casting masters of Demi-spirit Level just like Elder Samuel. For the most
part, one or two disciples were following them. It was plain to see that they too had come here to take
the Casting Appraisal.
"The Casting Appraisal will be held in four days. Before it starts, you two can walk around the city and
experience it for yourselves," Elder Samuel suggested. "But Ricky, please stay with Bertha, will you?
You are not familiar with this place. Bertha has already been here several times. She knows the culture
and ways better than you do. What's more, she has the casting identity card. She can take you to some
special places with that card."
"Yes, Elder Samuel. I will. Thank you again for this opportunity!" Ricky said with a deep nod.
After the long journey they had gone through, they cleaned up a bit and got changed. Then Ricky went
to Bertha's room and suggested going out. He was eager to see what the city's inner workings were
like. Bertha was eager as well. Although she had been here many times before, she always found
something new and interesting in this place. She was glad that Ricky was keen to explore, too.
They walked out of the Casting Guild after telling Elder Samuel that they were headed out.
However, the moment they stepped out of the courtyard, someone approached.
"Bertha, what a surprise! We have not seen each other for half a year! I'm so glad to see you here
today!" a man's voice greeted Bertha.
Ricky turned around to see who it was and saw three young men walking briskly towards Bertha. Two
of them were wearing gray clothes. They must be guards. Another young man was wearing a white
robe. He looked to be a young master of some prominent family.
Ricky assumed that this young man who wore the white robe was the voice who had greeted Bertha.
However, when Ricky took a second look and moved his eyes downwards, he saw the real source of
the voice.
There were actually three and a half people walking towards them.
This half person had an elderly face. He seemed to be middle aged but had a height of about eighty
centimeters. He had dark skin with visible pores. Ricky was taken aback by his unsightly appearance.
What made things worse was that he was wearing a red robe, making him look rather ridiculous.
The shoes on his feet, too, were like flimsy slippers.
"Hey, look, look. It's Andrew Wu! Mr. Wu!" All the houseboys began to whisper in excitement at the
sight of the short man. They admired greatly, and Ricky deduced that it was because of his high social
status.
"Who is that lady? Did you hear him greet her? Mr. Wu seems to like her a lot!" Whispers began to
spread.
"Oh, I remembered her! She seems to be a core disciple of the Snow Sect. I've heard that she has a
good talent in casting. Rumor has it that she has turned down Mr. Wu several times!"
"What? Turn down Mr. Wu? Several times? That's unbelievable! Who has the courage to reject Mr. Wu
in this city!? He is the son of an illustrious casting master. What's more, he himself is an excellent talent
in casting! What kind of woman would refuse him!?"
"Well, no one knows. The Snow Sect also has talented demi-immortals. There are always some places
Mr. Wu's power can't reach."
"Hmm, you are right. After all, she is from the Snow Sect. They also have quite strong power and
influence."
Ricky sensed Mr. Wu, and felt that his power was definitely weaker than that of a warrior of Blood
Purification.
'He is quite arrogant, and it appears that many people respect and fear him. Either he is a casting
master, or he has a powerful background!' Ricky reasoned to himself.
He then took a look at Bertha, and saw that her eyes darkened upon seeing this man. On her face was
an expression of disgust. He could tell that she disliked this man a good deal.
Andrew Wu was now close to Bertha, with his three guards tailing him.
His nasty eyes took Bertha in, going up and down as if he was staring at his prey. Possibly, in the next
second when he opened his mouth to speak, he would slobber due to his uncontrollable gluttony.
"Nice to see you, Mr. Wu," Bertha greeted out of politeness, her jaw clenched.
"I missed you so much, Bertha! I'm quite thrilled to see you here. By the way, I'm free for the whole day
today. I can take you to the largest gourmet court in this city. Let's go! They serve the most perfect wine
there. I'm sure you will love it. I promise. Just follow me. I can't wait to catch up with you," Andrew Wu
said in a single breath, seeming as though he had spoken every possible word he could come up with.
"Thank you for your invitation, Mr. Wu. But I'm afraid I can't go with you today. I'm supposed to show
my junior around. This is one of my responsibilities as his senior. I apologize," Bertha said firmly.
Immediately, Andrew Wu's wicked eyes darkened. He turned to Ricky with an evil smile.
"That's not a problem. I will send two beautiful girls and they will show him around. And he can buy
anything he likes. It's all on me. What do you say?" Andrew Wu suggested.
Then he stared at Ricky as a warning, signaling him to behave himself and accept his arrangement as
if he was saying, "Be smart, kid. Stay away from us and don't interrupt us. Otherwise, there will be
consequences."
"Mr. Wu, I'm afraid this cannot be..." Bertha hesitated. She had run out of ideas on how to reject his
advances. So she now turned her eyes to Ricky, silently asking him for help.
Usually, Bertha behaved strongly and independently. However, she could falter when she was faced
with malicious men like Andrew. In the society she was in, the help of a trustworthy man could get her
out of tricky situations. And now, Ricky was the very man she turned to.
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