Chapter 69 - Do You Want To Learn?
Mag was taken by surprise. “Match Grandpa?” He saw Amy’s sympathetic eyes and remembered the story he had told her about a little match girl. Apparently, she had taken Krassu for a destitute old man.
However, he didn’t look poor to Mag. Judging from his demeanor, he is either a reclusive master or holds a high position in the empire. The decorations didn’t surprise him, because they meant nothing to him. Details are saying a lot.
Amy nodded. “Yes. Look how pitiful he is! He’s been waiting for so long, and no one has bought a match from him. Why don’t we buy one?” Then she looked at Krassu and said, “Grandpa, don’t worry. You might still die of hunger even if we buy one from you, but you’d be a lot better than the little girl who hadn’t sold even one match, so you should die in peace.”
Krassu was a little confused. She seems to be mistaken. He shook his head with a smile. “Little girl, actually, I’m not a—”
“You must be cold and hungry, and longing for a roast goose,” Amy interrupted. “But Ugly Duckling is just a baby, you can’t eat it now,” she said vigilantly as she drew back, holding the kitten in her arms.
“Meow!” A little worried, Ugly Duckling looked up at Amy, its eyes wide.
“…” Krassu didn’t know what to say. The little girl looks at me as a poor old man who wants to eat roast goose before I can say a word. And what does this have to do with that little cat-like creature?
Mag wanted to chuckle as he looked at the vigilant Amy. He saw Krassu’s confused face and smiled quickly. “Sorry. I told her a story before and she believed it. What would you like to eat? The menu is on the table. Take a look, but la zhi roujiamos are sold out.”
“Thank you.” Krassu didn’t think much and took a seat opposite Amy. He leaned his staff against the window, gave Amy a kind smile, and picked up the menu on the table.
He came here to find out if Amy had a talent to learn magic and ask her guardian’s opinion, but he didn’t want to be so forward by bringing that up this instant.
Of course, being turned down was the least of his worries. People who wanted to be apprenticed to him would line up from the palace to the gate of the capital.
There might be pressure from outside if he took a half-elf on as a disciple. However, he hadn’t been caring about stuff like that after he passed 120. Now, all he wanted was a good student to whom he could pass his skills on.
Krassu didn’t care if his disciple was a human, an elf, or even a half-elf. He couldn’t care less about other people’s opinions. People knew better than to mess with him.
It was the most comfortable restaurant he had been to these days in Chaos City. Of course, in grandness, it was nothing compared to the palace of the Roth Empire.
It was very busy. A restaurant in a corner had so many customers. It must have a lot of different dishes. Krassu opened the menu, and was surprised when he found only two dishes on it. He said la zhi roujiamo has sold out, so only Yangzhou fried rice is available now.
“Owner, what’s this Yangzhou fried rice?” Krassu asked as he looked up at Mag. He had lived more than 120 years, and never once had he heard about this dish.600 copper coins isn’t cheap. The cost of a plate of this can last 10 days for a normal family of three.
“Super delicious rainbow fried rice!” Amy blurted out before Mag could speak. Then she became a little worried. “I know you want to eat it, but we don’t accept matches. Cash only. If you have no money to pay, I’ll use my fire on you.”
“Actually, I have money,” Krassu said as he smiled gently. He held out a lean, old hand from his loose robe, and put it on the table, palm up. There were two dragon coins in the middle.
“So you don’t sell matches?” Amy watched the dragon coins in his hand, a little confused.
“I don’t sell matches, but if you want, I can make one for you.” Then he snapped his fingers, and poof, a match as thick as a little finger and two fingers long appeared on his fingertip.
Mag was startled when he saw this. It’s a higher level magic—making something out of nothing. He is a true master.
Amy’s fireball can only destroy, but Krassu’s match magic is simple yet skillful. He has combined magic with life and he’s good at it, Mag thought. He must be very powerful.
“Wow! You can use magic?” Amy’s eyes lit up completely as she stared at the match in Krassu’s hand.
Krassu nodded, smiling. “Sure. I’m a magic caster. This is nothing. Some magic can beat giant dragons and trolls. Do you want to learn?”
Mag had thought that Krassu was about to order, and had never expected that he would trick Amy into learning magic. He became a little wary.
He knew Amy wanted to learn, but right now, they couldn’t expose who they were.
He had left the capital for this Chaos City to shun those sneering eyes.
Those people had let him live that night to laugh at his miserable life. He had faked his suicide, changed his face, and settled here. Now, four years had passed.
Most of them should assume that we are already dead, thought Mag. But it’s a matter of life or death, so we can’t be too careful. Amy must have inherited her talent in magic from her mother. If this talent is possessed by royalty only, then I have all the more reason to find a trustworthy teacher for her.
Amy shook her head immediately without thinking. “No.” Then she pointed at Mag, and said proudly, “My father is also a very powerful magic caster. He conjured up this beautiful restaurant, and he can make all kinds of tasty food. Can you?”
Krassu froze for a minute. He didn’t know how to cook.
He raised his eyes to look at Mag and didn’t find any magic wave on him, and he found that the restaurant was made of normal material.
Its building material is a lot better than other restaurants, but magic is not involved. Looks like the owner lied to his daughter to build up his image as a great father.
“Owner, I’d like a plate of Yangzhou fried rice, please,” Krassu said as he looked at Mag with a smile. Since the little girl won’t listen, I’ll have to find a way through her father.