According to the Society's stated process, for the next three months, Lynn was to remain at Faruga's side and familiarize himself with the basics of magic array maintenance.
Today, by all rights, Faruga should have been waiting for him at the array site beneath the Greenvine Restaurant.
But he wasn't there.
At first, Lynn thought maybe Faruga's figure was hidden behind the array core.
However, after searching around downstairs and still finding no trace of him and recalling the way other members had spoken of Faruga Lynn, I quickly realized: this was likely Faruga's way of giving him a cold welcome.
Troublesome…
Lynn frowned. While he didn't need Faruga's instruction, the first-handover of magic array knowledge was supposed to happen through him.
With a sigh, Lynn turned and headed back upstairs to the Greenvine Restaurant.
Thankfully, it was only the first part of the process that required going through Faruga. Later portions of the basic array knowledge, due to the need for assessment, would be provided directly at the testing site in the Society's library on the spot.
"I'd like to ask, has Lord Faruga come in today?"
Stopping a waiter, Lynn posed the question.
"At this time of day, Lord Faruga should be on the first floor having breakfast," the waiter replied without hesitation.
After thanking him, Lynn made his way to the first-floor dining hall.
By the window, he saw Faruga for the first time.
The second-tier member appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with a proper, clean-cut appearance. His brown hair was neatly tied back, giving the impression of a serious and capable man.
"Lord Faruga, I'm the new magic array maintenance worker, Lynn Kent."
Lynn stepped closer and greeted him.
"Lynn Kent… not bad, you're right on time." Faruga smiled and waved him over. "Sit down. Have you had breakfast?"
Without waiting for a reply, he called a waiter over.
"Bring our new maintenance apprentice the Morning Dew set meal."
It was as if he had entirely ignored the Society's specified meeting place in the underground chamber of the Greenvine Restaurant…
Lynn didn't dwell on it. He knew what his real goal was, so he politely declined,
"No need, Lord Faruga, I've already eaten."
"Ah, don't refuse. This breakfast won't cost you anything; neither you nor I has to pay for it." Faruga cut him off with a rather self-satisfied smile. "It's one of the little perks we magic array maintainers get.
"It's not just the Greenvine Restaurant; any place where you're responsible for array maintenance won't mind giving you some small token of hospitality."
Though inwardly skeptical of Faruga's claim, Lynn nodded outwardly.
While waiting for the meal to arrive, he asked,
"Lord Faruga, when will we begin the array maintenance work?"
"No rush. Except in special cases, most arrays in the Society's holdings only need to be serviced once a month. It takes no more than half an hour each time… and today, there's nothing that needs doing."
Faruga took a sip of green vine juice as he spoke.
Most arrays only need half an hour a month… this is an easy job.
Lynn couldn't help but think.
At least so far, Faruga's attitude was much better than he'd expected, at least on the surface. Whether the rumors of his unpleasantness were true, time would tell.
After a pause, Lynn got to the main point of today:
"Since there's no maintenance work today… According to the Society's rules, Lord Faruga, I need to receive the first portion of basic magic array knowledge from you."
Faruga swallowed the food in his mouth, set down his fork, and, after slowly picking up a napkin to dab at his lips, looked at him and slowly said two words:
"No rush."
Lynn's expression remained calm, though inwardly his heart sank slightly.
Sure enough, it wasn't going to be that simple.
"Sir, your Morning Dew set is here." At that moment, a waiter arrived with a tray.
Watching the waiter place the meal before Lynn, Faruga continued in a half-commanding tone,
"Eat, Lynn. Have your breakfast first… The Morning Dew set here is unmatched; there's nothing in all of Emeraldwood City that can compare."
Lynn's mind worked quickly. After weighing it for a moment, he gave a slight shake of his head and said evenly,
"As I just mentioned, I've already had breakfast, Lord Faruga.
"The only thing I want to do right now is receive the basic magic array knowledge from you, so as not to delay the Society's work."
Faruga froze for a moment, looking him up and down. His face darkened slightly as he said coolly,
"No wonder you're from a school, and you've got the temper to match.
"A pity to waste such a fine Morning Dew breakfast."
With a theatrical sigh, Faruga tapped a finger twice on the table, gesturing toward the meal in front of Lynn.
"But I think you'd best not waste it.
"The Golden Shadow Society has three other members besides you and me who handle array maintenance.
"Not one of them has refused the breakfast I ordered for them…
"It's not cheap, mind you, but of course, compared to what it costs to learn magic arrays, it's nothing.
"I should remind you that if you were to go outside and hire an array master for basic lessons, a half-day class would cost you no less than fifteen primary magic stones.
"To learn the full set of basics, you'd easily spend close to a thousand magic stones…
"So, think it over."
In truth, Faruga picked his targets. He wouldn't dare act this way toward members with strong backing. But those who took array maintenance jobs usually had no such support.
Lynn paid it no mind and simply repeated,
"According to the Society's rules, I am to receive the first part of the basic magic array knowledge from you, Lord Faruga."
Though Faruga outranked him as a second-tier member, Lynn was still a third-rank apprentice, not enough to make him swallow his pride. And he didn't need Faruga's help in the first place.
Faruga narrowed his eyes, said nothing more, and slowly rose. He tossed down a knowledge crystal containing the basic array information.
This wasn't generosity, just compliance with the rules. As Lynn had said, he was obliged to hand over the first portion of the array basics to a new member.
"I'll look forward to the day you come asking me to share a Morning Dew breakfast."
Faruga delivered the line coldly before turning and walking away.
Hearing that, Lynn frowned inwardly and silently added the Morning Dew set to his blacklist.
After quickly checking the crystal's integrity, he pocketed it, intending to study it at home.
But just as he stood, a tall, thin figure came toward him head-on.
The man kept his head lowered, holding a glass of green vine juice. He seemed not to notice Lynn, moving quickly about to collide with him.
Instinctively, Lynn sidestepped. The man finally noticed and tried to avoid him as well, but his movements were sluggish, his direction uncertain.
Thanks to the second stage of White Crow Swordsmanship, Lynn's agility was exceptional. He moved faster and barely managed to avoid the collision.
They brushed past each other. Lynn thought nothing of it and was about to leave when the man's voice came from behind, tinged with irritation:
"You're just going to walk away like that?"
Turning, Lynn saw green vine juice spilled down the man's robe, leaving a conspicuous green stain.
Lynn frowned. As he studied the man, he couldn't shake the feeling that something about this was… off.
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