The white-bearded old man went home to get things.
Yu Xiaoxiao set up a rudimentary bed in the backyard and placed the boy on it. He had many wounds, was running a fever, and was lying on the bed in a delirious state.
Two unicorns approached, sniffing around the foot of the bed and the boy's scent.
Before long, the old man came back.
He was holding a strange black bracelet, like some kind of prayer beads.
"Crush this medicine and apply it externally. And this newly made potion, drink a bottle every day, and the internal injuries will heal quickly."
He put many things on the ground, and after the slime counted, there were only a dozen or so bottles and jars.
For this, three hundred thousand?
It sneered, "For his injuries, if we send him to the clinic, it won't cost much."
The old man stroked his white beard with his hand and said complacently, "If he were sent to someone else, he definitely wouldn't survive. This illness, only I can cure it."
"Besides the obvious physical wounds, there are also damaged internal organs, and his biggest problem is that there is a kind of mental power-confining miasma lurking inside him."
"It's this thing that has prevented the little fella from practicing magic up until now."
"Originally, it wasn't life-threatening, but due to the severe injury this time, it has aroused the miasma, which is gradually engulfing his body."
"If it weren't for meeting me, within three days, he would definitely have died."
"Even if the external wounds are healed, it wouldn't matter."
The slime opened its mouth wide, staring blankly at the old man in front of it, and asked, "Can you solve the miasma?"
"Of course, or else how could I ask you for the medical expenses."
The old man sat by the bedside and placed the black bracelet on the boy's chest, gently pressing it.
"I will stay here today, and by the end of the night, he will be back to normal."
"If you don't believe it, ask him after he wakes up, was he unable to practice magic before? He wouldn't lie to you."
Hearing the old man's words, Yu Xiaoxiao felt a little relieved.
She said, "Victor, you stay tonight as an assistant. Don't sleep too deeply."
"Alright, Lady Xiaoxiao."
The boy's external wounds were smeared with ointment and carefully bandaged.
The old man took out a bottle of purple potion and, using a cotton swab, fed it to his dry, cracked lips little by little.
The boy's complexion gradually improved.
Yu Xiaoxiao made dinner for the old man, and finally stayed in the backyard for a while before leaving.
The next day.
Yu Xiaoxiao arrived at six in the morning.
Slyme dozed off against the wall with a pillow in her arms. Two unicorns were the first to see her and happily ran over to her.
The old man with a white beard was sitting by the bed, feeding the little boy medicine.
He was already awake.
He could drink this sour drink in small sips and not waste a single drop.
The old man who had stayed up all night was full of energy.
He said, "Okay, the miasma has basically faded. Over the next few days, make sure he gets enough nutrition. He's young, so he'll recover quickly, no need to worry too much."
"Thank you." Yu Xiaoxiao walked to the bedside and asked softly, "How do you feel?"
The boy lay there, looking at the girl standing next to him, thinking that everything he had heard while in a coma was true.
He replied, "Very weak."
"Having sustained such serious injuries, being weak is to be expected," the old man asked, "Boy, were you unable to practice magic before?"
"Yeah."
"But now you can."
"..."
The boy looked puzzled, asking, "Why?"
He had never been able to practice magic.
Even in the previous small village, he was teased by many children because of it.
Asstar is a high magic plane, and magic is very common. Even if it's just a little, most people would have some talent. Even if they can't become a magician, they can do something else at least.
The old man smiled without saying a word.
"Your magical power is quite high. Find a master, and you'll achieve twice the result with half the effort."
He glanced at the shabby backyard and the two beautiful white unicorns.
"If you can't find a suitable candidate, you can also figure it out on your own. Miss Steward, you spent three hundred thousand to buy his life. What do you intend for him to do?"
"Join our legion," Yu Xiaoxiao was upfront and straightforward.
From the moment she saw the boy, she wanted to recruit him into the underground city.
The boy looked at her in a daze.
After a long time, he raised his hand and lifted the flying carpet he had always carried with him.
"This, take it. Use it to cover the cost of this time."
"..."
This flying carpet made a deep impression on Yu Xiaoxiao.
She hadn't expected to obtain it in this way. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then leave it with me for now. When you have money in the future, you can redeem it."
The old man stroked his beard, squinting his small eyes. "Shouldn't the steward be preparing breakfast?"
He had eaten last night's dinner, which was a delicacy he had never tasted before!
Just thinking about it made his mouth water.
The boy woke up, which made Yu Xiaoxiao happy, so she prepared a table full of delicious food for him.
The old man ate eagerly, juggling food with both hands, and the excitement made his beard tremble.
He asked, "Will I still be able to come and eat in the future?"
Yu Xiaoxiao answered, "Yes, but it will be at a cost."
"..."
A tinge of sorrow appeared on the old man's face.
But thinking about the delicious food that couldn't be found in the outside restaurants, he nodded and said, "Okay! Then I'll come four times a day in the future, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a late-night snack."
Yu Xiaoxiao shook her head, "We're closed after ten o'clock."
"Even a loyal customer like me?"
"Yeah, after ten o'clock, only Asstar is available in the restaurant. Oh, if he's in a good mood, he might make you a late-night snack."
"Is his food as delicious?"
"Close enough," Yu Xiaoxiao's face revealed a hint of guilt.
If Asstar didn't get jealous, the food he cooked was still pretty good. Mainly because he was smart, he'd learn quickly.
Yu Xiaoxiao thought of something else and struck while the iron was hot, "If you want to eat all three meals here every day, why not move to the underground city?"
"Our residential area is about to be built. You can choose a house closest to the small restaurant."
"By coming to eat here every day, it's really convenient."
"Besides, with your medical skills, no matter where you go, you won't be short of customers."
The old man lowered his head and drank his soup, his expression thoughtful.
After thinking for a long time, he asked, "What kind of house is it? Is it free for people to live in?"
"Yes, it's free," Yu Xiaoxiao replied. "Of course, you have to pay a little service fee every month."
The underground city covered a vast area, and after the residential area was built, there were all kinds of houses.
The old man really couldn't bear to leave this table of delicious food. He slapped his thigh and said, "Alright! It's settled! I'll move in tomorrow!"
"..." Yu Xiaoxiao hastily said, "The house hasn't been built yet."
"You build it, I'll just make do in your backyard for now." He could share a shed with a unicorn.
Yu Xiaoxiao coughed lightly and said, "Alright, I'll go and prepare a bed for you."
The old man was a famous doctor, and if he was willing to stay in the underground city, it couldn't be better.
After she left, the old man continued to eat the delicious food on the table. Shaking his head, he said, "At my age, I'm still such a glutton. It's really—"
He patted his mouth. What could he do? He even moved his home for the food on this table.
The underground city, the Flame Kingdom?
I'm afraid he and that little guy are the first citizens here!
Yu Xiaoxiao still worried about the little boy, so she went to the backyard again. She brought him a bowl of light porridge.
The little boy's eyes lit up after eating it.
He had come from a small village to the capital of the Kalaya Empire, with little money and eating leftovers.
And the taste was completely different from this.
Slime said, "Little trickster, you're lucky. The cooking of our steward has been personally certified by the third prince!"
"I'm not a little trickster," the boy said firmly. "I haven't deceived you."
Cut.
"Not a little trickster? Selling a broken flying carpet for three hundred thousand?"
"Not a little trickster? Claiming that your father is the greatest master of spells?"
Can the son of a master of spells end up in such a pitiful state, wandering the streets without knowing a single bit of magic?
"What's your name?" Yu Xiaoxiao asked curiously.
The little boy remained silent for a long time.
He said, "I'm an orphan."
An orphan? What a strange name. Yu Xiaoxiao and Slime glanced at each other, wondering what kind of parents would give their child such a name?
The boy asked, "Steward, can I really learn magic?"
"You should, be able to?" She thought for a moment and said, "First, recover from your injuries, and when you've nearly healed, go to the library to look for books on magic."
If it's possible to learn, he should feel it very quickly.
As for finding a master—that was a big problem.
If they were really going to find one, they'd have to find a truly powerful mage. She said, "Victor, go ask Master Roco if there's anyone suitable to recommend."
"Okay." Slime ran off to the flower garden.
It kept its belongings there.
Once the sticky green creature left, the little boy's expression changed slightly. He secretly glanced at the girl who was feeding the unicorn and said softly, "Th-thank you."
Since he could remember, he had been living alone in the most remote small cabin.
Even when he encountered wolves, he could only hide in a barrel and dare not make a sound.
No one would come to help him.
After coming to the capital, he felt even more strongly how insignificant human life was.
This was the most prosperous area of power, where the class differences were more apparent than anywhere else.
For outsiders like them, even if they were killed, it wouldn't cause the slightest stir. If not for the recent diplomatic affairs of several major countries, and the slightly tightened security, he might have already died.
Yu Xiaoxiao stroked the white unicorn in front of her and said, "So, do you want to join our Flame Legion in the underground city? From what I know, there's an age limit for the Legion. If you're under twelve, you can only be in the reserves."
"I... I'm thirteen this year," the little boy said.