Silas checked his phone during the night. He didn't like the idea of using it in front of others, so he always used it inside his house or in private places.
He just wanted to see if anything had changed with the phone. There was something he noticed that made him worry: the phone had a battery level.
Back in his old world, a phone having a battery was normal, but in that fantasy world? How could he even recharge that?
The phone looked different from a normal one, so it might be different to recharge it! Silas hoped he would find a way to recharge it in the near future.
It still had 98% of battery, as he was barely using it, so that wasn't a problem for the moment.
What he wanted to do first was open his shop and get the first quest done. If he succeeded, well, that would grant him 100k, which was pretty nice.
Anyway, on the following day, Silas, Vince, and Meredith left the village.
They left during the early hours using a carriage provided by the village chief.
The village chief went with them! He had to return to the city with the luxurious pelts for the nobles, and he wanted to make sure his son arrived in one piece, so of course he went with them.
Silas liked the idea of having everyone around. He had the magical ring he bought using his system—the protective one—but it was always better to have more people with him to help in case he needed to fight against magical beasts.
The world was unsafe. Anyone traveling from point A to B knew it was common to get attacked by monsters or even other people.
Inside the carriage, Vince talked with Silas.
"I really wish you could use magic to go to that magic academy with me," Vince said, "it feels weird not to know anyone there."
"You'll be okay, don't worry," Silas said, "do you know if you can leave the school or not? If you can, we can always hang out."
"I think students are allowed to leave during the weekends, but I'll have to check once I'm there."
The students would be really busy during the week with their studies, and would probably be busy with it during weekends too! Silas strongly believed that he and Vince wouldn't have that much time to see each other.
Also, Silas wanted to focus on getting his shop done, and not just that, but make his shop thrive as well! He wanted to get more and more money, as that was basically power to him!
Meredith was sitting right beside Silas. She looked worried.
"Why are you heading to the city? I thought you didn't get the job."
She remembered the day Silas didn't pass the scribe test. She cried with him.
"I didn't get it, but I have other plans, don't worry," Silas said.
Even with him telling her that, Meredith was still worried about him. A big city like the one they were heading to had a lot of people with not-so-good intentions.
Bandits and people linked to shady business. It was not uncommon for people to go missing—especially the poor. People wouldn't even miss it if Silas went missing.
That was what she feared. Deep down, Meredith was happy that she planned on staying in the city with him. At least that way, she could always keep an eye on him to make sure he was alright.
The city they were heading to was called New Castle. It was one of the most important cities in the kingdom—a major hub for buying and selling goods, and home to several prestigious magic academies.
Silas was excited to open his shop there. Out of all the cities in the kingdom, this was one of the best places to start a business.
Of course, that also meant it was one of the most expensive. Getting a license and finding a place to rent or buy would cost a small fortune. In other words, Silas was going to need to spend quite a bit of money to reach his first goal.
Luckily, money was something he had plenty of…
And just like that, a week passed. It took some time to reach New Castle. Fortunately, they didn't run into much trouble along the way—just a few magical beasts, which Meredith took care of with ease.
At one point, Vince wanted to show off his spells against one of them, but his father quickly shut that down.
"Don't even think about playing the hero," he told Vince.
Silas didn't need to lift a finger. He just relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Part of him wanted to at least test his magic item—the protective ring—but the beasts didn't even get close to touching him. And even if they had, he wouldn't have taken any damage.
He chatted with Meredith during the trip and learned that tier 2 spells were considered decent. The spell Vince had shown earlier wasn't even tier 1 yet!
Based on Silas's calculations, his ring could protect him from spells cast by mages in their second or third year of school. That was pretty solid for a beginner item. With time, the equipment he had access to would only get better—much better.
Anyway, Silas was thrilled when they finally arrived in the city. It was his first time seeing New Castle in person! The old Silas had been there before, sure—but having a memory of it wasn't the same as experiencing it for himself.
They stopped the carriage at a stable, where a group of guards came to greet them and take care of everything. Vince's father was wealthy and well-connected, so of course he could afford to leave the carriage in a secure place.
After that, he and Vince headed straight to the magic academy to finalize everything before classes started. Meredith had to go there too!
That's when Silas found out—she was going to be one of the new professors at the academy. The very same one Vince would be attending. It was the best school in the entire region.
Before leaving, Meredith handed him a leather purse filled with coins.
"This should be enough to cover your rent and food for at least six months. After that, it's up to you."
Silas thought about refusing it, but he knew Meredith. There was no way she'd leave without making sure he had what he needed to get started.
"Thank you," he said.
They hugged and parted ways. Just like that, Silas was alone in the city of New Castle.
Now it was time to build his empire—and become one of the most influential people in the kingdom.