Gaolin was nothing more than a city with excellent natural defences. It was surrounded on all sides by impassable cliffs, and the only path through it was a dense forest rich in large rock formations. As you can imagine, even if this is not Omasu, and the mages here are not as skilled as those in Shen Guan, the inaccessibility and lack of strategic importance still kept this city intact. All those wealthy families, powerful people and soldiers still lived there only because no one needed them. Nevertheless, there was still security here.
The entrance to the spacious city was guarded by a platoon of soldiers armed with throwing discs for combat situations, which I had used in a recent battle. Now, I approached the gates with a sense of foreboding that something was about to happen. I had never managed to get past the guards without incident; fate always seemed to kick me in the rear, and I still couldn't understand what I needed to solve problems like this. But now... everything was a little different.
"Greetings," the soldiers stretched out strangely when they saw me. My clothes were the same, rags, and the pumpkin was still behind my back, except that I had taken off the mask from my face. "You... you're the Sand Mage, aren't you?"
However, they recognized me for the first time. The soldiers, who were supposed to be on guard and interrogate me, crowded in front of the gate and stared at the pumpkin behind my back like little children. And the flying sand, which I showed just to satisfy their obvious curiosity, caused such delight that goose bumps ran down the bodies of the stern, muscular men.
"You may pass. We have heard of your achievements and victories on the battlefield," I was honestly quite impressed. Was this really the first time that my reputation had actually worked in my favour rather than against me? The warriors looked at me as if I were a true veteran of a brutal battle, with fear and awe. This place instantly earned a special place in my heart.
"Hey, can I ask him to teach my daughter magic?
"Shh, are you crazy? "My keen ears caught that as I passed through the gate." "Didn't you hear? If he touches someone with his hands, that person will instantly lose all moisture in their body. It's his curse — he can never interact normally with people or have students.
"Really? Phew, I almost shook his hand.
"I heard that he saved a group of miners in Omasha.
I had long since grown accustomed to the thick, black, stinking layer of lies that enveloped my image. I was glad that good news occasionally flashed next to my pseudonym and that no one confused me with anyone else, so I could at least try to build up a final image of myself. Without much disappointment, I followed the road deeper into the city, which was made entirely of stone bricks, and began to look around at the happy people, the merchants displaying fresh vegetables on their stalls, and went into a couple of clothing stores. My rags were worn out and soaked with dirt, blood, and smelled of ointments, so it was no surprise that this made me look even dirtier.
"Is this cloak of good quality?" I asked the saleswoman in a beautiful shop made of mirror-polished marble, rubbing the leather garment.
"I'm sorry, but you're unlikely to find anything in our humble shop that will meet your requirements!" Her body trembled like a leaf, and she didn't dare raise her eyes above the floor. She looked at me through her reflection in the floor.
"Yes, I can see it's good, and those trousers would be suitable for hiking too.
"If you say so, then they're good. Everything's good," - yes, perhaps the more I grew, taking on an appearance that could intimidate even seasoned soldiers, the more difficult it became to communicate with ordinary people. Realising that I must look just like Ugolok from the outside, I decided not to strain people with my voice and simply chose a new outfit and a better bag. I had more than enough money from the mine, and I still had enough left to find everything I wanted.
And just as I was walking down a beautiful street, my gaze fell on a pole with posters advertising the Earth Magic Academy, run by Master Yu. I tore off a leaflet and, noticing Afka sticking her snout into my new bag and sniffing the paper, I sighed in disappointment.
"Teacher of the best magicians, the man to whom the richest families turn" — nonsense, of course, I couldn't judge the quality of the school from a single description, just as I couldn't remember the name of the worst master in the canon, I just knew that the first leaflet I came across would lead me to the worst master possible. I simply knew my luck and took full advantage of it. And in general, looking for a teacher here didn't make much sense.
I came to this beautiful, quiet town, whose inhabitants didn't know what war was, for one thing only: brutal fights and fun.
"Um... is it worth it? Won't my image fall to the bottom?
Choose:
1 - Profit above all else (Bet money on your victory and have fun. Enter the arena as the Crystal Knight. You will become a symbol of honour, courage and purity. You will learn how to gain the upper hand in battle)
2 - Mole (The Earth Mages Tournament is for Earth Mages. You can fight using your least developed skill, but you'll get the chance to gain experience. Listen to the earth and develop your seismic sensitivity)
3 - Fear and Respect (One Way Out - defeat the Sand Mage. Rumours about you will spread across the land. Now your image will always work in your favour, and you will inspire only two feelings in people: fear or respect. You will learn what the joy of battle is).
I'm starting to notice a pattern. If the choice involved developing basic earth magic, I avoided it. I kept putting it off and chose something that would improve my life in general. Now the choice was exactly the same. I could finally gain a positive reputation or become a knight in shining armour who would literally capture the hearts of the public. But playing Pai Sho, like the recent attack, taught me something. You have to cover your back and your weak spots. Otherwise, I'll become a Goliath with feet of clay.
***
"Here comes another Earth Mages tournament, and I am your judge, Xing Fu! This is a place where there is no room for rules and whiners, and the prize is a large reward, glory, and the Champion's belt!
In the large amphitheatre built in the bowels of the mountain, there was a stone stage with a presenter. The assembled crowd focused on the upcoming show with silent excitement, and even the first four rows were filled to capacity. For some reason, no one had bought tickets for those seats.
"I am pleased to announce that we will have several newcomers participating today! And as you know, we have a strict policy of warming them up! - The hall erupted in noise that echoed throughout the mountain, and a forest of hands formed. Then a tall, bare-chested man with a rough look entered the ring.
"Glyba is ready to break the newbies' bones! - He planted his feet firmly on the ground, causing it to shake. The participants weren't bothered by the brutality; they were even happy about it. The hosts knew this very well, so they put one of the strongest fighters, who constantly broke the participants, in the ring. Glyba was one of those spine-breakers.
Huge and strong, he was loved and respected.
But when he raised his arms and began to show off his muscles, he didn't notice someone else entering the ring. Silently, without showing off, he stopped with his arms down and waited silently for Glyba to meet his gaze. At that moment, the magician's shoulders shrugged, and his muscles did not look impressive against the background of the newcomer.
In general, there were no restrictions on clothing at the tournament; you could even enter dressed as a fire mage. The only restriction was the use of earth magic. But in order to be completely close to the earth, I refused to wear any of the rags I usually wore. I bared my torso, revealing dozens, hundreds of scars all over my body that were usually hidden by clothing. They were ugly, terrifying, making you tremble at the mere sight of them.
"What are you showing off, boy? Your muscles? - Scratching my back and cracking my neck, I forced my opponent to take a step back," - They're not enough for me.
***
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