Melee Mage

Chapter 9: First Business Venture

In fact, it was quite simple. Adrian merged magic and water flow together, using the combination of magic and water to outline the pattern of the magic circle. The magic that was integrated with the water had no issue of dissipating. Moreover, with the effect of water, the spell of moisturization worked surprisingly well. After all, the spell of moisturization was the most representative spell in water magic and had the deepest connection with water.

While others used magic crystals to store magic circles, Adrian used the water flow he was most accustomed to. This resolved the issue of needing a wand. From now on, Adrian no longer needed a wand; he only needed his bare hands to draw any water-based magic circle.

The daily schedule at the Holy Light Academy was six days of classes per week, with the last day being Sunday. Except for the mandatory church service, students were free to allocate their time.

In the Holy Light Empire, they worshipped the God of Light. Every seventh day of the week, it was mandatory for everyone to attend church service, seeking the blessings of the God of Light. Therefore, Sunday was the liveliest day in the entire city. Everyone had to go to the church for worship, hoping to receive the blessings of the God of Light.

As the day was just breaking, Adrian and his mother went out. His mother had to complete the church service as early as possible when there were fewer people, and then she had to go to work. Although her job was difficult, it was hard-earned, so his mother cherished it greatly.

After the church service, Adrian and his mother parted ways in front of the church. Watching his mother's hurried figure disappearing, Adrian couldn't help but feel excited. Today was the day he would verify what the lecturer had said. Taking advantage of the liveliness of Sunday, he planned to set up his own stall in the busiest area, just as the teacher had suggested.

He quickly ran back home and took out the prepared white cloth. Several lines of large letters were already written on it. Once he hung them up, Adrian could start his business.

On the huge white cloth, Adrian wrote the following: "Thanks for the blessings of the God of Light. Adrian from the Holy Light Academy offers free moisturization for ladies. A symbolic fee of one gold coin for lunch."

Looking at the words on the large white cloth, to be honest, Adrian felt quite nervous. According to what the teacher said, a water mage should charge at least 100 gold coins for moisturizing someone. But in Adrian's opinion, how could such a small and easily cast spell be worth so much money? Even if he only charged one gold coin, Adrian felt it was a bit exaggerated. After all, one gold coin was not a small amount. It could buy ten kilograms of meat! His mother only earned one gold coin after a hard day's work.

"But..." Adrian gritted his teeth suddenly and decided to believe the teacher's words. Since the teacher said that being a mage was a noble profession, then charging one gold coin could definitely be considered a voluntary service. Unless the teacher was deceiving him, but that seemed highly unlikely. The teacher had earned Adrian's trust.

Close to noon, Adrian finally set up his white canopy on Holy Light Street, creating a space of about 10 square meters. Inside the space, Adrian sat on a wooden chair he had brought from home, wearing a brand new uniform, the standardized attire of Holy Light Academy. Although it was not a luxurious outfit, the clothing represented a noble status and position. Those who could wear this uniform would undoubtedly have a promising future.

Nervously sitting on the chair, Adrian couldn't be sure if anyone would come in. Subconsciously, he adjusted his clothes, even though they were already perfectly smooth and wrinkle-free. However, Adrian couldn't stop fidgeting with his clothes. If he didn't find something to do, he feared he might run away.

The large white canopy quickly caught the attention of the crowd, especially the writings on it, which aroused curiosity. Would someone really voluntarily provide moisturizing services for everyone?

Don't think that moisturizing services are worthless. In the Holy Light Empire, there were at most a few thousand people who could successfully perform moisturizing services, and the majority of them were either wealthy or noble. It was a dream to expect them to provide moisturizing services for others.

In the Holy Light Empire, with a population of 500 million women, there were less than 100 who were willing to provide moisturizing services for others. These moisturizing practitioners had just graduated from Holy Light, and their status was temporarily low. Once they grew a little and obtained their own status and position, they would no longer provide moisturizing services for others. It would be too embarrassing and they wouldn't be able to show their faces in public.

Adrian knew that if he had his own status and position, he couldn't continue doing this. Even if he wanted to, the royal family that granted him rights and position wouldn't tolerate such behavior. If it was for money, there were many other professions that were more profitable and respectable.

"Hey!" Lost in his thoughts, Adrian completely failed to notice a fiery figure silently entering the white canopy until the person spoke, startling him awake.

Surprised, Adrian looked across and saw a girl with fiery red hair and dressed in a red outfit, curiously staring at him.

As Adrian observed, the girl in red expressed her doubts, "How could it be a boy? Are you sure you're from Holy Light? And can you perform moisturizing services?"

Awkwardly nodding, Adrian knew what the girl in red was thinking, but despite the awkwardness, he had to answer her questions. Otherwise, how could he do business?

Struggling to calm himself, Adrian calmly replied, "Do you really doubt it? If I'm not from Holy Light, how could I possibly perform moisturizing services? And if I can't perform moisturizing services, why would I be here?"

"Um..." After a moment of hesitation, the girl couldn't resist her inner longing any longer and sat down on the chair opposite Adrian, eagerly saying, "Never mind, regardless, please moisturize my skin quickly. This week's training has been so intense, and my skin has become rough!"

Listening to the girl's words, Adrian couldn't help but look at her face. Upon seeing it, Adrian furrowed his brow. The girl had a beautiful face, but her skin was extremely dry. Fine lines of dryness had even appeared on her delicate cheeks, and her fiery red hair, though vibrant in color, looked lifeless and dull, resembling a withered grass.

Judging from the color of her hair and clothes, she was likely a fire-based warrior or mage. Daily training involving frequent contact with flames would undoubtedly ravage the skin of a fire-based girl, making it the most damaged and in need of moisturization. No wonder she was the first to come in; she must have longed for someone to moisturize her.

After observing for a while, Adrian didn't say much. He took a deep breath and gently pointed his right index finger, causing a soft blue light to glow. Accompanied by Adrian's graceful hand movements, a palm-sized and mysterious magic array appeared smoothly in front of him.

"Hiss..." With a slight sound, a fine mist of rain gently descended upon the girl with red hair. Along with the mist, her dry hair gradually regained its vitality and luster, while her facial skin started to exhibit a moist and radiant color.

Performing a moisturizing spell wasn't particularly complicated. It took about four or five seconds to cast, and its effects lasted for a similar duration. In total, ten seconds were enough. But as the instructors had said, the results were as miraculous as if they were bestowed by a god.

If the red-clad girl before moisturization resembled a dry, yellowed grassland in autumn, then after the moisturization, she looked like a lush green field freshly rejuvenated by spring rain. The shimmering dew on the wild grass appeared so fresh and moisturized that one could almost sense it just by looking with their eyes. That was the wonder of moisturization!

Looking at the girl's face, which had transformed from dry and cracked to rosy and tender, Adrian couldn't help but be momentarily mesmerized. The difference before and after moisturization was truly significant, especially the sensation of moistness and smoothness. Without even touching, it seemed palpable to the eyes. That was the magic of moisturization!

The girl in red was indeed beautiful, there was no doubt about it. But...before moisturization, if she could be considered an 80 out of 100 in terms of beauty, after moisturization, she had already surpassed 100 and reached the pinnacle of imperial-level beauty. Even eight-year-old Adrian couldn't help but be secretly captivated by her bashful and alluring appearance.

Receiving the mirror handed to her by Adrian, the girl trembled as she caressed her own face, unable to believe the beauty of her skin and hair.

Observing the girl's excited expression, Adrian was also secretly delighted. Helping others was always a pleasant thing to do. With a faint smile, Adrian whispered, "Let me clarify in advance, my magical power is still very low. So, this moisturizing spell can only last for a week. After a week, the moisturizing energy will be depleted."

Completely disregarding Adrian's words, the girl casually took out a handful of gold coins, around six or seven, and handed them over to Adrian without even looking, eagerly saying, "Even if it can only last for a day, it's worth it. You go ahead and work. I need to hurry back and show my sisters, let them know who the most beautiful fire-based girl is!" After speaking, the girl darted out of the canopy as if fleeing, quickly disappearing into the distance.