Reincarnated as a bamboo rat, it begins its extreme survival struggle.

When Edu asked about the price, the vendor behind the pumpkin held up five fingers.

This stuff isn't cheap. If it were replaced with regular bread, or if you bought groceries and cooked for yourself, this pumpkin would be enough for Edu to eat for two months.

The crop known as the iron-skinned pumpkin is quite famous among life-related professions.

For farmers, the Iron Squid is a magical crop that can be easily cultivated, introduced by the Agricultural Guild. Farmers who have passed the intermediate professional certification have basically all dealt with the Iron Squid.

For chefs, this is something they are even more familiar with. The test for apprentice chefs to be promoted to junior chefs is to cook iron-skinned pumpkin. Countless chefs have been tormented by iron-skinned pumpkin in order to achieve this level of certification.

After all, this thing weighs over a hundred pounds and is as hard as iron. There was once a low-level chef who specialized in cooking iron-skinned pumpkins. After cooking for ten years, his chef level didn't increase, but he did pass the low-level warrior assessment.

"Let's go, kid. Let's not even talk about whether you can afford this stuff. Even if you do buy it, you don't have the skills to cook these pumpkins. You'll need to hire a professional chef to cook these iron-skinned pumpkins."

Sabir offered his advice, saying that he could tell from Edu's clothes and manner of doing things that the boy was not a rich and noble young master.

It would be foolish to try to appear wealthy by buying a heavy pumpkin that you'll never use, thus making your life difficult and stressful.

"Well... let's figure something out after we buy it. If I don't buy this pumpkin, he probably won't go home."

Unable to think of a reply for a moment, Edu pointed at Bell, who was jumping excitedly onto the tin pumpkin, and said this very sincerely.

He wasn't lying; he genuinely felt that he should buy the pumpkin for Bell.

After all, Bell would tell him to keep an eye on the pumpkins in the market almost every day, especially the really big ones.

Edu didn't understand why Bell kept buying pumpkins, but since Bell was always looking for them, they must be very important to him.

"Uh, just for a bald rat? You're really something."

There are often strange people among adventurers, but someone as strange as Edu is truly rare.

Sabir found that he, who was usually very good at judging people, suddenly couldn't see through the true nature of this little guy, Edu.

Seeing Edu pull out three gold coins from his pocket and buy six iron pumpkins, Sabir remained silent for a moment, then asked Edu:

"Hey kid, are you free tonight?"

"What's wrong, Mr. Sabir?"

To

I wrote my address to the owner of the tin pumpkin shop. Knowing that his product was difficult to carry around, the owner offered a home delivery service.

"I'd like to invite you to dinner tonight at the trade fair; I'll bring some fine wine."

"what?!"

Edu was completely bewildered. He didn't know why this old gentleman, whom he had just met, would suddenly suggest having dinner with him.

But he didn't really have any plans for the night. After a moment of surprise, he nodded and arranged a place to meet Sabir that evening.

Sabir made it very clear that he was inviting Edu to dinner without Edu having to pay anything in return.

"Okay, see you tonight. I need to go back and process the brewing materials I got today."

As noon approached, Sabir and Edu parted ways outside the agricultural fair.

Sabir needs to quickly process these magical brewing ingredients, while Edu needs to prepare to enroll at the music academy.

"Mr. Bell, do you know why Mr. Sabir invited me to dinner?"

Edu asked Bell, still completely baffled by Sabir's invitation.

"Who knows? Maybe he's taken a liking to you and wants to marry his granddaughter to you."

“Mr. Bell, please stop teasing me like Mr. Sabir did.”

Scratching his head, Edu was still dizzy.

But in Bell's mind, he had a rough guess as to why Sabir had invited Edu to dinner.

Even before Sabir and Edu started chatting, Bell had already scanned Sabir's body with [Information Insight].

Sabir Tyson

Race: Demi-human

grade:

Health:

Mental strength:

magic:

Occupation: [Senior Brewer]

Skills: [Subtle Perception], [Characteristic Disguise]

Sabir was a demi-human, which is why he held a great deal of goodwill towards Edu.

Although Sabil's level is high, as a non-combat professional, his physical attributes are not particularly strong. In actual combat, Bell can crush him without using shadows or pixel items.

However, the value of a life skills profession is not reflected in combat power. As a senior brewer, Sabir is able to brew wines with extraordinary effects.

This made it easy for him to become a guest of honor for major powers.

“I’ll go with you tonight, but there’s a high chance we won’t talk or communicate. Be careful then. This old man is no ordinary person. If he really takes a liking to you and wants to give you one of his granddaughters or something, you can definitely avoid twenty years of detours.”

What does it mean to avoid taking twenty years of detours?

Edu would often fall into a long period of thought because of the words Bell throws out, but as long as Bell explains them a little, he would suddenly understand.

"It's like being a kept man, well, how should I put it, it's like being supported by boys and girls."

"I don't want to be a kept man; I want to rely on myself!"

"I thought the same way you did back then, but then I realized that rice tastes better when it's cooked a little softer..."

After chatting with Bell along the way, Edu ate lunch by the roadside and headed straight for the north of Azure Star City.

This is home to a series of advanced vocational training institutions, including a music academy, as well as various administrative facilities of Cangxing City.

"Ugh... This music academy is as frighteningly small as your bards' guild."

Standing at the entrance of the music academy, Bell covered his forehead, indicating a headache.

Because this so-called music academy was far from what he had imagined. It did not resemble a prestigious institution of higher learning at all, but rather looked like a two-story building with a courtyard.

Chapter 104 The Girl Playing the Violin

"I now seriously doubt whether this music academy even has a proper library."

"It will be available, after all, it's been running for so many years, and it's said to have collected the notes of many high-ranking bards."

Taking a deep breath, Edu straightened his collar and stepped into the music academy with utmost reverence.

At this time, Bell also used his strong mental strength to sense that the music academy was different from the outside world.

"interesting."

Bell muttered something to himself and looked up at the sky.

Outside the music academy, an unseen magical force rises and flows upwards, eventually weaving into a semi-circular barrier.

This magic emanates from underground, gathers twenty meters directly above the music academy's courtyard, and then spreads throughout the academy, somewhat like an air conditioner.

"This magical barrier can block external perception, while simultaneously making the magical concentration inside the barrier higher than outside, and it also seems to have a calming effect on the mind..."

Such a simple magical barrier is not easy to set up; it requires a mage specializing in this art to install and build, and it is quite expensive.

Looking at it this way, this music academy is much better than that dilapidated bard's guild.

"With this magic barrier, the tuition fee wasn't a complete waste."

Nodding slightly, Bell felt a strong urge to wander around the music academy, wanting to trace the origins of the magic barrier by following the convergence of various magical forces.

At that time, regardless of Edu's learning outcomes, it will definitely be a win-win situation for Bale.

However, he needs to spend a few days getting to know Eduardo at the music academy before he can avoid being chased around like a rat in the street.

"Mr. Bell, listen—"

Instead of focusing on the changes in magic, Bell, who was not so sensitive to magic, was drawn to a soothing sound.

Following the sound, Edu and Bell simultaneously turned their gaze toward the small courtyard of the music academy.

Under the maple tree in the center of the courtyard, a girl with long, black hair was engrossed in playing music, her white dress swaying as she pulled the bowstring.

As Edu watched, he suddenly froze.

Don't get me wrong, it's not because he's found love. This guy is usually smart, but he's particularly clueless when it comes to this.

"Mr. Bell, look! That's a very high-class magical musical instrument!"

Edu's gaze precisely bypassed the girl's delicate face, which still had a childlike innocence but already possessed a defined shape. His eyes passed through her fair wrists and slender fingers, locking onto the violin that the girl was holding on her shoulder.

The violin has soft lines, and its smooth, deep red surface shows that its owner cherished it very much. The neck is secured by several gold tuning pegs, its bow is black and made of horsehair, and its strings consist of four metal strings secured by a gold knob.

Even without using his mental power, Bell could feel the harmonious magical flow emanating from the violin.

The young girl playing didn't use any magic; she was simply practicing the techniques. However, the violin's inherent magic allowed her to bring out the beauty of her music.

The performance was quite good.

Bell and Edu stood at the doorway, listening to the light and melodious music coming from under the maple tree until the performance ended.