Cultivators at the Wizarding Academy

Chapter 96 The Insurmountable Social Class

Wangdu, Third Ring Road.

There are a total of six lanes for both directions.

A not-so-wide road clearly divides poverty and wealth, modernity and primitiveness.

On one side, towering buildings stand tall, while on the other, low-rise brick and tile houses are scattered haphazardly. The further you go, the more backward it becomes.

On the top floor of the Saint-Germain shopping mall, in front of a brightly lit floor-to-ceiling window, a middle-aged man with a full beard stares intently at the easel in front of him.

The painter Augur completed a painting destined to be recorded in history, "The Insurmountable Stratification," which provided important reference and basis for later generations to understand the background of the late Frontier period.

However, at this moment, this unkempt descendant of nobility remains unknown...

"It's very well drawn. I'll bid a gold coin." The bald nobleman, with a pregnant belly and an arm around a voluptuous woman, stepped to Augur's side and clicked his tongue in disapproval.

A gold coin would be an exorbitant price for an ordinary person, but Augur was, after all, a nobleman. He slowly shook his head: "I plan to submit this to the news agency; the painting will not be sold for the time being."

"Oh, that's a real shame!" The bald nobleman had no intention of lingering and was about to leave.

"Your Excellency, do you think there's anything wrong with this painting?" Augur's voice was heavy and hoarse.

"Excellent! I think there's potential for it to appreciate in value." The bald nobleman turned around, his expression puzzled. "Are you changing your mind? I can add another ten silver dollars."

"No!" Augur smiled coldly. "Since you don't think there's anything wrong with it, that's good..."

"What a strange man!" The bald nobleman shook his head and left with the alluring woman in his arms.

Augur carefully framed his painting until it was completely finished, then wiped the sweat from his brow. Completing a work he was satisfied with filled him with an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

Suddenly, his smile froze on his face. A strong sense of class division welled up in his heart, like the contrast between heaven and hell.

The gap between ordinary people and the upper class has widened to the point where they can no longer understand each other, as if they were two different species.

A volcano that has been brewing for a long time will erupt sooner or later. Those with keen insight have already sensed it…

East of the city, Gray Mouse Lane.

The outer city was a notorious large slum, with narrow roads lined with low shacks or mud houses. The environment was filthy and chaotic, with sewage flowing everywhere and a faint sour stench permeating the air year-round.

The Gus family was one of the wealthier families, living in a rare brick house, a three-story building with a public well not far from their doorstep, and their home was lit by magic lamps.

Although far from being as wealthy as the nobility, their lives were much better than those of the common people. This was all thanks to Gus's father, Fane, who was the foreman of a dozen laborers and earned at least twenty silver dollars a month. While this was more than enough to support the family, it was difficult to afford the expenses of his son's martial arts training.

The saying "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" is not a joke.

The expenses of martial arts resources are a burden even for some minor nobles. For commoners to rise in status, the only viable path is to awaken their talents and become a genius…

As Gus runs, his eyes are constantly fixed on the ground in front of him. If he is not careful, he will step on a suspicious object with his shoes. It is a great challenge to his eyesight and reaction speed.

As I approached my doorstep, I relaxed a little, but I still inadvertently fell for the trap.

Frustrated, Gus kept rubbing the ground with the soles of his shoes, stained his brand-new boots. He went to the well, picked up a bucket of water, and poured it on his feet.

The environment of the poorest area in the east of the city, which is almost unmanaged, can only be described as terrible. It lacks a sewer system, and sewage overflows everywhere when it rains. Even garbage disposal fees are often not collected.

Toilets are a luxury.

Many inconsiderate neighbors like to throw filth directly into the middle of the road, competing to see who has the lowest level of civility.

If it weren't for the pressure of making a living, Fein would have moved to the much cleaner western part of the city long ago.

"Brother! You're back..."

The girl, with her quiet demeanor and black hair, was slender and thin, with a clean oval face and delicate features, possessing an attractive appearance.

"Little fish!" Gus greeted him with a smile, taking a book out of his coat pocket and placing it on the square table.

He has two younger sisters. The older sister, Ye Zi, is fourteen years old this year. She has a lively personality and likes to run around everywhere. Her parents can't control her and she is a well-known wild girl in Rat Lane.

My second younger sister, Xiaoyu, is twelve years old. She's introverted and mostly stays home, rarely going anywhere. She enjoys reading all sorts of books and has taught herself to read and write, as well as basic arithmetic. She's currently learning to draw inscriptions. Occasionally, she gets some odd jobs doing calligraphy and painting, earning a little extra income.

Gus preferred Xiaoyu from the bottom of his heart, not only because she was prettier and took the initiative to do housework, but also because he admired her for being well-behaved and obedient.

Able to endure loneliness, never lost or confused, and never picked up any bad habits...

"I've made a lot of money lately. Is there anything you want? I can buy it for you." Gus sat calmly on the bench by the square table, his hand supporting his chin.

Little Fish, holding a brush, knelt down to help clean the mud off the boots: "No need! Just bring me a book every day when you come back..."

"No problem!" Gus readily agreed.

There are book rental shops in Rat Lane, mostly selling chivalric novels, romance novels, or supernatural tales and comics from various countries. He also enjoys reading them and always goes to rent them as soon as a new book is published.

Inside the kitchen, the mother, dressed in white, was busy cooking.

My son Guss finally came home for the weekend, so naturally there was plenty of meat. A pot of simmering beef bone soup was our dinner, and the living room was filled with the aroma of spices.

The sun gradually sank below the horizon.

Fenn returned home from work with a joyful expression. Business was booming due to the snow. Even with a slight price increase, customers didn't object, pouring out loose copper pennies from their purses, some of which gleamed with silver.

"Honey, we've run out of potatoes at home. Bring some back tomorrow." Bai Sha said, head bowed, as she used a pestle and mortar to press the steamed potatoes hard on a stone.

"Okay, remind me again later." Finn leaned back leisurely in the bamboo rattan chair, letting his daughter help him take off his boots, and casually picked up the newspaper from the wooden coffee table on the side.

He might rewatch jokes from a few days ago; they're one of his few sources of amusement. Besides that, he listens to various programs.

He pressed the buttons on the radio, constantly changing channels. He listened to the weather forecast every day without fail, as it was related to tomorrow's work. Secondly, Finn enjoyed listening to talk shows.

Unfortunately, I can only listen for two hours each night, and charging the energy storage crystal is a considerable expense.

(End of this chapter)