Whether it was day or night, the Moon City Harbor was always bustling. Dozens of sailships arrived and departed through the Aurei River every day, bringing with them countless trading goods from the other kingdoms in the Southern Federation.
The sailors and the dock workers worked tirelessly as they carried crates of goods back and forth. Amidst the laborious environment, Adam led the twins to a particular pub located near the Lunar Bridge.
"Ugh, so stinky!" Atiel covered her nose with a pink napkin. She looked at Adam and complained, "Where are you taking us? It's so dirty in here."
"Hah? Get used to it. Did you think the rest of the world would be as pristine as the Baja High Forest?" Adam rolled his eyes as he made his way through the crowd.
The twins' complaints fell on deaf ears. Soon, they reached a pub named Drunken Siren.
When they entered the pub, the twins were quite surprised to see that the sparse customers inside seemed to be quite decently clothed despite the not-so-decent location of the pub.
Adam went straight to the bartender and greeted, "Evening, Choji. I'm bringing these two with me."
"Oh, Adam, it's you." The portly bartender laughed welcomingly. Then he looked at the twin elves and nodded. "Very well. As long as they're your friends they can enter the Lane."
Adam tossed a gold coin at him and walked past the bar counter toward the back door. He turned around and instructed the twins, "What're you waiting for?"
"Y-Yeah!" Daneli grabbed Atiel's arm and followed after Adam. This whole exchange between Adam and the bartender seemed very shady to them.
After exiting through the backdoor, the trio arrived at a silent alley. Seeing Adam walk toward a dead end, Daneli couldn't help but scoff, "Don't tell me you're lost?"
"Heh!" Adam smirked. He walked toward the end of the alley and then pressed a few bricks on the wall. Following that, he weaved a series of hand signs. After everything was complete, the unassuming wall started to rumble.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})The twins were shocked!
Soon, the walls parted and formed an archway. Daneli and Atiel's jaws had dropped. Adam saw this and chuckled. "Well, don't just stand there. Let's go!"
The twins followed after Adam in a daze. After walking only a short distance through the wall, they were greeted with a magical scene.
They saw a wide lane with medieval-styled houses on both sides. Moreover, these buildings didn't stand straight, instead, they appeared crooked. Despite that, they were perfectly sturdy. Furthermore, some buildings even had bizarre shapes.
The entire place was lit up by countless candles that hovered a few meters above all the buildings. Above the candles, one could see multi-colored clouds churning. Of course, this was a product of magic.
One could see countless Magi walking through this wide-lane. Other than them, many magical creatures—their familiars—were also present.
As the trio stepped foot on the crowded cobblestoned lane, the archway behind them mended back together and formed a wall again.
"Welcome to Mystic Lane!" Adam smiled.
The twins' eyes were shining with wonder and awe. Atiel asked excitedly, "What is this place?"
"It's a small neighborhood that is only accessible to the Clover Academy students and faculty," Adam explained as he led them through the crowd. "Well, that and their friends of course."
As they walked through the lane, the twins saw all kinds of shops on each side. There were restaurants, cafes, clothing stores, bookstores, and much more. There were even stalls set up by students on the sidewalk.
"It truly is a magical place." Adam continued. "Even though such a neighborhood clearly exists in the city, you won't find any traces of it on the outside. It is rumored that the first headmaster of Clover Academy built this place."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Interesting!" Daneli was enamored. "So it's sort of like a secret plane, huh?"
Adam rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, I never thought of it from that angle. But I guess you could say that."
Atiel ran around the two of them like an excited fawn, "This place is amazing! Where are you taking us next? Is it the Magus clothing store? Or that ice cream parlor in the distance?"
Seeing the elven girl act like a child, Adam chuckled. "My friends are waiting for us at a restaurant. I'll introduce you to them. But before that, I need to take care of some business."
Adam led them to a particular building that was shaped like a giant, black cauldron. Over the entrance, the signage board read: Macmiller's Apothecary.
As soon as the trio entered the store, the owner, a fifth-year student with brown hair and eyes of the same color, rushed out and greeted Adam enthusiastically, "Oh my dear golden goose, Adam! What kind of eggs are you laying today?"
Adam shook the owner's hand even more enthusiastically. "Kekeke, Mac! I've brewed loads of potions for you this time."
Then they walked toward the counter. A large wooden chest appeared out of Adam's earring. The youth opened the lid and said, "I've got Potions of Healing, Potions of Strength, four different types of antidotes, Potions of Explosions, Potions of Freezing, and finally…"
Mac looked at Adam with expectant eyes. The latter continued after some built-up suspense, "My new product, the Rising Dragon! Muahahaha!"
"Nice!" Mac cheered enthusiastically. He grabbed the vial containing the yellow potion and asked, "But what does this do?"
Adam replied with a mischievous grin, "This is for your male customers only. It will guarantee you five hours of explosive performance in bed!"
"Ohhh!!" Mac's eyes had already turned into platinum coins. "Those old Magi will gobble these potions up. It'll sell for an exorbitant price."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Adam and Mac continued to deviously plan how to sell these 'performance-enhancing potions', meanwhile, Daneli and Atiel were looking at them with a dumbfounded expression.
After the transaction took place and Mac handed Adam a large bag of gold coins, the trio left the apothecary. Adam was in an extremely happy mood as his coffers grew yet again.
Although the price at which he sold the potions to Mac was lower than those he sold to Berger, he still made a great profit out of it. After all, the ingredients that he bought from Mac were also substantially lower than the ones he bought from Berger.
The prices in the apothecary were lower because it catered to the students of the academy. So Adam decided to conduct all his business here itself.
Moreover, Mac's Apothecary was a certified store in Mystic Lane. All stores that could afford to rent buildings here were well-trusted. It was a win-win for both Adam and Mac.
Plus, Berger also didn't mind Adam buying ingredients and selling his potions here.
"Adam, you're a Herbalist?" Daneli asked him curiously.
"That's right!" Adam smiled like a shady businessman and said, "If you ever need anything, and I mean anything, just tell me, okay? I'll give you a good discount~"
Seeing the crazy smile on his face, Daneli shuddered. "I-I'll think about it."
"Kekeke, think, think. You must think hard." Adam turned around and walked with his hands behind his head, his expression extremely merry.
"Adam, here!" Suddenly a loud voice called out to him from a distance.
The youth turned his head and saw people waving at him. They were gathered at a street-side seating area right outside a building that resembled a giant mushroom.
Adam beamed and led the twins to the restaurant. "Let's go. My friends are there!"
