Reymond's jaws tightened, and he immediately spoke up.
"No need to be offended. We just got into the city today so my son is a bit curious."
After he spoke, the men's expressions eased slightly out of respect.
"Is that so? Then it's fine." One of them turned to Isaac. "In the Golden generation tournament held three days ago, Kael Veyren dominated his entire generation with his solid strength as a Fourth Grade mage."
"A Fourth Grade mage?" Even Reymond was surprised.
"Old man, I knew you'd be surprised." The young man laughed. "But everyone was shocked too! How could a twelve year old boy be at the Fourth Grade already? Honestly, it made a lot of mages depressed. Their years of effort seemed like waste before Young Master Kael's talent."
Isaac remained silent, his thoughts unknown to them all.
'Someone my age and already at the Fourth Grade? This is truly absurd.'
He could associate his own speedy progress to the fact that he was blessed with infinite mana, but how the hell was this Kael kid even better than him?
Of course it was impossible for him to also possess infinite mana, as that would be too cliche.
The other guy turned to him, a mocking look on his face. "Hear that, kid? Someone your age is already at the Fourth Grade and dominating the stage, while you're here…"
He gazed at Isaac's attire and smiled.
"… manaless."
The last word made Isaac smirk, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he pouted and looked away, as a normal kid would do.
"Wow, that's really impressive." Reymond said, then turned away, ending the conversation there.
He looked at his son, who was struggling to hold his smirk, and laughed.
"Sheesh, and here I thought you were depressed." He said in a low voice.
Isaac shook his head, sighing softly. "Of course not. I'm merely amazed and determined to surpass him."
"To surpass him… you'll have to train even harder."
Worry appeared in Reymond's expression. There was no normal father who would like to see his son go through hardship.
"Don't worry, father. Training more is a piece of cake." Isaac grinned lightly, a carefree expression on his face.
Afterwards, Reymond paid for their meal and they left the restaurant. Of course, Isaac ensured he got one last look at the girl, searing her image into his mind.
'Perhaps I should visit this restaurant whenever I come alone.'
He absolutely couldn't go speak to the girl while his father was watching him.
From there, they moved to the marketplace next. Unlike the village market which was always quite noisy, the market here in Valmere City was sophisticated. The stalls themselves were attractive, with the goods displayed neatly.
"Wow. Isn't that the Red Ginseng root my master said I should get?"
Isaac asked, pointing at a particular stall not far away.
Curious, his father decided to check it out with him.
They approached the stall, then checked the plant materials being sold.
"Oh? It is indeed a Red Ginseng root." Reymond rubbed his beard. He turned to the shop owner and asked.
"Well, how much does a root cost?"
The woman managing the stall answered enthusiastically. "It only costs two silver coins. Cheap, right?"
Isaac's eyes widened. 'Cheap? Two silver coins is cheap? That's twenty bronze coins!'
Reymond meanwhile, raised a brow, "That's cheap. Too cheap and suspicious. Shouldn't Red Ginseng roots be around five silver coins?"
The woman's expression turned ugly. "What do you mean? I'm being generous and you're doubting my goods. Off you go!"
Reymond didn't argue with her, only pulling his son and walking away.
"Why did you say it's too cheap? Isn't it quite costly?" Isaac asked, a bit confused.
"You don't understand." Reymond shook his head. "Things in the city here have more worth than those in the village, so it's expected that they're more costly."
"However, that woman is quite cunning. The Red Ginseng roots she's selling are fake, that's why she wanted to sell them for a lesser price."
"Oh!" Isaac's eyes lit up. "No wonder she was very courteous. She probably wanted to swindle us."
"Aha, you're smart!" Reymond smirked. "Those roots are likely normal roots painted red."
"Tch, damned swindlers." Isaac sneered.
The two moved around the market, checking out different goods Isaac had never seen before. Occasionally, they'd stop to buy a few accessories for his mother as gifts.
"That looks familiar… a magic orb?"
He asked, gesturing at a stall that displayed several small orbs with margical properties.
"Indeed. It's similar to the one your master gave you when he just accepted you as his student." Reymond explained.
"Oh. No wonder it looked familiar." Isaac nodded, his eyes shining.
Reymond noticed the boy's obvious desire to get one, and smiled bitterly. Pulling his hand, they walked towards the shop.
"How much does a small magic orb cost?" He asked the seller.
Giving them a judging look, the man answered. "One gold coin. Can you afford it?"
Isaac gasped, "One gold coin? Fuck! That's expensive."
The two grown men frowned at the strange curse word he shouted, but ignored it.
Sneering, the seller said. "If you can't afford it, get away from my shop… village guys."
His attitude displeased Isaac, and he glared at the man. "Tch. You don't have to be so rude, you old fatty."
"What? You brat—!"
The seller grew angry, his mustache quivering. Before he could say anything, the two quickly left his shop laughing.
"Son, don't provoke people randomly like that. Good thing that man isn't influential."
Reymond cautioned him, though he couldn't hide his own smile.
"I understand, father." Isaac nodded obediently.
The two then continued touring the market, purchasing simple ornaments and pricing goods they couldn't afford or had no intention of buying.
After an hour, they had toured most of the shops and finally bought the Red Ginseng roots at a remote shop for four silver coins.
"Well, where next do you want to show me?" The boy asked curiously.
"Let's head into the inner area of the city. I have a friend who works for the nobles around there."
Reymond said, then led the way.