Chapter Forty-Seven: Flying Apparatus

Seeing the young girl, both terrified and gathering her courage to chase after him, Chu Yun couldn’t help but feel a spark of interest.

“What are these unique alchemical products you speak of? If you can really produce them, money shouldn’t be an issue,” Chu Yun stopped and turned to ask.

The girl hurriedly pulled a map from her backpack with practiced ease and replied, “This is a Magiweb Map. Unlike ordinary maps, once activated with mental energy, it marks your position on the map. It’s very practical—you never have to worry about getting lost!”

“Interesting. Let me have a look.” Chu Yun took the map and began to test it.

The principle behind the map was simple: it used key points in the Magiweb as nodes to establish a coordinate system. When a mage connected their mind to the web, it would retrieve the corresponding coordinates, thus determining their relative position on the map.

It was clear that this alchemist named Lysa had made Blackstone City one of the key nodes, with two others located in populous cities teeming with mages.

“The positioning isn’t very accurate, is it?” Chu Yun quickly spotted the flaw. Though it did place him in Blackstone City, the accuracy was off by at least a hundred meters.

“This is still a work in progress. The accuracy isn’t high, but it’s more than enough for use in the wilderness. Combined with the map’s markings, you can easily figure out where you are,” the girl rushed to explain, afraid Chu Yun would be dissatisfied.

Chu Yun shook his head. Most people traveling in the wild have a clear purpose, and with experience, using the sun, moon, and stars, they rarely get lost. Only when venturing into unexplored, dangerous regions might such a tool be useful. Worse still, the Magiweb Map required a mage to connect with the web to determine their position—meaningless for ordinary adventurers.

“How much for a map?”

Though Chu Yun wasn’t impressed, this map was almost tailor-made for him. He was unfamiliar with the continent and could barely read traditional maps; a positioning device would be a great convenience.

“F-Fifty gold coins,” the girl stammered, a little embarrassed.

Chu Yun hissed through his teeth—even with money to spare, the price startled him. He estimated the cost at no more than two gold coins; he might have considered it at five, but fifty was daylight robbery.

“Miss Lysa said the research costs were high, so we have to sell it at a higher price initially to recoup our investment…”

“How many have you sold?”

“O-Only one…”

“Who bought it?”

Chu Yun guessed this one was likely a purchase out of friendship. Could people in this world really have so much money to burn?

“N-None, actually… Not a single one yet.” The girl looked even more embarrassed.

“Farewell.” Without a backward glance, Chu Yun turned to leave.

The girl hurried after him, calling out, “There’s more! Miss Lysa has also developed a device—wings for flight!”

Chu Yun stopped in his tracks again. He couldn’t help it; the things she mentioned did pique his curiosity.

“How many of those have you sold?” This time, he asked about sales with a hint of caution.

“That’s… still in development. Miss Lysa has run out of funds. But I heard her say that with the hide of a large flying beast, it could even float in the air for long periods.”

“Currently, she uses flying squirrel hide. It can’t hover, but I saw Miss Lysa jump from a mountain and land unharmed! I swear on my life it’s true!”

“I saw your auction item earlier, and heard the appraiser’s introduction, which is why I wanted to seek your help. It’s not just for investment.”

“Flight wings… now that does sound interesting.” Chu Yun still had plenty of Thunderwater Ray hide in reserve; perhaps he could give it a try?

To Chu Yun, the value of flight wings was immense—not just for use in the real world, but in the Mirror World as well.

“Where is she? Is it far from here? And what is your lady’s family name?” Chu Yun continued.

The girl sensed his interest and, both relieved and a little apprehensive, answered honestly, “Miss Lysa is the daughter of Viscount Carl.”

Even Chu Yun was taken aback at the name.

He’d seen Viscount Carl in Rocktown—a cold-blooded and ruthless lord, with a tiefling steward who was a veritable monster. For Lysa to have run away from such a family took real courage.

“The lord actually cares a lot for Miss Lysa. He forbids anyone to help her, but whenever someone tries to harm her, they always end up dealt with in the shadows.”

“You are a distinguished mage. If it’s just regular business, there won’t be any trouble.”

Recently, Carl had gone to Rocktown to handle the Shivana affair and was unlikely to return to Blackstone City soon. Even if he did, Chu Yun, with his ability to enter the Mirror World, had little to fear. And as the girl said, Carl wouldn’t make trouble over something so minor—otherwise, no magic shop would dare sell to Lysa.

“I’ll take you to her. If you provide the materials, I’m sure Miss Lysa would be happy to make you a set of wings for free.”

In the end, Chu Yun decided to take a look. The allure of a magical device for flight was too great. The leap from infantry to air force was a long one if he relied solely on magic.

He led the girl to his carriage. She eyed the mirror inside with some curiosity; Chu Yun didn’t seem like someone who cared for makeup.

“It’s a mage’s meditation tool. Where is your lady’s workshop?” Chu Yun didn’t mind her noticing the decor. In this world, every mage was a little eccentric—a minor quirk like this was nothing.

The girl answered awkwardly, “The slums… To save costs, Miss Lysa’s workshop is currently in the slums. But don’t worry, the slums are now safe and clean.”

Since Lysa had set up her alchemy workshop there, the area’s security had improved dramatically, and the city had increased sanitation efforts. The ordinary residents there were deeply grateful to Lysa, while the criminals had slunk away.

When Lysa first arrived, an underworld group tried to extort protection money. That very night, the gang’s leaders were all found executed and hung at the entrance to the slums.

Only then did people realize that Carl was a tsundere—publicly renouncing his daughter, but anyone who took his words at face value was a fool.

The slums lay on Blackstone City’s far eastern outskirts. With the girl as his guide, Paimon quickened his pace, and they arrived before sunset.

Unlike the prosperity seen elsewhere, the buildings here resembled those in Rocktown. The residents did not have the look—despite hardship—of quiet happiness that Rocktown’s people wore.

Instead, they seemed unable to see a future, their eyes dull and lifeless.