Leon wandered through the bustling streets of the Empire’s city, noting how much it reminded him of Crest, the free city he had become familiar with. Adventurers in their recognizable outfits moved around, and merchants busily peddled their wares on every corner. Even magicians, easily distinguishable in their robes and with staves in hand, were a common sight.

‘So this is what Crest would feel like if it were larger,’ Leon thought, observing the high level of magicians present, some even at the rank of mid-tier sorcery.

"What's your plan?" Kito asked, tugging on Leon’s hair. It seemed like there was no need to hide Kito here; having a familiar around didn’t seem particularly unusual for magicians in the Empire.

"What’s the best way to establish an identity here?"

"You’re a magician, so joining a school is a good idea. Otherwise, being an adventurer seems like the most fitting option for someone like you—wandering around alone before even reaching adulthood is rare."

According to the information Leon had received from Maxius, adventurer passes from the Kingdom’s guild could be renewed here in the Empire.

Leon decided to visit the adventurer’s guild to renew his silver pass. The process went more smoothly than he expected. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity, prompting the guild receptionist to explain with a friendly smile.

"Most independent magicians register as adventurers. It’s not difficult to issue a pass, and it can be useful in many ways."

It wasn’t out of the ordinary, after all.

‘It’s quite different from the Kingdom,’ Leon mused. While magicians and commoners were clearly separated in the Kingdom, here they seemed to coexist more seamlessly.

Since the conversation was flowing, Leon asked another question.

“Is there somewhere I can find a map of the Empire?”

He had already scoured the city’s shops but hadn’t found any specializing in maps. It seemed that mapmaking wasn’t as common or commercialized here.

“There are adventurers who specialize in mapmaking. Would you like an introduction?”

Leon agreed, and the receptionist told him to come back in the morning.

After securing a room at a nearby inn for the night, Leon retreated to his magic orb. Inside, nine space pockets lay scattered, catching his attention. The six bodies of the Empire’s magicians had long since decayed into skeletons within the orb.

Though there were six corpses, they had yielded nine space pockets.

The most powerful of the enemies, a high-tier magician, had possessed two space pockets, while the mid-tier sorcerers, Fabian and Ulric, had also carried two each. The three apprentice magicians had each carried one.

The apprentice magicians’ space pockets contained little of interest—just a few mana stones and basic spellbooks. While useful for researching Empire magic, they weren’t valuable for Leon’s studies.

However, Leon’s interest was piqued when he delved into the mid-tier magicians’ space pockets. One of them was filled with nothing but mana stones—an impressive collection of 20,000 stones.

‘A space pocket dedicated to mana stones?’ Leon marveled. This bag could store up to 100,000 mana stones, an incredibly useful resource for someone like him.

Setting aside the mana stones, Leon moved on to examine the second space pocket. Inside, he found a spellbook that immediately caught his eye.

The spell was called Yongcheonpok (熔天暴), a multi-element spell combining fire, wind, and earth elements. While it was precisely the type of magic Leon had been yearning for, having already acquired Harmony’s Principle, it didn’t stir the same excitement.

It was a B-grade spell, teachable up to the level of mystery magic, but both its grade and attributes overlapped with Harmony’s Principle.

‘Still, it’s helpful to learn the structure of multi-element magic. I can use this to study higher-grade spells later.’

Leon carefully stored the spellbook, recognizing its value as a foundational piece for future research. Besides the spellbook, the pockets contained various artifacts, including a red-crystal-topped staff, E-grade scrolls, mana-recovery elixirs, D-grade essences, and magical catalyst powder for drawing spell circles.

Next, Leon opened the high-tier sorcerer’s space pocket.

The magician had specialized in wind magic, and his B-grade spells were designed to weaponize the wind with physical force.

‘This could be useful for the gargoyle golem.’

Currently, the golem was equipped with the C-grade wind spell, Tempest. Upgrading to a B-grade spell would significantly enhance its combat abilities.

Leon also found the familiar red net artifact, the same one Ulric had used to try to capture him. He cast a detection spell to confirm its properties—it was a C-grade artifact.

The net could trap up to five people and inflicted searing pain on contact. However, unlike Leon’s lightning shackles, it didn’t block the flow of mana. A strong enough magician, particularly one of mystery rank, could break free with enough effort.

Finally, Leon opened the pocket belonging to the mystery-grade sorcerer, the one Kito had killed. Like the others, he seemed to have used Yongcheonpok.

However, one artifact stood out: a finely crafted lantern, its intricate silver metalwork giving it an aura of ancient mystery.

At the base was a small mana crystal that, when lit, emitted a soft blue glow. This glow activated a concealment spell, capable of hiding up to thirty people at once. It even blended them into their surroundings, making them immune to detection spells.

‘An A-grade artifact?’

Leon realized this was the first A-grade artifact he had acquired, aside from his silver broom.

‘It’ll be incredibly useful for sneaking up on enemies… or for escaping.’

He wondered whether the magicians had used this artifact to guide the monster attacks.

Was Erika important enough to warrant the use of such high-level equipment, or was this just a reflection of the Empire’s overall high magical standards?

Whatever the case, the items he had collected from this battle were far more valuable than he had anticipated.

After organizing his findings, Leon exited the magic orb and went to sleep.

The next morning, he visited the adventurer’s guild as planned. There, he met with the mapmaking adventurer, who handed him a scroll of the Empire’s map after receiving payment.

When Leon unrolled the map, the vast expanse of the Empire lay before him. He was currently in the southwestern city of Priestin. Though it was larger than Crest, it was relatively small compared to the Empire’s other major cities.

As he scanned the map, his eyes fell on several black dots marked in various places. These dots were as large as cities but bore no labels.

“What are these black dots?” Leon asked.

“Ah, those are the cities where magicians live. Adventurers like me aren’t allowed into magic cities, so I couldn’t mark them in detail.”

Leon nodded. He hadn’t found any mention of Astelia on the map.

Sensing his confusion, the adventurer added, “Are you looking for a map that includes the magic cities? I know of a specialized mapmaker, but he’s in another city right now.”

“Could you introduce me?”

“He’s registered as an adventurer, so you should be able to meet him. Look for someone named Torin. The city is a bit far from here, but it's similar to our free city—mostly visited by magicians. However, be prepared; the price will be quite steep…”

“How steep?”

“You’ll need at least a few hundred mana stones.”

Leon wasn’t concerned. He still had over 60,000 mana stones in reserve, and the space pockets from the Empire’s magicians had provided him with an additional 100,000.

His only concern was his lack of Imperial currency.

“Is there anything else I should prepare?”

“I wouldn’t know, to be honest. I only went there once for mapmaking. Apologies for not being more helpful. I didn’t expect you’d need a map including the magic cities.”

“No need to apologize.”

Even having a map with only the regular cities was useful enough for now.

Leon left Priestin and flew northeast, heading toward the city the adventurer had mentioned. After two days of flying at full speed, he arrived at his destination.

This city had a distinctly different atmosphere from Priestin. Magicians flew freely through the sky, and most of the people walking the streets emitted an aura of magic.

Leon felt a familiar sense of comfort in the magical ambiance.

‘It really does feel like a free city for magicians.’

After exploring the city briefly, Leon entered the small adventurer’s guild branch. Unlike the bustling guild in Priestin, this one was much smaller, but it still served its purpose well.

Leon requested to meet Torin, and the guild staff informed him that since Torin was a silver-tier adventurer, they would contact him when they heard back. Silver-tier adventurers had a summon function that allowed the guild to send them messages directly.

With time to spare, Leon decided to explore the marketplace.

The streets were filled with magical artifacts, shops displaying a wide array of items that could pique the interest of any magician. But neither Leon nor Kito showed much interest.

"Nothing you want?" Leon asked.

Kito shrugged indifferently. “Not really.”

At that moment, a shopkeeper approached them with a friendly smile.

“Haha, I’m sorry that nothing caught your eye.”

Leon returned the smile awkwardly. “It’s fine.”

“If you’re looking for higher-quality items, might I suggest participating in an auction?” the shopkeeper offered.

“An auction?”