Julius watched with a stunned expression as Adam's glowing eyes suddenly dimmed, signalling that he was unconscious.
He wanted to answer; however, Asha stood next to him, gazing in his direction with worried eyes. She wondered why Julius's expression shifted from happiness to confusion and finally disbelief so quickly.
"Are you alright, Julius?" She asked, concern evident in her tone.
Julius quickly answered with a bitter smile, saying, "I am."
Asha remained unconvinced by his response but chose not to press him further. Instead, she changed the subject entirely.
"By the way, where is that troublemaker?" She asked about Arun's whereabouts, wondering why Julius was alone.
Julius responded that his friend had gone to receive a massage, despite being unfamiliar with the concept. He also expressed his sentiments regarding their generosity and conveyed his desire to earn his own money.
"I've known Arun since childhood, and you're his first true friend. I assure you, he's eager to share those experiences with you, and money is the least of his concerns. After all, his father is likely the wealthiest man in our country, second only to the King." Asha said, smiling at Julius's honesty and good character.
In her opinion, the only thing the boy lacked was a good background. If he had it, he would be a perfect man. After all, he was tall, muscled, good-looking, strong and honest.
After thinking for a bit, the outline of a plan took form in her mind as she suddenly added. "Are you engaged to anyone in your country?"
"Hah? I'm not. Why?" Julius asked, astonished by the out-of-context question.
"Hehe, I have some beautiful and kind sisters I can introduce you to if you want," Asha replied with sparkling eyes, her merchant's instincts awakening.
She had no doubts that Julius would become a fine mage in the future. If she could arrange for him to marry into her family, they could gain a skilled and promising son-in-law.
However, her assumptions about his future as a mage were wrong. She thiught that Julius used a spell to behead the serpent while he used internal energy. His path was totally different.
"Hmm, I haven't really thought about those things. Right now, my focus is on my training," Julius replied honestly.
He had too many things to think about and not enough time to address them all: earning money, enrolling in college, becoming a tier two cultivator, resolving his brother's problem, and reuniting with his missing mother.
A trace of sadness flashed through the boy's eyes as he thought about Alina. He hadn't seen her for four years and really missed her presence.
"Take your time to consider my proposal. We're still young, and your interest in those matters may develop in a few years. I guarantee you won't be disappointed by my sisters." Asha advised kindly before standing up and walking out of the garden to look for Arun with a menacing gaze.
As Julius watched her leave, he pondered what his next steps should be. Soon after, he walked out, determined to find a job. Unbeknownst to him, his friends had already registered and paid for him, planning to surprise him.
As the sun rose and fell, a week slowly passed by. The trio shared hearty meals and funny moments together every day. However, Julius was spending less time with the couple.
He had finally found a job after searching for two days. Surprisingly, his employer was the old man working in the leather workshop.
"He grew old and bored working alone in his shop, so he decided to hire the polite boy to clean and greet customers. Additionally, he occasionally taught him how to treat leather and craft items during slow periods.
During this week, Julius tried to wake his brother several times. However, Adam didn't answer any of his calls and kept training in the dreamplace.
His new goal was to modify the complex mage's hand spell. Unfortunately, it proved to be extremely challenging as it demanded high mana reserves and concentration to manifest for extended periods.
This was understandable because the hands were highly versatile, capable of interacting with physical matter and mana alike.
Adam had no doubts that this spell could become immensely potent if he succeeded in replicating it solely through mana control. The potential applications were limitless.
For example, he could use it to manipulate extremely cold materials, infuse mana more intricately into his potions, or seamlessly blend it directly into the hot mixtures.
He could also use the spell to wield more weapons in battle or even slap his enemy's spells before they reached him.
Those were just basic applications he thought of, but he knew he could find more.
As he kept practising and understanding the spells working, he suddenly felt a violent tug accompanied by Julius' voice.
"It's been a week, big bro. You're material should be ready." The boy said with a reproachful tone.
He didn't understand why his brother had suddenly disappeared for a week, and he hated to see him being dragged behind him. It reminded him of bitter memories he preferred to forget.
"Already?" Adam asked as he woke up with a frown. The scenery in the dreamplace never changed. Thus, he couldn't keep track of time.
"Why did you sleep for so long?" Julius asked, his tone tinged with unhappiness.
"... I can't really explain," Adam replied after a moment of hesitation. He didn't know why, but he felt like staying alone for a few days.
Disappointed by the answer, Julius shook his head but decided not to engage in a pointless argument. He pushed open the shop's door and walked to the counter.
"Hello, mister Khalid. Is the leather ready?" He asked the old man with a smile.
"It is. You can check if the quality meets your requirements." Khalid replied, smiling while putting a squarish grey leather patch on the table.
Adam observed the leather then asked Julius to manipulate it. He nodded in approval after witnessing its sturdiness and beautiful appearance.
"I also have your week's salary. I'm satisfied with your work, so I added a little extra to motivate you to keep up the good work." Khalid added with a kind smile while putting ten silver coins on the counter.
Julius had only negotiated a salary of eight silver coins a week, making the man's honesty all the more appreciated.