The Wizard: Starting with Infinite Part-Time Jobs

The capital of the Atlantis Empire.

Inside a church-style building, nobles watched the performance on stage intently, some whispering among themselves.

"No wonder the Night Owl Circus has tickets that are so hard to get."

"I heard that the actors in this Night Owl Circus are all homeless vagrants. It's truly a blessing that they can win everyone's hearts."

"Shh, keep your voice down. This Night Owl Circus isn't your average circus."

"I heard that the old troupe leader, Mr. Ford, can conjure flames from a red cloth, like the magic described by bards."

"I wonder if I'll be lucky enough to see his performance tonight."

"Look, there's an animal training show."

Someone shouted, and everyone's eyes were drawn to the stage.

On the stage, a nearly four-meter-tall lion appeared and nimbly emerged from dozens of fire rings of various shapes.

A thin, chubby-haired boy was blowing a whistle, making the lion perform complex movements such as somersaults and juggling, which drew cheers from the nobles.

The boy even stuck his head into the lion's mouth, holding a thick feather in his hand, and kept teasing the lion's nose.

The women nervously covered their chests with silk scarves, fearing that a single sneeze from the lion might suffocate the boy's head.

"Incredible! This lion is so big that it could easily pounce on several knights and their squires, but it is very obedient in front of this skinny fellow."

"He seems to be a newcomer? I didn't see him at last year's performance. He can tame lions in just one year? Are you kidding me?"

"That's progressing really fast."

The boy was unharmed in the end, and with a smile on his face, he bowed and led the lion off the stage.

Bang!

The stage went completely dark.

An elderly, one-eyed man in a tailcoat, holding a jewel-encrusted baton, slowly walked onto the stage, nodded slightly, and greeted the nobles in the front row.

"Here they come. This is Mr. Ford, the owner of the Nightow Circus."

The nobles rose to their feet, and some bewildered children were helped up by their parents, returning the noble greeting in kind to show their respect.

"Cough cough."

The old man said unhurriedly, "Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy my signature trick next."

Five or six pieces of red cloth appeared in his hand, his wrinkled fingers unfolded, and he gently blew on them.

The red cloth scattered like dandelion seeds.

Then it transformed into fist-sized flames that floated around the old man, illuminating the dimly lit stage.

The old man swung his cane lightly, and the flames transformed into fluttering butterflies, landing gently on his shoulder as if they were alive.

The audience held their breath. Some even unconsciously reached out, trying to catch the fluttering "butterflies".

In the corner, the bald-haired boy who had previously tamed the lion looked at Mr. Ford's back with a complicated expression.

"This is not scientific at all."

……

Fifteen minutes later, the audience was still captivated by Mr. Ford’s magical performance as he controlled the Firebird to spread its wings on stage.

Suddenly, he stumbled and turned to look at the boy with the zongzi-shaped hair.

I heard Mr. Ford's voice in my ear; it sounded weak.

"Good boy, quick, help me down."

Aiden saw that Mr. Ford's face was terribly pale, like a patient struggling for his death.

"What happened?"

Aiden was startled. Without thinking too much, he quickly signaled the acrobats around him to go on stage for a bow.

The actors went on stage to bow, and the boy took the opportunity to help Mr. Ford off the stage. Their steps were hurried, each one filled with anxiety.

The audience members looked at each other in bewilderment. Some craned their necks, trying to see what was happening on stage.

A child asked curiously, "Mom, is the show over? Mr. Ford hasn't turned the Firebird back yet."

"I think so, they've all finished their performances." The child's mother patted the child's head and said somewhat uncertainly.

Despite their curiosity, the audience left in batches.

An elderly white-bearded nobleman, looking at the empty stage, sighed and said, "Old Ford's days are numbered; I'm afraid the organization's mission will not be completed."

……

Right now, in the practice room.

Aiden felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the palm-sized frog in front of him, which was constantly spitting out black blood.

Just seconds ago, this frog was clearly Mr. Ford, who was resting in a chair.

"This is unbelievable..." Aiden felt a surge of unease.

He has been in this medieval world for more than half a year.

Through his own fortuitous circumstances, he became a pillar of the Night Owl Circus.

No matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't understand how Mr. Ford conjured the fire creature. There were no flammable substances like alcohol or secret passages, either on or off stage.

Now it's turned into a frog again...

Could it get any more outrageous?

"Cough cough."

The frog coughed, shed a layer of transparent frog skin, and instantly transformed back into Mr. Ford.

However, his hair had turned mostly white, making him look much older and increasingly hunched over.

"Surprised, aren't you?"

Mr. Ford smoothed out the wrinkles on his tuxedo with a blank expression, as if it were a common occurrence.

He picked up the frog skin from the ground, put it in his mouth and chewed it carefully, smiling as he looked at Aiden as if he were eating a delicious snack.

Aiden's body trembled, his face instantly turning deathly pale, and his lips began to tremble uncontrollably: "..."

He had an urge to run away!

But his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and he could hardly move them.

"Don't be afraid, child."

"This is a side effect of the experiment, and it will continue to torment me as my mental strength declines."

"Maybe in a few years, I'll become a frog. That would be a wonderful realization about life, wouldn't it?" Mr. Ford said with a hint of teasing in his eyes.

Aiden swallowed hard, speechless.

He believed Mr. Ford was a good man.

They took in many homeless children to work as acrobats, providing them with clothes and food, and never beat or scolded them.

However, with this strange turn of events, Aiden realized that he knew far too little about Mr. Ford.

"Mr. Ford, I really don't understand what you're saying," Aiden said with a forced smile.

Mr. Ford gestured for Aiden to sit down and said earnestly, "Son, do you know what a wizard is?"

wizard?

Aiden was startled; the word seemed to possess a magical power, making him let his mind wander.

"I don't know, this is the first time I've heard of it, Mr. Ford," Aiden confessed honestly.

"Simply put, wizards are beings of a higher dimension. The performance I demonstrated earlier was the most rudimentary wizarding technique. It was just some of the simplest fire control skills."

"Logically speaking, you have no right to know these things."

"but--"

"Your change is unexpected. It's as if you suddenly had a breakthrough? Like you've become a completely different person?"

"He became smarter, more studious, and extremely diligent. In just six months, he became the best performer in my Night Owl Circus."

After saying that, Mr. Ford looked at Aiden with a half-smile.

—A deathly silence.

In just a few seconds, Aiden's back was already soaked with sweat, making everything seem exceptionally long.

"Has it been discovered that I am not the original owner?"

Aiden was filled with mixed feelings and was about to say something to cover it up.

"Don't be nervous, child. I haven't detected any wizarding techniques on you; it was all just a joke."

"Let me say something to ease the tension. I think we can reach a cooperation agreement."

"When I brought you into the circus, I conducted a mental strength test on you, and you have an initial mental strength of 0.7."

"His talent is a bit low; he barely meets the requirements to become a candidate wizard apprentice."

"In the circus, there are several children more talented than you, such as Bal and Kersou, who are even younger than you."

"But your learning ability surprises me. You might actually become a wizard in the future."

"For wizards, talent and knowledge are two carriages, inseparable and running side by side."

"I can take you to the Forbidden Forest Basin, the incubator for wizards on this continent. If you can become a formal wizard apprentice, you will be able to board a wizard ship and go to another world, the world of wizards."

"That is the center of multiple dimensions, the true stage."

After saying that, Mr. Ford crossed his legs, closed his eyes to rest, and tapped his fingers rhythmically.

(New book launch! Please add to your collections and read on, thank you so much!)