The Wizard: Starting with Infinite Part-Time Jobs

"What a rare guest." Aiden was taken aback.

This was Galatea's first time outside his cottage.

"You've also taken great care of the little garden; it's much more lush than ours." She pointed to a clump of glowing grass at her feet and continued, "You've deliberately created a ditch between the glowing grass and the sword-shaped grass next to it, and instead of intertwining, they're growing exceptionally well on their own. Is there some reason for that?"

Galatea crouched down and gently touched the leaves of the glowing grass, which glowed with a faint blue light, with her fingertips.

"The glowing grass prefers moonlight, and the sword-branch grass sways spontaneously at night. If the two are too close, the growth of the glowing grass will be affected. The sap it exudes is slightly sticky and will stick the sword-branch grass together, affecting the latter's photosynthesis."

Aiden began to explain in detail.

These were things he learned extra from basic animal behavior. As a transmigrator from Earth, he had the natural talent for farming, and he would tend to flowers and plants in his spare time.

"Photosynthesis? This is the first time I've heard this word," Galatea said thoughtfully. She stood up, repeatedly chewing on the word, as if trying to etch it into her mind.

"I just peed blindly," Aiden grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.

"Anyway, Aiden, you're a real animal expert." Bondi gave Aiden a thumbs up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Not really, I only train small animals. Medium and large animals are a bit too much of a challenge for me. It doesn't really help with my meditation practice either," Aiden explained.

He had expended considerable effort training the lions in the circus before, barely managing to get them to obey a few commands. To train them even better, Aiden estimated he would need to advance to the next level, the "Beastmaster."

"You didn't come here today just to see my garden, did you?" Aiden looked at the two of them, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Bondi and Galatea's faces, trying to find the answer.

Although Bondi always complained about Galatea, if he took her along, it must be for some important reason.

"Besides bringing you this little sparrow, I have some good news to tell you," Bondi said meaningfully. "Galladia's memory has officially surpassed 12000 color blocks. As the second-ranked student in this cohort of prospective apprentices, she has received a key to enter the experimental area. This is a reward for the top three."

"In other words, we can sneak in with her and take a look. We can wander around the experimental area; maybe we'll find a chance to make money."

12000 yuan? And this is only second place?

Aiden felt a little ashamed; he had barely managed to catch up with Bondi and the others' memory progress these past few days, all thanks to the fragments of the meditation stone.

Now that he has used up all the fragments, he can only cultivate at a snail's pace again.

Maybe this part-time job area will allow me to earn magic stones while also getting meditation stone fragments?

Aiden became somewhat excited, his fingers unconsciously rubbing together.

"But we're still just Grey Robe trainees. Wouldn't it be against the rules to go in now?" Aiden poured cold water on the idea, his brow furrowed.

Making money is his way of continuing, but he can't break the rules and end up losing his life because of it.

"There's no rule that formal apprentices need to wear dark gray robes, but I think the gray robes for prospective apprentices are no longer allowed. You can wear your everyday clothes," Galatea said earnestly.

"Let's get going without delay." Aiden was completely relieved, his tense shoulders instantly relaxing as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He discovered that this girl was very observant; she could always notice details that ordinary people would overlook, whether it was in the garden or in the rules.

Unwittingly, he found himself owing her a favor this time.

……

Half an hour later, all three changed into their own clothes. Bondi originally wanted to wear his crown, but Aiden dissuaded him, citing the need to "keep a low profile." The crown was too conspicuous in the sunlight; it was practically a moving target.

Galatea changed into an elegant and well-fitting blue academic gown, while Aiden wore loose-fitting clothes commonly worn by commoners. These clothes are easy to wear regardless of body type, do not need to be changed often, and are very economical.

On the way, Bondi complained, "Aiden, I can give you a few sets of clothes. These clothes don't fit you at all, and you're supposed to be part of our Atlantis Empire's quartet."

"It's nothing, it's kind of hip-hop, I like it." Aiden said with a smile, deliberately shaking his shoulders to make his clothes sway with a touch of nonchalance.

Bondi and Galatea exchanged glances; they were used to hearing Aiden use certain patterned words.

Aiden himself didn't care; he considered these things as his longing for another world.

"By the way, where's Calvin?" Aiden asked, kicking away the gravel on the side of the road as he walked.

"He's busy hunting wild beasts in the Forbidden Forest now. I heard he's joined a hunting party made up of formal apprentices. He's followed in his father's footsteps and is also a knight who loves wielding a sword," Bondi said, shrugging.

"It's more accurate to say he enjoys killing," Galatea said, frowning. "The magic stones the Pillars of the Empire gave him are more than enough for him to comfortably train until he becomes a full-fledged wizard apprentice."

Aiden's heart tightened, and his throat went dry.

Calvin and he inexplicably didn't get along, and Calvin was a knight, so he was helpless about it and wouldn't naively hope that Bondi or Galatea would uphold justice.

"I need to advance to become a Beastmaster as soon as possible, and also become a formal wizard apprentice as soon as possible." Aiden secretly vowed, his nails digging deeply into his palms, the stinging sensation bringing him back to his senses. "And there's Senior Sister Winnie, she's probably the only one I can trust right now."

"arrive."

Unbeknownst to them, the three of them followed the path and arrived at a hidden wooden door that was partially obscured by weeds.

The wind blew, and the weeds made a rustling sound, like countless tiny hands scratching at a wooden board.

Galatea took a key from the book, inserted it into the groove of the hidden door, and turned it twice.

Click!

The hidden door shuddered, releasing a putrid smell. Behind the door was a pitch-black passage. All three of them instinctively pinched their noses, especially Galatea, whose face turned pale.

"I'll go in first." Aiden went straight in. "There might be rats or bats or other creatures. I can deal with them better than you can." He hunched over like a wary wildcat and disappeared into the darkness in an instant.

Galatea followed closely behind, while Bondi came in last.

Although this is inside the Forbidden Forest Basin, it would be a lie to say that I wasn't nervous at all when facing an unknown experimental area.

……

To Aiden's surprise, apart from a strange smell, there were no signs of life in the passage. The walls were damp and cold, and the moss crunched underfoot.

"It's pretty safe here, just a regular secret passage. I just don't know how long it will take," Aiden said, turning back to comfort her.

Galatea's face was tense, and she was practically pressed against Aiden. Her breathing was rapid, and her hot breath trembled as it hit the back of Aiden's neck.

Aiden wondered, "Is this girl afraid of the dark?"

He could even hear the slight chattering of her teeth.