The two questionable siblings jaunted through the provincial plaza. It was already past noon, yet the townsfolks are still very proactive. If it weren't for Greg, Laurence would've been dragged away by the crowd's multitude and would undoubtedly be on the other side of the town. Her brother tightly held her hand as they proceeded to saunter through their destination. The beautiful aromatic scent of food stalls made her mouth open, and she, unconsciously, started salivating. 

"Hmm? It looks like a snail just crawled up your mouth." Gregg used a very clichéd slang to emphasize Laurence's current look. 

Laurence uttered no comments and proceeded to wipe her mouth with her hand, still not averting her eyes away from the food stalls. She was hinting her brother to buy her something to eat. 

"Oh, come on! We just had lunch, and you're still not satisfied? We don't know what kind of meat they are using. What if you suddenly acquired an illness?" From the looks of it, Greg seemed like a bully threatening a kid. This attracted some of the attention of the crowd. Analyzing the situation, Laurence began pretending like a child, which she was good at. 

"I'm sorry I was just so hungry... I know you've been trying so hard to earn money. I'm sorry for asking." Laurence looked at her brother's face while bearing a somber expression. 

"Quit acting like a child. For once, please act like someone your age." She did it. Laurence nailed the jackpot, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Your so mean..." Laurence uttered as streams of tears flowed down her flushed cheeks. The whisper of the crowd began to intensify as they continue to fix their gelid eyes on Greg. Laurence winked at her brother and gestured for him to look at his surroundings. He was flabbergastered when he noticed the commotion going on in the crowd. He suddenly felt the sharp gaze of someone that he wouldn't even dare to think about. His body flinched and shivered when a cold hand touched his shoulder. 

"Guild master... what are you doing here?" Greg muttered as his voice cracked. 

"You tell me what are you doing with a kid." The guild master's gaze penetrates Greg's soul like a knife slicing through butter. 

"It's not what you think it is. She's actually 17. Hey you, quit acting like a dammed child!" Greg averted his eyes off the guild master and directed it towards her sister. The result of being overwhelmed made him think unclearly, and he was somewhat unaware of what he was saying. He felt the gaze becoming sharper. 

"Alright fine! Let's go buy something to eat!" Greg grabbed Laurence's hand and strode towards a barbeque stand. They bought three sticks of barbequed ground lizard's tale—one for Greg and two for Laurence. They proceeded to march to the smithing shop while eating. 

"Not bad. Though, it still needs a little bit more of spice." Laurence commented, appearing like a professional chef criticizing someone else's cooking. 

"I don't understand you. You were inclined to buying something to eat just a while ago, and now you're complaining about it." Greg uttered a sigh as they walked towards the front door of the smithing shop. 

Laurence's eyes shimmered with excitement. It gleamed more when they entered inside. It looked more promising than what Laurence had thought. Incidentally, the store looked magnificently on the outside. However, that was just a facade. It lacks truth to what lay inside. 

"How's everything going mister Griench?" Greg asked in a casual tone as he addressed a man on the main counter.

"I see you've come back from the quest. Oh, who's the young lady you have here with you today?" The guy, known as Griench, asked in a perplexed manner.

"I'd like you to meet my younger sister Laurence. Laurence, I'd like you to meet mister Griench as well." Greg introduced the two. Mister Griench bore a doubtful expression as she looked at Laurence, who looked at him with the same perplexed look. 

"Wow, I couldn't believe it. I mean, who would've thought that the little sister that you've been bragging about would look completely different from you." Griench guffawed.

Laurence looked at Greg with a contempt expression. 'What was Greg bragging about me?' Laurence thought. 'The name Griench sound belligerent. Also, he does have an imposing appearance.' That was her first impression of the guy with white hair. 

"Anyways, what can I do for you, my loyal customer?" The two converse with each other as Laurence decided to wander off to examine the rows of walls that displayed all sorts of weaponry. She looked and studied them before giving them a nod of satisfaction. Other than weapons, there were other customers and shop attendants as well. Her eyes trailed towards the customers as they headed towards a stair that leads to the second floor. Curious, she decided to follow them. The second floor contains weapons such as magic staves that have been embedded with runic crystals and other types of unique weapons. Her eyes scanned every section of the store. Rows upon columns, she scrutinizes every corner that had yet to be looked at. Until she stumbled upon a man who looked at her with a surprised face.

"Is there anything you need, young lady?" the man asked.

"You tell me," Laurence replied with a deadpan expression. 

"... Did you also come here to buy runic weapons?" the man asked.

"I would like to." She replied, showing signs that she had neither an interest in having a conversation with him, as her eyes skimmed over the weapons. 

"You would like to...?" The man said as he raised one of his eyebrows.

"I would like to buy one if I can use magic but even if I could, I still would need to have enough money to purchase one." Laurence answered while not averting her eyes away from a beautiful magic ring.

"But you know you can still cast magic even without the use of magic staves. All you need is a clear mind and a good aptitude for magic." The man proudly explained as he snapped with his fingers and a small ball of orange flame emerged on top of his hand. The ball levitated and followed his palm's base as the man moves his hand in a circular motion. 

"Please make me your disciple. I'm Laurence. Nice to meet you." Upon seeing the man cast a ball of fire, Laurence wasted no time and bowed in front of the man, hoping he'd take her as her disciple.