Chapter 135: Dimensional Pocket

Joann’s mage level was too low and his arcane knowledge was insufficient to fully grasp the profound mysteries of "Returning Weapon" and "Vampiric Touch." Deciding to set those complexities aside for now, he simply copied the spells into his grimoire, intending to study them in greater depth once he leveled up.

By the time he finished, it was nearly midnight. The festivities in the town square were drawing to a close, with only a few drunkards remaining by the dying embers of the bonfire. Joann put his books away and went to bed, feeling a stir of excitement at the thought of leaving his hometown the next morning to start a new life in an unfamiliar city. He yawned deeply, closed his eyes, and drifted into sleep, filled with anticipation for the future.

The next morning, after washing up, Joann took one last look at the small cabin where he had lived and grown for the past thirteen years. Every piece of furniture stirred a memory, and a faint sense of melancholy began to linger in his heart. Realizing the journey ahead was long and time was pressing, he forbade himself from dwelling on his sadness. With a firm resolve, he shouldered his pack, turned away, and locked the door.

Before departing, Joann made a special trip to the cabin behind the hill to bid farewell to his grandfather, Jamie, and Gray. Knowing he was leaving today, Jamie and Gray had been waiting outside old man Thayer’s door since dawn.

Jamie, a hybrid winter wolf, was the first to catch his young master’s scent, racing toward him with a wagging tail. Joann crouched down to embrace the creature's fuzzy head, his heart aching at the pure, inseparable affection in Jamie’s pleading eyes.

"It's alright, Jamie. I'll come back," Joann whispered, stroking the wolf’s neck.

Gray joined them, wrapping his powerful arms around both Joann and Jamie. All three pairs of eyes brimmed with reluctance. Joann could easily guess what the simple-minded gray bag-beast was thinking: he could not understand why Joann would want to leave home, family, and friends to venture into a strange city. To Gray, having Joann and Jamie by his side was all he ever needed; he could not fathom why that wasn't enough for Joann.

Joann could not explain his departure to Gray. The more one knows, the more one realizes how much one does not know. If a thirst for knowledge could be called an ambition, Joann was undoubtedly an ambitious man. While Delin Town was pleasant, it could not satisfy his intense hunger for arcane knowledge. Especially after receiving his acceptance letter from the Leyton Academy’s School of Arcane Arts—a ticket to the treasure trove of knowledge he had long dreamt of—he began his preparations. Hidden within this seemingly frail youth was a starving beast. To achieve an intellect commensurate with his rapidly expanding curiosity, he had once been willing to gouge out his own right eye; he would never be content with a quiet, peaceful life in the countryside, nor would he let family, friendship, or any earthly attachment hinder his pursuit of his dreams.

Feeling a pang of guilt for his own cold-heartedness, Joann pushed it aside. He broke free from Gray’s embrace and pushed open the door to his grandfather’s cabin.

Guillaume Thayer was a man who rarely showed his emotions. Even knowing his grandson might not return for a long time, his expression remained as indifferent as ever. He offered no parting advice or words of comfort, simply handing his grandson a gray cloth bag.

Joann immediately sensed the magical fluctuations emanating from the pouch. After a brief identification, he realized it was enchanted with a 5th-level spell known as "Secret Chest." This spell created a demiplane within the Ethereal Plane, accessible through a chest that the owner could summon at will to store or retrieve items—essentially a magical container that could be opened anywhere without the need to carry the bulk.

The primary use of the "Secret Chest" was to craft "Bags of Holding." These wondrous items, often called "dimensional bags," looked like ordinary coin purses but contained a small demiplane inside, capable of holding far more than their appearance suggested. The bag his grandfather gave him could hold up to 500 pounds of weight and 70 cubic feet in volume, yet it always weighed only about five pounds, making it effortless to carry.

This bag had been part of Guillaume Thayer’s gear in his youth, accompanying the adventurous ranger through countless life-or-death situations, holding bags of gold and the bloody heads of bountied fugitives. Now that the old man had long since retired from adventuring, the bag had been gathering dust until he unearthed it from the bottom of a chest to gift to his grandson.

Inside were 3,500 gold ducats, including the two thousand gold coins from the sale of the Black Oak, the processing fees Joann had earned from enchanting furs for the local shop, and the family’s entire savings. The coins alone weighed 70 pounds; without the dimensional bag, it would have been highly inconvenient for Joann to travel alone.

Beyond the gold, his grandfather had packed a large bag of rations, along with a canteen, tent, sleeping bag, and cooking utensils—the essentials for field travel. Listening to his grandfather list the items, Joann sensed the deep, hidden affection and the carefully masked sorrow in the old man's flat tone. His nose stung, and he nearly broke into tears.

"Alright, everything you need is ready. It's getting late, so be on your way. I won't see you off," the old man said, turning his head away. After a moment of silence, he added, "I wanted to let Gray and Jamie go with you for support, but Gray probably won't be allowed into the city. Just take Jamie."

Joann thought for a moment before declining the arrangement. Although he was loath to part with Jamie, he knew the wolf would miss his friend Gray, and an elderly man living alone needed the dog more than a youth heading to the city for school.

Joann bowed deeply to his grandfather’s stooped back, swallowed his tears, and walked out. Jamie and Gray followed him in silence. As he passed his own cabin, he was surprised to find three young men crouching outside: Dick, Roger, and Tom.

"Why are you here?" Joann asked in surprise.

"Our brother is going on a long journey today, of course we had to see him off!" Dick said with a smile.

Joann smiled gratefully. He wanted to say thank you, but it felt too formal, so he remained silent. Fortunately, his three friends were accustomed to his reserved nature and did not mind his silence, chatting and laughing all the way to the edge of town.