Eros immediately approached the group, patted their shoulders, and cleared his throat with an apologetic grin. "Hey, brothers, could you give me a hand with these stairs in a bit?"

  "Of course, I won't let you work for free," he added quickly. "Once we’re up there, I'll have my bratty sis—ahem!—I mean, my sister, give each of you 50 gold pounds."

  Gold pounds were the primary currency of this world. Below the pound were silver shillings, copper pence, and half-pence. (Currency Conversion: 1 Gold Pound = 10 Shillings = 1,000 Pence = 2,000 Half-Pence)

  To put that in perspective, a decent daily meal cost only about 5 pence. For children from commoner families, 50 gold pounds was an astronomical sum—a fortune for merely helping someone up a flight of stairs. (Think of it as building a school on the summit of Mount Tai.)

  However, looking at Eros’s attire, it was obvious he was an aristocrat. Despite the tempting offer, the four youths felt a surge of unease. Who knew if this noble playboy was just setting them up for some cruel prank?

  Seeing their hesitation, Eros pushed harder. "Don't worry, you’ll definitely get the money. I’m only asking because my body hasn't fully recovered yet, and moving around is... a bit difficult."

  To Eros, 50 pounds per person was pocket change. It was less than the daily interest from his private vault. There was no need to be stingy here; if the other nobles—the type who wouldn't wear the same gown to two formal balls—heard he was penny-pinching, they’d think the North family was facing a financial crisis.

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  The four exchanged glances, then looked at Eros’s pale complexion. He didn't look like a liar. Gritting their teeth, they agreed.

  Eros let out a sigh of relief and took his first step onto the stairs. But he had overestimated himself. He didn't even make it a quarter of the way before his legs turned to jelly. There were just too many damn steps!

  So, the four "brothers" headed into the nearby woods, gathered some timber, and manually fashioned a crude mountain sedan chair to carry him up. As children from poor backgrounds, they were quite handy with basic carpentry.

  Along the way, they realized this noble youth didn't actually have any "airs." He was quite easy to talk to, and their initial tension gradually melted away. Eros learned their names: the burliest one was Blue, the one with the square jaw was Newt, the brunette was Seth, and the leanest of the bunch was Moji.

  All four were from the outskirts of the Capital. They had taken a leave of absence to help with the autumn harvest and were just now returning to the academy. They told Eros he was lucky to run into them, as people from the academy rarely ventured down the mountain.

  Finally, thanks to his four kindhearted brothers, Eros spotted the academy’s grand gates ahead. Only a few dozen steps remained.

  At the gate, a tall, pretty girl nudged Undine as they walked toward the entrance. "Hey," she whispered, "your brother is arriving today, right?"

  Undine nodded, a bright, genuine smile illuminating her face. In all their years, she had never been apart from Eros for this long. Now that he was finally coming, they could see each other every day.

  Nearby, a handsome man in lavish clothing and an extraordinary aura added with a light chuckle, "I’ve heard of this young genius’s reputation for a long time. It’s finally time to see him with my own eyes."

  Undine lifted her chin proudly. Hearing others praise her brother always made her day.