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Chapter 201: Triple the Current Market Price (2)

Hubert and the Elders had a special memory associated with three fingers. A memory that made them want to curse.

“Ah, damn, this guy is starting again.”

“Triple the current price? Just how much is that?”

“I swear, just talking about three times… does this guy have some obsession with the number three?”

Hubert and the Elders decided to remain silent for now. They knew that if they resisted like last time, the price might just go even higher.

It was a wise choice based on their experience, but paying triple the market price would lead to a significant loss.

“Ugh, what do I do? It looks like I’m about to lose all the money I’ve saved over the past few years.”

Even if they brought all the profits from the Mage Tower, it was doubtful they could buy two years’ worth of food.

While caught in this dilemma, Ghislaine whispered in a persuasive tone,

“Well, there’s another condition… would you like to hear it?”

“What is it?”

“If you send twenty additional 3rd Circle Mages, and halve the amount of Runestones traded, I’ll provide food to fill that half.”

“Deal!”

Hubert slammed the table and jumped up.

All the kingdom’s funds were currently being funneled into food. Even trade with other countries focused on bringing in food from safer kingdoms.

Naturally, food prices had skyrocketed, but on the other hand, other materials like Runestones had become much easier to acquire.

Runestones were rare minerals, so they couldn’t be obtained in large quantities, but it was still better than before.

In such a situation, if they opposed being given food instead of Runestones, they would be fools.

The Elders also approved Hubert’s quick decision.

“Right now, it’s definitely more advantageous to get food. It’s a huge gain.”

“Even reselling would earn way more than selling magical tools.”

“If we delay training a little, it can wait. Let’s send those with lesser skills to reduce the number of mouths to feed.”

Hubert and the Elders had always disliked training. The reduction in Runestones hindering their training wasn’t a concern for them at all.

Seeing their enthusiastic attitude, Ghislaine smiled brightly.

“Ah, we were short on construction personnel, so this is perfect. Having about twenty more will be a big help. And we’ll save a lot on Runestones now.”

Typically, the Mage Tower had the most 3rd Circle Mages since that stage was quite average.

In reality, the magic needed for construction could be cast by 2nd Circle Mages just fine. However, they didn’t want to steal the time they should spend learning and honing their skills.

From the 3rd Circle onwards, if one lacked talent, it became increasingly difficult to climb higher. There were probably many stuck in their growth within the Mage Tower.

Hubert wouldn’t send any talents their way; it would likely just attract those who were stagnant.

“And if they grind hard here, they might break through their limits.”

Stuck in growth due to a lack of talent? Then just work hard.

It would help their growth and also contribute to the advancement of the territory, making it mutually beneficial.

Of course, the other side would never think that way.

“Shall we draft a new contract now?”

“Sounds good! Hurry up and write it!”

Hubert immediately pulled out a special pen from his pocket.

It was a pen with a gold barrel studded with countless tiny jewels.

There were so many jewels that it looked grotesque like a barnacle.

Ghislaine chuckled at the sight.

“Still the same, I see.”

After securing Runestones and earning money again, he had now made a ridiculously gaudy pen.

Looks like he’s forgotten that his excessiveness had gotten the Mage Tower into trouble.

Being the one who developed the Mage Tower city and having a solid reputation, he was quite a capable person, yet he was a fascinating sight in many ways.

After finishing up the signatures on the contract, Hubert extended his hand to Ghislaine for a handshake.

“I’ll send the Mages as quickly as possible. But… can I take a little food with me right now?”

“Sure. But are you leaving right away? Aren’t you going to see Alfoy?”

“Ah, it’s fine. As long as he’s doing well. Now that he’s a Branch Leader, it’d be awkward for me, his mentor, to just drop by unexpectedly. He should get along with the young folks.”

Though he smiled kindly on the outside, Hubert’s true thoughts were quite different.

“Are you crazy? I need to leave quickly before he changes his mind. What more is there to see here?”

He was worried that he might stumble and that Ghislaine might change her words. When dealing with this guy, it’s best to wrap things up quickly and make a getaway.

As Hubert was about to leave, Ghislaine suddenly seemed to remember something and asked,

“Oh, the Tower of the Bloody Flame also came looking for food before. You’ve heard the rumors, right?”

“Of course! I heard all about it! That useless Glen tried to show off and got humiliated by you, right? Hahaha! I was so delighted to hear that! Great job. Really well done!”

Hubert and the Elders burst out laughing, genuinely enjoying the story.

As they laughed at the Mages, Ghislaine continued,

“They said they won’t let it go… If the Tower of the Bloody Flame joins the war and fights us, what would you all do? Completely disregarding laws and customs.”

At that, Hubert and the Elders’ expressions turned chilly. If the Tower of the Bloody Flame participated in the war? They absolutely could not tolerate that.

Hubert bit his lips several times before speaking with sharp eyes.

“Then just call us immediately. I’ll incinerate those bastards.”

Ghislaine nodded with a grin mixed with satisfaction. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

For some reason, Hubert’s slick head seemed to shine particularly impressively today.

*

Before long, twenty Mages arrived at the territory.

As soon as they arrived, the Mages were thrust into construction work and vigorously rebelled.

“What is this! Making a Mage do this kind of work! Are you all insane?”

“I absolutely can’t do this! This is beneath my dignity!”

“You’re not Mages anymore! Doing such trivial tasks!”

Of course, the existing Mages weren’t going to take that lying down.

With more workers to assign tasks to, they needed to quickly establish discipline.

“I’m the Branch Leader, and if I say do it, you do it! From now on, this is the real Mage Tower!”

Unlike before, Alfoy, who had experienced every hardship, began to go wild.

Having several allies felt reassuring. There was nothing to fear.

Alfoy gathered his mana in his hand and shouted,

“If you don’t obey, I’ll beat you all up!”

“Give it a try, then!”

The newly arrived Mages charged at him with enthusiasm, but they were all pulverized in an instant.

Alfoy and the existing Mages were already a notch above them in terms of skill, and it shouldn’t have been such a big difference.

The newly arrived Mages were astonished and asked,

“What is this? Why have you suddenly become so strong?”

“Right? It really feels like you’ve gotten stronger somehow?”

Even Alfoy was puzzled. His control of mana was more natural and his speed had remarkably increased.

He had never fought anyone before and had always lived like it was normal.

After a moment of thought, Alfoy declared,

“Working hard makes you stronger! So just put in the effort!”

Though it was a comment thrown out without knowing the reason, it held the truth.

The newly arrived Mages had no choice but to nod in agreement. Of course, Alfoy, being a seasoned veteran here, was thorough.

“Just saying it won’t make you work hard! Contracts need to be made to ensure more diligence!”

He immediately took the newly arrived Mages and forcibly made them sign slave contracts. His unwillingness to see others live comfortably was a quirky flaw of his.

Suddenly becoming slaves, the Mages could hardly contain their fury.

Looking for someone to vent their frustrations on, they turned their angry arrows towards Vanessa, who was working diligently.

“Hey! Vanessa! Do this for me!”

“Finish my laundry by evening!”

“Are you still slow here? Why aren’t you moving faster? Are you itching for a punishment after a long time?!”

This behavior was quite natural for them. After all, Vanessa was a maid of the Mage Tower.

Caught off guard by the sudden threat, Vanessa, who had been living peacefully until now, was taken aback.

“Uh? H-hello?”

Despite having risen to the 6th Circle, her mana was still clearly lacking. Plus, the fear instilled in her from childhood wouldn’t easily vanish.

As Vanessa stood there bewildered, a Mage shouted loudly,

“What are you doing? Hurry up and start with mine, would you? Are you not paying attention?”

Seeing this, Alfoy suddenly dashed over and leaped high, delivering a kick.

“Are these bastards nuts?”

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

As the Mage harassing Vanessa fell over, the existing Mages rushed in to stomp him down collectively.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“Argh! Why are you doing this! Why are you hitting me?!”

The Mage couldn’t comprehend. This wasn’t the behavior of noble Mages, but rather that of mere thugs.

The existing Mages didn’t stop stamping even after hearing his protests.

“Hey, who do you think you’re barking orders at? You got hands, don’t you? You do your own laundry, you punk. No, just die already. I genuinely wish you’d just drop dead.”

“Can’t you read the atmosphere? Got some serious issues with your intuition? Are you planning on getting us all killed? You an assassin? Who sent you?”

“If he gets angry, everyone here will die. Want to feel the burn from a fireball? You’re the one who needs to wake up!”

The newly arrived Mages simply couldn’t understand what was happening.

When Vanessa was at the Tower, she was treated like a mere maid. They thought she would still just be assisting with tasks here.

They used to bully her back at the Mage Tower, so why did it suddenly change?

At that moment, Alfoy’s majestic voice rang out.

“Enough.”

As the beatings stopped, Alfoy pointed at Vanessa and continued,

“Vanessa is the Deputy Director here. From now on, treat her with the same respect you’d give me.”

“D-D-Director?”

The newly arrived Mages had never heard of such a thing. Naturally, Vanessa also looked shocked, staring at Alfoy in disbelief.

Ignoring their stunned expressions, Alfoy barked at the fumbling Mages.

“Did you hear? Shout ‘I’m sorry, Deputy Director!’ at the top of your lungs!”

There’s no reasoning with thorough discipline. With each poke, they couldn’t resist.

Their pride and everything else had to take a back seat.

“I-I’m sorry… Deputy Director…”

“LOUDER!”

“Deputy Director! I’m sorry!”

Satisfied, Alfoy nodded and then gently spoke to Vanessa.

“If they bother you, just let me know, alright? You’re the second-best Mage after me. If you ever find something you don’t understand while studying, feel free to ask any time.”

“Y-yes…”

“Uh, by the way, about that magic circle we were working on earlier… it seems like there’s a bit of an issue… though I can fix it, I’m a bit busy right now…”

“Oh, I’ll take another look at it.”

“Ah, thanks. Oh, you’ve studied a lot. I’m sure you can follow along with what I was doing.”

Alfoy and the existing Mages exchanged warm smiles as they looked at Vanessa.

It was only natural that they were sensitive. They had learned an important truth while working.

Without Vanessa, things wouldn’t run smoothly. If any problems regarding magic arose, they had to consult her.

“In terms of knowledge, we absolutely can’t compete with Vanessa. It’s incomparable.”

“This crazy bookworm. We’re just real pests that eat and poop.”

“Without that vast knowledge, we’d probably just drop dead while working.”

If she weren’t around, things would definitely become twice as hard. No, it’d be certain to come to a complete standstill.

In fact, they had become especially drained when she was busy with other tasks as it made getting her help difficult.

Every time the Mages worked, they became obsessed with getting Vanessa’s assistance. They regretted not treating Vanessa better back at the Mage Tower.

Everyone shared the same sentiment.

“We can’t live without Vanessa! We need to treat her right! Can’t let her feel uncomfortable!”

Having cherished and supported her thus far, did they dare to make her do menial tasks and bully her?

Those kinds of guys deserved to die. If not, they’d be the ones who perish.

The Mages protecting Vanessa was a desperate struggle for survival.

And Ghislaine, who happened to witness this scene, let out a chuckle.

“Did they have that talent? They said she’s the heir of the Mage Tower. This might be interesting to watch later. Unless she’s just got a nasty temper?”

If Alfoy had heard it, he probably would have gotten angry at who was saying what.

In any case, Alfoy firmly established discipline among the Mages, making a significant contribution to the development of the Territory of Penris.

 

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