Chapter 74: The Bumpkins of St. Lawrence (2)

Bruno received news early in the morning that the mage apprentices had arrived.

"How many have come?" he asked excitedly. He had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of these mages for a long time.

Although the mage apprentices willing to travel such a long distance to Idar were unlikely to be famous or renowned, they were certainly determined and persistent individuals.

These mage apprentices might not be well regarded or particularly talented, but that didn't matter. Bruno wasn't looking for them to chant spells on the battlefield.

What he needed was for them to collaborate with Arnel on research to design and develop new enchanted weapons, to standardize and popularize the use of magic arrays, and to drive a revolutionary transformation in Idar through the power of magic.

That was Bruno's goal!

"A total of nine people one mage and eight mage apprentices," Lister replied.

Since the Fourth Production Team's camp was a necessary stop on the way to Idar City, officials from the Idar Immigration Bureau had been stationed there for some time.

Thus, when Sibelle entered the camp to ask for bread, the news of a group claiming to be from the imperial capital of St. Lawrence arriving in Idar was quickly relayed.

"Where are they now?"

"On their way to Idar City. They should arrive by noon," Lister answered.

"Go inform Arnel, then bring these mages directly to him," Bruno instructed.

"Understood, my lord."

Such a useful group of ahem mage and mage apprentices should, of course, be handed over to Arnel and put to work immediately!

As for touring Idar City, they could do that later when there was time. Right now, the entire city was undergoing massive construction, and there wasn't much to see anyway.

Bruno was perfectly content with this arrangement.

 He had already determined the wages for these mage apprentices long ago just waiting for them to arrive so he could implement the plan.

Six days of work per week, from 9 AM to 9 PM, with overtime pay separately calculated!

Bruno felt this arrangement was quite reasonable after all, 996 was a blessing, right? (996 work culture is illegal in China but some companies still do it)

He had waited so long for these slow moving mages to arrive, so it was impossible for him not to feel excited.

After all, the design of enchanted weapons wasn't something Arnel could accomplish alone.

Each additional mage meant another source of assistance, another perspective on problem-solving. The more, the better!

With the addition of these mages and apprentices, the total number of mages in Idar would break the historic two-digit mark, reaching a total of ten!

In the past, this would have been unthinkable. This wasn't just simple addition!

...

Arnel's current workplace was no longer in Idar City.

So, before Lett, Sibelle, and the others could approach the city, they were politely taken away by Idar's soldiers.

To ensure the confidentiality and security of the enchanted weapon research, Arnel had moved out of Idar City days ago. With the help of Bruno's personal guards, a row of temporary residences had been built in the Armis Mountain range.

These hillside houses resembled mountain villas from Bruno's past life. Although they lacked the grandeur of a castle, they were much more comfortable to live in.

Externally, the houses appeared old and unremarkable, but inside, they were fully equipped with all necessary facilities.

Bruno had even transferred the burly, strong-armed cook from the lord's kitchen to Arnel's side something that had saddened him for quite a while.

But more importantly, the mountain villas were located near the magic crystal mine in the Armis Mountains!

Arnel had been eyeing those magic crystals for a long time!

For mages, magic crystals were invaluable not only could they store free magical elements, but they also greatly facilitated spellcasting. It was common for mages to embed large chunks of magic crystals into their staffs.

For Arnel, as Bruno's initial theories and assumptions about magic were being verified and adjusted, magic crystals had become essential for drawing magic arrays and conducting various enchanted weapon experiments.

"Arnel!"

From a distance, Leit spotted Arnel standing on the hillside to welcome them.

"Lett! It's been a long time!" Arnel called back.

Since Arnel and Lett had parted ways in St. Lawrence, more than six months had passed it truly had been a while.

"We came as soon as we received your letter!" Leit said. "Oh! By the way, this is Sibelle. We met her on our way to Idar she's already a full-fledged mage!"

"You can call me Arnel," Arnel nodded.

"Arnel, is this... the residence of that great mage?" Watson asked as he surveyed the surroundings.

"Yes... but also no... In any case, although we're friends, before I introduce everything to you, we need to go over some agreements first," Arnel said with a smile.

With a wave of his hand, a personal guard stepped forward, holding several pre-prepared confidentiality agreements and employment contracts for Idar's mage team.

Although the agreements didn't possess inherent magical enforcement, it was well understood that mages in this world existed to serve the nobility.

Thus, any employment or other contracts signed between nobles and mages could be reported to the Mage Guild. If a mage violated the contract, they would be subject to disciplinary action by the guild.

Because of this, any mage hoping to continue their career in the Norman Empire generally wouldn't dare to break an agreement with a noble.

"This is..."

"A confidentiality agreement, as well as your employment contracts as members of Idar's mage team," Arnel explained.

"So serious?" Watson asked.

"Of course. Once you understand what you'll be learning in Idar, you'll see why I chose to stay here..." Arnel said solemnly.

The group barely skimmed through the documents before signing their names.

"Aren't you going to read them carefully?" Arnel asked.

"No need... I can't wait to see what you're going to show us!"