Chapter 23: The Mage Apprentice's Surprise

After sunrise, Li De boarded the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild's carriage.

The guards and merchants of the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild, who had suffered greatly, should have been downcast and dispirited after being robbed.

But instead, the opposite was true. Among the several caravans traveling together, the ragged and battered guards of the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild were all smiles, their spirits high.

This left many puzzled. How could they be so cheerful after being robbed?

Goddess, these guys must have gone mad.

But when they learned the specifics, they couldn't help but feel a mix of envy and jealousy.

It turned out that the high-level mage from the Mage Guild, Lord Li De Kachar, had acquired the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild.

These country bumpkins were about to have a stroke of luck. A guild under the protection of a high-level mage would undoubtedly fare much better in Green City.

The scene they envied soon unfolded.

As they passed through the gates of Green City, the guard captain, as usual, prepared to stop the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild.

Although these unfortunate fellows clearly looked like they had been robbed, that didn't stop the guards from planning to extort some money from them.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li De appeared. His luxurious mage robe instantly silenced the guard captain who had been about to speak.

Damn it, how could the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild have a mage? These arrogant lords were even harder to deal with than nobles.

His expression immediately turned into one of forced politeness. "Mage Lord, my apologies. I didn't expect you to be with the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild."

Li De spoke indifferently, "From today onward, the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild is under the protection of the Crimson Mage Tower. In the future, when entering or leaving the city, fees will be paid according to the kingdom's laws."

The Crimson Mage Tower?

Hearing this, the guards dared not say more. That was a mage tower established by a high-level mage. Could this be the legendary genius mage, Lord Li De Kachar?

"Please proceed. From now on, the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild will no longer be stopped by the Green City's soldiers. You have my word."

The guard captain's face was full of humility, a far cry from the arrogance he had shown to other caravans earlier.

Mages, like nobles, stood at the top of the social pyramid. The treatment they received was beyond what ordinary merchants and commoners could imagine.

No matter how bold the city gate guards were, they wouldn't dare extort a high-level mage.

Li De nodded and casually tossed a gold Puck. With the help of Mage Hand, it floated in front of the guard captain.

"This is your reward."

A gold Puck? The guard captain hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise. This was more than two months' worth of his salary.

He eagerly accepted it and immediately directed his subordinates to let the caravan pass.

After Li De left, the guard captain proudly showed off the gold Puck to the dozen or so soldiers around him.

"See this? This is a reward from a mage lord. Unlike those dirty commoners and merchants, this is the true mark of nobility. Today, I'll treat everyone to drinks at the Azalea Fragrance Pavilion. Let's taste the flavor of Green City's finest.

From now on, keep your eyes sharp. The Golden Wheat Merchant Guild is not to be stopped."

The guard captain's words immediately stirred up a commotion among the soldiers.

The nearby merchants watched with envy and jealousy.

An hour and a half later.

The Golden Wheat Merchant Guild's carriage carrying Li De stopped in front of the Crimson Mage Tower. The other carriages had already returned to the guild's headquarters.

Laurent opened the wooden carriage door and respectfully set up the short ladder for dismounting.

"Lord Li De, please."

Li De didn't decline and stepped down from the carriage in a few strides.

Looking up, the 25-blade-high crimson mage tower appeared magnificent.

The Crimson Mage Tower.

This was the first time Li De had observed this mage tower, which was entirely his, so closely.

The tower's cylindrical body was topped with a square spire. The red alchemical material on the exterior walls had excellent magical conductivity, allowing for faster mana gathering.

Building this mage tower had cost him 1,000 gold Pucks, and many precious magical materials had been sponsored by the Mage Guild for free. If everything were converted to gold Pucks, the cost might have tripled.

In front of the Crimson Mage Tower was a wide expanse of bluestone pavement. Passersby instinctively avoided it, even though there were no signs prohibiting entry. The reputation of mages kept these pedestrians at a distance.

"Follow me inside."

"Yes, Lord Li De."

After crossing the bluestone pavement and ascending twelve steps, Li De used Mage Hand to push open the five-blade-high mage tower door.

The mage tower door was engraved with ten magic arrays. Only specific mana could open it.

Since Mage Hand was the simplest Tier 1 spell and a must-learn for mage apprentices, Li De had designated it as the key to opening the Crimson Mage Tower's door.

A specific amount of mana had to be input to open the door with Mage Hand. Otherwise, one could only ring the magical doorbell outside or wait for someone from the mage tower to come out.

Li De sometimes marveled at this world. While it lacked modern conveniences, it had clearly taken a different path. The derivative uses of magic were not without merit.

Entering the mage tower, the first floor of the hall was the most spacious and the favorite of the mage apprentices.

The space here was large enough for practicing magic without fear of damaging anything or triggering magic arrays.

Upon seeing Li De return, the dozen or so apprentices in the hall immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully.

"Lord Li De."

"Welcome back, Lord Li De."

"Lord Li De, let me pour you some tea."

Li De nodded slightly and gestured to Laurent, who was curiously looking around behind him.

"From now on, the Crimson Mage Tower will be the overseer of the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild.

This is Laurent. He will be in charge of the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild. You can get to know him, as you'll be dealing with him frequently."

The mage apprentices all looked curiously at Laurent. This was the first time the Crimson Mage Tower had accepted an external guild.

Previously, Li De had been completely indifferent to anything other than magic.

"Coli, go and fetch Vina for me. Also, take Laurent to the Temple of Contracts to purchase a contract."

The Temple of Contracts was established by followers of the God of Contracts and Justice. It sold contracts blessed by the God of Contracts.

Once a contract was signed, any violation would incur punishment from the God of Contracts and Justice.

Thus, signing contracts had become a common practice in business dealings.

A young man stepped forward and led Laurent away.

Seeing the eager looks in the eyes of the mage apprentices, Li De was momentarily stunned.

Then he realized that the Vampire Progenitor had essentially left these apprentices to fend for themselves, rarely teaching them anything.

Seeing the thirst for knowledge in their eyes, he hesitated for a moment but was ultimately moved by their earnestness.

In the center of the mage tower's first floor were over twenty chairs. Li De walked over and took a seat in the main chair.

Today, he would give these youngsters a proper lesson.

"Alright, since I have some time today, you can ask me any questions you have about magic. You have two Sun-hours."

The air fell silent as everyone stared at him in disbelief.

The apprentices had expected Li De to leave as usual, but instead, he had offered to teach them magic.

This was the first time in three years.

"Lord Li De, are you serious?"

Seeing their cautious expressions, Li De's lips twitched. The Vampire Progenitor had truly treated these apprentices as mere tools.

"Of course. Sit down quickly, or I'll leave."

Once Li De confirmed, everyone quickly took their seats, looking at him with excitement.

Although Li De had been exposed to magic for a shorter time than these apprentices, thanks to the Vampire Progenitor's memories, he could easily answer their questions.

"Lord Li De, why does Mage Hand sometimes produce inconsistent results when cast?"

"Show me your casting. Hmm, your issue is uneven mana control. Remember, casting a spell must follow a specific mana flow through the spell model. If the mana amount is incorrect, several things can happen.

First, the spell fails, and the spell model isn't activated.

Second, if there's too much mana, the spell model collapses, and you suffer a backlash.

Third, your situation: due to inconsistent mana, the spell is cast successfully, but the effects vary each time.

The solution is simple. Practice mana control and find the most optimal mana output."

Li De spoke confidently, without hesitation.

"So that's how it is. Lord Li De must have gained a lot from his recent journey to explain things so clearly."

"So impressive~"

The mage apprentices' eyes lit up. For them, this was the first time in their years at the mage tower that Li De had personally taught them in such detail.

In the past, Li De would simply hand them spell models and let them practice on their own. He rarely provided detailed explanations, and if they made mistakes, he wouldn't even bother to correct them.

As a result, several apprentices had already suffered severe injuries from mana backlash due to practice errors.

But they had no right to complain. Being able to enter the mage tower and learn magic was already a blessing from the Goddess of Luck.

Seeing the eager looks in the apprentices' eyes, Li De couldn't help but shake his head.

The Vampire Progenitor had never intended to teach these apprentices, using them only as a cover. If Li De hadn't taken over, these talented apprentices would never have become true mages.

"What a waste. These mage apprentices are valuable resources."

Although vampires were natural spellcasters, training a group of qualified mages in Green City would be a significant asset.

In any world, talent was the most precious resource.

And in this world, spellcasters undoubtedly stood at the pinnacle.

With some time to spare, Li De decided to properly teach these apprentices. The Vampire Progenitor hadn't utilized this resource, but Li De wouldn't let it go to waste.