Chapter 98: Disciples
Margaret then took out 14 large pouches, filled with gold coins, and placed them inside the wooden chest. Once she was done, she glanced at the white-haired old man and spoke in a polite tone.
"You can take this amount, Sir."
On the other hand, Charles took out a void pouch from his space ring, passed it to Jessie, and said in a solemn tone.
"You have the potential to be a great merchant, lass. This pouch and the money in the wooden chest will be yours." He paused for a moment and soon added,
"You'll be the one who is responsible for doing all the financial words from now on."
His simple words shocked both the kids and Margaret.
'Did he plan to teach her about how to spend money and make her an assistant?' Margaret soon thought of such possibility and nodded in approval. She had seen many mages given their other works to their disciples and concentrated their full attention on improving their strength.
On the other hand, Jessie's mind went blank for a moment.
"T-Teacher, that's-" Words stuck in her throat as she stuttered in anxiety and confusion.
"That's my final decision." Charles interrupted her and spoke in a firm tone.
Jessie's emerald-green eyes widened, and soon she nodded her head in determination.
At that moment, Margaret made a call through a communication ring and soon spoke few words to the opposite side. After that, she turned her gaze towards Charles and spoke politely,
"Please wait here for a while, Sir. Our company staff member will bring the [Learner] Class gem."
Charles raised his eyebrows and then nodded his head in approval.
A few minutes later, the blonde-haired woman in a formal black suit came inside after knocking on the wooden door and gave him a thumb-sized jade gem.
"This Class-Gem belongs to her." Charles shook his head and pointed his finger at Jessie.
Meanwhile, the blonde-haired woman got stunned a bit and soon apologized for her mistake. Then, she turned her attention to Jessie and gave it to her.
At that moment, Jessie took the gem from the staff member and fell into deep thoughts.
'Why did our teacher give me this much money? Is he testing? Wait…' She suddenly recalled Noel's earlier conversation with their teacher and soon widened her emerald-green eyes.
She instantly raised her head, stared at Margaret for a moment, and spoke.
"We also want [Blade Wielder] Class-Gem, ma'am." She suddenly paused for a moment as she thought of something and soon turned her gaze towards Charles.
"Teacher, do I also have to buy Class-Gems for my little brother and Rhea?" She asked in an eager tone.
"You are indeed a sharp one. Hmm, I already have a [Apprentice Water Mage] Class-Gem, so you don't have to buy one for her." Charles stopped for a second as he rubbed his wrinkled chin and soon added.
"Buy one [Thief] Class-Gem for Titus. He has the qualifications to become an assassin."
Charles was indeed surprised by Titus's patient behavior and thought of nurturing him into a skilled assassin. Unlike Noel, he didn't let his mouth run wild and keep observing his surroundings all these times. In a sense, he had all the qualifications to become a top-level assassin in the future!
"[Blade Wielder] Class-Gem is a rare one, so the cost is 155 gold coins. As for [Thief] Class-Gem, It is 120 gold coins, Jessie." Organizing her thoughts, Margaret said and soon signaled the blonde-haired woman to go and get those two Class Gems.
At this moment, Jessie went near the wooden chest, which was still placed on the wooden table, and took out three big pouches from it. Then, she took 25 gold coins from one pouch and gave the three pouches to Margaret.
After that, she took the void pouch from her waist and moved it near the wooden chest.
Upon watching her action, an amusing smile appeared on Margaret's face as she let out a chuckle and spoke,
"That's not how you use a void pouch, girl. First, focus your full attention on the void pouch and let it absorb a part of your soul power. Then, you will see a link between your mind and this pouch. Once you finish this process, you will have an easy time storing the materials with a simple thought."
Jessie's face flustered in embarrassment as she heard Margaret's lecture.
She quickly returned her face to a calm and cold expression and focused her full attention on the void pouch. Although she didn't sense any soul power, she indeed noticed a link appeared between her mind and the void pouch.
Nodding her head, Jessie stored the wooden chest with a simple thought and bowed her head towards Margaret.
"Thank you, ma'am."
Meanwhile, the blonde-haired woman also returned with two other Class-Gems and passed them to Jessie.
Jessie caught the gems with her tiny hand and soon wore a clueless look as she couldn't distinguish the difference between the two Class Gems.
"Green one is [Blade Wielder] Class Gem and the grey one is [Thief] Class-Gem." Noticing her puzzlement, Charles used his [Inspect] skill on those gems and said in an old man's voice.
Jessie nodded her head and gave the green one to Noel and the grey one to Thief.
Once Noel caught the green gem, he opened his mouth, placed it on the smooth tongue, and swallowed it in an instant, causing other kids to stare at him in shock!
A moment later, a throbbing pain appeared in his head, and soon he gripped his head tighter.
Noel's eyes started to turn red due to the pain, and soon he began to shed tears. But he didn't cry, though. Instead, he gritted his teeth and endured.
"Impatience is not a good thing, kid." Charles frowned at his behavior and spoke in a solemn tone.
But he knew that changing one's behavior was not an easy task, so he simply sighed in helplessness, took out a blue gem from his space ring, and passed it to Rhea.
"You guys also take your class-gems now. It will only take a minute or two anyway." Saying those words, he pulled the wooden chair and sat on it with a calm look on his face.
In the meantime, the other three kids also nodded their heads in unison and soon swallowed the gems.
Like before, all of them felt intense pain appearing in their heads and soon started to cry in pain.
Margaret watched the kids in silence for a moment, then turned her gaze towards Charles and asked.
"May I know your name, sir?"
"Oswald." Charles maintained his cold look and responded shortly.
'Oswald… It looks like he is not telling his real name.' She narrowed her eyes for a moment and soon turned her gaze towards the kids.
Two minutes later, all four of them calmed down and soon noticed that something had changed in their bodies.
"Stealth," Titus instantly tried to activate his skill but soon noticed that nothing changed at all!
"To activate this skill, you need to choose the right place and time, kid. This skill will show its full capability when you are under a shadow or during nighttime." Charles paused for a moment and soon added in a solemn tone.
"You can activate the skills just by thinking. And, never reveal your skill names to others."
At that moment, Rhea wore a confused look and asked in anxiety.
"Teacher, I didn't receive any skill at all."
"That's because you need to learn them on your own. The reason mages need to attend the school in Magic Tower is to broaden their knowledge about basic elements and learn spells on their own through enlightenment. That's why mages are very rare all over the Edhen." This time, Margaret explained in a serious tone.
Nodding his head in approval, Charles cleared his throat and spoke before standing up.
"Let's go. We still have a small work to do in South Borough."
After that, he nodded his head at Margaret, turned around, and soon walked out of the small room.
Meanwhile, other kids also bowed their heads towards her and soon left the room one by one.
Watching their departure, Margaret blinked her eyes twice and then said with an exciting smile on her face.
"Investigate their background. I want to know the real identity of this old man."
"Yes, My Lady." The blonde-haired woman nodded her head and soon walked out of the room.
…