The ordinary parents thought that after raising their daughter Catherine into an official magister, they would not need to spend much money.
They had no idea how much money a magister would burn.
Austin wanted to complain that the money spending had just started.
"Sigh, the [Divine Weapons & Elixirs] area is great. It's a pity that I don't have the money."
Austin went to the other areas of the Magister Forum to take a look.
"A new monarch-level beast has been spotted in the Criss-Cross Mountain Range—the Myriad Mountain Dragon King. Join me to slay the dragon and write our legends!"
The notice was written with a heroic spirit, the words bold and powerful to make one's blood boil.
Austin peeked at the level of the poster.
Good Lord, a bronze marker.
The user-level of the Magister Forum was based on the user's magister level.
The poster was only an official magister.
The ones who replied were mostly official magisters too.
"Let's form a team. Come and register (1 / 1000)."
"Count me in (2 / 1000)!"
"(3 / 1000)."
"Hahaha. Does anyone honestly think that a thousand official magisters are enough to slay dragons?"
It was such a boastful petition that drew over a thousand people who placed their interest in it.
Austin found it interesting and left a few words on the post.
"Myriad Mountain Dragon King, right? Let it live for a few more years. When the day comes, I will return to slay it!"
Still, his own business was more important!
As he spoke, Austin casually looked at the wall covered in red paper.
Most were related to a certain tier-three magister who had a couple of scandals with beautiful women.
Half an hour had passed.
Austin left the [Tales of the World] and headed to the [Mutual Support] region.
In this area, magisters could accept missions and issue missions.
There were all kinds of missions.
"Escorting a group of merchants across the Yellow River's uninhabited area will require ten tier-three magisters and two tier-four magisters. We will discuss your rewards privately."
"I'm asking for the corpse of an elite-level vicious beast, Blazing Fire Lion. Guaranteed generous offer!"
"Whoever has the rare Nine-Star Spirit-Calling Herb, I'll trade it for a heavenly treasure of equal value."
Austin took note of the rules for issuing missions and posted a notice.
The mission notice could hide the user's level and the user's name. It ensured the safety of the person who issued the mission.
"I need an Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp, plus a Red Electric Eel. Private chat to discuss price."
After posting it, Austin waited for any replies.
After a while, Austin returned home to sleep.
The next day.
Austin headed to the southern district and entered the Magister Forum. He found a few messages.
One said he had a Red Electric Eel.
One said he could capture the Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp.
And they asked Austin how much he could pay.
Austin thought for a moment and replied to them with three silver coins and prepared to return home.
He did not expect the other party to be here as well.
He had just sent the message when the man saw Austin.
The other party replied directly, "Are you kidding me? What can three silver coins do?"
It's just a Red Electric Eel. Is it that expensive?
The man said, "I live in a coastal city. And I have to send this magical beast to your city."
"Just the price of the mail alone is never cheap!"
In the current world, every human city was like an isolated island scattered across the vast sea.
Vicious beasts were the endless seawater that separated every island from each other.
Because of the vicious beasts, the transportation costs had soared.
A Red Electric Eel did not cost much, but the transportation cost was high.
Furthermore, an object's value was in proportion to its rarity. Seafood was rarely seen in inland cities nowadays.
Austin replied, "Nine silver coins."
The other party was speechless for a moment.
"Do you want it or not? Don't waste my time."
"Yes."
"Two gold coins!"
Austin sucked in his breath.
Two gold coins?
What an exorbitant demand!
"One gold coin.
"One gold coin is my final offer. If that doesn't work for you, I'll buy from someone else.
"I'm sure someone would sell me at that price."
The other party fell silent and did not reply.
Austin was in no hurry to pursue the matter.
Bargaining was all about patience.
Austin was not in a hurry and strolled around the other areas.
When he returned, he realized that the other party could not resist anymore.
"One gold coin is fine, but I can't guarantee the condition of the Red Electric Eel."
Austin smiled.
As long as it was a Red Electric Eel, it was fine. He did not have any requirements on whether it was dead or alive.
With the same method, Austin bought the Ink-Tailed Mantis Shrimp with one gold coin as well.
Two gold coins were gone just like that.
Austin could now declare that all his savings were gone.
"I'm broke."
"I guess when the bronze medal comes down, I'll have to leave the city as soon as possible to hunt for vicious beasts and earn some money to use."
There were a few ways for a magister to earn money.
Being recruited by others, such as joining a large corporation, would allow one to receive good pay. It was relatively safe but with less freedom.
They also could join the royal family and receive a salary. However, the pay was not as good as the corporations, and with no freedom as well.
One good thing was that family members could move into the safer military district and live there.
If an emergency occurred, the families of soldiers could evacuate first.
Another way was to leave the city to hunt vicious beasts and sell the precious parts to the Magister Association.
The material of most combat uniforms and divine weapons came from vicious beasts.
He could accept missions and earn a decent amount on the Magister Forum as well.
It was a high-risk, high-profit way to earn money, and it had the most freedom.
"The more powerful I become, the faster money will roll in. Right now, the most important thing is to improve my powers and let my cells evolve!"
Austin packed up and prepared to go out and look for the Water Spirit Worm.