After returning home after his classes concluded, Vicente first encountered Nina as he passed through the living room.
This little girl had turned almost four years old.
Upon seeing her, Vice scooped her up in his arms and playfully swung her in the air, eliciting giggles from his little sister.
"Big brother!" Nina exclaimed in her thin, sweet voice while Kate observed her with Vice with a gentle smile while running one of her hands over her belly.
She was pregnant again!
Kate and Andrew did not mess around when it came to making children!
Both were under 30 and were already expecting their fourth child!
"How were your classes today? Your sister didn't enjoy class 5," Kate asked, knowing very well that her son was quite different and had different preferences when compared to his older sister.
"It was pretty good. I learned about Magic Pentagrams," Vicente replied before looking at Nina. "Hey, you want to learn something?"
"What? What?" Nina responded with eager curiosity.
While Vice whispered something into one of his sister's ears, a woman who stood 1.5 meters tall, bearing a striking resemblance to Kate, entered the room, accompanied by a young blond man.
"Miss Fuller, I have brought Lauren back, just as promised," this young man, dressed in a suit, announced as he looked at the woman he desired to become his mother-in-law.
Kate offered a sympathetic smile to him and asked. "Silas, would you like some tea? I just boiled some water."
"Oh, no, he has got something to do, Mom," Lauren replied in Silas's place, causing him to glance at her differently since he had nothing to do.
Meanwhile, Vice cast a sidelong glance at the person he didn't particularly like.
Silas was one of Lauren's potential fiancé candidates with whom she had recently been interacting as a part of a test.
Lauren often went out for walks and meals with these young suitors to assess her compatibility with her future husband.
While she had no choice who she would marry, she could interact with all of them, as long as it was nothing more than conversation, of course...
Silas bitterly smiled and said, "I'll take my leave now."
After he departed, only Nina continued to chatter happily while the three family members looked at each other.
"I hate every one of them," Lauren stated as she clenched her fists, her expression changing quickly. "Why do I have to prepare for these filth men? They are all perverts!"
"Sigh... Lauren, maybe you are being hasty to jump to a conclusion."
While Kate was trying to reason with her eldest daughter, one of Andrew's men knocked on the front door and said, "Young Vice, the boss is waiting for you at the Price farm's warehouse."
Upon hearing this, Vice left her sister with their mother and made his way out, knowing he had to accompany his old man.
"See you later, Mom, Nina, Lauren."
...
Upon arriving at the expansive warehouse, which was surrounded by several wagons, Vice came across his father, who was standing next to several men who were loading the wagons.
He walked to his side and said nothing, ready to observe and learn from his old man, just as he had been doing for the past few months.
Normally, Vice watched his father in silence most of the time, asking questions when he spotted something that was unusual or when his father had yet to introduce him to a particular aspect of the business.
Andrew hoped that his son was an even better negotiator than he was, and so he didn't go easy on Vice, just as the man who had taught him hadn't gone easy on him.
"Vice, one of the wagons that were supposed to depart for Mosspost today is broken. However, we must take some resources to this town that needs that wagon. Without it, we won't be able to fulfill our business there.
What will we do?" Andrew inquired, seeking an answer.
"Mosspost? Father's contract in that town stipulated that if we delivered less than agreed, it would result in the average price of each item to be dropped by 10%. But, there is no restriction regarding delays.
I suggest we don't ship anything today and focus all the men on repairing that wagon to ship it tomorrow at sunrise," Vicente suggested, answering his father's question with what he had learned during these past few months.
"What if they try to complicate the delivery because of the delay?" Andrew asked without looking at his son.
"It's highly unlikely. Father has a Magic Agreement with them, so they wouldn't have any grounds to cause any issues. However, we should offer them some compensation as a goodwill gesture. Even without the obligation to do so as it is always good to avoid displeasing our customers and maintain strong relationships with them.
I would recommend sending a few cases of Qotre Clairet wine, one of the best-sellers in our region. This will not only help us avoid weakening our relations but may also open doors to new agreements," Vicente explained, applying his acquired knowledge.
No action to compensate for a loss or a delay could guarantee a gain for a merchant. However, Vicente had inherited knowledge and techniques that were developed over 500 years ago by merchants who passed their wisdom down to his father's generation.
While magicians might live long given their lifespans, knowledge passed on from master to disciple could travel through several generations and even multiply both in quality and quantity.
Thanks to this legacy, Vicente had learned various techniques and theories that had been passed on to his father from his master, who, in turn, had also learned from others and developed some of these ideas.
Upon hearing his son's response, Andrew was pleased and signaled to his men, indicating they should follow what Vice had said.
'Very well, Vice. Even before awakening, you are able to assume part of my responsibilities,' Andrew remarked with silent approval at his son, a discreet smile forming on his lips. 'By the time you are 14, I will have nothing left to teach you. From then on, you can step in to manage the business if anything were to happen to me.
Your sisters will have a safe haven in you!'
"Uh? Father, what is it? Did I say something wrong?" Vicente realized that his old man was looking at him and couldn't help but feel a bit perplexed.
"No, you were perfect. Keep dedicating yourself to your studies. As much as having knowledge like mine will already put you above average, even I must admit that I am far from reaching a relevant position in this society.
If you truly want to influence real Mages, you will need to surpass the knowledge you have acquired thus far by a significant margin." Andrew assured, mindful that his son would not have great magical talent, and this would be the only condition that he could use to become very influential.
"I will try my best to help you increase your influence with your sisters' marriages, but that alone won't' guarantee much."
Having a large family and positioning women well was a very good way to get advantages for the family heir. But one could not depend entirely on this kind of help, thus Andrew hoped that Vicente would find his own way.
Upon hearing this, Vicente clenched his fists, feeling bad that he had to 'sell' his sisters for the sake of his family's growth.
He vehemently opposed this idea!
Unfortunately, he found himself without a voice to contradict his father and could only accept these circumstances for the moment. For now, he had no choice but to accept these circumstances.
As for wielding influence over the Mage society, he would certainly try that at some point in the future.
During his years at the Academy of Stars, Vicente had learned about the other higher ranks, which were beyond Apprentice and Acolyte.
They were: Mage, Mage Sovereign, Mage Paragon, and Archmage.
While he didn't know the specifics as to how these magical realms were subdivided, nor if there were more stages, he was aware that anyone capable of influencing at least one Mage could gain a respectable position in this world.
Apprentices occupied the lowest rung of this world, and there were hundreds of millions of them. While Acolytes were rarer, they were still numbered in the tens of millions. Mages, on the other hand, could be found around Polaris Realm in the tens of thousands.
Above that, it was hard to know their numbers, but 4th, 5th, and 6th-stage magicians were very rare, and there were some who were even considered legendary figures.
"I will strive to make all the sacrifices our family makes worthwhile, Father!" Vice declared, his tone brimming with determination, making him sound much more mature than he ACTUALLY was.
"Sigh... Well, you must take care of your family, regardless of where you end up in the future. Luckily, your mother and I will still be here to support you," Andrew smiled and acknowledged before giving Vice some good news.
"Anyway, Vice, when you finish your final year at the academy, I intend to take a big trip with your mother and sisters.
We will be going to Saltstar City, so you should prepare yourself. We'll be traveling by carriage for at least a month just to get there."
"Oh?" Vice's face lit up, knowing that Saltstar City was the largest city in Scott Province, a place which he had always wanted to visit.
From the rumors, Saltstar City was totally different from the villages and towns he was accustomed to, which compared to the city looked much like some underdeveloped places.
According to what he had heard, this city had a population of over 200,000 inhabitants and was one of the largest cities in the entire Seidel Kingdom!