Ivita threw 8 pennies at the fat woman. "Is this enough?"
"Yes, yes, it is." The fat woman quickly said, stealing a glance at the ferocious Demon Hunter, Black Wolf. "You can take this mission bounty list to the employer."
The fat woman handed over the task list, then stamped the guild ring on her right thumb on the red ink, and then stamped it on this mission bounty list.
"After stamping with the guild's seal, you can prove your identity to the employer."
Ivita took back the mission bounty list and left the place with his people.
They continued on their carriage, spending 4 shillings in town for enough black bread to feed six people for six to seven days, spent another 3 shillings and 6 pennies on some liquor, another 2 shillings repairing the roof of the carriage, and used the remaining money to buy some inferior quality fodder for their cattle.
In the meantime, the old witch found three spare right arms from her magic portable carriage, meticulously chose one, and fitted it onto her shoulder.
Lastly, they bought a 3-shilling cotton coat for the old witch, persuaded her with sweet words, and had her put it on to avoid any unnecessary trouble.
This way, she won't attract too much trouble.
Now, Ivita's small treasury is left with only 32 pounds and 2 shillings.
Don't think that's a lot.
It's mainly money sponsored by Rayli, and the money he swindled using a charm spell in the past.
However, Ivita knew clearly in his heart that this money could not sustain his current team for even a few days.
Firstly, the daily magic research cost of the old witch totals up to an astronomical amount, she consumes resources at the rate of one manor after another.
The Black Wolf's dual-handed sword and secondary weapon have not been maintained until now, and he still owes him a lot of money.
Rayli's weapons also haven't been maintained.
Apart from the maid Alyssia and her child being particularly energy-saving, everyone else is following him in a tight spot.
But he couldn't always let this situation continue.
That's why Ivita dares not propose the loyalty ritual to the Black Wolf, if the Black Wolf were to truly become his vassal.
Great, he simply doesn't have the money to support him.
Does it mean, he must really be deemed the King of Debts, and go around borrowing money to support his vassals?
After they left Kari Town from the east gate, Alyssia, who was driving the carriage, respectfully said to Ivita, "Sir, the territory of Baron Moro is only about twenty kilometers from our current location. I've heard that if we follow this official road, it will take about half a day to reach Baron Moro's territory."
"I also heard some interesting things from the townspeople. They say, Kari Town was ordered to be built by Baron Moro over sixty years ago."
"Initially, Kari Town was situated at a key route, so it collected a lot of transit taxes and brought the baron a substantial profit."
"Later, the then Ambrose Grand Viscount, [Greedy Arthur], coveted Kari Town and made Kari Town a directly governed town of the Viscount Independent Country."
"Baron Moro of that time, [Poor Burfan], disagreed and wanted to convene a full-assembly meeting with the townspeople to resist the Grand Viscount, but little did he know that the Grand Viscount had already liaised with the town mayor and guild presidents of the town."
"Grand Viscount [Greedy Arthur] promised them independent autonomy, local judicial power, and the right to independently recruit a guard team."
"And so, Kari Town became independent."
Rayli exclaimed, "I didn't expect there to be such an interesting story."
Ivita nodded, it seemed his initial decision to take in this maid was correct.
This maid is truly talented.
In just half a day, she got acquainted with the townsfolk and learned so much news.
It's just that her status is humble, lacking the opportunity to do bigger things.
The mountain road is difficult to travel on and it's harsh on the horses' hooves.
Therefore, they moved slowly.
The others ate some things.
Ivita was just on the carriage, studying his magical items. Except for the iron sword necklace of the Weimar Scholar Republic, the remaining three magic items all have apprentice-level curses.
He memorized the curses on the three accessories.
Then, he asked the Hearthstone Grand Witch about the incantation and casting technique of the Spirit Mirror Divination.
The Hearthstone Grand Witch was surprised that Ivita did not ask her about other offensive magic, such as a death spell.
Aboard the carriage, Ivita declared, "You've mentioned this before."
"Often, learning a single magic spell requires quite a long time."
"Now that I have a magical item, I can use offensive magic directly, so I should first learn divination."
"After all, every wizard must learn divination."
The Hearthstone Grand Witch said, "I see. But, Your Highness, to advance to a full-fledged wizard, three conditions must be met."
"One, learn more than three spells and choose one to develop as your Destiny Magic, meaning you need to learn at least four spells."
"The more powerful the magic, the more it will benefit you in advancing and after."
"Two, find a source of magic power. The amount of magical power intrinsic to an individual is limited. Even a wizard's apprentice, no matter how experienced or knowledgeable, has a wide gap when compared to a full-fledged witch in total magical power."
"Three, cultivate your divination to the point where your soul produces Spirit Knowledge Mist. Generally speaking, the more perfect and strong the structure of the Spirit Knowledge Mist, the less risk there is when advancing."
Ivita frowned, "I see. It seems I must find a time to concentrate on learning spells, but we are in danger now, so I might as well take some shortcuts."
"But isn't advancing to a full-fledged wizard very risky?"
"Mm, it's about ten times riskier than becoming an apprentice." The Old Witch said, "I once had a very talented disciple who could have become a full-fledged witch in just ten years."
"But in the end, she turned into a monster with a lion's head, a snake tail, and a sheep's body."
"Although she failed to advance, she transformed into a monster only after becoming a full-fledged witch, causing havoc in that area to this day."
"The people there called the monster she turned into a Chimera. I don't know if she's regained her sanity by now, but it would be better if she hasn't..."
"Every magic spell carries risks and costs. Your Highness, magic is not a toy that you can manipulate at will."
Ivita took a sharp breath in.
She had not realized how dangerous it was.
The Old Witch nodded and said, "Therefore, some people strongly despise magic, and it's not without reason. Because every time there's a magic accident, it's the civilians nearby who pay the price. But what does this have to do with me? Those who fall by the wayside on the road to magic are nothing more than failures."
Black Wolf couldn't help but ask, "But since you were her teacher, why didn't you get rid of her?"
"You're The Great Witch."
The Hearthstone Grand Witch shrieked as though her tail had been stepped on. "Of course I ran away under the cover of night."
"That was a monster transformed from a full-fledged witch."
"I am not obligated to risk my life, especially when there's no benefit."
Black Wolf looked at the Old Witch with contempt. "In the end, you're just cowardly. As far as I know, some witches do take responsibility and clean up their own mess."
The Hearthstone Grand Witch pretended not to hear and began telling Ivita the incantation for the Spirit Mirror Divination.
She repeatedly stressed that her beloved disciple, who was more proficient in this divination, should be given the chance to serve Ivita as soon as possible.
Ivita learned that to use this Spirit Mirror Divination, the first thing she would need to prepare was a mirror worth more than 100 gold pieces…
Ivita exclaimed in disbelief, "100 gold pieces! What kind of mirror could be that expensive?"
"Is the mirror made of gold?"
The Hearthstone Grand Witch answered nonchalantly, "Yes, and this is only for apprentices. A mirror priced lower than this cannot be subjected to the Black Magic needed to trap the Mirror Spirit."
"This is the rule of this spell!"
"This is already the cheapest price."
"If you want to delve more deeply into this divination, you'll need to buy an even more expensive mirror."
"But you can change the mirror later."
Ivita looked at Black Wolf, finally understanding why he had tried to prevent her from learning magic in the first place.
It seemed that getting into magic was like throwing money in the sea, from that point on, money became irrelevant!
Alysia, outside the carriage, said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at the territory of Baron Moro."
"Please alight from the carriage."
Ivita pulled back the carriage curtain and saw a small castle nestled not too far away on a hillside, surrounded by some residential buildings and a large manor.