"Just because they couldn't find your background, they are asking for money from you. They are swindling you." Gopher huffed, and Aric could actually see wind vapors coming out of his flared nostrils. This almost made Aric laugh. He didn't mind the money at all. Money here could never fulfill the luxuries that he was accustomed to. "You don't know but some schools will do anything to make sure that they don't pay for the scholarships and thus weasel their way out and make the students pay at the end."
Not even his own world could provide the luxuries and freedom that the interstellar world offered him, so money was the least of his problems.
"It's just some gold coins. I am happy that they are allowing me to do business. Gopher, are you sure you will move with me to the same city?" Aric asked again. Before the selection process started, Aric and Gopher had already done the dance.
They had talked about his move, and Gopher had already agreed to move with Aric, which surprised him. But then he understood when Gopher spoke of the resources one needed to stand tall in the magical world.
"But you will lose your connections if you leave this place that you built with all your heart and soul over the past years."
"Listen, kid, I am more than 100 years old, and I have spent less than 15 years here. Whatever connections I have built, I could make better ones in the new place that we will be moving to, wherever that is."
"But won't it be degrading for you to come with me and even work for me? I am much younger than you," Aric said. This made Gopher silent for a bit, putting on his thinking cap for some time before saying:
"Now that you mention it, I just realized a very common thing in the magical society. None of us has ever thought of age the way ordinary people tend to think. A young teenager could be as old as 500 years, and a very old-looking man could be 50 years old because he had done something horrible to be drained of his life force. And that makes us immune to age-related problems. So me working for you wouldn't be an issue if you think that way," Gopher said.
"No... no... I have no problem if you work for me. I will be grateful that a mage is behind the business, as long as you don't do anything that harms it," Aric said, with his last words carrying a hint of sternness. It came out more like a warning, and Gopher somehow felt a small chill in his spine when Aric said that.
And this confidence of Aric's convinced Gopher that he must have strong support behind him. He had already assumed that Aric was some kind of prince from a faraway land, coming here to prove to his father that he was a worthy king. If Aric had known about Gopher's train of thought, he would have laughed out loud.
Over the past year, Gopher and Aric had grown close, and Gopher had actually mentored him a lot, speaking about his school life so that Aric could have an idea of what it was like. In return, Aric had helped by providing more business opportunities.
There were many things that were quite costly around. One was combs. Combs were still being made of wood, making them hard to craft, as specific wood was needed, and to make them smooth required great skill. Aric supplied combs from Echorysia, and to avoid polluting the environment, he used biodegradable carbon polymer-based combs that would last for 10 years and sold them much cheaper.
This was another great introduction, as now women from all walks of life could buy combs. Thus, his business had grown steadily, with other items also helping to line his pockets and explaining why he didn't care about some gold coins.
"It doesn't bother me, Gopher. They can take as much as they want as long as I get to study and become powerful," Aric said. His words made Gopher smile with pride.
"Talent is the last thing you should worry about. I have heard that beast control is one of the most savage and powerful. Beast tamers are respected and feared, almost with the same ferocity as those lightning asshats," Gopher said. Gopher seemed to hate the lightning mages for some reason, and Aric didn't know why.
"You haven't told me about your relations with Sylva yet. Do you like her?" Aric teased.
"I had some relations once, long ago..." Gopher replied.
"And?" Aric was intrigued, as it was the first time Gopher had opened up about his personal life.
"And I believe the correct words are 'stay in your lane,'" Gopher said. This made Aric all sour. This person refused to open up about his personal life. Aric could sense there wasn't any revenge story there, but there must have been some kind of heartbreak somewhere that made Gopher so fiercely protective of his private life and himself.
Sometimes, Aric felt like he was talking to a walking robot who only showed love for money and maybe mentoring him, but in other topics, he refused to engage. It was frustrating for Aric but also good in a way, as it was better if he had deep business ties with him. Mixing personal life with business was always a no-no.
Maybe he could get close to Sylva and ask her about Gopher's past, though he doubted she would tell much or anything significant since they both belonged to different schools when they studied.
But the baseline was that Aric had gotten admitted to a new school, almost at the same time as enrolling in a new university in a different country. He would be moving to different places in both worlds, and he couldn't wait to start a new journey in his life.
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