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A magician, a senior magician of level eight or above, a teenage girl magician who looks no more than eighteen years old, and a magician who speaks shyly and nervously, as if she were a debutante venturing out for the first time.
Most importantly, she's also a little stutterer.
People around couldn't help but widen their eyes, looking at this girl with flushed face and teary eyes, who seemed almost about to burst into tears. Almost instinctively, everyone seemed to lower their swords.
This girl didn't seem threatening at all.
Even Duwei was stunned for a moment... Was this shy and timid girl, who spoke with a stutter and had a timid expression on her face like a little rabbit, really an eighth-level magician?
But this robe, and that badge, they couldn't be fake! Duwei knew that the badges issued by the Magic Guild had anti-counterfeiting functions.
Clearing his throat, Duwei relaxed his grip on the finger of the fearful illusion monster, and looked at this timid girl with a slight softening in his eyes. "Magician, are you saying that this little thing belongs to you?"
"Y-yes... n-no... it's not." The girl finally burst into tears, and right in front of everyone, tears began to flow from her eyes. "Th-this belongs to my t-t-teacher. C-can you please give it b-b-back to me..."
Give it back?
Duwei really didn't want to!
Why should he? This little thing had just thoroughly embarrassed them all, leaving everyone in a sorry state. Duwei did feel like cutting this little thing down, and then, as Solzkyar had said, taking its horn.
But it seemed this girl magician had come to claim it... now that the owner had shown up, could he really not return it?
If he tried to refuse... the other party was an eighth-level magician!
Although this girl looked very weak.
"Th-this... Magician, please... please don't be in a hurry." Duwei patiently said, even his voice softened a bit, as if coaxing a little girl. "If this little thing really belongs to you..."
"O-of c-c-course!" The girl seemed to hear a glimmer of hope, she wiped away her tears vigorously, looking at Duwei with hopeful eyes. Those innocent big eyes were so clear, the plea in them so pure, that it was hard for anyone to harden their heart against such a pitiful girl.
"Don't be in a hurry." Duwei said slowly. "Even if this little thing belongs to you, as its owner, I think you should take responsibility for the mistakes it has made, shouldn't you?"
The girl's face showed panic, she glanced at Duwei timidly. "P-please... excuse m-me..."
"This little thing, is it a high-level magical beast?" Duwei said in a deep voice. "As the owner of this magical beast, you didn't take good care of it and let it run to the southern hinterlands of the Empire! Don't you know how much trouble it can cause when a magical beast roams into areas where people gather!"
Seeing his little master scolding a level eight magician in a stern manner, Solzkyar couldn't help but want to laugh, yet he dared not.
The other party... was a grand magician after all!
Looking at the badge pinned to the girl's chest, Solzkyar swallowed hard. For someone like Solzkyar, a low-level magician, the greatest dream of his life was to one day advance and wear such a golden badge!
"Ah... th-th-this..." The girl magician's face showed a guilty expression as she lowered her head. "M-my teacher went out on a long trip. I-I-I was responsible for taking care of the little creature, but it r-r-ran away while my sister came to visit me... I've been looking for it for many days."
"Your mistake cannot be an excuse for the errors committed." Duwei said firmly and loudly, "Do you know how much panic it caused when such a high-level magical beast ran to the outskirts of this peaceful little town? These brave soldiers here have come to this mountain to capture it! And do you know how much harm your little pet caused to our brave soldiers just now!"
The girl magician couldn't say anything. She just looked at Duwei with guilt and pleading in her eyes.
Duwei calmed down, realizing that this girl magician was probably the kind who rarely went out and didn't understand much about the world. Such sheltered flowers were easy to deceive.
"This thing has caused panic in the area! Soldiers shed blood and sweat to capture it, to protect the peace of the area! Yet you come here and want to take it away. Do you not feel a shred of guilt in your heart for such actions?"
As Duwei spoke, the girl magician's head almost drooped to her chest.
Finally, when Duwei finished speaking, the girl magician gathered her courage and cautiously spoke, "I-I-I'm willing to apologize for its behavior... I-I-I'm s-s-sorry..."
"Put away your apologies!" Duwei was unrelenting. "If apologies were enough, why would we need police?"
"P-police... w-what are they?"
Duwei coughed, trying to cover up his embarrassment. He misspoke earlier; there were no police in this world.
"I mean..." Duwei straightened his chest and exclaimed loudly, "Can a simple apology compensate for the blood and sweat shed by our brave soldiers?"
Actually, his words were a bit too harsh for this little girl.
The search team that entered the mountain actually didn't shed much blood. The intense battle just now, with flesh and blood flying, was all just an illusion. After dispelling the illusion, everyone only felt dizzy once, and they didn't suffer any injuries. At most, they might have a few nightmares when they slept at night. There weren't any major losses.
The only one injured was the female knight, Rolin.
Duwei naturally wouldn't waste this opportunity to negotiate terms. He took a few steps forward, revealing the female knight being supported by his men behind him.
Rolin's face was pale, a sign of weakness from losing too much blood in an instant, but overall, she was mostly fine. However, seeing Rolin, a woman who couldn't even stand steadily, with white bandages wrapped around her hands and disheveled hair, really made the girl magician feel even more guilty.
"C-Can I compensate you for something?" The girl magician's eyes welled up again.
Duwei sighed, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes, then he glanced at Solzkyar beside him. Solzkyar, who had been discussing alchemy with Duwei every day for the past few days, had somewhat understood the temperament of his little master. Seeing his eyes, he immediately understood and took two steps forward, slightly bowing, and said slowly, "Respected Grand Magician.
The girl looked at Solzkyar's mage robe and also bowed slightly in return, saying, "M-Mr. Mage."
At this moment, Solzkyar couldn't help but blush... He probably never imagined that one day, a senior magician of level eight or above would address him as "Mr. Mage."
"Well, I think your little pet has already caused damage to the area. If we simply let it go, I'm afraid the soldiers who were deeply affected won't be able to accept it. Moreover, my master, the great Duwei, the eldest son of Count Raymond of the prestigious Roland family, was also deeply frightened by today's events. Therefore, I think some punishment for this little thing is necessary."
"N-n-no... My t-t-teacher w-w-will p-punish m-m-me if he s-sees it suffering..." The girl magician was sweating profusely, "If my t-t-teacher gets a-angry, you'll also..."
"Respected Grand Magician, may I ask who your teacher is? I can't imagine which magician in the Empire could train a disciple to the level of a grand magician." Solzkyar started probing.
The girl magician looked uneasy, "Th-th-that... I-I-I can't say."
Solzkyar frowned slightly, then he immediately smiled again, "Well, at least you should tell us your name, right?"
"Ah..." The girl magician breathed a sigh of relief; this question she could answer, "M-m-my name is Vivian Yang. I-I-I'm an eighth-level magician of the Magic Guild." After saying this, the girl suddenly remembered the basic etiquette her teacher had taught her. Her face turned red, and she quickly bowed slightly, politely asking, "M-May I also know your name, respected Mr. Mage?"
Solzkyar blushed this time for real, "I... I'm Solzkyar, a mage of the Magic Guild... uh, just a first-level mage."
As he said the last few words, Solzkyar almost wished he could find a hole to hide in.
A first-level mage was practically like an ant to an eighth-level magician! Many famous magicians on the continent who had reached the level of grand magician even had apprentices who were second or third-level mages.
For grand magicians who had already reached the upper echelons of the magician circle, first-level mages were probably no different from magic apprentices in their eyes.
But this innocent girl seemed unaware of all this, still following etiquette and bowing. This immediately made Solzkyar feel a great liking for her.
"See that! An eighth-level magician actually bowing to me, Solzkyar!"
"Then, please state your sincerity in compensation," Duwei interjected perfectly.
"W-w-well..." The girl magician looked somewhat embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, she took out a small pouch from her robe and opened it. "I-I-I have... a water orchid diamond. Al-although it's only of medium quality, b-b-but..."
She became more and more stuttery as she spoke. In the end, with a helpless expression, she could only hold out the fist-sized water orchid diamond, looking at Duwei with pleading eyes.
Water orchid diamond??
Solzkyar was moved! The water orchid diamond was the finest magical material in water magic! It was top-notch for making scrolls or storing magic! If a high-level alchemist could embed this water orchid diamond into a staff, it could save at least one-third of the magic power for water mages when casting spells! It could even accelerate the casting speed of spells!
Looking at this water orchid diamond, sparkling and translucent, it was definitely of medium quality or higher. If you simply calculated its value, it was probably worth thousands of gold coins!
Any water mage would be willing to pay this price, even several times more, to obtain this item!
Solzkyar opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Duwei already had a hand on his shoulder from behind. Duwei's expression was cold, even furrowing his brow and squinting as he looked at the girl magician. "Oh, just this water orchid diamond?"
The girl magician blushed slightly, her gaze somewhat flustered, feeling a bit guilty inside.
Ah, even though this water orchid diamond was of medium quality, it was... actually something she didn't need. She wasn't a water mage, so keeping it was useless... to use something useless of her own to compensate others, how could she, Vivian, do such a despicable thing!
May the Almighty forgive me!
The girl magician inwardly condemned herself and quickly took out a small emerald-green item from her pouch. It emitted a shimmering green light, resembling water ripples but also something soft. Anxiously, the girl magician said, "T-t-there's also this..."
Solzkyar felt like his eyes were about to pop out!
"G-g-green mana potion!" Even in his excitement, Solzkyar seemed to have caught the girl's stutter.
Duwei raised an eyebrow. With his extensive knowledge, he knew exactly what this green mana potion was.
This was a treasure coveted by any magician!
This type of mana potion was used to replenish the magic consumed by a mage! When a mid-level mage was depleted of magic during battle, carrying a small bottle of mana potion like this could instantly restore their magic!
And looking at the large pouch in the girl magician's hand... It could probably hold at least seven or eight bottles!
Making these potions was extremely difficult, the raw materials were very rare, and most importantly, they were consumables! Using a bit meant having less!
Solzkyar felt his throat drying up.
However, Duwei still wore a displeased expression, frowning at the girl magician. "Is this all? Are the blood and sweat of our brave soldiers only worth this much?"
Tears welled up in the girl's beautiful eyes as she hesitated, scratching her head. After a moment of thought, she pulled out a small yellow bead and timidly handed it over.
"T-t-this... I-I-I made it myself, a fire evasion bead."
Duwei responded, "And what about the injury to my female knight?"
The girl magician then produced a handful of monster cores! Colorful and vibrant, there were dozens of low-level or mid-level monster cores extorted by Duwei.
"And what about the fright I experienced?" Duwei seemed to have transformed into a menacing extortionist.
The girl magician rummaged through her belongings, pulling out her last treasures... seven or eight magic scrolls!
And Solzkyar nearly passed out just from looking at them... These were all scrolls of mid-level magic! Not some low-level magic junk! They were all scrolls of mid-level magic!! With seven or eight items like this, it could be enough to incite a duel between two magicians!!
Seeing that his little master still hesitated to agree, even Solzkyar felt guilty in his conscience!
This innocent and naive girl magician had handed over "compensation" that was worth enough to buy a whole city!
Seeing Duwei still hesitating to agree, the girl magician burst into tears. Timidly, she rummaged through her belongings once more, saying, "I-I-I only brought brought brought these."
Demon!!
At this moment, those around, including Solzkyar, Sir Robert, and the members of the Rolin family, couldn't help but sigh. Looking at the pitiful sight of the girl magician crying, they even felt a sense of guilt in their hearts.
But unfortunately, their little master still wore an uncompromising expression... Was his appetite perhaps too excessive?