Vivian's bag was already emptied, and she looked pitifully at Duwei, nervously rubbing the empty cloth bag in her hands. It was obvious there was nothing left inside.
"This...this...this is all I have," Vivian stuttered. She simply couldn't produce anything else.
Solzkyar beside her was practically itching to grab Duwei by the neck and make him agree already!
A medium-grade Water Orchid Diamond, a large packet of magic potions for restoring mana, and a bunch of high-quality monster cores... In addition to that, there were over a dozen scrolls inscribed with intermediate-level magic spells!
These items were enough to make any senior mage on the continent envious! While mages were known for their wealth, such a large sum was still extremely rare.
If they didn't agree now, what if things escalated? An eighth-level mage wasn't someone to trifle with!
Though this girl seemed simple and honest, if she became angered, with the power of an eighth-level mage, wiping out their ragtag group would be child's play.
Yet this girl, seemingly clueless, showed no signs of asserting her strength. If she were even slightly unreasonable, one high-level magic spell could wipe out their entire group of remnants.
Even if she seemed foolish...bullying a grand mage like this could spell trouble in the future.
Thankfully, just as Solzkyar was about to lose his mind, Duwei finally nodded. He maintained a calm expression as he spoke, "Respected mage, I can sense your sincerity. The terms you've proposed, I believe, will be satisfactory to my men."
With a nod from Duwei, Solzkyar breathed a sigh of relief, swiftly approaching the female mage and practically snatching the "compensation" from her hands. Solzkyar's face and eyes nearly bulged out as he hurriedly stuffed the magical materials into a large bag he was carrying, clutching it tightly with a expression akin to that of a miser...In this situation, if anyone dared to touch his bag, the mage would surely fight to the death!
"Th-th-then you can let...let...let go of the uh...the uh..." Vivian pleaded with Duwei, her eyes full of innocence. Her angelic face made it difficult for anyone to continue troubling her.
"Oh, while my men are quite satisfied with your compensation terms...I personally have a small additional condition," Duwei said calmly.
"B-but I've al-al-already got nothing left..." the female mage panicked, frantically emptying her pockets to show her destitute state.
"N-no-no, I'm not asking for material compensation from you," Duwei finally revealed his sinister intentions. "You're an eighth-level mage, right? In the Empire, grand mages are extremely rare, especially someone like you...I've never heard of a young lady like you possessing the badge of a grand mage. Oh, please don't misunderstand, what I mean to say is...I'm very curious about magic myself, and I have an extraordinary interest in it. I yearn for the splendid and grand magic culture, and I've devoted a lot of energy to studying magic. You see, I even hired a mage to serve as my magic consultant."
Duwei gestured towards Solzkyar, who was holding onto the bag like a miser.
Then Duwei deliberately sighed and shook his head. "Unfortunately, as you've seen, my magic consultant, while very diligent in teaching me, is limited in skill. So it's hard for me to gain more knowledge from him. Therefore, meeting you today—a grand mage— is an immense honor for me...Oh, though I was frightened by your pet earlier, I won't dwell on such a trivial matter, especially in the presence of such an outstanding mage as yourself."
Poor and naive Vivian felt her brain was insufficient. To her, the young nobleman she had just encountered seemed somewhat terrifying. He shamelessly extorted all her belongings...but who was to blame when she was in the wrong? Vivian had even considered using magic to reclaim her possessions, but she was taught from a young age to uphold fairness and kindness, to be kind to others. Coupled with her sheltered upbringing, it was difficult for her to harbor any evil thoughts.
Having obediently offered up all her possessions, she didn't realize that with just a bit of resolve, a spell could have solved the problem.
The young nobleman from before had indeed been intimidating. But in the blink of an eye, he spoke of his profound admiration for magic and his relentless pursuit of learning. Especially striking was his earnest manner of speaking, his eyes and tone brimming with sincerity.
And then he said he wouldn't hold a grudge for being startled himself. Oh, what a kind-hearted fellow! The female mage's mind, already somewhat naive, immediately forgot about being swindled out of all her possessions by this fellow. She stammered out her thanks for his supposed generosity.
"No, I'm not finished speaking," sighed Duwei. "Unfortunately, I've long prayed to encounter a powerful mage who could offer guidance to a lost lamb like myself on the path of magic. And now, finally, I've met you. Kind-hearted mage, would you be willing to provide a bit of guidance to someone who earnestly wishes to learn magic?"
The female mage felt something was off, but looking at Duwei's sincere gaze, she couldn't quite remember what it was.
Oh, what a kind and lovely person! And he had been startled by her teacher's pet earlier... It was her fault, after all.
But...
"You want to learn magic, but I need to take Jiujiu back... I'm afraid..." The female mage was hesitant.
"No, you've misunderstood," Duwei chuckled, his expression even more sincere, his gaze warm. "I understand that the time of a great mage is more precious than gold. Your valuable time should be spent delving into the mysteries of magic, not wasted on someone as mundane as me. So, I'm not asking for much, just a bit of appropriate guidance. You see, I already have a mage serving as my advisor, though his abilities are limited, he can at least answer most of my questions. What I need now are some 'advanced' knowledge, such as..." Duwei's eyes darted around, a faint smile on his lips. "Such as a few more advanced spells."
Solzkyar was stunned!
He hadn't expected Duwei's appetite to be so voracious!
If the magical materials were the wealth of mages, then magical incantations were their lifeblood!
Every mage spent their entire life studying magical incantations, and they would never casually teach the results of their research to anyone!
In the Empire, any magical books only contained basic magical knowledge and certainly wouldn't include even a single incantation!
Any magical incantation, even the most basic, could only be passed down orally from mage to apprentice!
For a high-level mage, apart from their magical power and sensitivity, the most crucial aspect was their mastery of advanced magical incantations!
The same incantation, when used by a low-level and high-level mage, could have subtle yet critical differences! High-level mages could shorten the incantation based on their research findings, speeding up the casting of spells and gaining an advantage in battle.
Furthermore, high-level incantations that low-level mages hadn't mastered were also sought after.
As a low-level mage like Solzkyar, he only knew a few of the most basic incantations. If he wanted to learn high-level magic, he would have to seek out a high-level mage as his teacher.
He hadn't expected Duwei's appetite to be so large that he wanted to obtain magical incantations from this girl! These were secrets that mages absolutely didn't share with outsiders.
Although this girl was excessively naive, she wasn't a fool... Otherwise, how could a fool possibly cultivate to the level of an eighth-level mage?
Upon hearing Duwei's request, the innocent Vivian's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, and she shook her head vigorously, saying, "No no no... absolutely not allowed. My old teacher made it clear that magical incantations cannot be told to others!"
"But, this fear phantom, it's your teacher's pet, right? Your teacher must have also instructed you not to let it out, isn't that so?" Duwei's expression at this moment resembled that of a perpetrator enticing a minor to commit a crime.
"...," the female mage was speechless.
"I'm right, aren't I? Your teacher must have instructed you to take good care of this thing, but you still violated that. Your teacher must have instructed you not to let it out, and you've also violated that rule. Now, I'm only asking for this tiny bit... and it's also considering that I helped you catch this little thing. You saw it yourself, we've gone through a lot of trouble to catch it. I was also greatly frightened. Now, to make up for your previous mistakes, shouldn't you do something in return for me?"
Even though Vivian was a genius, her talent probably only extended to magical studies. In other aspects, it was evident that this young girl was somewhat "lacking." Duwei's logical reasoning and arguments almost made her dizzy.
She struggled in her mind, weighing whether to prioritize fulfilling her teacher's command to take care of the pet or to uphold her teacher's instruction not to divulge incantations. After much contemplation, she finally burst into tears.
Tears streamed down the innocent girl's face once again as she sobbed, "O-okay... but b-but I can only teach you... one... one..."
"Oh, you mean one?" Duwei said swiftly, counting on his fingers. "Oh, then let me count, that would be a total of four, right?"
"N-no!!" The female mage panicked, loudly correcting him, "N-no... not four... it's... one... one... one..."
As she grew more and more anxious, Vivian struggled to get the word "one" out, but it seemed to never end. Meanwhile, Duwei swiftly raised his fingers, one by one, each time Vivian uttered the word "one."
Finally, Vivian was so desperate that she was on the verge of biting her tongue, and Duwei had all ten fingers raised. If they continued, they might have even resorted to using toes. In her panic, the female mage cried out, "Stop stop stop stop!!"
Seeing the adorable girl blushing furiously, Duwei didn't dare to push her any further. After some bargaining, they settled on "six" magical incantations.
Despite heated debates over this disadvantageous deal, the female mage couldn't match Duwei's eloquence. Her speaking skills were lacking, her mind somewhat simple, and she even stuttered. How could she outwit Duwei in verbal exchanges?
With no other choice, the female mage could only wipe away her tears in secret.
Oh, respected teacher, please forgive poor Vivian for disobeying your command... I did it to retrieve your beloved pet. I violated the second command to fulfill the first... Was that right or wrong?
"I am a nobleman, and you are a mage. We both have our identities. Since we've made a promise, we can't easily change it. I suggest we both make an oath. Until our agreement is fulfilled..."
Without waiting for the female mage to object, Duwei immediately made a solemn oath to the great God of Light.
Resigned, the female mage also made an oath. To Duwei's surprise, she even cast a contract spell, ensuring that their agreement must be fulfilled.
This little girl, despite her stuttering speech, has an astonishing speed when chanting spells!
A string of profound incantations flows smoothly from her mouth, as if frying beans, rapid and clear! Though she speaks at a lightning pace, every byte is remarkably clear!
It's hard to imagine that such a girl with an astonishing speed in spellcasting would stutter when speaking.
It's worth mentioning that, even in the end, the pitiful Vivian showed not even a hint of using violence to resist Duwei's intentions.
I wonder what kind of teacher could have taught such a terrifyingly innocent girl!
The young master's silent acceptance of this poor little girl's extortion has kept the numerous guards of the Roland family quiet. They've endured quite a bit because of that illusion beast, so despite the girl's innocent appearance, no one speaks up for her. The only one feeling some reluctance is Sir Robert, perhaps because he upholds the ideals of knighthood and finds Duwei's extortion of a young girl disagreeable. However, as a vassal, he can't oppose his master's actions.
Moreover... isn't the young master worried about causing trouble by treating an eighth-level mage like this?
And Sir Robert's concerns... soon became reality!
The female mage who agreed to teach Duwei six spells had no choice but to accompany him back to Half-Moon City. After signing the unequal treaty, she began to rack her brains to decide which six spells to teach Duwei... Of course, it would be best if they were unimportant spells.
Oh, one can't blame such a naive girl for starting to have such dishonest thoughts. It's just... after being extorted by someone like Duwei, even a pure angel would probably learn a bit of cunning!
With these thoughts in mind all the way, the female mage couldn't make a final decision. So, reluctantly, she had to stay by Duwei's side to continue her deliberation.
Luckily, the teacher won't be back for several days, so as long as this matter is resolved within these few days, everything will be fine... Oh, just don't let my sister find out!
If I can resolve this matter, I can return to my teacher's house. The outside world is really too scary. Are all people outside as terrifying as this young noble?
Oh, merciful gods, poor little Vivian didn't mean to backbite anyone behind their back. May the gods forgive me... But that young noble is really scary.
After returning this time, I never want to come out again!
Oh, sister... Sister, she shouldn't have found out so quickly, right?
The monster incident in Half-Moon City has been resolved, and the one who breathed the biggest sigh of relief was Knight Span. The monster incident was resolved, and the young master of the Roland family didn't suffer any harm.
Although the process was somewhat embarrassing, dozens of fully armed soldiers were almost completely wiped out by a small monster... But this thing is the pet of a great mage! So it's not that embarrassing.
Feeling relaxed, Knight Span warmly invited Duwei and the others to stay at the commander's mansion in Half-Moon City. After all, the environment and conditions here are much better than those of an inn.
Duwei didn't refuse; he also hoped for a quiet environment to discuss the issue of fulfilling the spells with the female mage.
And so, the group didn't enter the city but went to the military fortress outside the city. This is a permanent military fortress-like place. The commander's mansion of the local garrison is also located here. That night, Knight Span, who was eager to please the young master of the Roland family, warmly invited everyone to enjoy a hearty meal. He even decided to secretly bring out the commander's collection of fine wine from the cellar. (I'm sure the commander won't mind since it's to entertain guests from the Roland family.)
The soldiers who had labored all afternoon, along with the Roland family's guards, could finally catch their breath. Here, everyone drank heartily, venting the frustrations of the afternoon.
Duwei politely dealt with Span's hospitality and quickly found an excuse to retire. In reality, he wanted to go see the female mage.
Span knew that someone of Duwei's status willing to dine with him was already a great honor, so he didn't dare to detain him any further, rising to bid farewell...
Suddenly, at that moment, a deafening roar echoed from outside the hall!
Under the clear night sky, a massive and unparalleled bolt of lightning streaked across the sky! The thunderous roar was so loud that it startled everyone awake!
Immediately after, a burst of light illuminated the sky outside the hall! From the heavens, a flame descended, striking accurately at the flagpole outside the military camp's gate! With a loud bang, the flagpole turned into ashes engulfed in flames!
Amidst the stunned silence of the crowd, a chilling voice echoed from all directions!
This voice seemed to come from afar yet sounded as if it were right next to them! It was the voice of a woman, so cold that it seemed to freeze everything around her!
"Vivian! My dear sister, where do you think you're going? Quickly hand over the Fear Phantom!"