"Lord Soros," Lucian said respectfully, bowing slightly towards a nest perched high in the treetops.
With the sound of flapping wings and a hoarse caw, a large one-eyed crow emerged from the nest and settled on a nearby branch. Its blood-red eye gave Lucian a brief once-over before it spoke in a raspy, sharp voice.
"Caw—boy, were you the one calling for the great Lord Soros?"
"Yes, that's me." Lucian nodded, holding up a roasted salamander as an offering.
This crow, Soros, was the magical familiar of an official wizard, a creature whose authority was tied to that of its master. Without hesitation, it snatched the salamander and muttered between bites, "Caw, if you're still trying to purge that alien power from your body, I'm afraid the great Lord Soros can't help you."
"Lord Soros I'd like to recruit two students from this year's batch of new blood." Lucian kept his voice steady as he voiced his request.
"Caw, recruit students?" Soros sounded amused and cawed with laughter, flapping its wings.
"Yes, I want students of high aptitude, and I'm willing to pay magic stones for them." Lucian bowed again.
At the mention of magic stones, Soros stopped laughing, gave Lucian a more serious look, and shut its eye for a moment. After a brief silence, it opened its eye again and said, "The great Lord Soros's master says he can get you a third-grade student from the new blood, but it will cost you—twenty magic stones per student."
"Twenty stones for a third-grade student?" Lucian's breath hitched. He knew dealing with official wizards was costly, but twenty magic stones? That was a high price, even here.
At that cost, he could purchase two knight-level slave retainers. Though weaker than a second-tier wizard apprentice, they would be loyal and useful to a third-tier apprentice like himself. Spending twenty stones just to mentor a third-grade student felt wasteful, especially since students weren't possessions and he'd be taking a financial risk with little guarantee of return.
"That's my master's offer, caw," Soros cawed, eyes gleaming. Then, perhaps softened by the salamander treat, Soros continued, "The great Soros will throw in a little 'bonus' for you... How about an extra first-grade student? Buying an apprentice slave at the wizard trading post would cost you much more."
Lucian fell silent, understanding immediately that the high price was due to his own reputation. Most likely, the official wizard behind Soros assumed Lucian wanted students for some forbidden experiment to rid himself of the alien power inside him—or perhaps even for body transfer experiments. Thus, the wizard had set a price high enough to treat Lucian's request as an experimental "friendship discount."
Lucian gritted his teeth but had little choice. Only one official wizard handled this year's new blood, and the next recruitment wouldn't be for another year. After a long pause, he reluctantly said, "I'll take one third-grade student, and I'll accept Lord Soros's extra 'bonus.'"
He pulled out a small pouch, counted out twenty magic stones that glowed faintly, and handed them to Soros, who grinned in satisfaction.
"An exchange in kind," Soros cawed with a smirk.
Lucian's face twitched. Twenty valuable stones for a third-grade student plus a low-grade first-year recruit, and they called that fair? But with a strained smile, he forced himself to say, "A fair trade."
For in the world of official wizards, even the chance to trade was considered generous.
Three days later, the airship carrying the new blood arrived at Greybone Academy. These wide-eyed recruits, still dazed by the world of wizardry, soon faced a pivotal choice.
"You have two options," an administrator explained. "One is to have me assign you a mentor at no cost. The other is to choose your mentor from a selection guide I have here, though this requires one magic stone."
Starting with the most talented fifth-grade apprentices, the students began making their selections.
"I choose Mentor Vivian," one student announced.
"Kelvit," said another.
One by one, each recruit took their turn. Soon, it was a sharp-looking young boy's turn.
"Sir, I'd like to choose my mentor," the boy, Yellen, said politely, handing over a magic stone before eagerly grabbing the guidebook.
He had fifteen minutes to look it over; if he wanted more time, it would cost him another stone.
Rafati Owen
Third-Tier Wizard Apprentice
Expertise: Necromancy, Human Anatomy, Negative Energy Particle Neutralisation
Offers three premium knowledge courses for free
Requirement: Apprentices must participate in one experiment monthly with no exceptions allowed.
"Absolutely no exceptions?" Yellen's heart sank. He'd heard rumours about the bloodthirsty nature of some wizard experiments.
He turned the page to the next mentor profile.
Steven Rudd
Official Wizard
Expertise: Neurology, Anatomy, Mutation and Alteration Studies
Offers one premium knowledge course for free
Requirement: Apprentices must pay two magic stones each month and serve as lab assistants.
"Two magic stones a month? I only brought eight with me…" Yellen hesitated; the lure of an official wizard was strong, but the monthly fee was a concern.
Carl Hosskin
Third-Tier Wizard Apprentice
Expertise: Spirit Alteration, Curses, Negative Energy Particle Neutralisation
Offers five premium knowledge courses, selectable by apprentice; guidance and instruction available anytime!
Requirement: The apprentice must participate in one experiment; exceptions are not permitted.
"Probably wouldn't survive one experiment under that guy's knife," Yellen thought, quickly skipping over the profile.
Finally, he came across a mentor with an intriguing profile.
Lucian Kevin
Third-Tier Wizard Apprentice
Expertise: Potionology, Plant Cultivation, Energy Particle Studies
Offers free premium knowledge courses, selectable by apprentice, with one-on-one guidance available at any time.
Requirement: Respect for the mentor.
"No strict conditions, and he's offering so much!" Yellen's heart began to race as he read Lucian's profile.
But then he hesitated. His talent was graded as third-tier, but he was actually close to the lower fourth-tier boundary. In this batch, only a handful of students had talent in the fourth or fifth grade. Perhaps if he looked further, he'd find an even better mentor—perhaps even an official wizard.
He carefully noted Lucian's name but kept browsing for more options.