"Haha, there's no need to pull a long face. I don't have the habit of exploiting people. — — "
The two girls curled their lips, deeply disapproving.
"— — If you really want to learn from me, I can teach you the knowledge you need for the future before the age of twenty. If you think you've learned enough and passed my test, then you'll have learned it. Then, you just need to serve me for ten years. After ten years, you'll be free. If you don't reach my standards before the age of twenty, then from the age of twenty, as long as you serve me for another ten years, I'll return you your freedom. It's just that some of you are old, some of you are young, and some of you might not know your age. So, the specific age can be discussed. "
These conditions were more specific than what he said before. Comparing the two, some of the naive children were already tempted. They didn't consider that this might just be a severely exploited slave, to the extent of becoming an ordinary exploited slave for a limited period.
But Marco Lin hadn't finished his conditions yet. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, and at the same time, to let the thoughts roll through his mind. He continued, "If you're willing to stay and learn, I'll be responsible for your food and clothing during this period. Instead, even if you haven't finished learning, there will be some work that you're able to do that will be assigned to you. But don't think that you'll be able to eat and wear warm clothes here. As a punishment for not learning well and causing trouble, you might be punished by not being able to eat for a few meals. If you're determined to eat and wait for death, I'll drive you away. "
Although the ugly words were spoken, Lin, who was standing in front of them, could still see that many of the children had a disapproving expression. It was obvious that they had been in a low-level environment for a long time and had developed the ability to act shamelessly. They had made up their minds to fish in troubled waters. So Lin said again, "If you stay with me and don't want to learn, make yourself useful to me, and don't want to leave, then go to hell. When you came in, did you see a few trees planted next to you? That kind of tree is called a cherry blossom tree. In spring, it blooms very beautiful pink flowers all over the tree. And to make it bloom more beautifully, you just have to bury a few corpses at the roots of the tree. It doesn't matter if it's adults or children. Then in the next few years, it would be able to bloom into an even more beautiful flower. It was a pity that the trees had just been transplanted and there were no suitable people to bury them in the soil. Maybe it's just right to bury a few disobedient orphans. "
His blatant threat made the children, who were originally eager to give it a try, quietly back off. They shrank their necks and hid behind their companions. They did not want to be seen by a certain sorcerer, who might even choose them as an honorable mission to be buried under a tree.
Lin laughed and said, "You don't have to answer me yet. After all, this is no small matter. I believe that you will need some time to consider it. Furthermore, there are so many of you, so you might not have a unified opinion. That's why I'm giving you time to think about what you want to do. It's the best choice for you. I won't force you. I'll accept as many as you're willing to come. Even if no one comes, that's all. But please remember one thing. If you don't meet my standards, you will also be eliminated. "
After stating his conditions, Marco Lin didn't intend to stay any longer and wrangle with a group of children. After all, this matter was just a casual move for him. It didn't matter whether it succeeded or not. Naturally, he didn't want to spend too much time on it. After instructing the apprentices to see the guests off, he was about to leave.
Hallumi and Kaya had the heart to help this group of children. Although they weren't orphans, but they were 'sold' by their parents to the Society of Sorcerers. One of their possible ends was to become experimental materials for evil sorcerers and die in an unknown place.
Following a transmigrator from Earth, they had to admit that it was their fortune. But to help so many children, not to mention that they didn't have a good method, without the support of their teacher, the two of them couldn't do it alone. Therefore, the two wanted to say a few more words on behalf of the children, but didn't know where to start.
However, someone's footsteps were once again interrupted. This time, it was Ezio who spoke. The little fatty who ran away from home shouted, "Wait a minute."
Lin stopped and looked back at Ezio. The group of children who delivered themselves to his door was easy to deal with, but someone was a little unsure how to deal with this little fatty.
"Well, that … Old Gai …"
Hearing such an address, the corners of someone's mouth twitched. But there was nothing he could do about it. The relationship between him and this fatty wasn't confirmed. And this address was what the old black dragon called him, so someone could only let him be.
"… You just said that everything has a price. But why were you willing to … well, it's that … I … You know. "
Lin could roughly guess what the little fatty wanted to ask, but this kind of vague question made Lin want to turn around and leave. Taking a deep breath, someone said: "Taking care of you certainly wasn't a decision I made on a whim or out of kindness. Old Augustus paid the price a long time ago. "
"What did Great Grand-Uncle pay?" Ezio asked anxiously.
"Draconic magic. Also, old Augustus would give me appropriate advice when I needed it, or something similar that he had experienced in his long life as a dragon. But don't think that this huge price was paid for you alone. Old Augustus used this knowledge in exchange for taking care of him and you. "
"Since it was to take care of us, then why did you hit me?" Ezio asked childishly in a loud voice.
Someone said matter-of-factly: "Taking care of you is only within the scope of my ability to ensure that you have enough to eat and clothes to wear. Even if it was impossible, it was still impossible. So I don't have to put up with your unreasonable tantrums, and I can't be your father. And don't think that it's a simple matter. Don't look at how Old Augustus is always shouting that he's going to die. According to the lifespan of the dragon race, you might have a house full of children and grandchildren, but that old Black Dragon still looks like he's half dead. "
Looking at Ezio's distressed face as he tried to digest the words of a certain unscrupulous mage with his immature mind, Lin Li felt a sense of achievement in a prank. He didn't forget to continue sarcastically: "What a pity. You can obviously get something more valuable from me, but you want something that I can't do. Humans are really an interesting species, aren't they? "
Putting aside his entanglement, Ezio asked: "What can I want?"
"What else can it be? Of course, it's knowledge. After all, knowledge is priceless. What I got from Old Augustus, that old dragon won't care if I give you the same thing in return. Or rather, this is closer to the result that he wants. And if you want to learn this, you don't have to serve me for ten years like the others to repay the debt. As long as you want to learn, I will. I will definitely teach you. Of course, how well you learn depends on your own aptitude. I can't turn an idiot into a genius. "
After saying that, Lin noticed that many children were looking at Ezio with all kinds of envy, jealousy, and hatred. But the little fatty didn't notice any of this. Or maybe he noticed that this big-hearted child didn't care about other people's feelings.
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