"Teach an apprentice? Leave it to me? A wild mage who hasn't even filled up his spell list? Why don't you teach him yourself? Or does he think you're old and useless? "
"… He's willing to learn from me, and I even asked you?! I'm useless? I … "
The white-bearded old man instantly exploded. He finally realized that he couldn't chat with the person in front of him. A single sentence from him could anger someone to death.
But after seeing the situation on the other side, Roxia hesitated.
It wasn't that he suspected that the old man was plotting something … he had always viewed everything that came to him as a ploy. This kind of paranoia might be overreacting, but the current situation was special. Safety first.
What he hesitated about was that the old man's behavior seemed to be genuine.
"What's going on? Tell me about it. "
Rorschach casually sat on the edge of the bed and decided to listen to what the old man had to say.
The old mage could only restrain himself and explain to this guy.
It turned out that the old mage had a grandnephew who was studying here. He was already a qualified Second Grade spellcaster at a young age. If he wanted to further his studies, he naturally needed a teacher.
Originally, he could have found a suitable alchemist to be his teacher under the old mage's recommendation. Yes, he was indeed an alchemist.
However, alchemists were a branch of mages. Although it was relatively easy to earn money and was suitable for employment and development, their combat power was probably the weakest among all mages. Many modern alchemists wouldn't even research offensive magic.
Due to certain reasons, that young man had chosen the path of combat in order to pursue power. He himself was also very confused, but his talent and personality determined the most suitable path for him to take. Taking another path was neither worth it nor realistic.
Now that he heard that an alchemist had defeated his uncle in a direct confrontation, he was naturally overjoyed. He forced his uncle to throw away his dignity and come here to ask for a teacher.
"I don't intend to take in any apprentices yet. My own studies haven't ended yet. You know that I haven't even filled up my spell slots. How can I teach anyone?"
Rorschach was speaking the truth. He was a Grade Five, but he was still a bit confused. How could he teach anyone?
Ansorenne's growth would definitely be fast, but there was also a high chance that he would die. Even if he succeeded, he would probably become a combat mage that the mainstream society of the Mage Country didn't like.
"I know, but my child doesn't …"
Thinking of his own child, the old man had no choice but to go all out.
Originally, there was still a grudge between the two, but in the end, it was Rorschach, a young man, who stepped on the old man. As long as the old man was open-minded, it was fine.
Taking in disciples was a common occurrence in Aishi.
It was very common for Swordsmen and Warriors to be taught combat skills. After all, anyone could learn basic combat skills. Even if they learned them well, there was no need for them to be apprenticed to a master. No matter what army they joined, there would be a set of sword techniques and combat skills for them to learn.
However, Mages were very cautious when it came to apprenticing themselves to a master. Basically, there were no accidents. They were bound to the same path.
Both of them knew that such an important matter could not be decided in a short period of time, especially when Rorschach was still a rogue mage who did not belong to a magic society.
Even if he succeeded, he would have to start as an apprentice.
Archmage Karwenz's request was probably to meet Roland first and see what the situation was like … He also hoped that Roland wouldn't become Roland's disciple after he understood the situation.
Of course, since Anthony was the one asking for help, he also expressed his sincerity.
"As long as you're willing to meet him, I'm willing to pay all the compensation for your losses from the previous battle. Aren't you looking for a magic society right now? I've lived here for more than 40 years. My old face still has some use."
In the end, after much persuasion, Rorschach still agreed to meet with Anthony … This meeting would greatly reduce his debt, so there was no reason for him to refuse.
But the moment Anthony left, Rorschach went to buy information.
"I can tell that he's a stingy person. He's willing to pay for me so easily. There must be something wrong."
It was still the same "There are no secrets in this world" society. They obviously also sold information. And, Rorschach only spent 100 gold coins to purchase information on his grandnephew's information … This price meant that it wasn't a secret at all. It was just that Rorschach didn't have the means to obtain information for free.
While he was at it, Roland also asked about the price of his information.
Surprisingly, Anthony actually offered a price.
"Your Highness Rorschach, information on your true identity is valued at 120,000 gold coins. Information on the rank 5 mage 'Hermit' is valued at 15 gold coins. If you request that we don't sell your information to outsiders, you can buy it at three times the price. This is the rule of the trade. Only with honesty can you have a stable customer base. "
Alright then, everything really depended on money. But what the hell was 15 gold coins for? Was he really that cheap?
As for his true identity being exposed … Rorschach wanted nothing more than for everyone to know that Rorschach was in the Mage Country and that the one in Bair's Royal Capital was a fake.
"How did you find out? My true identity? How did you see through my SemiGod Equipment talisman? "
"25,000 gold coins."
Alright then, Rorschach didn't ask any more questions. This was far more important than any strict defense.
But even if Anthony didn't say anything, Rorschach already had his own guesses.
After all, he had confirmed this key here, and the property that this key corresponded to … There weren't that many vacant properties on the third street. It was only a matter of time before they found out about Amelia's flower shop.
Based on the wood spirits' situation, the wood spirits would be able to infer his true identity based on his abilities, as well as all the random divination magic spells he knew. Just as the name of his secret society said, there were no secrets in this world … as long as you could afford the price and price.
From a certain standpoint, it was a good thing that his grandnephew's information was cheap. If it really was a few thousand gold coins, Rorschach would have considered whether it was worth the money and rejected it for safety's sake.
But now that he had obtained the information, Rorschach hesitated.
His grandnephew's name was Morton. He was 24 years old (older than Rorschach). He was a standard Second Grade alchemist for ordinary humans.
There was nothing special about him. His pursuit of power was the most common reason in this world – hatred.
He had been raised by his mother alone. Like most single-parent families, he valued his family greatly. His mother had died an unnatural death in a mage duel three years ago.
Mages didn't live in a vacuum. There would be friction, competition, and naturally disputes. Sometimes, mages would resolve their disputes in a rather direct manner.
Morton's grandnephew was very powerful, and his guild was also very powerful. His uncle was already quite old, and couldn't possibly take revenge for him.
Morton was young and had potential, but the combat strength of a true low-level alchemist … there was no way he would be able to fight for his life every day.
"So, he took a liking to my fighting style? What an interesting child. "
If this was adapted into a television series, it might have been possible to make some people cry, but Rorschach was actually quite calm. In fact, he even wanted to laugh … It wasn't that he didn't have any sympathy. It was just that he had seen far too many things like this. Ansorenne had often seen villages being massacred and cities being destroyed. It was quite difficult for him to sympathize with the death of one or two family members.
"This is such a scam. If I agree, won't I immediately have an enemy? How stupid would I be to agree to something like this for such a small amount of money … Hmph! I'll agree. "
In an instant, he became the idiot he was referring to. The only reason why it was so 'nice' was because he flipped to the next page, which only indicated his opponent's race and identity.
"Silver elf mage?! As expected, they're all a bunch of bastards. I'll accept this disciple. "
From a certain perspective, being impulsive was a sin.
But looking at it from a different perspective, if one made a choice, one would naturally gain something.
At the very least, after vaguely revealing his own thoughts, Rorschach gained a slightly more reliable ally.
Perhaps the old mage was quite old, and perhaps his rank 6 combat strength was a bit exaggerated. But after staying here for so long, he had many connections and social connections that he could use … Most importantly, he had quite a bit of savings.
More than half of a mage's combat strength depended on their equipment. A poor mage would have a limited amount of combat strength. As for a special mage like Roxia, who had an excessively limited number of spell slots, he would need sufficient equipment in order to display his combat strength.
The most obvious one was the Tree Wall Summoning Wand in front of him, which was worth 1500 gold coins.
The Rechargeable Wand was a new equipment system that was developed after magic technology took shape. It was like the old era's magic scrolls, which could be used as long as it was torn open.
But unlike magic scrolls, it could be used repeatedly. A small magic core acted as an energy engine, and as long as the right amount of magic was injected, it could be used to release magic.
This Rechargeable Wand could use the 3rd circle Tree Wall Summoning Wand 3 times a day, summoning a row of 3-meter tall trees as a defensive wall. The total number of times it could be used was about a hundred times. The better it was maintained, the longer it could be used. But basically, no one could use it beyond its theoretical limit.
A Rechargeable Wand that could cast a 3rd circle spell was already considered a high-end product. Even if one had the money, they might not be able to buy it. This 1500 gold coin price was far lower than the market price of 5000 gold coins.
The reason? This 3rd circle Tree Wall Summoning Wand had far too little practical value. The tree wall it summoned would be made of real wood, which would have low defense against all sorts of offensive magic. Not only that, the cost of the Rechargeable Wand also limited the effectiveness of the Rechargeable Wand. For example, it would be impossible for an archdruid to summon a wall more than 10 meters tall with a wave of their hand. Using a 3-meter tall tree wall as a fence would also be a bit tricky.
But for Rorschach, the situation was completely different.
"… With these logs, I'll have the materials to create my own creations. I won't be limited by the materials I have anymore."
The most foundational difference between humans and animals was that humans knew how to use tools and equipment to strengthen their own strengths and make up for their weaknesses. Mages who fought with their brains would naturally choose the equipment they needed the most.
It was just that Rorschach didn't have much of a chance to choose any equipment due to the special circumstances.
But now, his abilities were already set in stone. His strengths and weaknesses were also quite obvious. Naturally, it was time for him to purchase a large amount of equipment to strengthen himself.
And when his debt increased to the point where even Anthony couldn't bear it anymore, Rorschach also felt that it was about time. His current combat strength was far greater than when he first arrived in the Mage Country.
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