380 No Visitors (2/2)
It was Roland who burst into laughter this time. ”I'm only borrowing it. It's just an idea anyway. Nobody can charge me any patent fees.”
”I think that's a good idea.” Vincent's eyes glittered. ”How will you ensure fairness?”
”With detailed regulations.” Roland thought for a moment and said, ”But you should know that fairness is only relative and never absolute.”
Vincent slapped the armrest of the chair and said in excitement, ”It's a great idea. I've always found it ridiculous that the headquarters charge several or even dozens of gold coins for each spell. If you had told me about your lofty ideal, I would've helped you a long time ago.”
Roland was quite surprised by Vincent's excitement.
”Didn't you come to my Magic Tower because you hated management? Why are you so enthusiastic about this?”
”That's not the same,” Vincent said rather angrily. ”Those guys from Silver Wings are only good at fighting each other. Their idea to monopolize waterborne logistics wasn't bad, but they lacked money and weren't capable of realizing their plans. In the end, they even ended up on bad terms with such a capable Mage like you, who could've been a great help in infrastructure work. I couldn't watch it anymore. That's why I came to you.”
”But I'm establishing a new Association of Mages and a new system partly for my own selfish reasons too.”
Vincent said unconcernedly, ”Selfishness is the greatest motivation. If your idea can be implemented, a new system will be built, which will be in the interest of most Mages. That's already enough. Light cannot be shed on everybody.”
”Thank you.”
”You're welcome.” Vincent stood up and patted Roland's shoulder. ”I haven't thanked you for taking me in yet… Right, recruit more magic apprentices in the first batch. I can take care of a class for you.”
”No problem.”
They looked at each other with smiles.
The storm stopped when the banquet was over.
The guests dispersed, returning home thrilled.
They summoned all the descendants of their family in the night, even the children of their remote cousins. After all, the more children were sent for screening, the more likely that some of them would pass the test.
The nobles who didn't participate in the banquet were all shocked and pale after receiving the news.
They all knew that they had lost an opportunity.
They couldn't have regretted it more. They even thought to put pressure on Roland together. But when they remembered Roland's and the queen's capabilities, and Vincent who had just become an Elite, not to mention Vivian and Jerry, they knew that they didn't stand any chance at all.
As someone had wisely put it on the Internet, after you build yourself up by working out, you'll be able to make idiots talk to you peacefully without any quarrels.
The ”celebrities” who didn't come to the banquet and were thereby marked by Roland visited Roland one after another, hoping to have a conversation with him.
But Roland turned all of them down!