Chapter 173 (1/2)
Chapter 173: The Demon’s First Appearance
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The weather in the Girvent Forest was nice and sunny that day and the rays of sunshine felt luxuriously warm and rejuvenating to bask in. Link was in Warter’s carriage on his way to the capital as he listened to sweet birdsongs from both sides of the King’s Lane. The pleasant sights and sounds outside the academy had relaxed him considerably from the anxiety he felt caused by Eleanor’s urgent letter.
Link played with the wand in his hand out of boredom and soon enough his unsteady heart began to settle. He currently had two spells fixed with the Glyph of Soul and one powerful Level-6 spell, so even if he had to face a Level-6 Assassin he was confident that he could defeat him easily. Besides, they would be in Springs City and Link believed that the person who’d put panic in Eleanor’s heart would be so brazen as to chase her right into the heart of the capital city.
It was quite a distance between East Cove and Springs City so after having calmed down considerably Link began to chat freely with Warter.
“Mr. Link, you wouldn’t believe how popular your creations are in the capital,” said Warter, wanting to strike up a conversation with Link as he noticed that Link was a bit quiet in the carriage. “Those noblemen who know nothing about magic are lining up to pay a fortune for them. They even sent their servants to wait at my door so they could be the first ones to buy your magic gear the moment I got them back to my shop.”
“Are they really that popular?” asked Link with a laugh, visibly improving in his moods. “But if they didn’t know magic and aren’t fighters, then what do they buy my creations for?”
“To use them to woo their beloved ladies, I presume,” replied Warter. “Your handcraft is as close to perfection as any ever existed. Did you know that people in the capital call you the Soaring Bird Master?”
Soaring Bird Master? Link wondered. Ah, it must’ve come from the signature I left on my creations. But what a vulgar name!
“Anyway, there are some customers who were genuine users of magic,” continued Warter. “Some of them are Magicians, others are Warriors. They thought that although your handcraft is nothing short of exquisite, the spells are all of low levels. They would really like you to create some magic gear that was incorporated with higher-level spells. They’d be willing to pay for the materials themselves and have even given a specific price offer.” Warter was the kind of person who would always come back to talking business no matter the time or occasion, as he did now when he brought up matters of business just as they were chatting casually.
Link considered it for a while and thought this was indeed a good deal.
“What price did they offer?” he asked.
“For Level-4 defensive gear such as shields and the like,” began Warter earnestly, “they’d pay you 2000 gold coins for the enchantment work, not including the spending on materials. I could still haggle the price of course. Meanwhile, for attacking gear like swords and such, they’d be willing to pay 3300 gold coins…I don’t think I could give you a detailed enough explanation verbally. Please give me a moment, I’ve prepared a list of specific orders for you.”
Warter then slipped out a scroll and handed it to Link, who opened it up and was immediately startled at the list he was holding in his hands.
It was such a professionally prepared list. Not only did it distinguish the various types of equipment and weapons, but it was also neatly categorized by level and types of spells. There was even an extra charge for modifications by Supreme Magical Skills and an order for the creation of a wand.
For a Level-4 wand of fine quality modified with Supreme Magical Skills to give it an attacking boost, the price would be 5000 gold coins. If its quality was epic, the price would be increased to 8000 gold coins. Plus, Link wouldn’t have to pay a single copper for the costs of materials.
What an unbelievably good deal!
Link wasn’t so naive, though. After perusing the list, he turned to Warter with a laugh.
“That is a well thought out list! It’s only been a month, how did you run into so many potential buyers?” With such a comprehensive list Link wouldn’t believe that Warter hadn’t made any extra effort in drawing in new customers himself.
Warter chuckled nervously at Link’s question and came clean right away. He was only an ordinary man, after all, he wouldn’t dare to lie through his teeth to a Master Magician like Link.
“I did pull some strings myself,” he confessed. “I would get some benefits from these deals as well…about 100 gold coins for every order…”
100 gold coins, so that was what Warter got for making these deals for Link. It was nothing compared to what Link made from his magic gear, but it was still a massive amount of gold coins for the average merchant.
Warter didn’t know that was how Link felt, though. He spoke very timidly in fear of Link’s disapproval.
But he was wrong in that regard about Link. Although he was a Magician, Link wasn’t completely ignorant of how businesses were run. He knew and appreciated Warter’s help in doing the legwork for him in getting him such serious buyers which had saved so much of Link’s energy. Link felt that Warter had earned every copper of those 100 gold coins. He also realized that their cooperation would only flourish and expand if both of them made profits from it.
“I like this plan, it’s an excellent plan. We’ll go with it,” said Link. “You’ll prepare a list just like this for me from now on, but don’t take too many orders. I can only handle three per month, and no spells above Level-5.”
“That is not a problem at all!” said Warter, relieved and overjoyed. “I’ll prepare a list for you every month, then.” Three pieces of magic gear per month, that would make him 300 gold coins richer each month! It wasn’t all that much, to be frank, but this cooperation with Link would greatly expand the reputation of his merchant firm which was his aim after all. He’d already felt this benefit after only slightly more than a month of cooperation with Link.
Meanwhile, Link began to consider expanding his production scale of magic gear. He couldn’t possibly do that alone, of course, so must now find a helper.
The best helper would be a Magician’s Apprentice, Link mused. But right now, there’s only Rylai. I wouldn’t waste her talents on such a menial job, though. Besides, I don’t have my own Mage Tower yet, and my collection of magic textbooks is still too small, so I wouldn’t attract any gifted apprentices to be my disciple…Now that the building of my estate has started, it’s time to think about building my own Mage Tower as well…
Link was now a full-fledged Level-6 Master Magician and had more than 60,000 gold coins in his pocket, so the time was ripe for him to consider building his own Mage Tower and start receiving his own Magician’s Apprentices now.
After discussing business matters, Link and Warter went back to chatting casually along the way to Springs City. The topic they lingered on the most was none other than the war in the North, or rather, Warter was the one speaking while Link listened to him intently.
Warter was a well-informed merchant who kept up with the latest updates about the war in the North. He could recount the developments on the battlefields with baffling details.
“Overall, things are looking good for our side at the moment,” said Warter. “It seems that our army could always accurately guess the enemy’s next moves and attack them accordingly. I must say that the MI3 is doing a particularly good job, they seem to have outplayed their counterpart, the Death’s Hand, by the looks of it! I’m sure we can chase the Dark Elves back under ground where they came from soon enough!”
Link listened then laughed quietly at this report. He knew that the cypher scroll he’d discovered had more or less aided in the successes of the army.
Warter, on the other hand, shone with excitement and pride of his kingdom’s apparent victories. He was very optimistic in his predictions of the war’s future outcomes. Link himself heartily hoped that such a situation would continue until the final and decisive victory was achieved.
Time passed quickly during the chat. Without them realizing it, several hours had passed and the massive walls of Springs City already loomed in the distance.