This is extortion
Ryan was moved! Aquamarine was one of the best materials for water magic! This crystal was perfect for making scrolls or storing magic. If an advanced alchemist could inlay this aquamarine into a wand, it could reduce a water wizard's magic consumption by at least one-third and even speed up casting!
Looking at the gem, Ryan saw it was clear and pristine, definitely above medium quality. Its value alone could be thousands of gold coins!
Any water wizard would pay that price, or even several times more, to get it!
Ryan was about to speak when Freyr placed a hand on his shoulder, still looking cold. He even frowned, squinting at Lilith, "Is this it? Just an aquamarine?"
Lilith blushed, her eyes a bit panicked, feeling guilty.
Sigh, though this aquamarine is of medium quality, it's something I don't need. I don't practice water magic, so it's useless to me… Giving away something useless as compensation, how could I, Lilith, do something so shameful?
May the omnipotent deity forgive me!
Lilith reproached herself inwardly and quickly took out a small green item from her pouch. It glowed with a green light, like a soft, water-like object. Anxiously, she said, "And-and this…"
Ryan's eyes almost popped out!
"G-g-green mana potion!" Ryan was so excited that he began to stutter as well.
Freyr raised an eyebrow. Being knowledgeable, he knew well what this green mana potion was.
This was a treasure any wizard would dream of!
This mana potion could replenish a wizard's depleted magic instantly during battle! And the amount Lilith held could fill at least seven or eight bottles!
This item was extremely difficult to make, with rare raw materials, and more importantly, it was consumable! Each use would diminish its quantity!
Ryan felt his throat go dry.
But Freyr remained impassive, frowning at Lilith, "Is this all? Is the blood and sweat of our brave soldiers worth so little?"
Lilith's beautiful eyes filled with tears. She scratched her head, thought for a moment, and then took out a small yellow bead, timidly handing it over.
"This... this... this is a fire avoidance bead I made myself."
Freyr responded, "And what about my female knight's injuries?"
The young wizard then took out a handful of Magical Creature cores! Colorful and numerous, there were more than a dozen low to mid-level Magical Creature cores that Freyr extorted from her.
"And what about the fright I personally experienced?" Freyr seemed to transform into a blackmailer.
The young wizard emptied her bag, pulling out her final treasures... seven or eight magic scrolls! Ryan glanced at them and nearly fainted... they were all mid-level magic scrolls! Not some low-level spells, but mid-level ones! Such scrolls, in this quantity, could easily incite a duel between two wizards!
Seeing that his young master still wouldn't nod in agreement, even Ryan felt a pang of guilt. This simple and naïve young wizard had handed over "compensation" worth enough to buy a city!
Seeing Freyr still unwilling to relent, the young wizard began to cry. She timidly turned out her bag, revealing that it was completely empty, "Th-th-this is all I have." Lilith stuttered, having nothing more to give.
Ryan was almost ready to strangle Freyr to make him agree!
An aquamarine of medium quality, a large pack of mana restoration potions, and a handful of high-quality Magical Creature cores... plus over a dozen mid-level magic scrolls! These items were enough to make any high-level wizard on the continent envious! Even though wizards were known for their wealth, such a fortune was still exceedingly rare.
At this point, if they didn't agree, what if something went wrong? A level-eight wizard was not someone to be trifled with! This girl might look foolish and honest, but if she got angry and truly fought, she could easily annihilate everyone present with her power.
Just when Ryan was on the verge of losing his mind, Freyr finally nodded. He even maintained a calm demeanor, "Honorable Wizard, I can sense your sincerity. The terms you have proposed seem very satisfactory to my subordinates."
Saying this, Freyr gave a signal, and a relieved Ryan quickly snatched the "compensation" from the young wizard. His eyes widened as he hurriedly stuffed these magical materials into a large bag he carried, clutching it tightly with a miserly expression... in this situation, if anyone dared to covet his bag, the wizard would surely fight them to the death!
"Th-th-then can you r-release Juju…" Lilith looked at Freyr with pleading eyes, her innocent large eyes and angelic face made it hard for anyone to further trouble her.
"Oh, while my subordinates are satisfied with your compensation terms... I personally have a small additional request," Freyr said, maintaining his calm.
"But-but-but I have no-no-no…" The young wizard panicked. She quickly turned her pockets inside out to show that she was indeed penniless.
"No, no, no, I'm not asking for more material compensation." Freyr finally revealed his true intention, "You are an eight-level wizard, correct? Great Wizards are very rare in the Empire, especially someone as young as you... I've never heard of a young lady with a Great Wizard badge. Oh, please don't misunderstand, what I mean to say is... I have a great curiosity and a profound interest in magic. I deeply admire the brilliant and majestic culture of magic and have spent a lot of effort studying it. As you can see, I even hired a wizard as my magical advisor."
Freyr pointed to Ryan, who was clutching the bag tightly with a miserly look.
Freyr then sighed, shaking his head, "But unfortunately, as you can see, my magical advisor, though very diligent in teaching me, has limited skills. So, I find it difficult to gain more knowledge from him. Therefore, meeting you here today—a level-eight Great Wizard—is an immense honor for me... Oh, even though your pet frightened me, in the face of such an outstanding wizard as you, I won't dwell on this minor incident."