Chapter 10

The crystal throne was so dazzling that even Ralf, a child who knew nothing about it, could tell how precious it was. However, this magic hall itself was worth a hundred times the throne. The crystals built into the walls and floors were used by mages for their staffs.

Standing in the magic hall, Ralf suddenly felt his range of perception expand substantially, and traces of energy had started to enter his body as though they were flowing along some strange passageway. When the fine energy particles entered his body and were gradually absorbed, he suddenly heard the sound of glass shattering in his consciousness. It was as if some protective screen had been smashed into pieces at that very moment, allowing his perception that was once bound and restricted to dissipate completely.

In the next second, Ralf came into contact with a magical ocean. Undercurrent ebbed and flowed in this water void of light, flowing along the seabed, ready to silently devour a gigantic whale at any moment. If Ralf fell into the ocean he would instantly be engulfed without a single ripple, but he was standing on its surface at this very moment.

The momentary feeling of confusion immediately made Ralf turn pale, and he began to tremble involuntarily. It all felt so real, and it was beyond his abilities to determine if it truly was.

Meanwhile, Mordred and Sharon were having a serious discussion about Ralf's tuition fees.

"It is my master's wish that you put your heart and soul into our young master, on account of old time's sake."

"Old time's sake? Yeah, I recall now. That Marquess from your family still hasn't paid me for many of my materials."

"He has already paid the principal amount, hasn't he?"

"How about the interest?"

Discussing numbers with a mage was not a wise move at all. Mordred immediately changed the topic and threw out plan B. "Young master Ralf had an exceedingly outstanding innate gift for magic."

"Hmph, dozens of geniuses approach me to learn magic from me every year. I've even rejected three to four clerics."

With a solemn face, Mordred dealt his trump card. " Our young master has the bloodline of the Archerons, and few adults can compare to the degree of purity of his blood. Well, at least no one else among this generation of Archerons is his match."

The legendary mage was initially calm, but her eyes suddenly lit up so bright that the entire magical hall twinkled a little, as if she had seen an enormous dragon made of jewels. Although she spoke in a composed manner, anyone would be able to tell that she was just putting on an act." Then what can I do?"

"You can trample on him any way you wish." This didn't sound like something that solemn and old-fashioned Mordred would say. These were the exact words of the Marquess, not him, but Mordred maintained a solemn expression even as he said those words. Or perhaps his appearance didn't convey his emotion.

It was then that Sharon and Mordred both became aware of Ralf's peculiar behavior.

Sharon looked as though she was in deep thou. " This little chap could establish a connection with my magical hall's magic power reservoir, that isn't an easy feat. Well, I guess he barely qualifies to learn from me, " she said slowly.

"Of course," Mordred smiled, but he was thinking otherwise. This was a magical hall constructed entirely out of abyss crystal. The magical powers here were so strong that even a knight like himself whose only capability were his fighting abilities could detect it. What's so hard about that? This excuse was too far-fetched.

" However, that is not enough." Sharon said, " The two planes that Galore has with him are pretty good. I want 10 years of his profits from either one of them?"

" In-plane time?"

" No, Norland time."

The corner of Mordred's mouth twitched, but he eventually nodded. This had already slightly exceeded the baseline that Galore had set for him, but it was still narrowly acceptable.

Norland wasn't the sole place in this world, however, it was one of the top few. The time flow here was slower than in most planes, and ten years in Norland would be equivalent to centuries elsewhere.

The bottom line that Marquess had initially set was already unimaginably generous. This was half of Galore's earnings that they were talking about, which would inevitably affect his plans for expansion in the future. One must know that Galore's next goal was to establish his presence in the capital city of the Empire: the legendary city, Faust.

To establish one's ground in such a place, no matter how abundant the resources prepared were, it would never be too much. It was only then that Mordred recalled a title that the elites in the Alliance secretly circulated among themselves, one which was prefixed to Sharon's name, 'Bloodsucking Sharon'

Her maxim was widely known as well, "I might not be the strongest, but I will be the wealthiest."

However, Sharon continued, "I'll help little Galore a bit during the next event of Dragon."

Mordred heaved a sigh of relief. This was exactly the baseline that Galore had set. However, he immediately felt a bizarre feeling rise in him. Although this was such a significant matter, both parties had quickly reached a deal at their baseline without probing each other numerous times or haggling over prices.

What chemistry they had.

The most important task had already been accomplished, and Mordred departed immediately. Right before he left, he couldn't help but turn back and take one last, complicated glance at Ralf. When more than a century's worth of aggregate profits from a certain plane were stacked together, regardless of what shape or form, anyone would look back at them like that.

Sharon waved gently. Eighteen mages all above twelve immediately retreated without noise, leaving her with the boy who was straining himself not to get overwhelmed by the magic power.