Negotiating!

Link sat there, trying his best to analyse the powerful Mage that stood in front of him, but nothing came up.

At the Fifth Level, Mages are able to hide their rank easily. Due to their improved Mana Sense, they are not only capable of reading the Mana more efficiently, but their control is down to the atoms. Link discovered this as he traveled, took him a while to manage to do it and at the end, he succeeded. That was the reason why neither the 3 girls nor Ken and his guards managed to detect Link's Level. To them at the time, he was only a commoner or a Level 1 Mage at best. He was only discovered when releasing some Mana to attack, which was immediately detected by Ken as a purer form than the average.

To not be rude, Link stood up and greeted the old man. He had no grievances with them, plus in this world he was younger. Coming off as arrogant and rude was not a good idea, especially when he required their help to make his way back to the Rechanguard Kingdom.

"Pleasure to meet you, Master Mage!" Link greeted, bowing slightly. He was paying his respect, but not submitting or admitting he was weaker, as Ken's bow was deeper compared to his. This detail did not go unnoticed by the man, he looked at Link and smiled.

"The pleasure is all mine!" He said, but he did not bow, not even slightly. He looked at Link with a challenging look in his eyes.

Mark had been a Master Mage for decades. He was a top genius in his younger days, one that rocketed up, beating all his competitors. He graduated from the Academy with perfect scores while receiving never ending praises.

After returning to the family, he took over after his father's death. Back then, the Balvan family was nothing but a small noble family, barely having a territory, a name for themselves or a consistent financial source. But after Mark's ruling, everything changed. The first thing that he managed to easily earn was fame for the family. Master Mages are a rare sight, and one of noble birth instantly got him the approval and some support of other nobles. With time, the territory grew and so did its people. Mark was a Mage, and he knew full well how important they can be in a noble household.

Star Troops was the name given to the guards. Mark offered some of his knowledge, written in some scrolls and books to be taught to his family's loyal followers. Other than the commoners that lived outside of the castle, there was a certain number that lived inside it. This was a privilege, as the ones that lived inside were instructed and taught the ways of Mana and Magic.

The castle became bigger and bigger over time. New walls were built and multiple titles were given.

The castle had three areas :

The first one was named the Inner Circle, which was the closest to the main castle. There lived all who had any blood relations to the Balvan family, taught higher tiers of Magic. Some outsiders lived there as well, but only the ones that showed great talent.

The second, and the one in the middle, was named the Middle Circle. There lived all Mages that managed to reach the Third Level and above. Mostly consisted of guards and their families.

The third and the one that is the furthest away from the castle was named the Outer Circle. That area was only separated by the walls from the outside. Mostly new members, commoners and their families lived there.

Each of these areas had schools, which taught basic classes with the extra Magic History, Cultivation Techniques, and last but not least, Basic Combat classes thrown in there.

Mark created a form of hierarchy, where you can only climb up with hard work and talent. This created a peaceful and positive environment, although a bit competitive, but no incidents occurred with the Star Troops keeping order.

In the Balvan territory, people called the Circles inside the Castle as Heaven, while the ones outside as Earth.

The naming was exaggerated by the common folks, as to them it was the only available solution to climb up. The people that lived in the Circles wore a certain uniform. It looked like a leather armor with lines on them, the only thing that differentiates between the Levels inside the Circles was their color.

This system, and the constant discovery of talent turned the Balvan family into a big sized one. And Mark was its foundation.

Although his achievements were great, it did not make him overly arrogant or intolerable. But it did add to his confidence, and seeing what looked like a kid not admitting he was of lower status or power, ignited his competitive nature.

"I got the details of your accidental arrival here, but I still don't understand how a teleportation malfunction could bring you all the way here from the Rechanguard Kingdom. If you don't mind me asking" Mark said after sitting down. He still held the scroll, which Link guessed was the map he needed.

"I never said the malfunction occurred in the Rechanguard Kingdom" Link answered. He noticed what Mark tried to do.

"That makes sense" Mark said. "But I have to inform you that this map contains most of the continent drawn on it. Even some medium sized Noble Families don't have this!"

"He's trying to negotiate!" Link thought. He did not know how valuable the item was or what he could offer, but he was confident in his wealth.

"What do you want for it?" Link did not want to waste any time in needless chatter.

"Straight to the point I see!" Mark smiled. "Well, I have enough wealth as you can see, and like I said, this is an item not easily acquired. Why not offer something with the same rarity"

Link started thinking, even opening his Inventory and checking what he had. Mark was not bothered by Link's silence and waited patiently. Ken and Luna were silently sitting on a different couch, not daring to interrupt them.

"The most valuable things I got are the 2 infant Level 8 Beast corpses, my dagger and armor. Other than that, the rest are only a bunch of potions and scrolls" Link thought. He had a lot of things, but he wasn't sure how precious they were, he even had something in mind that he wished to trade.

So he decided to ask. "How rare is a Soul Contract?" Link reached and a scroll appeared in his hand. It had Mana circling it as some type of light pressure could be felt from it.

Link had this since his encounter with the Bandits back in the test. He was nearly forced into it and barely managed to escape at the time. He had no use for it and only kept it out of curiosity.

Mark leaned in and stared at the scroll. His eyes shone as he spoke. "That is quite a fascinating item you got. I'll trade you for it"

"Not so fast" Link said. "I know this item is rare, as I've never seen anything like it before, not even in any Magical Shops. So even if i don't know it's true value, i'm damn sure it is worth much more than a drawing"

A map was still a map, no matter how huge and detailed. Many copies can easily be created, as all one needs is a pen and good drawing skills. But the same thing can not be said about Magical Scrolls. Link knew very well that Time, Skill and Magical knowledge were needed to create one.

"This old bastard is trying to trick me!" Link thought. He noticed that when Mark knew that Link was not aware of the Scrolls value, he jumped at the opportunity. This made him lose whatever trust he had in the man. Even though Link already had the Scroll's Inscription registered inside his System. He could create as many as he wished, but he had no use for it. Still, he did not want to be labeled as a fool.

"Then no deal" Mark spoke with a smile on his face. He knew that Link needed the map to get back to his Kingdom, which made the value of the map rise more than its true value.

"Do I look like a merchant to you?" Link said, his expression was one of anger. "Let's make a fair and proper trade, old man, and stop this bullshit!"

"Watch your mouth, kid!" Ken stood up and spoke after hearing Link. He was afraid but he had his father next to him.

"That was quite rude" Mark added. "Now our deal is certainly off" He got up and was about to walk when Link spoke.

"Like hell it is!" This phrase sent shivers down Ken and Luna's spine. It was not because of the suffocating feeling Link released, but the fact that a fight might happen. If 2 Master Mages fought, then the repercussions will be severe.

Mark and Link were now standing. None of them moved, but they only stared at each other as Ken and Luna tried their best to leave the area. Luna coughed a mouthful of blood, alerting Ken as he held her and ran out of the room.

"You're still a 100 years too early to be challenging me, brat!" Mark said.

"I'm not challenging you" Link shrugged. "I'm just going to beat the fuck out of you and take what i need"

That response made the flames grow stronger, as the windows chattered and the room had visible cracks all over it.

The Mana released by the two was so strong, that even if they did not want to, it had affected their surroundings.

The pressure kept growing every second, like a challenge between them to see who backs off first.

They both never moved once. They knew too well that if they started fighting and casting spells, the Castle and most of the surrounding areas would suffer. Innocent lives could be put at risk.

Mark did not wish to do so, as this was his territory. While Link had a different thought process entirely.

"I can win this!" Link thought to himself.

An hour passed, where the pressure now completely destroyed the room they were in, as the walls and roof fell. The area shook slightly, like a small earthquake hit the territory.

Mark, though, had a shocked and worried look on his face. His pressure was still growing, but it steadily started to slow down, while Link seemed like he could still keep going, growing it indefinitely.

This was a battle of Mana. Mark had the confidence due to his age and talent, but now he was having second thoughts.

"I'll give you the Map and some Grand Potions for the Scroll!" Mark stated, looking at Link with now sweat falling down his forehead.

"I want the Map, the Potions and full Supplies prepared. Food, water and everything I might need in my travel" Link responded.

"Deal!" Mark instantly answered. The pressure vanished the moment he spoke.

The orders that were given to Ken shocked him. He was told to bring the Potions and prepare the supplies, which made him think something that worried him slightly.

"Did father lose?!"

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