Chapter 204: Binding Barov - Part 1

For a brief moment, Illucia tried to regain control and reorganize the magical traps she had set. However, the Lady of Barov soon gave up, feeling a mix of familiar and unfamiliar annoyance.

"By the Light, Duke, you remind me of Antonidas. It's that same sense of helplessness I feel around him," Illucia said, hands on her hips and scolding him as if he were a junior. The Lord Barov was taken aback by his wife comparing him to Antonidas.

"Just now…" the Duke couldn't hide his shock.

"My carefully arranged magical defense system was seen through by him in an instant. Not only the ones here but even the ones in your bedroom. I told you before, my level of skill is only good enough to stop petty thieves, not a true master. In front of a real Archmage, setting up these amateurish magical traps would only alert them to the critical points with their elemental reactions," Illucia chastised her husband without mincing words.

"Apologies, I overreacted a bit after being caught by the magical traps," Duke said, slightly raising his head. Above him, on the magnificent chandelier, hid a lightning magic trap. If Illucia were willing or pressed a hidden switch in the secret passage next to the hallway, the entire corridor would be struck by lightning.

Duke's 'sincere' apology only made the Lord Barov even more embarrassed.

"Alright, alright, our guest must be hungry after traveling so far. Let's dine first."

In the splendid dining room, seated on either side of a long table that could easily accommodate ten people, Duke, the guest, found himself facing a new challenge.

The etiquette of the western-style meal was quite complex, and unfortunately, Duke's understanding was limited to holding a fork in his left hand, a knife in his right, and not speaking while eating.

As Duke watched the elegant butler place various spoons and knives of different sizes next to his plate, he felt bewildered.

Noble customs were quite troublesome, and picking the wrong utensil would be considered uncouth and invite disdain. Duke didn't have the opportunity to learn these customs, and similarly, the knowledge wasn't in his head for the system fairy to help him.

Sensing the gazes of the Duke and Lady, Duke was grateful that the Lady was a mage and rather obsessed with it.

"You know, Lady Barov, actually, low-level spells can be very helpful for training a person's [Multicasting] ability."

"Oh?" Lady Illucia's eyes lit up.

This was Multicasting! A magical skill countless people practiced for a long time without success. But everyone knew that a powerful Multicaster could easily take on two or three mages of the same level. And Duke's reputation was not unknown to Illucia.

"My teacher was 'Hundred-Handed Reaper' Hugar. In fact, what I learned from him was a very rare method for training [Multicasting] ability. Since we get along so well, I don't mind sharing."

"Oh, my dear Duke, you're the best! Teach me quickly, and once I've learned, I'll help you pressure my husband at the negotiating table."

As her words fell, the Lord Barov's hand, reaching for the soup spoon, froze.

He knew his wife was a magic fanatic.

Back then, the beautiful, charming, and nobly born Illucia was the apple of everyone's eye.

He had been proud for decades of finally winning the rose of Dalaran, both for his feelings and his career.

Unexpectedly, decades later, he felt betrayed by his wife because of magic. Lord Barov was filled with exasperation.

"Don't worry, dear, I won't make it too difficult for you," Janice offered her husband some token comfort, and then her eyes were fixed on Duke without blinking.

Duke made an apologetic expression to Lord Barov, and then used multiple Mage Hands. When twelve Mage Hands appeared, they simultaneously helped Duke tie a napkin, cut food, swirl wine, pour wine into his mouth, and wipe his mouth with a napkin...

After this dazzling series of magical performances, who would pay attention to whether Duke had used the correct spoon or knife?

Duke continued to instruct, "Lady Barov, you can start practicing with the simplest two Mage Hands, allowing the two extra magical hands to help you complete daily tasks. Over time, you'll find that you can easily multitask..."

Mage Hand, of course, was the simplest 0-level spell, used when a mage focused all their attention on a single Mage Hand. When using two, four, or more hands simultaneously, the required mental power would increase exponentially.

However, it could not be denied that this method indeed helped train one's multitasking ability.

Seeing his wife easily swayed, Lord Barov felt helpless. Soon, the slightly mischievous mealtime came to an end.

To Duke's surprise, Lord Barov agreed to start negotiations immediately that afternoon.

Duke had originally thought that Lord Barov would intentionally stall.

In a well-lit private conference room, Lord Barov sat on one side of the table, with a secretary by his side and two guards who appeared to be experts standing behind him.

On Duke's side, there was only Marco as an attendant.

Lord Barov interlocked the fingers of both hands, resting his chin on the backs of his hands. He got straight to the point as soon as the negotiations began.

"Duke Marcus, I have to admit that I underestimated you. Your talent in the realm of magic is unparalleled, and your wisdom is equally evident in negotiations. Janice is my treasure, and her pressure has forced me to start these negotiations in a somewhat passive state. However, I hope you understand that personal feelings are not the driving factor in these negotiations. The Barov family does indeed possess the food that the Kingdom of Stormwind urgently needs. I just want to ask, if the Barov family were to use this food, equivalent to the family's lifeline, as a bargaining chip, what would the Barov family gain in return?"

Without hesitation, Duke replied, "Safety, and the continuation of the Barov family lineage."

Lord Barov frowned immediately, obviously associating this with unfavorable implications.

Duke flipped over his left palm, "Don't misunderstand, the swords of Stormwind's warriors will never be aimed at humans. I think it's necessary for me to inform you, Lord, of the destructive power of the orcs."

Lord Barov made a gesture inviting him to continue.

Duke cast a spell that seemed like a magic mirror.

Upon seeing it, Lord Barov was taken aback.