<h4>Chapter 460: I’ll Consider It</h4>


    Leena truly cared about Sein.


    Her repeated visits to Mordoron Ind to find Sein spoke volumes of her deep feelings for him.


    Martin had spent his early years living with his mentor in a ck tower.


    The ck towers in ckhaven differed significantly from the divine towers found in the rest of the Magus World.


    In ckhaven, neither ck magic initiates nor ck mages enjoyed much freedom.


    While the mages were allowed to leave the tower for brief periods to carry out missions, the initiates were strictly confined.


    Any attempt or even the mere thought of leaving was met with severe suppression or outright elimination by the ck towers.


    Human rights were non-existent in ckhaven.


    Leena first came to Mordoron Ind in search of Sein when she was a peak Quasi Mage, likely just afterpleting the Death Trial.


    Her second visit urred shortly after she had achieved Rank One.


    Defying the stringent rules of the ck Towers to handle personal matters signified her exceptional status and importance within the ck Tower of Cinderbones.


    If Leena had been merely an ordinary initiate, the executives of the ck Towers would not have tolerated her actions.


    She would have been reduced to a specimen on an experimental table—a fatemon to all initiates in ckhaven.


    When Sein heard of Leena’s victory in the Death Trial, he could hardly contain his joy for her.


    Although Sein was unsure what Leena had gone through over the years, he was relieved to learn she was still alive and well.


    He immediately questioned Martin about the ck Tower of Cinderbones and its whereabouts.


    Knowing what Sein was thinking, Martin replied with a knowing grin, “The ck Tower of Cinderbones lies further north beyond this area, in the outer reaches and deep into central ckhaven.”


    “That ce isn’t easy to navigate, even for Rank One ck mages. Furthermore, no ordinary ck mages can simply join the ck Tower of Cinderbones,” he warned.


    “I’m not exactly sure how Fareena managed to get Leena enrolled into the ck Tower of Cinderbones. It’s nearly impossible for a Rank One ck mage to join that tower without forking out ten Grade One energy crystals or hundreds of magicoins. And within the ck Towers, one must always be wary of their surroundings.” Martin chuckled and shook his head.


    The circumstances in ckhaven were truly a stark contrast to those on the Magus Continent.


    On the Magus Continent, the divine towers generally paid sries to the full-fledged mages who joined them.


    They even had to offerpetitive packages to attract the more powerful mages.


    It was surprising that joining a ck Tower in ckhaven required payment.


    Nevertheless, the situation in ckhaven was somewhat understandable.


    The ck towers of ckhaven were not charitable organizations, and those malicious ck mages could not rely on funding from the Magus Alliance.


    Rank One ck mages seeking membership in the ck Towers often did so hoping to leverage the organization as a tform to ess more resources or even secure direct protection.


    Some desperate Rank One ck mages invested most of their savings to join the ck towers just to escape their enemies, viewing it as the most rational choice under the circumstances.


    However, the reality within the ck towers was not as dire as Martin portrayed.


    Contrarily, it was one of the safer refuges in ckhaven. The esteemed Rank Three and Rank Four mages were generally diligent in fulfilling their duties oncepensated.


    After all, the ck mages also typically adhered to the principle of equivalent exchange.


    While some of the information Martin shared with Sein held some truth, other parts were clearly exaggerated.


    Sein only partially believed Martin’s words, aware that the dean had his own motives.


    It was obvious that Martin did not want Sein to reach Leena. He preferred that Sein remained with his organized group on Mordoron Ind.


    If Sein wished to reunite with Leena, he would need to stick with Martin, which could ultimately provide Martin with an opportunity to engage with the ck Tower of Cinderbones.


    If rumors were true and Leena was favored by the ck Tower Master of Cinderbones, possibly even to apprenticed to her, Martin would be foolish to let Sein slip out of his grasp.


    Interacting with a Rank Three ck mage like Martin required caution.


    During their discussions, Martin repeatedly proposed forming a magical contract that seemed to benefit Sein.


    He promised to supply Sein with abundant resources annually, which was a fair offer in ckhaven, especially considering Sein’s skills as an alchemist.


    However, the catch was that Sein mustmit to a long-term magical contract, the shortest of which wouldst thirty years.


    Sein, of course, did not ept Martin’s proposal right away. Instead of outright refusal, he responded vaguely, “I’ll consider it.”


    Despite being a ck mage, Martin maintained a rtively humble demeanor, likely hesitant to antagonize Leena by pressuring Sein too hard.


    In his dealings with Sein, Martin tried to preserve as much goodwill as possible.


    If Sein were truly a ck mage without anyone to rely on, he might have easily fallen into Martin’s schemes.


    <i>“At least in the outskirts of ckhaven, no one will offer a better deal than I can. I’m only extending this offer because you’re one of us from the ck Magic Academy in Mystralora City. You should also keep the terms we’ve discussed confidential as it could upset certain people if disclosed.”</i>—This was Martin’s message to Sein.


    Despite Martin’s persuasive tactics, Sein never agreed to form a magic contract with him.


    He merely said, “I’ll consider it.”


    Martin’s expression faltered momentarily before he quickly shifted the topic.


    “I’m sorry to hear about your mentor’s murder by Daelis. It’s a problem the ck mages from Mystralora City need to address together.”


    “Don’t worry about Gandra; I’ll handle him. But resolving this issue might take some time,” he added.


    “Why is that so?” Sein inquired, unable to contain his curiosity.


    “Because certain secret realms in the southern Knight Continent are about to open, the attention of the Western Archipgo—no, the entire Magus World—will shift there. As ck mages, we might not be able to delve into the secret realms ourselves, but we can find a way to acquire or trade for unique resources found only within those realms,” Martin exined.


    “The items from there are invaluable; I’ve only witnessed such events twice in my life,” he added with a reflective sigh.