Chapter 315: Chapter 314: The Bait is Working Well (3)


    ?


    At ude''s words, the mage was slightly startled and asked again.


    "Thirty years?"


    "Yes, for bing the territory''s exclusive mage, that''s about right. It''s not really that long. We even have people who''ve been here for over 200 years... No, anyway, isn''t it the same for other territories? Come on, anything less than this, and it wouldn''t even count as exclusive."


    "That, that''s true."


    The mage nodded involuntarily, but in reality, it wasn''t true. The duration of a mage''s service varied greatly depending on their skill and research goals.


    Some stayed only a few years before leaving, while others signed long-term contracts. It simply differed from person to person.


    However, ude pushed forward with such charisma that the mage couldn''t help but go along with it.


    "Hmmm..."


    The mage hesitated for a moment. He was middle-aged now, and thirty years would essentially mean spending the rest of his life here.


    Still, the conditions were too good to pass up. The workload was light, he could use a mana concentration circle, and he''d receive guidance from a 6th-circle mage.


    The only thing that worried him was that, while Fenris was currently thriving in the north, there were whispers it might have fallen out with the ducal family.


    Mages usually weren''t in the loop when it came to rumors, but as a wandering mage, he had picked up bits and pieces.


    Seeing the mage deep in thought, ude called for Vanessa.


    "You called for me, head butler?"


    "Hey, Vanessa, this gentleman here seems curious about you. He''s got a lot of questions, it seems."


    The mage was shocked when he saw Vanessa.


    "Th-this woman is a 6th-circle mage?''


    She was far too young. He had never heard of such a young 6th-circle mage in the kingdom.


    And her appearance-her hair was a tangled mess, and it was unclear when she''dst bathed. She looked like someone who spent all her time holed up in a library.


    Looking at her innocent face and blinking eyes, the mage asked cautiously,


    "Are you truly someone who has reached the 6th-circle?"


    "Yes, well... I still have much to learn..."


    Vanessa replied with a shy expression, twisting her body in embarrassment.


    The mage frowned. There was no dignity to her that a 6th-circle mage should possess. Mages confident in their abilities never behaved this way.


    The higher a mage''s rank, the more prideful they tended to be.


    ''Was it all a hoax? Are they trying to scam me?''


    He wanted to ask her to demonstrate a 6th-circle spell, but he didn''t dare.


    Mages were often mentally unstable. She might seem harmless now, but she could flip at any moment.


    If she suddenly took offense andshed out, it would be disastrous.


    So, he cautiously asked again.


    "I''ve been studying something recently that I''m struggling to understand. Could you offer me a bit of guidance?"


    "Oh, feel free to ask me anything. I''ll help as much as I can."


    Encouraged by her gentle tone, the mage took out a book.


    "I''ve been researching the resistance of lightning, but I''m stuck at a certain point."


    When the mage pointed to a section in the book, Vanessa nced at it briefly and pped her hands.


    "Oh, you''re stuck here! The principle behind this is... The main reason lies in the sh of mana flows, which inevitably generates resistance. When mana collides, it impedes the flow of lightning, resulting in heat energy loss..."


    "Oh, ohhh!"


    As Vanessa''s exnation continued, the mage''s face lit up with exhration.


    Her exnation was so detailed that it cleared up his confusionpletely.


    ''It''s real! She really is a 6th-circle mage! Even if she''s not 6th-circle, she''s definitely at least 5th- circle!''


    Her understanding of magic was on apletely different level. He had never encountered a mage who could exin things so clearly.


    Not even his own master had been this articte. It felt like she was breaking down magic into its smallestponents and reassembling it into aprehensible manual.


    ''I never imagined someone would teach like this! She''s nothing like other mages!''


    Most 6th-circle mages, even if present, wouldn''t share their insights. Mages were notoriously secretive, doling out scraps of knowledge only after putting their disciples through years of hardship.


    But Vanessa''s exnations were systematic and straightforward—something truly rare.


    After over an hour of exnations, ude had started dozing off, while the mage was bursting with excitement.


    "I see! I understand now! So that''s how it works!"


    "Yes, exactly. And next, the flow of mana should shift to..."


    The two mages enthusiastically continued their discussion. With the exception of the dozing ude, the scene resembled an academic debate.


    Once Vanessa''s exnation ended, the mage bowed deeply, almost in tears.


    "Thank you! Thank you so much! I''ve finally understood something that had been troubling


    me for so long!"


    "I''m d to hear that! Do you have any more questions?"


    When Vanessa asked, the mage eagerly pulled out another book from his bag.


    Just as he was about to open it, ude woke up and wiped the drool from his mouth before


    grabbing the mage''s arm.


    "Tsk, tsk, let''s not get greedy. That''s enough for today."


    "But why? Just one more question..."


    "No, no. There are others waiting. How long do you n to monopolize our mage here? That


    won''t do."


    "Fine! I''ll sign the contract!"


    "Oh, really?"


    "If I sign, I can continue to receive guidance from her, right?"


    "Of course! You''ll be working and researching together. Whenever you have questions, just


    ask. You''ll probably get sick of magic after a while."


    ude wasn''t lying. In this territory, you could use magic more in one year than most mages


    did in a lifetime.


    The mage quickly stamped his seal on the contract.


    He figured his talent wasn''t enough to break through his limits anyway. It seemed better to stay here, receive guidance, and livefortably.


    "Looking forward to working with you."


    "Likewise. The staff will take you to the researchb and assign you a room."


    Once the mage left, ude leaned back in his chair, muttering arrogantly,


    "What a hassle. Why not just sign right away instead of ying hard to get?"


    Vanessa had no words. She couldn''t shake the feeling that she wasplicit in turning mages


    intoborers for the territory.


    In any case, all the mages who came to the territory were convinced by ude to sign contracts. Some even begged for the chance after glimpsing Vanessa''s knowledge.


    In total, 20 mages were recruited, an unprecedented feat.


    Of course, the mages were content.


    "I heard this territory was wealthy, but not to this extent." "The buildings were built with dwarves, right? Functional and aesthetically pleasing."


    "How much money do they have to provide mana concentration circles for everyone?"


    Many of these mages had never even seen a mana concentration circle before. Any mage capable of obtaining one wouldn''t remain unaffiliated for long.


    They spent their days learning from Vanessa and focusing on their personal training. They wanted to train all day, but Vanessa always seemed strangely busy during the day.


    "Of course, a 6th-circle mage would be busy."


    "She''s often away during the day. What could she be doing?"


    "She''s probably immersed in personal research to reach the next level."


    The mages held Vanessa in the highest regard. After all, they had learned so much from her.


    One day, as they were chatting, a messenger from ude arrived.


    "It seems you''ll need to help with some territory work."


    "Hmph, well, it''s about time. Lead the way."


    Though they were humble around high-ranking individuals, mages were often arrogant


    toward ordinary folk. They followed with haughty expressions but were led to an open field


    near the researchb.


    A series of wagons arrived shortly after, and the drivers shouted,


    "Fire mages! We need fire mages here!"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Some mages stepped forward.


    "I specialize in fire magic. What''s the matter?"


    "Hop on! Quickly!"


    "What?"


    "No time to exin! Get on board!"


    The mages were bewildered butplied.


    Other wagons were equally noisy.


    "Wind mages, over here! We need road leveling too!"


    "This one''s for support magic to helpborers!"


    "Big rocks need clearing! We need destruction experts!"


    || ||


    The mages fell silent. This felt like abor market recruiting dayborers.


    "Are they seriously asking mages to..."


    Before the mages couldin, Alpoi and the veteran mages from theb appeared.


    "Hey, hurry up and get on!"


    At Alpoi''s urging, they boarded the wagons. The veteran mages looked at the neers and


    spoke.


    "What are you waiting for? Get on. We''ve got work to do."


    "If we''rete, it''ll only get harder."


    "These guys are still clueless. Don''t they get it yet?"


    The neers stammered.


    "W-what kind of work requires this sort of... crude behavior?"


    Alpoi smirked.


    What


    work? Mostly construction. Clearing rocks, emptying septic tanks, turning over


    soil, building structures, moving supplies. There''s plenty to do."


    "M-mages doing such work?"


    "Who else? Magic is the fastest."


    "I-I''ve never done such things. It''s beneath the dignity of a mage..."


    "Hey, even ''the man who defeated a goddess'' does this. You think you''re too good? I''m the


    team leader at the site. Don''t make me wait."


    Intimidated by Alpoi, the mages reluctantly boarded. They weren''t ready to fight against the


    veterans, who outnumbered them.


    Just as they were about to protest further, Vanessa hurried over and boarded one of the


    wagons.


    "What are you all doing? Hurry up! The project will fall behind."


    ||


    ||


    They now understood why Vanessa was always absent during the day. This insane territory


    even had a 6th-circle mage doing manualbor.


    It was impressive, in a way. She worked on construction during the day, then taught and


    researched at night.


    There was no refusing her. In the mage hierarchy, circle rank was everything, and Vanessa was


    at the top.


    ttering along, the wagons carried the mages to various sites. Alpoi patted one of the sulking neers on the shoulder.


    "Everyone feels like this at first. ''Why did I even be a mage?'' But you''ll get used to it. I''ll


    teach you gamblingter."


    "...Alright."


    "Cheer up. Think you''re special? Around here, mages are nothing. Sometimes even goddesses


    stop by."


    11


    ||


    A few mages tried to resist or escape but were swiftly dealt with by Alpoi and his team. Those


    who tried to flee were chased down and brought back.


    "Didn''t you say you were a 3rd-circle?"


    The captured mage asked in disbelief, and Alpoi answered smugly,


    "Construction work makes you stronger."


    "...That''s ridiculous."


    "Does this look like a joke? Somehow, it works. And if you don''t know anything, you can ask


    Vanessa. Anyway, think of it as training. If you try to run again, you''ll regret it." With more mages joining, the work got easier. Alpoi had no intention of letting them go.


    The mages resigned themselves to their fate. While they were bound by contracts, it was Vanessa''s teachings and the mana concentration circles that kept them going. After all, advancing in magic was every mage''s dream.


    The veteran mages, however, had long since abandoned such dreams. Their goal was just to


    live well each day.


    ude continued to promote the benefits of 6th-circle guidance and mana concentration


    circles.


    Word spread beyond the north to other regions.


    Not many, but a steady trickle of wandering mages began arriving, and they all ended up bound to Fenris territory.


    "Hm, the bait''s going well. With more mages, construction''s speeding up."


    Each cast of the fishing line brought in another catch. Vanessa and the mana concentration


    circles were irresistible bait.


    Of course, as the number of mages grew, new problems inevitably arose.


    "We''re almost out of runestones. There''s not much left to mine."


    ude brought this issue to Ghiin.


    Over the years, they had used up an enormous amount of runestones to develop the territory.


    Selling to the magic tower had only sped up their depletion.


    Even after cutting back on sales, the supply had finally run dry.


    After hearing the report, Ghiin nodded calmly.


    "Well, they were bound to run out eventually. We did use them well. It was worth it."


    "What do we do? If we run out of runestones, a lot will slow down. Even maintaining the


    mana concentration circles will be a problem, not to mention our rtionship with the magic tower."


    "What else? The solution''s obvious."


    Ghiin grinned. If they were running out of runestones, they''d just have to go and get more.


    After all, the ce they hade from was filled with runestones. [T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi/revengerscans ]