by Zhuang Bifan
After coming out from the Guild of Magic, the guild hall was still quiet.
"Thank God…" Lin Li wiped his cold sweat. He was still glad for his good luck in not bumping into that old man Macklin.
However, his joy did not last long. He was greeted by a voice behind him.
"What a coincidence, Mage Felic."
"HUH?" Lin Li jumped. He saw it was Sarsen when he turned around. Lin Li also saw someone he despised behind Sarsen.
"Hehe, good evening, Mage Sarsen and Mage Gryffindor," Lin Li greeted them with a superficial smile. Deep inside, he was very curious how Sarsen and Gryffindor ended up together. Lin Li clearly remembered that when he'd first come to Alanna, that top mage from Felan was not really friendly toward him.
Furthermore, that man was not on good terms with Orrin…
Lin Li just could not bring himself to have any good impression of that man at all.
"Hehe, I met Mage Gryffindor when I went out to settle some things. So, we came back together." Although Sarsen was an arrogant man, he did not dare to show his egocentric nature in front of Lin Li. He had seen clearly how the Pharmacists Guild sent for a coach to escort that man, as well as how the people there treated him with utmost respect.
Even Sarsen's knees could understand that the mage named Felic was not any random man on the streets.
Gryffindor nodded his head, and agreed reluctantly, "Yeah."
He clearly remembered that man to be Orrin's teammate.
His relationship with Orrin could be likened to water and fire. When he was 10, his mentor brought him all over Felan Kingdom to almost all Magic guilds. He fought almost all young mages—including Orrin.
Orrin had been a level-9 mage back then, while Gryffindor a level-8 mage. They were both young talents who had attracted the attention of many. In the end, Orrin defeated Gryffindor with his level-9 abilities after much difficulty.
That battle became a lifelong stain on Gryffindor's pride.
After returning to Alanna, he had always been thinking of ways to defeat Orrin. He researched into magic every minute tirelessly. With the help of his talent, he'd managed to break into the Magic Shooter realm. His subsequent improvement could be described as vigorous. He had the abilities of a level-14 Magic Shooter at a young age. After three years, when Gryffindor challenged all the magic guilds again, he finally defeated Orrin at Rotterdam.
But, to Gryffindor, a battle was not enough to erase that disgrace from three years earlier. He hoped his mentor would let him meet Orrin during the finals.
Gryffindor knew that the finals allowed mages to make mistakes… such as inflicting too much injuries…
As for the two teammates Orrin had, he was never concerned about them.
He understood the reason why Felic could emerge victorious against Macklin in the arena.
Gryffindor clearly saw Macklin suppressing his energy and underestimating his opponent. He did not doubt that he would lose to Felic.
He was only a little surprised. Gryffindor clearly knew that the last time Macklin lost to Felic was due to Macklin suppressing his abilities and his personal underestimation of his opponent.
As for that Orrin who'd just reached level-10, he was not even an ant in front of him.
How would two ants—one big and one small—deserve his respect?
Chapter 246 - Master Hoffman
Of course, if the bigger ant was willing to be nice to him, he might not reject it.
Yeah, just like what Sarsen did.
After all, he was one of the only two Archmages in this trial. After he clinched the championship and set up his new guild, he would need some manpower. Since his mentor would be busy with work in the Supreme Council, he needed to depend on what he had.
An obedient Archmage would be of great help to him.
After acknowledging him slightly, Gryffindor had been waiting for Lin Li to suck up to him. Then, he would just casually act humbly and friendly to him, allowing Lin Li to be less awkward and at the same time maintain his own status. Yeah, just like how he treated Sarsen. Gryffindor believed that he did not need to wait long for Lin Li to do it.
Since he was much more powerful than the other mages participating in the trial, it was common sense for them to suck up to him in order to be treated less harshly later.
Furthermore, the finals allowed accidents. If he were to inflict too harsh a blow, it would be a pity to die due to that.
In the end…
Gryffindor waited for quite a while, only to realize the fella named Felic had no intentions of getting close to himself. He continued to talk to Sarsen about meaningless things such as the weather and about life.
Gryffindor frowned, and got unhappy.
He could not understand why meaningless things could be more important as compared to being friends with himself. It concerned life and death. If Gryffindor were to hate on Lin Li, he could just exert more force in the finals and a corpse would be sent back to Jarrosus.
Having had the title as the magic genius of Felan, Gryffindor had forever been the center of attention anywhere he went. Unlike the usual, it was the first time he was treated like air today. After feeling surprised, an unexplainable rage rose from his heart. How could the country bumpkin from Jarrosus treat him as though he was invisible?
Gryffindor was fuming. If Sarsen was not there, he would turn and leave on Felic. What was so great about a country bumpkin having the abilities of an Archmage?? How could Felic belittle him? Yet, after looking at Sarsen beside him, he swallowed his anger.
Since the country mage had no background, if he were to kill Felic in the finals, no one would step in. On the contrary, he had to ensure he would not put Sarsen in a hard position. As his mentor was the President of the Nightfall City Guild of Magic, he would need a lot of his help after he set up the new guild in Breezy Plains.
Gryffindor tried his best to suppress his rage as two men conversed.
"Oh, yes. Mage Felic, I heard Mr. Macklin said you left the guild for quite some time?" Ever since he saw how respectful the two pharmacists were to Lin Li, Sarsen knew clearly that this young mage from Jarrosus was not someone he should trifle with.
Furthermore, as Sarsen was not very close to Lin Li—like Mason and Orrin—he needed to watch his language and speak to him courteously. Gryffindor could not help but be infuriated when he saw how Sarsen treated Lin Li.
"I had no choice, either. My dear mentor felt that I'm too weak and needed more practice. The old man instructed me to go places as part of training…" Lin Li grumbled. He was half-lying.
"Hehe, Mr. Macklin is like that. He is known to be strict toward his students…" Sarsen comforted Lin Li, assuming that the "mentor" Lin Li mentioned was Macklin. In reality, Macklin was the only mentor that would treat his students so harshly. Sarsen did not expect the real "mentor" Lin Li was referring to was one that had even higher expectations compared to Macklin…
"Erm, actually…" Lin Li paused. Since Sarsen assumed that mentor was Macklin, Lin Li was not that foolish to correct him. He took the chance to weave some more complaints about Macklin, framing the poor innocent old man.
Sarsen seemed to be engrossed in the conversation, and had no intention to leave.
Gryffindor, on the other hand, was already very impatient. If he could, he really wanted to leave them. He could not suppress his disdain when he saw that country bumpkin. Gryffindor felt that Sarsen must have lost his mind to treat that mage from Jarrosus with extreme kindness.
Did he think all Archmages were invincible? Was he hoping that the bumpkin would be less harsh on him during the finals?
What a joke…
So what if he was an Archmage? He was just a more skillful one among his age group. Compared to the other mages in the whole of Felan Kingdom, he was a nobody. He had neither social status nor background. Apart from that trial and becoming the student of Macklin by luck, what other abilities did he have?
Furthermore…
If Sarsen wanted Felic to go easy on him at t
he finals, he had to ensure Felic would not be killed first.
Gryffindor had heard that a moron had offended Matthias the moment he arrived in Alanna. He found out that the fool's name was Felic after he asked further.
"What an idiot…" Gryffindor mumbled as he rolled his eyes. He could not understand why there would be such a stupid fella who dared to offend Matthias. Who was Matthias? He was the son of Wilhelm, the second heir of the Marathon Family. Even Gryffindor would never want to offend Matthias himself. Why did that mindless dude from Jarrosus do that…?
At this moment, Gryffindor really hoped to tell Sarsen to stop talking to Felic. It was meaningless to flatter somebody who was not going to make it to the finals. He was sure that people from the Marathon Family would be after Felic. Not even his mentor, Macklin, would dare to offend the family just to save a student from that mess.
Of course, Gryffindor could not say those thoughts out loud. Even if he were to say it, he would not say it in front of Lin Li…
Hence, he remained quiet grumpily.
"Oh dear, it's so late now. I'm so sorry, Mage Sarsen. I have to go." Lin Li apologized to Sarsen after noticing how dark the sky was. He wanted to end the conversation quickly, fearing that he would need to take quite some time to find a restaurant to have his meal at this rush hour.
"Let's talk again next time, then," Sarsen said as he smiled. Just when he wanted to leave with Gryffindor, they heard the sound of a conversation.
The voices belonged to a few Archmages in the guild, as well as Mr. Macklin. Oh, there was an unfamiliar voice too.
When Sarsen was still trying to figure out whom that voice belonged to, Lin Li frowned, knowing that it was his unlucky day. If he were to know he was going to meet him, he would not have stayed to chat with Sarsen.
I need to escape quickly!
"Mage Sarsen, I'm going to take my leave now…"
Lin Li had no time to care anymore. After bidding Sarsen goodbye in a hurry, he turned towards the exit of the guild hall. However, after he made his first step, Macklin spoke.
"Felic, you are here! I was looking for you…"
No one knew what Macklin was up to. His old and wrinkly face was grinning widely as he walked down the stairs in high spirits. Others might think that this old dude found his second spring.
"Can you not find me?" Lin Li asked impatiently after seeing the fatso behind Macklin. Didn't he promise Hoffman he was going to take some days to consider his offer? Why was he so anxious to make his way to the Guild of Magic to look for him??
"And you two, come over here too…" Macklin gestured to Sarsen and Gryffindor while he grabbed onto Lin Li, who was trying to make his escape.
"Let me introduce Hoffman to you. He is from the Glittergold trade union. I'm sure you have heard his name, right?"
"Hoffman…" Sarsen repeated the name in bewilderment. How could he not have heard of Hoffman's name? Hoffman was not only the man managing nearly half of the businesses in the Glittergold trade union, but also an esteemed Conjurer. If he were to stamp his feet lightly on Breezy Plains, the entire Breezy Plains would shake.
On top of that…
Sarsen had heard from his mentor that this Mr. Hoffman in front of him was a true Master Pharmacist!
Oh God, he is a Master in Pharmaceutics…!
Sarsen had never dreamed to be able to meet a Master Pharmacist in his entire life. With Mr. Hoffman, who were those pharmacists who made things difficult for his mentor, and the two fellas that treated him with disdain? Although the title "Pharmacist" and "Master Pharmacist" only differed by a single word, the actual difference in status was as wide as the distance of heaven and hell.
"I-i-it's my p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you, M-M-Master Hoffman…!" Sarsen stuttered as he greeted the man.
As compared to Sarsen, Gryffindor was relatively calmer. Since his mentor was from the Supreme Council, he had a lot encounters with renowned individuals. He was surprised at first, but managed to calm down quickly.
Chapter 247 - Business
"Mr. Hoffman, you need to know these young men. This is Alanna's Gryffindor, Nightfall City's Sarsen, and Jarrosus's Felic." The old man frowned, and continued his speech when he saw Mason looking at him with excitement. "Erm, and Mason from Chevan City. They are all the top few young mages in the trial."
"Macklin, there's no need to introduce them to me. How would I not know the top mage of Felan, Gryffindor? Also, I knew Mage Sarsen since he was from Nightfall City, the neighboring county with Breezy Plains. There have been many talents coming from Nightfall City these few years. I've never expected to meet one here today…"
Since Hoffman was a businessman, he was adept in the art of flattery. No one would think those words were mere politeness. It was as though he was really praising these young mages from his heart.
Although Gryffindor smiled humbly, he was very surprised. He had never expected that Hoffman would have heard of his name. How could he not know who Hoffman was?
Hoffman was one of the decision makers of the Glittergold Trade Union, managing nearly half of the union's business single-handedly. Not only that, he was also a level-17 Conjurer that many legendary figures would not dare to offend.
He'd never expected that the friendly fatso was a Master Pharmacist too!
How would Gryffindor not know what it meant to be a Master Pharmacist in Felan Kingdom? Even his mentor would need to treat Hoffman with ample respect. Gryffindor did not expect his title of the "Top Mage of Felan" would travel into the ears of Hoffman!
Gryffindor could not suppress his excitement.
Look, even Master Hoffman knows my name!
Gryffindor looked at Sarsen, then at Mason and Lin Li. A sense of superiority rose in him. He felt that the two men should feel ashamed for standing beside himself. How could a country bumpkin from Jarrosus City and a trash from Chevan City stand together with him?
Take a good look at yourself later. You will know what it means to be ashamed when Mr. Hoffman says he does not recognize you…
"As for Mage Felic—" Hoffman said as he looked at Lin Li with extreme friendliness.
"Yeah, yeah…" Lin Li put aside his manners to interrupt Hoffman. "I knew Master Hoffman long ago. I still remembered I sold him some herbs when I was still at Jarrosus. How were they, Master Hoffman? They were great, right? I have more of them with me now, do you want to buy more?"
"Felic…" Macklin rolled his eyes speechlessly. How could the fella talk about that in front of everybody? What was he thinking?
Gryffindor could not hide his smirk.
A country bumpkin would always be a country bumpkin. Did he think he could get close with Master Hoffman just by selling some herbs to him? He should stand in front of the mirror to reassess his status before speaking.
Hoffman seemed like a friendly man with no scheming intentions. However, as one of the decision makers of the Glittergold trade union, how could he not know how to observe the actions of others? Seeing how Felic interrupted his speech with such a random story, he understood that this genius pharmacist wanted to hide something…
Hoffman stopped, hesitating. "Erm… Can we talk about herbs next time?" He played along with Lin Li.
"Of course, we can discuss it whenever you are free."
Hearing that, Hoffman felt relieved. Of course they were going to discuss about the formula of the potion! If that genius pharmacist were to agree to help him, his problem would be solved.
Just when Hoffman wanted to invite Lin Li for a chat, Gryffindor stood out with noble indignation. "Mage Felic, I hope you know what you are doing. This is Alanna Guild of Magic, not the black market of Jarrosus. If you want to promote your herbs, you should do it elsewhere. Do not disturb such a noble guest like Master Hoffman," Gryffindor spoke gravely.
He even brought the reputation of the guild out. Even if Macklin had the intentions to speak for Lin Li, he could only sigh helplessly, hoping that his student would not create too much of a trouble…
"
…" Hoffman stood there speechlessly. Did that fella believe he really heard about him long ago? Now he even stood out to defend Hoffman…
Goddammit, why would I need you to speak for me? Do you think you are really a genius when people call you the top mage of Felan? If you are going to mess up my plans, I'm going to have people spike your food…
"Mage Gryffindor…" Lin Li said calmly, albeit with a tinge of sarcasm. "How does this got anything to do with you?"
"How does it got to do with me?" Gryffindor smiled with disdain. He looked at Lin Li as though he was a beggar. "Mage Felic, I hope that you understand that Master Hoffman is a noble guest invited by the guild. Who do you think you are to advertise your herbs to him? Are you telling Master Hoffman that our guild had no resources to provide for a newbie, and that he needs to live off his earnings from the sale of the herbs?"
"That's weird…" Lin Li looked at the surroundings before speaking to Sarsen seriously, "Mage Sarsen, can you tell me if there is a rule in the guild that forbids students to sell herbs in the period of their trial?"
"Erm…" Sarsen hesitated awkwardly. After thinking about it carefully, he shook his head, and replied, "Nope, there isn't."
"Mage Gryffindor, did you hear that?"
"Mage Felic!" Gryffindor was infuriated. "Now, as the steward of the guild, I'm going to order you to stop your pointless promotion of herbs and apologize to Master Hoffman. Then… you are going to serve your sentence in the dungeons!" His voice was raised by a few pitches.
After he said that, even Macklin was stunned.
He'd never expected that Gryffindor would abuse his authority. Indeed, Gryffindor could send students to the dungeons with his position as the steward. But, how was Felic an ordinary student? Gryffindor was not even comparable to him. They still had to depend on Felic's mood to decide who would obtain the key to Osric's mausoleum after six months. Was Gryffindor crazy to want to throw him in the dungeons like that?
Furthermore…
How could one use the dungeons so recklessly? That place was exclusively for the traitors of the guild. Was Gryffindor crazy?
