Two Sun-hours later, when Vina returned to the mage tower with Laurent, Li De ended the day's lesson.

The apprentices' notebooks were already half-filled with notes. These novices wanted to record every word Li De said.

"That's enough for today. From now on, I'll try to set aside half a day each week to teach you. Remember, practice is key, especially meditation—it's the foundation of a mage.

Hard work pays off. Don't expect to become a grand mage overnight. Write down any questions you have and ask me next time."

The apprentices were nearly overwhelmed by this sudden good fortune. Half a day of teaching every week?

Lord Li De is truly benevolent.

We always knew Lord Li De was testing us these past three years. Long live Lord Li De!

Li De looked at these apprentices, whose average age was only seventeen or eighteen, and shook his head slightly.

Since the establishment of the Crimson Mage Tower, a total of 25 mage apprentices had been recruited. Three had died due to magical backlash, leaving 22 apprentices in the tower.

Among them, three showed the most promise: Vina, who had been serving him; Karu, from a minor noble family; and Cohen, from a commoner family.

However, Li De estimated that it would take at least another year for these three to become full-fledged mages.

It was no wonder the "Glory" official website rated the difficulty of becoming a mage as ten stars. Learning magic was extremely challenging for the natives of this world.

To see results from these apprentices in a short time, further investment was needed.

"It seems it's time to recruit more mage apprentices."

In the mage tower, the apprentices were essentially the property of the tower's master. Some ruthless mages even used their apprentices for magical experiments.

Thus, once these apprentices entered the Crimson Mage Tower, they became Li De's property.

His future plans would require a large number of talented individuals, and these mage apprentices were an excellent investment.

Recruiting mage apprentices in Green City was simple. Just spread the word, and the next day, the tower's entrance would be flooded with applicants.

In this world, knowledge was monopolized by the nobility, and magic was monopolized by mages. Ordinary commoners had no access to either.

The opportunity to become a mage apprentice meant a chance to ascend to the ranks of nobles and mages.

No commoner could resist such a temptation.

As for selling themselves to the mage tower? That was nothing. Knowledge and magic were worth far more than life itself.

"Lord Li De, the contract has been purchased. As per your instructions, I've filled in the details. Now, all that's left is for you to input a trace of spiritual energy to complete the contract."

Vina, dressed in a long blue mage robe, stood gracefully before Li De.

Her waist-length golden hair was slightly curled, and her delicate features and sparkling blue eyes made the apprentices swallow hard.

By the Goddess of Magic, Miss Vina has become even more beautiful.

Li De nodded and took the contract.

It was an ancient parchment covered in dense Common script. With a sweep of his spiritual energy, Li De understood the contents. There were no issues.

After leaving a trace of spiritual energy, the parchment emitted a soft white glow.

The glow soon faded, and the Common script had merged with the contract. Even washing or scraping the parchment wouldn't remove it.

If anyone violated the contract, taking it to the Temple of Contracts would allow the priests of the God of Contracts and Justice to determine its authenticity using divine magic.

If a violation was confirmed, the offender would face punishment from the God of Contracts. As for what that punishment entailed, Li De wasn't sure, but it was undoubtedly severe.

He handed the parchment back to Vina.

"Place this in the study. Laurent, you are now a member of the Crimson Mage Tower.

I officially appoint you as the head of the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild. Continue managing the guild for me."

Before Laurent could bow, Li De snapped his fingers with a flourish.

Mage Hand appeared out of thin air.

After a few days of practice, Li De had mastered Tier 1 and Tier 2 spells. Simple spells like Mage Hand could now be cast instantly.

This greatly satisfied Li De's curiosity about magic and sparked even greater interest. Another reason for his return was to seriously study magic.

The oak chest, which had been casually tossed into the hall earlier, was opened by Mage Hand.

"Wow~"

"So many gold Pucks!"

"This..."

When the chest full of gold Pucks glittered with a dazzling golden light, everyone gasped.

The allure of gold Pucks was irresistible.

Even Laurent, who was no stranger to wealth, held his breath. He had used such oak chests before. This one contained at least 2,000 gold Pucks.

2,000 gold Pucks! His life's savings had only amounted to 1,000, and those had been stolen by the damned Beastmen.

This amount of wealth could allow an ordinary person to live a luxurious noble life and indulge in extravagance for a lifetime.

"Lord Li De, what is this?"

Li De was quite pleased with Laurent's stunned expression.

Is this all it takes to shock you? Li De thought with a hint of mischief. He still had nine more such chests, along with a collection of gems and antiques more valuable than gold Pucks.

If Laurent knew about that, what kind of expression would he make?

"This is the startup capital for the guild.

Now, I have your first task."

Laurent's heart burned with excitement. With this capital, he could expand the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild to unprecedented heights.

Perhaps, in the distant future, it could even rival the guilds controlled by the city lord. Goddess above, please forgive my audacity.

With this thought, his blood boiled.

"Lord Li De, please give your orders. Laurent will work for you with his life."

"No, keep your life. I'm not one of those stingy nobles.

I need you to exchange these 2,000 gold Pucks for grain within a month—no, half a month."

Exchange for grain?

Laurent looked at the chest full of gold Pucks, puzzled by Li De's intentions.

Although the Beastmen empire had invaded the border, the southern region was still the most productive area for producing grain.

Even if grain prices rose, the nobles, who had already received the news, had driven up the prices. Entering the market now seemed too late.

"Lord Li De, if you intend to buy grain now and sell it after winter for profit, I must warn you.

The nobles have already monopolized Green City's grain prices. We might not make any profit this time."

Although Laurent didn't want to contradict Li De directly, as a seasoned merchant, he couldn't let his patron undertake such a risky venture.

Moreover, the risks were significant. Grain was too important for Green City, which was facing war and the approaching Month of Deep Winter.

Li De nodded slightly. It was good that Laurent could maintain his own perspective even under the command of a high-level mage. This merchant's mind was still clear.

The fact that mages stood at the top of the social pyramid was no joke. Countless merchants and commoners had been killed for offending mages. The bloody lessons left few daring to disrespect them.

This world was not the modern era. Those in power held absolute authority, and killing someone was hardly a big deal.

"Good. A merchant should stand firm in his area of expertise.

However, I'm not planning to profit from this grain. I have other plans for it. Your task is to purchase the grain at the best price within half a month. The rest is not your concern."

Hearing Li De's explanation, Laurent felt a slight relief. He had prepared himself for a scolding, but his patron was far more tolerant than he had imagined.

"As you command, Lord Li De. With 2,000 gold Pucks—no, after deducting the 200 gold Pucks owed to the Green City Merchant Guild—the remaining 1,800 gold Pucks will be exchanged for grain as quickly as possible."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com