Chapter 466 - Fateful Encounter
Chapter 466 Fateful Encounter
Previously, Roland was only famous.
Everybody in the Red Magic Tower knew him as nothing more than “an innovative high-spirited young man.”
After all, the oil-making and fire-making spells were both life spells.
But strength was too important in this world. Those life spells could help the Mages make extra money, but such spells could never be the mainstream, because however much money one earned, he might lose it to anyone who was stronger than himself.
The Great Elder personally admitted him into the Red Magic Tower only because he thought highly of Roland’s creativity and believed that he would be a qualified assistant to a Master Mage in creative experiments.
None of the leaders of the Red Magic Tower paid any attention to Roland’s strength. They didn’t even bother to.
That was why they simply decided that Roland would be the monitor before they tried to establish their authority by teaching him a lesson.
Carrot plus stick was a very common strategy.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as planned.
After Triton and Montasisa returned to the campus and told others of Roland’s performance, the whole thing spread.
“Great Elder, based on Triton’s statement, Roland must be in possession of a new fireball spell that can compress magic power.” Standing behind a desk, an old man spoke with his hands in his sleeves. “I think it’s necessary that we take the model for this spell.”
“Why do you think we have any claim to it?” The Great Elder leaned back against the chair and asked back, “Are we going to rob him?”
The standing Mage said casually, “That will be the last resort. We can promise him enough interests, such as money, beauties, or an identity that befits him. I don’t think many young men can resist such temptations.”
The Great Elder asked with a smile, “Are you very interested in this spell model?”
“Don’t tell me that you aren’t!” The standing Mage snorted. “That Inferior Fireball was very powerful. Since it’s already so destructive when Roland isn’t even a Master yet, if we are to cast the same spell, it will be much faster and more powerful. It can be used to turn things around for us in emergencies.”
The Great Elder nodded. “I understand too. But I heard that the Goddess of Magic received a similar spell model more than a year ago, but she recalled it half a day after releasing it. I don’t really know why.”
“Don’t bother Mystra. It was only because of luck that she gathered her godhood. If we had been born earlier, we might’ve achieved the same.”
Alfred thought for a moment and said, “I know that many of you are interested in the spell, but the Red Magic Tower has boundaries. Try to persuade Roland to submit the spell model. You can give him money, beauties, or whatever it takes.”
“There will be a lot of things that I can do after you say that.” The standing Mage smiled. “I’ll bring good news to you in three to seven days.”
The Great Elder chuckled.
He more and more felt that it was the right decision to invite Roland to the Red Magic Tower, though it was against the rules.
For his part, Roland finally found some workers after wandering in the west district for a while. He paid the advance fees and asked them to repair the main hall of the dormitory building.
Then, he took the workers to the dormitory building in the east district. While the workers did their job, he stopped a student who returned from the middle district and asked, “My friend, have you found the campus?”
Slightly nervous, the student nodded hard. “Yes, we have. It’s the biggest and tallest white building with a white dome at the center of the middle district. Right, monitor, do you want to hire or buy a manor in the east district? I’m told that a small manor is being auctioned to our northeast.”
“Thank you.” Roland expressed his gratitude to the student.
Then, he found the manor that was being auctioned.
This was very common in the Red Magic Tower.
Some students would buy a manor when they came to the school, and sell it after they graduated.
A bunch of people had gathered at the gate of the manor. All of them were Mages in magic robes.
Two assistants in black clothes were shouting on the stage, “175 gold coins, first time.”
At this moment, someone cried from the crowd, “The Satchels from Fareins, 200 gold coins!”
Before he finished, another man raised his hand and shouted, “The Bushes from Fareins, 210 gold coins!”
“The Romfields from Fareins, 225 gold coins!”
Roland gasped as he heard the unbelievable biddings.
He had thought that he was a rich person, but there was obviously a gap between him and the descendants of the real rich families.
Fareins deserved to be the biggest country in the world. The wealthy people here were truly remarkable.
Looking at the three hundred gold coins in his system backpack, Roland shook his head and walked away helplessly.
He really didn’t want to live in a dormitory, because the limited space would be inconvenient for his magic experiments.
However, if a small manor in the east district was already so expensive, the prices in the middle district must be even higher.
So, should he try his luck in the west district?
Roland came to the west district and asked for intelligence in a tavern.
Because he was wearing a magic robe and Mages were respected in the Red Magic Tower, many customers in the tavern answered his questions enthusiastically.
“Simon the Gambler is selling his land, but it’s too expensive. The bigshots are unwilling to live in the west district, and the poor people like us can’t afford it.”
Based on the intelligence he acquired from the tavern, Roland found Simon, who was having a great time in a casino.
Simon was a tall, slender, middle-aged man who had heavy dark circles under his eyes.
Hearing that Roland was here to buy his land, the man excitedly led Roland back to his old apartment first. Then, he took Roland to a piece of rather desolate land in the west district with the title deed.
He pointed at the desolate land and said, “One of my ancestors worked as a butler for a powerful man in the middle district a hundred years ago. This piece of land is his legacy. It’s very large, but it’s slightly far from the business area. But don’t worry, Mr. Mage. This place is peaceful and fertile. It won’t be hard if you use some of the land for farming after you set up your manor.”
“Why didn’t you develop this land if it’s so great?”
Simon shook his head. “I don’t have the ability. Besides, I’m a gambler. Nobody comes to me for trouble when I live in my tiny apartment, but if I live in a huge manor, I’ll be dead the next day. Nobody has ever robbed me of my title deed because the powerful man my ancestor served is still alive.”
That explains a lot!
Is he trying to get rid of the trouble?
Although this guy was a gambler, he did have a keen intuition for danger.
Roland smiled. “How much do you want to sell it for?”
“Fifty!” Simon said without any hesitation. “Mr. Mage, this price isn’t high at all. After all, this is a very large piece of land. Also, my grandpa told me that my ancestor hid a fortune in this place. But I don’t think it’s true. Even if it is, someone must’ve already dug the fortune away.”
Well, I think I know this from somewhere!
In a trance, Roland took out a bag of fifty gold coins that he had prepared in advance from the system Backpack and gave it to Simon.
Without opening the bag, Simon simply weighed it in his hand and then said with a smile, “It’s indeed fifty gold coins. Here’s the title deed. It’s yours now.”
Accepting the title deed, Roland read it and confirmed that it was legitimate. Then he stored it in his system Backpack.
Simon asked, “Do you want me to recommend a great constructor to you, Mr. Mage?”
Roland waved his hands.
“Esteemed Mr. Mage, I’ll be on my way.”
Simon bowed and delightedly ran off.
After he was away, Roland looked at a seedling on his right side and said, “Get out. I know you’re there.”
The air was completely silent.
The noises from the distant business streets became vague whispers after they came here.
Several seconds later, ripples spread in the air behind the seedling, and the catgirl who was wearing an old gray robe gradually appeared.
She slowly walked ten meters before Roland while she kept staring at Roland with her big green eyes nervously.
“You must’ve heard that I’ve bought this place.”
The catgirl looked gloomy.
Though she had lived in this land for ten years, it did belong to someone else. She had merely dug a cave in this place and been secretly living there.
“I’ll move away,” said the catgirl in a low voice sadly.
Roland shook his head. “I’m not driving you away. This place is very large. It’s fine if you continue staying here. I’m just informing you that I’m moving in.”
Roland didn’t expect that the land he bought was actually the catgirl’s home. The fortune that he and Betta dug out earlier was probably hidden by Simon’s ancestor years back.
Well… The Divine Noble’s talent, Fortune, was truly remarkable.
“Are you really not driving me away?” The catgirl’s white tail rose up. “Can I continue staying here?”
Although she was quite scared of Roland, she felt that Roland should be a nice person.
After all, Roland had offered her a gold coin, which she had been carefully keeping.
A good man like him should be true to his word.
This was her last shelter. If she was driven away again, she would have to live in a sewer.
All the sewers were filthy, and almost all the catgirls loathed filth.
It was already the best she could do to live underground. If she had to live in a smelly sewer, the catgirl would rather kill herself first.
“All right, back off a little bit.”
The catgirl was slightly confused.
Roland snapped his fingers, and a thick stone wall rose from the ground and quickly spread far away. Eventually, it took a detour and returned to the original point, drawing a huge circle.
The stone wall was not very high. It was only two meters tall.
With the agility of the catgirls, they could easily climb a ten-meter wall, much less a two-meter one.
Roland pointed his finger and opened a hole on the wall. He then walked in and said, “This stone wall means that this land is private property. It should be a lot safer for you if you live behind the wall in the future.”
Following Roland, the catgirl passed the hole. Her green eyes glittered as she watched Roland’s back under the sunlight.