Wizards: Starting with Fairy Crests

003: Transactions

The next morning, Lin Qi was fast asleep in his dormitory.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door:

"Knock knock knock!"

"Lynch!"

"Lynch! Are you still there? Are you still alive?"

An impolite voice rang out.

Having finally gotten a good night's sleep, Lin Qi was disturbed. He dragged his heavy steps out of bed, opened the door, and glared at the person outside with dead fish eyes: "What?"

The person standing outside the door was a handsome young man with blond hair, fair skin, and elegant manners, naturally exuding a noble air.

This is his neighbor, Louis Warren, a nobleman from the Kingdom of Lorunt.

Upon seeing Lynch, Louis was visibly taken aback, and blurted out instinctively, "Huh? You're still alive? I thought you had committed suicide."

Lin Qi twitched the corner of his mouth, slightly displeased: "Are you so eager to come and grab a bargain? I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

"Ha ha!"

Louis wasn't offended at all; instead, he continued to encourage her bluntly, "It's okay. There's still some time. Whether you go to the Gray Mist Forest or the Wizard's Lab, the outcome won't be better than suicide. I believe you will make a wise decision."

Lynch's smile widened, but he knew that Louis in front of him meant no harm and was simply stating the facts.

This is how wizards interact. Wizards don't have much time or energy to waste on pretense, so most wizards are straightforward and get straight to the point.

He spotted a particular organ on an apprentice's body and offered to buy it, clearly stating the price.

If someone takes a fancy to a witch's looks and body, they'll immediately ask for her price.

Here, people don't play games or use empty words. If something has value, it has value; if it doesn't, it doesn't.

Everything is measured by value and traded accordingly.

Equivalent exchange!

This is the first law of the wizarding world.

Lin Qi shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "No, I mean, you're probably really going to be disappointed this time."

At this point, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. With a soft "click!" sound, an emblem appeared in the air and quickly transformed into a forest fairy.

Louis paused for a moment.

Then his eyes widened suddenly: "A forest fairy?"

He gaped in astonishment: "My God, you've mastered heraldry! When did that happen?!"

Lynch shrugged: "Not bad, right?"

Louis, with a look of 'I'm so disappointed I can't collect corpses to sell,' slapped his forehead: 'What a shame.'

Lynch dismissed the forest sprites, walked over to the table, poured himself and Louis a glass of water, and casually remarked, "It's alright. The path of a wizard is fraught with danger anyway. Neither of us can guarantee how long we'll live. We live so close by, we'll definitely benefit from each other's advantages."

"Ha ha!"

Louis chuckled and took the water glass. "That's all in the future. Who knows, maybe one of us will end up becoming a wizard?"

Is becoming a wizard the end?

Innocent!

Lin Qi smiled coldly to himself.

Louis then abruptly changed the subject, saying, "Before that, how about we make a deal?"

Lin Qi raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "A deal? What kind of deal?"

He didn't know what he had to offer in exchange, nor what Louis had to offer him that he needed.

Louis explained, "It's like this: I invest in your present, and you repay me in the future."

Lin Qi asked with great interest, "Specifically?"

Louis said, "If you need anything right now, you can come to me. I'll help you within my power. For example, women. Learning magic is very boring. Would you like me to arrange a woman for you to relax?"

"Whether it's a fresh virgin who has just come of age or a skilled and mature woman, I can send it to you."

"Whether you use it for practical purposes, experimental research, or something else is up to you."

"In return, if I ever need your help in the future, you'll help me once, within your means. How about that? That's a fair deal, isn't it?"

That's it!

Lin Qi understood this time.

He sneered, "So that's why I've noticed so many of my fellow apprentices have been seeing strange women around them lately. Turns out it's you who's been pulling the strings behind the scenes! Have you made similar deals with every apprentice?"

Louis denied it, saying, "Of course not every one of them. Out of the 106 apprentices in the same cohort, only 18 of them, including you, have produced any knowledge results so far, and these 18 are my trading partners."

He paused, then asked again, "So? Want to make a deal? I guarantee you'll be satisfied with my goods."

Why does it sound like a pimp...?

Lin Qi pondered for a moment, then said, "I will consider it carefully, but I don't have any feelings for women at the moment. Even if I were to make a deal with you, I would have to use other bargaining chips."

Women are worthless in the wizarding world. Whether they are high-ranking princesses or renowned beauties, they are nothing more than a matter of a wizard's word.

Those naive apprentices, who had never seen the world, made deals with him for such paltry profits, unaware that when the day came to pay off their debts, Louis would be making a sure-fire profit no matter what he offered.

Others might not understand, but Lin Qi certainly did.

Louis gave Lynch a meaningful look and said, "I've realized I've suddenly underestimated you."

Lin Qi asked in confusion, "What?"

Louis said, "Of all the apprentices I've dealt with, you're the second who hasn't become arrogant and complacent due to temporary progress, and hasn't made any other demands. It seems you have high aspirations!"

Lynch shrugged: "I just think we should focus our attention where it really should be."

He paused, then casually changed the subject, asking, "Who's the other one?"

Louis said, "Jackman."

At this point, his voice laced with bitterness and jealousy, he said, "That guy has already moved into the tower; he's from a completely different world than us. He rejected my deal without even hearing the rest. What an enviable fellow!"

Jackman Habbs was the most talented of Lynch's group of apprentices.

Based on each apprentice's ability to perceive spiritual power, the wizard categorizes the apprentices' talents into five levels: inferior, low, medium, high, and superior.

Most apprentices are in the first three levels, and even Lynch is only of average talent, ranking in the third level.

Jackman was immediately identified as having a high-level talent, ranking fourth, when he entered the Gray Tower and underwent a talent assessment.

Having completed effective knowledge output in less than a month since entering the Gray Tower, he is a true genius among them!

Lynch raised an eyebrow, keenly catching the key point in Jackman's words: "You mean... Jackman has moved to the tower? Does that mean he's been recruited as an apprentice by the wizards?"