I Became the Progenitor Vampire

Two Sunshine Hours later, when Vena led Laurent back to the Mage Tower, Lide stopped the lesson.

The apprentices' notebooks were already halfway filled, and these fledglings wished they could record every word from Lide.

"Alright, that's it for today. From now on, I'll try to set aside half a day each week to give you lessons. Remember, practice a lot, especially meditation, which is fundamental to a mage.

Only hard work yields results. Don't think you can suddenly become a Great Mage overnight. Note down the questions you don't understand and ask me next time."

The group of mage apprentices was almost overwhelmed with surprise at the sudden news. Half a day of lessons each week?

Lord Lide was truly merciful.

We knew that Lord Lide was testing us these past three years. Long live Lord Lide.

Lide slightly shook his head as he looked at the apprentices, who were barely seventeen or eighteen years old.

Since the establishment of the Crimson Mage Tower, 25 mage apprentices were recruited. Three had died due to Magic Rebound, leaving 22 apprentices in the Crimson Mage Tower.

The three most talented among them were his maid Vena, Carlo from a minor noble family, and Kohen from a commoner family.

However, Lide estimated that it would take at least another year for these three to become official mages.

One has to admit the difficulty rating of ten stars for mages on the official Glory website was justified. It was extremely hard for these natives to learn magic.

To gain any results from the mage apprentices in a short time would still require continuous investment.

"It seems to be time to recruit more mage apprentices."

Within the Mage Tower, mage apprentices were the private property of the tower's owner. Some heartless mages even used mage apprentices for magic experiments.

So, after entering the Crimson Mage Tower, these mage apprentices became Lide's property.

His future plans would require a lot of talent, and these mage apprentices were undoubtedly a very good investment.

Recruiting mage apprentices in Green City was very simple. Just spread the news, and the next day, so many people would come that they would crowd the entrance of the Magic Tower.

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

Once the opportunity to recruit mage apprentices appeared, it meant they might step into the circle of noble lords and mage lords.

No commoner could resist such temptation.

As for selling themselves to the Mage Tower, that was nothing. Knowledge and magic were much more valuable than life.

"Lord Lide, I have bought the contract. According to your instructions, I have filled in the content. Now, you only need to input a thread of spiritual power to complete the contract."

Vena, dressed in a long blue mage's robe, stood silently in front of Lide.

Her waist-length blonde hair curled slightly. Her exquisite face and watery blue eyes made a group of mage apprentices unconsciously swallow.

"By the Magic Goddess, Miss Vena has become even more beautiful."

Lide nodded and reached out to take the contract.

An ancient parchment scroll densely covered in the universal script. With a sweep of his spiritual power, Lide understood the content of the parchment, and there were no issues.

After leaving a thread of spiritual power, the parchment scroll emitted a faint milky white light.

The light then disappeared, and upon looking at the parchment again, the universal script had fused with the contract, making it impossible to remove even by washing or scraping with a knife.

If anyone betrayed the contract, taking it to the Contract Temple would allow the priests of the God of Justice to use Divine Arts to verify its authenticity.

If any party indeed violated the contract, they would be punished by the Contract God, and although Lide didn't know what the punishment was, he knew it was formidable.

He handed the parchment scroll to Vena.

"Help me put it in the study. Laurent, you are now a member of the Crimson Mage Tower.

I formally appoint you as the president of the Golden Wheat Commerce, continuing to manage the commerce for me."

Without waiting for Laurent to prepare a salute, Lide snapped his fingers with great flair.

The Mage's Hand appeared out of thin air.

After getting familiar with the mage's work these past few days, he had already mastered Second Circle Magic, and Mage's Hand, a simple magic, could be cast instantly.

This greatly satisfied Lide's curiosity about magic and also piqued his interest further. Another purpose of his return was to study magic seriously.

The oak chest that Lide had casually tossed aside when entering the hall was opened by the Mage's Hand.

"Wow~"

"So many Gold Pucks."

"This...."

When the full chest of Gold Pucks glittered with golden light, everyone exclaimed.

The allure of Gold Pucks was irresistible.

Even Laurent, who was accustomed to wealth, held his breath. He had used this type of oak chest before, and it held at least 2000 Gold Pucks.

2000 Gold Pucks, his lifetime savings amounted to only 1000, and they were stolen by those damned Beastmen.

This wealth was enough to support an ordinary person to live a luxurious noble life and squander it for a lifetime.

"Lord Lide, this?"

Lide was very satisfied with Laurent's shocked expression.

Just this already had him shocked? Lide had a bit of an evil pleasure thinking about it. He had nine such oak chests, as well as a batch of gemstones and antiques more valuable than Gold Pucks.

If this guy knew about this, what kind of expression would he have?

"Hmm, this is the startup fund for the commerce.

Now, I'll give you your first task."

Laurent's heart was already ablaze. With this capital, he could fully expand Golden Wheat Commerce to a grand scale.

Perhaps, in the distant future, it could compete with the commerce of the City Lord. "Goddess, forgive my arrogance."

With this thought, he was immediately filled with zeal.

"Lord Lide, please command, Laurent will work for you with his life."

"No, keep your life to yourself. I am not one of those miserly nobles.

I need you, in one month—no, in half a month, to exchange these 2000 Gold Pucks entirely for grain."

Exchange for grain?

Laurent looked at the entire chest of Gold Pucks in front of him, unclear about Lide's thoughts.

Although the Beastman Empire had invaded the borders, the southern region was still the largest grain-producing area.

Even if grain prices were to rise, the nobles had already raised the prices after getting the news, entering at this time seemed a bit late.

"Lord Lide, if you want to buy grain and wait until after winter to sell for profit, I must remind you.

The nobles have already controlled the grain prices in Green City. It's very likely we won't make money this time."

Although directly refuting Lide was not something he wished to do, as an advanced merchant, Laurent didn't want his patron to engage in an unprofitable endeavor.

Moreover, the risks were high. Grain was extremely important for Green City, which was at war and about to enter Frost Month.

Lide nodded slightly. For a merchant to insist on their own view under the command of an advanced mage, it showed that this merchant had a clear mind.

It wasn't a joke that mages stood atop the pyramid. Many merchants and commoners had been killed on a whim by mages for offenses, leaving bloody lessons that few dared to disregard.

This world wasn't modern times; those in high positions held absolute authority, and killing someone was no big deal.

"Very well, a merchant should insist on their viewpoint within their field of expertise.

However, this time, I'm not planning to make a profit from the grain. I have other plans for this batch. You just need to purchase the grain with the greatest speed and the best price within half a month. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Hearing Lide explain the reason, Laurent felt slightly relieved. He had prepared mentally for a reprimand but found his patron far more tolerant than he imagined.

"Yes, Lord Lide, 2000 Gold Pucks—no, deducting the 200 Gold Pucks owed to the Green City Commerce, the remaining 1800 Gold Pucks—I will exchange for grain in the shortest time."

Responding to a User Request

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