Chapter 14: Tier 2 Great Mage
Two months later, in the castle chamber:
The gathered magic crystal suddenly disintegrated.
In its place, pure mana condensed around Maximus, merging into his soul.
"Finally, a Tier 2 Great Mage!"
Maximus sighed as he glanced at his status panel.
[Maximus Shadowcrest:
Tier 2 Great Mage: (1/100 million)
Potential: Rare (37/1,000)
Wives: 2
Children: 2]
At first, his talent had been nothing short of trash.
After reaching Tier 1 Official Mage, his progress slowed to a crawl.
Even with a god-tier meditation manual, in over a year, he only progressed 7% into Tier 1 Realm.
But now, after having a child, everything changed. His talent evolved.
Now, just two months later, he had already reached Tier 2 Realm.
"Now that I've advanced, it's time to head to the imperial city."
Ever since his wife was attacked, he had been thinking about establishing an intelligence network.
His best solution? Slaves.
Training people from a young age would take too long. Buying slaves, however, would be much faster.
To do so without raising suspicion, he needed a disguise.
But with his previous Tier 1 strength, using higher-tier disguises was impossible.
Now that he had finally reached Tier 2, it was time to act.
---
One day later, in the Faerie Kingdom's Imperial City:
Maximus traveled nonstop, reaching his destination within a day—a journey that normally took a week.
Thanks to the mana recovery potion, his mana reserves seemed nearly limitless.
With a Tier 2 alchemy mask concealing his identity, he confidently stepped into the city.
"I hope the Westle Caravan is here…"
He planned to purchase slaves, and the Westle Caravan was his best bet. They were the only traders in the entire Sunburnt Plateau daring enough to deal in such goods.
"They should be here. They come twice a year, and it's already been six months since their last visit," Maximus thought.
As he strolled through the city, he noticed the heavy atmosphere hanging over the streets.
"It must be because of the crown prince's death," he mused.
Although there had been no immediate fallout, the nobility had already begun maneuvering behind the scenes—each faction supporting their preferred prince or princess.
Meanwhile, King Magnus had yet to make a move, still mourning his fallen son.
"I hope the peace lasts a little longer,"
His system didn't rely on bloodshed to grow stronger. Time and stability were his greatest allies.
After half an hour of walking, he finally reached the Westle Caravan.
This time, they had new products.
"Welcome! How can I assist you today?"
"Just browsing," Maximus replied casually, already activating his system to scan for individuals suitable for his intelligence network.
The merchant didn't press further. Instead, he followed silently, observing Maximus as he wandered through the selection.
After a few minutes of careful inspection, Maximus made his choice.
One Tier 3 Earth Knight and thirty Tier 2 Great Knights.
"I'll take... No. 3, 12, 51, 144..." Maximus recited a long list of numbers.
Hearing this, the merchant's eyes grew wide, excited by the series of numbers.
"Did you get all that?" Maximus asked, raising a brow.
"Of course! I never forget when it comes to business," the merchant assured him with a firm nod.
Forget his own name? Maybe. Forget a sale? Never.
"Good, then I'll take them all."
"Excellent choice!" The merchant beamed and gestured for his men to prepare the purchases.
"Do you have an accommodation? Would you like us to deliver them?"
"Yes, send them to the Oakwood Hotel," Maximus instructed.
"Understood. We'll ensure they arrive safely!"
"How much is it?"
"That will be 650,000 gold coins." The merchant swiftly calculated.
Hearing the price, Maximus remained composed.
After his recent expenditures, he only had around 200,000 gold coins left.
Fortunately, he was in the imperial city—where reselling valuable items would be easy.
"Hmm. I'll pay once they're delivered," Maximus stated.
The merchant hesitated for a split second but ultimately nodded.
"Very well, we'll have them sent to you immediately."
---
After promising the merchant from the Westle Caravan that he would pay later, Maximus set out to find the largest shop specializing in potions and alchemy items.
Upon entering, a shopkeeper immediately greeted him.
"Hello, sir. What can I get you?"
"I'm here to sell potions,"
"Of course. Please follow me."
A steward soon led him to a private room.
Once they were seated, Maximus got straight to the point.
"I'm selling Tier 1 and Tier 2 potions—spirit potions, mana recovery potions, and healing potions."
With a wave of his hand, crates of neatly arranged potions appeared before them.
"This many?" The steward's eyes widened.
"Excuse me for a moment. I'll need to call the manager," the steward said hurriedly before leaving the room.
A short while later, a more authoritative man entered.
"You're the seller?" the man asked, scrutinizing the goods.
"Hmm,"
Although their shop could import potions from Berrun City, the journey was dangerous, and trade was often unreliable.
Additionally, Berrun City primarily traded in magic crystals rather than gold.
While gold could technically be exchanged for magic crystals, the process was unstable.
The exchange rate fluctuated wildly, and without proper channels, it was either exorbitantly expensive or nearly impossible to acquire a sufficient amount.
"Do you accept gold coins?" the manager asked, unable to hide his eagerness.
If Maximus were selling for magic crystals, this discussion would be pointless.
"Yes, but only gold coins issued by the Etherium Gold Chamber of Commerce," Maximus specified.
Many kingdoms minted their own currencies, but the common mortal currency—copper, silver, and gold—was primarily issued by the Etherium Gold Chamber of Commerce.
As a world-class organization spanning the entire Etherium Realm, its currency was universally accepted across all mortal kingdoms.
"Of course, of course," the man said, nodding quickly.
"My name is Keth," The man introduced, hoping to get Maximus' name.
"Michael," Maximus replied, offering a false name.
Keth didn't probe further and immediately began inspecting and counting the potions.
"Middle-grade quality… not bad," Keth muttered with approval.
Most potions they imported from Berrun City were low-grade and riddled with impurities.
Middle-grade potions were considerably more expensive.
However, since they were dealing in gold coins, it was different.
Backed by the Faerie Kingdom, spending millions at once was entirely feasible.
After several minutes, Keth completed his inspection.
"How much?"
"4.5 million gold coins,"
Maximus considered the price and found it reasonable.
It was higher than what he'd get in Berrun City but still lower than the market price in the imperial city—allowing the shop to make a solid profit.
"That works,"
Too lazy to bargain with a few thousand gold coins, Maximus agreed.
"Wonderful!" Keth's face lit up.
Without hesitation, he instructed his assistant to prepare the payment.
Shortly after, Keth handed over a storage bag filled with gold coins.
"Here's your payment, Excellency Michael," he said with a broad smile.
Maximus inspected the contents, then nodded in satisfaction.
"A pleasure doing business with you,"
"Hahaha! Do visit again, Excellency Michael," Keth laughed, clearly pleased with the deal.
After leaving the shop, Maximus continued selling potions at various stores throughout the city.
Unfortunately, many smaller shops lacked deep pockets or influential backing, limiting their purchasing power.
In total, he only managed to earn an additional 2 million gold.
"Now, there's enough money to form the intelligence organization…"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Lord_GrimR
Lord_GrimR Edited.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone