บท 18: Personal Mission
Three months had passed and George had been thoroughly acknowledged by Merlin and Magus Kroft.
Just as George was cutting those lightning roots with textbook accuracy, Magus Kroft came towards him, followed closely by Merlin.
His interactions with Merlin were very limited. Occasionally, when Magus wasn't around, George would ask pointers from his seniors, who would usually give very superficial answers. Nevertheless, it was useful, and George had developped a very good talent at deception. His questions were aimed at enhancing Merlin's ego, and he displayed the right amount of talent. It was enough to be acknowledged and even respected by his senior brother and master, yet it was not high enough to be targeted by great powers yet, giving full room to grow.
"Your senior brother had a request", Magus Kroft spoke calmly
Merlin stayed silent for a while, and then articulated: "I am searching for Starlight Powder for a personal research, but the supply has been cut after the Greenhill Kingdom declared war with the Porfield Kingdom. As a result, I have been stuck for a while, and it is a crucial ingredient. Melvinger City, known as the City of Knight, has announced 10 kilograms of such powder to the next winner of their yearly tournament. Bicky saw you in the training grounds last month, and told me she had never seen such brilliant swordplay. Coming from her, who grew surrounded by knight bodyguards, it says a lot"
Magus Kroft smiled: "Of course, it is good to continue practicing your knight training. After all, too many acolytes neglect their body too much, and it hurts them on the long run. This will be a good experience, and with the spells you have mastered, you are likely to win the competition without many hurdles"
Merlin continued: "I will offer you 50 magic crystals if you succeed in claiming the prize, which is far superior to the market price. Take it as my goodwill towards a promising junior brother"
Magus Kroft nodded: "This is a splendid opportunity to get some funds for personal research. Your relationship with merlin will also improve, although I am at ease when I see you two help each other every once and then"
George nodded, and bowed: "I thank senior brother Merlin for this opportunity"
Inwardly, George was smiling. In the book, Leylin never had such an opportunity. Being aloof and a lone wolf had allowed him to rise in secret, but truthfully, opportunities did not come naturally unless you were incredibly lucky. The most efficient way to rise was to grasp opportunities that came from networking and connecting with other acolytes.
The mission was incredibly bountiful. Usually, only mission reserved to rank 3 acolytes would grant fifty magic crystals, and they would be extremely dangerous or quite time consuming. The arena would only last for a month, and considering the journey, he was likely to finish the mission in two months unless he was injured.
The Melvinger Arena was famous throughout the region, and countless errand knights would participate. It was quite difficult, since there would be a lot of peak level knights, but George was quite confident. He had been training daily and last month, he had broken through and reached the [Master] Realm in swordsmanship, a realm of sword mastery that only a handful of Grand Knights would reach in their lifetime.
While this was admirable, George would still have to face opponents with higher physical attributes, but he had yet another trump card: two spells that he had tirelessly studied and mastered. The first one was called [Shadow Steps], and it allowed him to move faster and granted him stealth. It was an incredible spell to use in combination to his knight cultivation.
The second spell was called [Underworld Hand], which was a binding spell that could be used to snap the neck of the opponent and kill him on the spot, or bind him if he was too strong. Against acolytes, the spell was lethal and was considered as one of the best assassination spell existing.
More importantly, this mission would be the perfect opportunity to sell the 46 [Spiritual Potions] he had refined over the past three months. If sold to a wandering acolyte organization, then he would be able to sell it at a high price, above the market standards. He would easily make four hundred magic crystals, or even five hundred magic crystals.
Such a sum would make anyone widen their eyes, but this was the strength of [Alchemists]. With enough investments, you could make extraordinary benefits, enough to make Magus Households extend offers to you.
George grinned.
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