Chapter 113: Business Prodigy

Tower of Time, Arcane Garden.

Under the apple tree exclusive to Xia Duo, the five-member Study Group unfastened their Mage Robes and sat in a circle.

Except for Aideliqi and Dien, who were still unaccustomed to the dense Positive Energy environment within the Arcane Garden since they had just arrived, they were wiping sweat while fanning themselves with their hands in small, subtle movements.

The others had long since grown accustomed to the environment here, especially Xia Duo; it had only taken him a few months to go from initial discomfort to his current composure.

Once Aideliqi and Dien's emotions had calmed slightly, Xia Duo took out the key points and recommended book list he had organized the previous night and passed them to the four to look over.

"These are some key points I've listed, along with some recommended reading. Make sure to take note of them. From now on, we will study Magic Theory here in the mornings and exchange insights in the afternoons. If a demonstration is needed, we'll do that in the Spell Laboratory."

The four nodded in agreement.

Seeing them take out paper and pens to begin copying the key points and recommended book list, Xia Duo continued, "You only need to set aside some time in the morning to answer questions for other Apprentices to earn the fees for renting the Spell Laboratory. Let's start from tomorrow; we'll skip today."

"Xia Duo, that won't work!" Dien suddenly put down his quill. "I only just became a full Apprentice not long ago, and there are many problems I don't even know the answers to myself! How can I answer questions for others?"

The others had similar thoughts; Aideliqi even stated bluntly that he had given up on Magic for over a year and had no confidence in being able to answer questions or solve problems for others.

Xia Duo sighed:

"Aideliqi, Dien, you need to understand one thing: it is those Ordinary Apprentices who are begging us, not us begging them. The cost for us to answer their questions is far lower than anyone else outside. Even if the quality is a bit poor for now, it doesn't matter; we will improve slowly."

"I will allow all of them to audit the Q&A sessions, charging only 5 Gold Coins per question. For the one who spends the most, I will provide individual guidance at the end of the month. Once the first Apprentice successfully transitions, they won't be able to be driven away even if we raise the prices later."

After finishing, Xia Duo saw that all four were looking at him with a strange expression, especially Aideliqi, who looked like he wanted to say something but held back, appearing particularly awkward.

"Aideliqi, do you have something to say?"

"Xia Duo, I think you are truly a natural-born Merchant!" Aideliqi's expression was complex. In Savile Town, there was simply no such thing as extra benefits for big clients, because the vast majority of goods had no trouble selling.

Sami and Dewan had never seen such methods either. Although their families were involved in trade, they were only small Merchants, just scraping by to make a living.

"Don't say that; I am a man who is going to become a Great Arcanist!" Xia Duo immediately said righteously.

Coming from Earth, he had long seen countless tactics for extracting money from customers in his daily life. He hadn't even mentioned membership cards, coupons, or vouchers yet, fearing he might scare these natives.

Netheril might seem to have been a nation for over 800 years, but its social structure was still similar to the Middle Ages of Earth's West; commodity trade was mostly focused on daily necessities, and commerce was very underdeveloped.

The so-called Merchant Guilds here, to put it simply, were actually just caravans that sold goods from one place to another. Large Merchant Guilds possessed multiple caravans, multiple trade routes, and even fixed strongholds.

Small Merchant Guilds generally had few caravans or trade routes, and the smallest were peddlers traveling through the countryside, getting goods from large Merchant Guilds to sell in rural areas.

The business model was extremely primitive and simple.

Xia Duo didn't truly believe he was some kind of business genius; he just had the perspective of one extra world compared to the others—just one.

……

When the Study Group had finished discussing the issue of answering questions for other Apprentices, Aideliqi and the others had also finished copying the Magic Theory key points and recommended book list Xia Duo had organized for them.

Afterward, Xia Duo would use this teaching plan to tutor them until they met his requirements and became truly worthy of being exchange partners.

About an hour before lunch, Xia Duo stopped teaching, walked out of the shade, and began physical training under the puzzled gazes of Aideliqi and the others.

After two magical dreams, Xia Duo's physical fitness had long since exceeded that of an ordinary person. There was no reason to let such a good body rust away; it had to be put to good use.

Xia Duo mainly trained his endurance, agility, and coordination. He never thought about hacking at people with a sword, but these attributes were very practical even for a Mage.

Especially since a Mage's productivity was basically derived from these aspects, such as manufacturing Magic Scrolls; because there were no scroll-production machines, they could only be made by hand.

If one's hands and brain weren't coordinated, who knew how much material would be wasted! It was just like having the brain learn it, but the hands failing to keep up—how miserable that would be!

Agility was about reaction speed and Perception. When encountering enemies or special situations, being able to react quickly was vital; sometimes a split-second difference in reaction was the difference between life and death.

As for endurance, it was related to Spellcasting ability. Although endurance didn't equal Spellcasting ability, having strong endurance meant stronger Spellcasting ability. When there were no alternative Spellcasting tools, being able to cast even one extra 0 Ring Spell was a good thing.

As Xia Duo huffed and puffed, drenched in sweat, Sami and Dewan couldn't sit still anymore. Before the Orc Tide mission, they had also undergone physical training with Xia Duo for a period of time.

And during the mission, only Xia Duo had performed with the most composure, to a certain extent even rivaling those professional soldiers and Adventurers.

Sami and Dewan looked at each other, and by unspoken agreement, they took off their outer garments and followed Xia Duo to train.

The collective atmosphere was the most infectious; immediately after, Dien also took off his outer garment and joined the physical training. Only Aideliqi had not moved.

He had neither participated in the Orc Tide mission nor trained with Xia Duo before. The environment of the Arcane Garden itself was hot enough, and now he was expected to perform meaningless, exhausting movements.

This made it somewhat difficult for him to accept.

However, watching the others in the Study Group walk out of the shade and sweat under the sun, Aideliqi felt increasingly awkward, as if he had been abandoned.

After hesitating twice, he finally followed the others, took off his outer garment, and joined the training.

He clumsily imitated Xia Duo's movements but couldn't grasp the essentials, scratching his head in frustration. Seeing this, Xia Duo immediately stopped his own training and began to guide his movements.

Xia Duo suddenly realized that, inadvertently, he had completed another instance of collective attribute assimilation; without realizing it, he had already acquired such influence.

……

Soon, all the other group members except Xia Duo were too tired to move. Only Xia Duo persisted for a full hour under their admiring gazes.

Finally, when the Tower Spirit sent the "work-end reminder," Xia Duo stopped and headed to the dining hall with them.