Chapter 31: A New Cooperation

"Apprentice Xia Duo?"

"If you have something to say, say it. I'm in a hurry!"

Nowadays, Xia Duo had gradually learned the style of the Mage Tower, and the other party did not feel embarrassed by Xia Duo's words. An apprentice with brown hair, who clearly looked like the leader of a small circle, went straight to the point, "Donald needs your daily question opportunity. Name your price."

Xia Duo glanced at this leader of the small circle and noticed that among the five of them, only he was still wearing the standard Mage Robe issued by the Mage Tower, just like the one on Xia Duo, except it didn't have his own name on it.

Though called a Mage Robe, it was actually just a piece of ordinary linen clothing with a hood, containing inner pockets for carrying things, and it possessed absolutely no Magic power at all.

While the clothes of the other four also lacked any Magic power, the material was at least significantly more refined.

Unfortunately, this aspiring young man's plan would most likely fall through; Xia Duo was no longer prepared to sell his question opportunities, as he had to prioritize ensuring his own learning progress.

Of course, if the other party could throw enough money to reach the balance point in Xia Duo's mind, he wouldn't be unable to agree.

"How many Gold Coins is he willing to pay?"

The aspiring young man looked at a chubby, blond boy in the group of five. The chubby boy immediately glared back, and the aspiring young man could only look at Xia Duo and state a number:

"How about 10 Gold Coins?"

"Not good enough."

Xia Duo was somewhat disappointed. He had expected them to call out a much higher price, but he hadn't expected it to be the same price as Aideliqi's side, and that was only 10 Gold Coins per time after Aideliqi had already taken an intermediary fee.

If it were only this price, Xia Duo would rather trade with Aideliqi; after all, cooperating with Aideliqi didn't require knowing who the client was, didn't require considering after-sales issues, and one could even buy some consumables at a low price from Aideliqi.

What could this chubby, blond boy bring to Xia Duo?

Facing Xia Duo's clearly dissatisfied attitude, the aspiring young man dared not make the call on the price. Although he looked like the leader of the small circle, in reality, it was only because his current learning progress was slightly faster, and things later on were hard to say.

He could only look at the chubby Donald again, and this time, Donald did not evade, saying directly:

"Xia Duo, my father is a manager of the Eagle Chamber of Commerce. If you are willing to sell the question opportunity to me, in the future, I am willing to purchase any Scrolls, potions, or whatever you manufacture at a price higher than the Mage Tower."

"Eagle Chamber of Commerce?"

"Yes, the owner of the Eagle Chamber of Commerce is an Arcanist Lord in the Core Area of the Empire. The strength of the Chamber of Commerce is beyond doubt, and I—Donald's father—is a trade manager of the Eagle Chamber of Commerce."

Donald's words were filled with pride, as if he had already become a follower of that Arcanist Lord.

Nowadays, Xia Duo was no longer a Magic novice; the Magic Enlightenment Course was not taken in vain. An Arcanist is an advanced profession for a Mage, and the owner of the Tower of Time, Wier Lingzhu, had failed when advancing to Arcanist, which showed the deep background of the Eagle Chamber of Commerce.

But the problem was, how much did all this have to do with Donald? If his family really had strength, why not send him to that Arcanist Lord instead of keeping him in Savile Town?

Moreover, mentioning the Eagle Chamber of Commerce reminded Xia Duo of an unpleasant experience. Before entering the Mage Tower, when he went out of town to find Mu Yan, because he was discovered by people from the Eagle Chamber of Commerce, the other party's Mage cast a 0 Ring 【Light】 and ended up charging Xia Duo 5 Gold Coins.

Otherwise, he would have 5 more Gold Coins now.

Furthermore, Xia Duo was studying in the Mage Tower; if he manufactured things like Scrolls or potions, he would certainly have to prioritize selling them to the Mage Tower, otherwise, it wouldn't be good if the people above kept a black mark against him.

Using things that might not even be realized in the future to offset the current price—this Donald, although not old, had already inherited some of his father's Merchant talent.

"I have never heard of the Eagle Chamber of Commerce, and future matters can be discussed in the future. If you can't offer a better price, I'm leaving," Xia Duo said.

"What! You've never heard of the Eagle Chamber of Commerce?"

"Where did a Commoner like you come from, not even having heard of the Eagle Chamber of Commerce?"

The five people opposite expressed surprise, highly suspecting it was just an excuse from Xia Duo. However, even knowing it was an excuse, they were helpless. The chubby Donald gritted his teeth—

"15 Gold Coins per time. I've already inquired; you absolutely won't find such a high price inside the Mage Tower, and I'll give you the Gold Coins first."

Xia Duo thought about it; he didn't want to be too absolute and make the relationship too stiff. After all, Xia Duo didn't know what kind of personality the other party had; if they were to stab him in the back sometime, that would be too miserable.

Living in another world, without a solid foundation, one could only try not to offend people. It was best to be a background character. His ancestors had long told him that harmony is the most precious thing in all matters. The current situation was nothing at all; if some Official Apprentice wanted to buy his question Permission Level, would he sell it or not?

He had been at the Mage Tower for too short a time, and it was hard to figure out many unspoken rules in a short period. To what extent could the so-called order of the Mage Tower actually be maintained?

Xia Duo certainly didn't want to test it himself.

This feeling of being almost forced was not good, but he could only choose to integrate here. In an instant, Xia Duo thought of a plan—

"15 Gold Coins won't be necessary. I have a plan; do you want to hear it?"

"What plan?" Donald asked.

"You tell me your questions every day, and I will select from them. If I happen to ask them the next day, you only need to pay 5 Gold Coins. If I don't ask them, there is no need to pay. How about that?"

Donald and the others looked at each other in dismay upon hearing this. The aspiring young man was the first to show a happy expression, and then Donald also showed a look of sudden realization. "Fine, then it's a deal. May the Lord of Radiance witness this."

"May the Lord of Radiance witness this," Xia Duo repeated.

Although this verbal agreement between the two sides was almost like child's play, there were True Gods in Faerûn, and the Lord of Radiance held the Divine Office of law and contracts, so normal people would not dare to easily violate it.

Although Xia Duo did not have Faith in Amanata, he was quite in awe of that being.

……

After the agreement, Donald and the five others left five questions for Xia Duo. Xia Duo wrote them down in his notebook, then they went to the dining hall together, and Xia Duo returned to his dormitory after getting his dinner.

Along the way, Xia Duo chewed on bread while slowing his pace, considering how to perfect the plan he had just mentioned. It had actually just been a flash of inspiration; doing this caused no loss to Xia Duo, as the questions he wanted to ask would inevitably be ones he himself wanted to know.

And for Donald, since their progress was similar, if he got the answer for 5 Gold Coins, he earned it, and if he didn't, he didn't lose anything. Only those who attended classes with Xia Duo were truly getting a free ride.

But as their respective progress differed, the questions would become more targeted, and by then, those getting a free ride might not be able to do so anymore.