Chapter 35
People I Need To Protect (2)
"What brings you here?"
Soon, someone called Ian.
This time, it wasn’t a boy, but a middle-aged man.
By his appearance, he looked to be the manager of the workshop.
‘Should I just show my magic and meet the head of the workshop immediately?’
Ian had thought for a while, but decided not to do it.
He came to make a big deal.
His every action would be gossiped about through the workshop.
He didn’t come to buy some cheap products.
In this case, he’d better greatly impress the engineers.
To do that, he should wait to reveal his t.i.tle, Arch Mage, later at a proper time.
By doing that, it would be easier to silence engineers to spread rumors of him.
"I came here to buy some products."
"What kind of products are you looking for?"
"Firstly, I want to see communication orbs."
"Ah, come this way."
The manager brought Ian to the shelf where low-level communication orbs with various colors were displayed. It was one of the most common orbs in use, and it was usually used to help communication between floors.
"Are there any other products?"
"Higher ranks than this one costs quite a lot….."
"I’m looking for the orb that’s used for communication posts."
"…….?"
Suddenly, the manager doubted his ears.
Other engineers acted the same.
All of them leered at Ian.
‘What the h.e.l.l is that mad boy saying?’
Their eyes were saying that.
Not just through their eyes, but also through their mouths,
"Phhhff! What a funny jerk."
"What the heck did he want to buy?"
"Yo, Vans, what are you doing? Help our freaking rich customer, Ha ha!"
Their voices were full of ridicule. They reacted a little bit too much, but it was a natural reaction. There were no other reasons. The orb was extremely expensive.
"Enough! How rude!"
The manager kept his manners. He didn’t believe the boy would be able to afford the high quality communication orb, though. But he wore clothes of n.o.bles.
"I apologize, the orb you want is quite hard to purchase."
"Is it forbidden?"
"No it’s not. Firstly, you may not able to afford the product. Furthermore, you need to be granted approval from the Ivory Tower…."
"Then, I will buy it."
With confidence, Ian put his bag on the floor.
It seemed like it’s full of money.
‘Come on.’
Although the bag looked full, but it won’t be enough, still. Even if the bag was full of gold coins, it wasn’t enough to buy a high quality communication orb. Unless he wanted to buy shards of broken communication orbs.
‘He doesn’t listen.’
The manager started to get upset.
He already told Ian twice that he wouldn’t able to afford it.
Furthermore, the boy didn’t speak like n.o.bles at all.
He decided to kick him out.
"Sigh, sir? As I told you….."
The manager spoke with an upset voice.
Regardless, Ian started to open the bag.
"I don’t know how many gold coins are in there, but if it won’t be enough…."
"It’s not gold coins."
"To buy a high-quality communication orb…….. huh?"
Soon, Ian spread contents to the floor of the workshop. It wasn’t just gold coins. Instead, it was jewels, which were a million times more expensive per weight unit, compared to the gold coins.
"Uh……HUH?"
Not just ordinary engineers, but the manager was lost as to what to say.
They doubted their ears at the beginning, but now they doubted their eyes. Is it even real?
"It’s jewels."
"What….."
"The finest quality."
"F, finest…"
No doubt about its quality.
Only a few jewels were qualified as the finest.
A jewel that was shaped by mana-craft.
Other normal jewels had no chance to even compare with it.
Even a person who had no idea about jewels would recognize its difference immediately.
Unique shape, preciousness, perfect hardness.
"Will it be insufficient?"
The manager started to calculate quickly.
Insufficient? For the high-level communication orb?
The manager couldn’t dare to decide.
It was hard to estimate the price of those jewels, and most of all, he didn’t know the exact value of pairs of high-level communication orbs. He didn’t have the authority to sell it.
"T, That is…."
But from now on, two things became clear now.
The boy in front of him wasn’t a fool, and didn’t come to the workshop to trick them. And he came to the workshop, to buy the communication orb, seriously.
"W, would you please wait for a moment? I can’t simply decide to sell the product……"
It must be.
It was a huge scale of business.
Ian nodded silently.
"Ch, chief!"
After a while,
The engineers seemed nervous by some man’s appearance.
He looked like a man who was about to become middle-aged.
It must be the chief engineer, ‘Thram.’
‘Black hair?’
Thram had black hair, which was quite a rare case in the continent.
In his former life Ian didn’t know it because Thram’s hair had turned white. So this time, Ian was quite surprised about it. It was one of the entertaining facts of time traveling.
"Excuse me."
Thram slowly investigated the jewels.
He must be good at it.
"Hmm."
Thram figured out those jewels were real.
While looking at Ian, he said.
"First, high-level communication can’t be sold without permission from the Ivory Tower. And in most cases, they don’t. Not because of the price, it is nearly impossible to sell."
What he said was right.
Except communication posts, which was held by te co-operation between Royalty, the Ivory Tower and the land lord, most people couldn’t buy it and didn’t even know of its existence. Furthermore, unlike private communication orbs, it required enormous mana to operate. Hence, there were many restrictions about the product.
"Furthermore, as I know, there were only quite a few number of men or merchants who can afford to buy it. So, I want you to identify yourself. It seemed you are a messenger of someone, and if your master is not trustworthy, I would regard these jewels as stolen treasures."
Thram even suspected the source of the jewels.
In fact, honestly, it was stolen treasures.
However, Ian couldn’t just admit it.
Fortunately, Ian had the proper t.i.tle to be trusted.
"Firstly, I will give you permission to sell it."
"…… What would that mean?"
Instead of an answer, Ian lightly made a gesture in the air.
Soon, jewels on the ground started to levitate.
It was obviously the power of magic.
"Magic….?"
It looked like simple magic. However, levitating magic wasn’t an easy spell at all. Rather, it was a high-level magic. Thram knew it very well. As a engineer of hextech, he knew most of magical theory.
‘Perhaps.’
A young aged boy like Ian, supposed to be waiting for academy entrance, or just few years past after entrance. However, did he show off high-level magic? Thram can imagine only one such person. A few days ago, the Ivory Tower announced the appearance of a new Arch Mage, the youngest in their history, Ian Page. He was introduced as 12 years old.
"A, are you that……?"
"I think you found the right person."
"Whaaattt!"
Thram freaked out as if he saw a ghost.
"Please forgive my rudeness!"
Usually young low cla.s.s mages used to come and order these products. Even the chief engineer wouldn’t be able to meet Arch Mages easily. They were just mysterious men who sent orders and permissions from high
"Please forgive me….!"
What a disastrous situation it was?
Not just a mage, but an Arch Mage.
What was he doing in here, in the workshop?
"No pressure. I understand you wouldn’t be able to recognize me."
While smiling, Ian re-gathered the jewels.
Of course, by magic, easily.
Then he stretched his right hand.
"Nice to meet you. Ian Page."
"M, my name is Thram, the chief engineer of this workshop! I’m honored to meet you!"
Thram grabbed Ian’s hand with two hands.
Ian was a 4th cla.s.s mage.
His age wasn’t important at all.
Those hextech engineers must have acted rudely to him.
This workshop could possibly bee shut down by Ian’s order.
"So now, may I look around for communication orbs?"
"Of course. Please, follow me."
With Thram’s sincere guidance, Ian went down to the bas.e.m.e.nt.
And the other engineers’ faces turned pale.
"Wh, what is going on?"
"It was magic, right?"
"Wait…. Ian Page?"
"A new Arch Mage……"
Now the situation was crystal clear to the workers.
"W, we are screwed."
Not just the hextech engineers,
"…… did I sigh?"
The manager slowly recalled his actions to Ian.
"I, I….."
On the other hand, the youngest member of the workshop, Vans, he was about cry.
He remembered that he said to Ian ‘move your a.s.s’.
Vans started to regret, ‘Why did I act like that? Am I going to be executed?’
Each member’s memories of their action to Ian were brought back in rapid succession.
‘They would remain silent.’
The most effective method of preventing rumors was to use threats.
Ian just made a simple, but effective threat to the engineers.
Even in the Ivory Tower, only Arch Mages would be informed about the purchase of communication orbs. If this information spread though, Ian wouldn’t suspect this workshop as the source of it, but would not be sure about other Arch Mages’ reaction. They may react sensitively. A lot.
‘This is one of the benefits of the Ivory Tower.’
To people, the Ivory Tower was a symbol of respect and fear.
Its own existence would silence the engineers’ mouths effectively.
‘It is going well.’
Instead of the bag of jewels, Ian was holding a simple iron cage. It contained a pair of high quality communication orbs, and unlike its own ordinary appearance, the container was an invincible box, which was s.h.i.+elded with several protection spells.
‘For my mother’s protection.’
Ian spent an enormous amount of money for these orbs. It might cause several problems later. However, Ian was ready to take the burdens. Before anything, Ian wanted to prepare a safety net for his mother. Hence, Ian was satisfied.
‘But how should I hand this over to her?’
A big high quality communication orb.
It was as big as two fists of a fully grown male.
It wouldn’t be easy to make into a trinket. What about staff form?
‘But she is still too young to use a staff.’
It would make sense if she was a mage, but she wasn’t, and still young.
30 years old, actually, she hadn’t pa.s.sed her birthday yet, so she was 29 years old.
She was still young.
"Hmm."
However, he couldn’t just give it away to her as original form.
She had to bring it everywhere. With this big marble shape, it might be easily lost and forgotten. He must to do something about it.
‘If I told her its price, she wouldn’t miss it though.’
But instead, she would lose her mind.
She would serve the orb as higher than herself.
Ian must not tell her the price.
‘Let’s think slowly. Slowly.’
Ian looked at the sky.
The sky that was once clear blue, now started to get dark. He promised his mother to come back before dinner, he must hurry to keep his promise.
‘She promised me to make her red bean pie.’
Vanessa’s ‘Special Red Bean Pie.’
The food that Ian had missed the most.
In his former life, no cooks were able to make the same taste as hers. Even simply imagining it made his mouth begin to water.
‘I’d better not run with my bare feet this time.’
Red bean pie was best when it was hot.
If Ian walked, chilled pie would await him.
"Fly."
With a small voice, Ian cast his spell.
A spell that allows humans to fly.
But it only allowed humans to fly for 30 seconds.
Since it drained a huge amount of mana and flying speed was too slow, this spell wasn’t used commonly. However, with a combination of several spells, it had its own use. (ED: LOL using high level magic for food. Worth it.)
"Up."
Soon, Ian’s body rose straight into the sky. Before the spell’s effect ended, he reached to the castle wall’s height. He could see the mansion over the horizon.
‘Wind.’
Continuously, Ian casted basic wind magic. It was the basic of the basics, but its power could be enhanced greatly, depending on the mage’s skill. And Ian was good enough to do it. Monstrous wind soon blew Ian away in the direction of the mansion.
*Whiiiiinnnngg!*
With a ten times faster speed than walking, Ian’s body headed to the mansion. More accurately, Ian’s body was flying and about to smash the ground. Even at this moment, Ian was holding the container as if he was carrying a baby.
"Feather fall."
As always, he landed with the feather fall spell.
It slowed down Ian’s body, which was about to smash into the mansion.
His landing direction was exactly the front door of the mansion.
"Hmm?"
Many people were gathering around the mansion.
People wouldn’t bring their presents until night.
Ian focused his mana on his eyes.
‘Knights?’
Silver colored copes, they must be the second royal knight order.
Which were knights who were supposed to guard the crown prince.
*Tap!*
As planned, Ian landed at the front door.
Of course, he drew the attention of the knights.
Some of them were surprised and drew their sword by instinct.
"Sir Ian….?"
A young knight recognized him.
Ian asked to him.
"Did his highness the crown prince come to my house?"
"Ah, yes! He did. You’d better hurry. He had waited for a while."
With the young knight’s word, Ian was uncomfortable.
Although he had helped Ian and treated him very well recently, he was an incomplete man. He might act violently, due to his long waiting time.
‘Please not.’
Would he harm Ian’s mother?
If that’s what happening in there, it was not good.
In that case, Ian would gladly choose to become a traitor.
With a determined mind, Ian ran into the mansion.
‘Hmm?’
At the entrance aisle of the mansion,
The captain Oliver was guarding the aisle.
Even he was alone, he never lost his carefulness.
By recognizing someone’s approach, he raised his head.
It was a young boy, Ian Page.
‘What is it?’
Oliver felt a dangerous aura from the boy.
It was weak, but he was revealing murderous intention.
Oliver couldn’t let him in and visit the crown prince like that.
"Stop please."
Now, Ian had higher rank than Oliver.
With proper manners, he blocked Ian’s way.
He was at least two times taller than Ian.
But still, a stormy atmosphere continued.
"Why are you blocking me?"
Ian lowly growled.
Oliver’s blocking made him feel more nervous.
Was there really something bad going in there?
‘Come on, wasn’t he just little boy? But look at his aura….’
A dangerous aura that was spreading from his small body.
Murderous intention, and trembling mana.
It was getting bigger.
*Tap*
Oliver moved his hand to drew his sword.
Ian also raised his mana.
The calm before a storm.
And all of a sudden….