Chapter 207 - 202: One Pound Per Person
The day had come for Ryo to officially become a student at the Mage Academy.
The white spires of the Mage Academy were but a hazy silhouette in the early morning mist.
Velin accompanied Ryo to the academy’s grand archway.
Ancient Runes were carved into the stone of the lintel. Though their strokes were worn down by ages of wind and rain, an invisible fluctuation of Mana still permeated the air, making the surrounding temperature a few degrees colder than elsewhere.
The enrollment process was more straightforward than Ryo had imagined.
The Mage in the admissions office was initially just going through the motions, his attitude far from enthusiastic.
But when he saw the letter of recommendation bearing the crest of Count Leman’s family and a resource allocation certificate from the Tower of All Magic, he adjusted his monocle, and his fingers turned the pages with a newfound gentleness.
"Baron Klein’s documentation is in order. Student Ryo, your enrollment has been registered."
His tone was no longer strictly business.
Once the paperwork was complete, Velin didn’t linger in the office.
He led Ryo to a quiet corridor.
"Ryo, your mission here isn’t just to study."
He stopped, his gaze sweeping over a few students chatting in the distance.
The elbow of one student’s Mage robe had been patched with thread of a clashing color.
"I need you to find and invest in people here who, like you, have talent but are held back by their background and lack of resources."
"Use money, knowledge, and the promise of a future to win their loyalty."
"The Grey Marsh Territory needs its own Mage Corps."
Ryo nodded solemnly, committing Velin’s words to memory.
His instructions given, Velin turned and left. His figure disappeared at the end of the corridor without a moment’s delay.
Alone, Ryo followed the parchment map to his dormitory room.
The two-person stone room was small but tidy. Its window overlooked the academy’s central garden, where a gardener could be seen trimming a species of glowing fern.
His roommate had already arrived.
A tall, skinny young man named Finn was struggling to shove a brick-thick book titled *Fundamentals of Elemental Cycles* into a bookshelf.
Seeing Ryo enter, Finn gave a familiar greeting.
"New here? I’m Finn." He dusted off his hands. "Judging by your clothes, you’re a ’scholarship’ student too, right?"
Ryo didn’t quite understand the term "scholarship," but he gave a vague nod.
"Then let me give you a bit of advice." Finn leaned against his desk and lowered his voice.
"Around here, people like us need to be polite to those noble Mages wearing family crests. Don’t go picking fights with them."
"Otherwise, if you offend someone, even if you manage to graduate, the best you can hope for is a desk job at a border fortress, spending the rest of your life dealing with forests or Beastmen."
He pursed his lips.
"There aren’t many talented people, but the resources to cultivate that talent are even rarer. If you’re not willing to be an assistant to the noble lords, there are plenty of others scrambling for the chance."
Ryo fell silent.
Finn’s words were harsh, but undeniably true.
If not for Lord Velin’s patronage, the wealth of his small merchant family wouldn’t have been enough to even touch the threshold of a Level 4 professional.
In the Royal Capital, a Mage who couldn’t become Extraordinary was probably less valuable than a Groom who knew how to raise high-level mounts.
’Lord Velin is truly farsighted, sending me to the Royal Capital Mage Academy to recruit talent.’
’But I don’t have any extra money on me right now, and his Lordship didn’t give me any startup funds. How am I supposed to ’win’ anyone’s loyalty?’
Ryo pushed his doubts aside and began to settle into academy life. His first afternoon class was *Introduction to Magic Models*.
Dozens of new students gathered in the lecture hall. Before class began, the professor had everyone come to the front for a brief self-introduction.
The Mages from the great families of the Royal Capital would first display their family crests upon taking the stage, their words brimming with confidence.
"My name is Batorri, from the Batorri family of the Royal Capital’s North District."
"I am Philip. My uncle is a Centurion in the Royal Griffin Knight Order."
Murmurs of discussion and envy would always ripple through the audience.
Those from smaller families received a lukewarm response, hurrying off the stage after they finished speaking.
When it was Ryo’s turn, he walked to the lectern, feeling a little nervous.
"My name is Ryo, and I’m from... the Grey Marsh Territory in Sword Tooth Province."
The audience fell silent for a moment.
Then, a flurry of whispers broke out.
"Grey Marsh Territory? Where’s that?"
"Never heard of it. Probably some pioneer territory in the back of beyond. Just from the name, it sounds like a place full of swamps and mosquitos."
Although many didn’t say it outright, their disdain was unconcealed.
Ryo felt his cheeks flush as he quickly walked down from the lectern.
Finn, sitting next to Ryo, nudged him with his elbow and whispered comfortingly.
"Don’t mind them. That’s just how they are."
During the break, a man in the robes of an executive Mage entered the classroom.
His robes were embroidered with the emblem of the Tower of All Magic in silver thread, signifying his extremely high authority within the academy.
The chatter in the classroom died down. Someone recognized him—Lord Kuiling, one of the executive Mages in charge of the Tower of All Magic’s daily affairs this year, and a genuine Level 5 Mage.
’Why would Lord Kuiling come to a freshman classroom?’
Under dozens of awed and confused gazes, Kuiling actually called Ryo out of the room.
Finn’s eyes went wide.
He saw Ryo hurry out.
Lord Kuiling seemed to say something to him in a low voice, his expression blank. Finn couldn’t hear a single word.
He could only see Ryo give a stiff little nod, and then the executive Mage handed Ryo a small badge.
The entire exchange was incredibly fast, lasting no more than half a minute.
Lord Kuiling didn’t linger, turning and leaving immediately.
The moment he left, the silence in the classroom exploded into a buzzing din of discussion.
"What did he want with Ryo? Is he in some kind of trouble?"
"Doesn’t look like it. If an executive Mage was going to arrest someone, he wouldn’t have that attitude."
"I know!" a well-informed student said mysteriously in a hushed voice. "He must have applied for the Tower of All Magic’s work-study program!"
Someone next to him immediately agreed. "Makes sense. Or maybe he’s behind on his student loans to the academy? I heard the Tower of All Magic sends people to ’remind’ you if you don’t pay on time."
All sorts of speculation filled the air, but Finn resisted the urge to ask his roommate about it.
’Everyone is entitled to their secrets.’
During the noon break, everyone headed to the dining hall in groups.
On the way, they saw a crowd gathered at the entrance of the on-campus store, buzzing with discussion.
"Did you hear? The Tower of All Magic just got a new shipment of Magical Beast materials! It’s meat from something called a ’Molten Fire Dragon Python,’ which contains Dragon Blood. It’s being offered to our academy first!"
"I heard from an upperclassman that if you use it as a primary ingredient with certain potions, it can significantly boost your affinity for Fire Element Magic! There’s even a small chance it could purify your own bloodline!"
"The price must be outrageous, right?"
"Of course! It’s divided into three grades: Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5. The cheapest, the Level 3 meat, costs ten Golden Suns for half a pound!"
Ryo’s attention was drawn to the scene.
He saw the scion of the Batorri family from his class push his way through the crowd under a sea of envious stares.
A moment later, he emerged holding a small package wrapped in alchemical oil paper, a smug grin on his face.
"It’s half a pound of Level 3 Molten Fire Dragon Python meat! He actually bought it!"
"Just what you’d expect from a scion of the Batorri family. So loaded."
As everyone cast envious glances his way, the young noble’s back straightened with pride.
Just as Ryo and the others were about to continue toward the dining hall, a stout figure blocked their path.
"Ryo!"
Ryo started, then cried out in pleasant surprise, "Lord Ola! What are you doing here?"
Ola’s booming voice immediately drew the attention of everyone nearby.
"Lord Velin had me deliver a batch of crocodile eggs to the Tower of All Magic, so I brought some of that big snake’s meat to test the market. Didn’t expect it to be so popular!"
As the Dwarf spoke, he placed a heavy wooden crate on the ground with a loud THUD.
He opened the lid, and a dense wave of aetheric fluctuations mixed with the scent of blood washed out.
Inside the crate were stacks of meat, each wrapped in special alchemical oil paper. The label on every piece was marked with five circles.
"L-Level 5 material!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
Everyone’s gaze shifted from the Level 3 meat in the noble student’s hand to the crate at Ola’s feet.
Ola took out a large piece from the crate—a full pound—and shoved it directly into Ryo’s arms.
"Take it! Lord Velin’s orders. This is for you."
Then, he slapped the entire crate.
"His Lordship also said that if you meet any students here you think have potential, you can give them a piece. A pound per person!"
Ryo, holding the piece of Level 5 Magical Beast meat that radiated astonishing energy, was at a loss.
"Lord Ola... a pound... isn’t that too much?"
Ola thumped his chest. THUMP. THUMP.
"Too much? Nonsense! Lord Velin said one pound per person, and that’s final! We can’t have these Royal Capital folks thinking our Grey Marsh Territory can’t afford high-grade materials!"
A dead silence fell over the area.
The scion of the Batorri family, who had been beaming just moments before, went pale. The hand holding his half-pound of Level 3 meat froze in midair.