The office of Master Vincent and the Magi Order was far less eccentric than Serin had imagined. He realised that the preconceived notions he had held about the Magi Order, as a person from Earth and based on what he had heard from those around him, did not quite match what he was seeing with his own eyes.

  Stepping out of the floating platform, Serin felt surprised and not surprised at the same time.

  There were no towering crystal arrays or floating artifacts suspended in midair. Instead, the room was orderly and practical. Shelves lined the curved stone walls from floor to ceiling, filled with neatly arranged tomes and scroll cases. A large circular desk sat near the center, polished to a dull sheen from years of use. Behind it, tall windows allowed pale afternoon light to spill across the stone floor.

  Master Vincent stood straight, his hands clasped loosely behind his back, a welcoming smile on his face as he greeted everyone.

  He was neither imposing nor particularly flamboyant in appearance. His robes were dark and unadorned, the only visible ornament being a thin silver emblem pinned near his collar. His hair was faintly streaked with grey, and his sharp eyes moved over each of them with deliberate care.

  While Princess Leia respectfully bowed and approached her teacher, Serin briefly looked around at his surroundings and fell into thought.

  It seems I can't rely on hearsay to make assumptions. I wonder why everyone calls the Magi eccentric and dangerous, he wondered as he took a seat at the table alongside the others.

  Just as the Count and Serin took their seats, Master Vincent also sat at the table while his students, Leia and Epher, stood behind him.

  Before Count Hainar could open his mouth for the usual aristocratic greetings, Master Vincent waved his hand in exasperation and said nonchalantly, “I'm aware of why Count Hainar has come so far to Waham. Let us not squander our breath on trivial formalities.”

  Count Hainar froze for a moment, not expecting the other party to be so straightforward. But then again, the Magi were notorious for being ‘uncultured’. In this situation, however, the Count was happy to oblige, as he was in no mood to circle around with words for half an hour before slowly easing into the main topic.

  On the other hand, Serin immediately thought inwardly, Sure enough, no wonder nobles don't like the Magi.

  “Wonderful, then I shall not mince my words…” Count Hainar did not ask how Master Vincent already knew about the situation—there were many ways, and this was not important at all. “We sincerely ask for the Magi Order's assistance in defending Brinescar City.” Count Hainar bowed slightly in his seat and spoke humbly.

  Epher narrowed his eyes, while Master Vincent fell into thought. After a moment, he looked at the Count meaningfully and said, “We understand your difficulties.” A slight frown appeared on his face as he continued, “However, the risk is too high. If I am not mistaken, the enemy is Akh'Thal—a fearsome and ancient aquatic beast.”

  The Count's shoulders dropped as he smiled bitterly. “Indeed. But for the people of Brinescar…” The Count took a heavy breath and said solemnly, “I ask the Magi Order to uphold the mantle of righteousness and help us defend against the ancient beast, to protect the people.”

  Serin, who had been listening to the conversation, rolled his eyes inwardly.

  Everyone knew that a Sea Beast like Akh'Thal could not easily come out of the water and harm the entire population of the city. However, it could certainly decimate the port and thus cripple the sea trade of the Hainar Family, landing them in serious trouble.

  Even knowing this, the Count was deliberately dramatizing the stakes. Looking at the two men, Serin could faintly feel that there was a tacit understanding between them.

  In the end, even the Magi—nefarious among the nobles for being ‘eccentric’ and ‘uncultured’—could not avoid the typical aristocratic manner of negotiations: essentially the art of saying something and meaning something entirely different.

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  Serin's mind wandered to one of his lessons about the history of the Solmarch Empire.

  The Empire had long been the foothold of the Divine Order, while the Magi Order had been steadily making progress and expanding its influence. The presence of the Magi in the Erwen Duchy and beyond attested to this gradual change of era.

  The Magi Order will be reluctant to pass on a golden opportunity to spread its good name and influence in the hearts and minds of the common people by presenting itself as righteous and flexible in a time of crisis, Serin thought to himself, silently analysing what he could. In the end, it depends on whether the risks outweigh the gains or not. He sighed inwardly.

  Serin could see a reflection of chess in the current scenario. The situation in Brinescar was merely a tiny frontier on a massive chessboard. The Count and the Magi Order were simply hedging their bets.

  The Magi Order was likely aware that Hainar County had no other option besides them, while Count Hainar was attempting to hedge between the competing forces of the Divine Order and the Magi Order to reach the most optimal conclusion.

  All of this was no secret, yet none of it could be said outright. It was quite fascinating for Serin, who had never dealt with or witnessed something quite like this before.

  “The Sea Snake has a maddening effect on living beings. Unfortunately, we are defenceless against such attacks.” After some thought, Master Vincent spoke with concern.

  Hearing this, Epher nodded and stepped forward. “Teacher is right. Even if he can handle it, that is not the case for others like me.” He spoke hesitantly. “Without a clear mind, we might prove to be less helpful and more burdensome.”

  How relatable… Serin mused. Then immediately, his gaze sharpened. He let out a shallow cough to gain attention and said, “This will not be an issue.”

  As intended, everyone's attention shifted to him, especially the scrutinizing gazes of Master Vincent and Epher. Only Count Hainar wore a faint smile.

  “How so?” Epher asked.

  “I convinced the High Priest to lend his hand.”

  Epher raised his brows in surprise. Master Vincent narrowed his eyes and looked directly at Serin for the first time, his gaze intentionally—or unintentionally—drifting toward Serin's wrist where the Divine Mark rested.

  “And he agreed? Interesting.”

  Serin shrugged and spread his arms slightly. “I politely reminded them that it would not paint a good picture if the people saw the Divine Order doing nothing while the Magi righteously stepped up to protect the weak.”

  Hearing this, Princess Leia chuckled under her breath, and Epher gave Serin a second, much deeper look. Meanwhile, Master Vincent exclaimed “Good!” three times with a hearty laugh, reevaluating the ‘bastard prince’ in his mind.

  Abruptly, he stopped laughing and raised his hand. His pupils glowed faintly blue, and a gust of wind appeared out of nowhere—lifting the paper in front of him and sending it drifting through the air until it landed neatly in the Count's hand.

  “We are willing to lend our power to defend the city—if these conditions are met,” Master Vincent said calmly.

  The Count heaved a silent sigh of relief and began reading the paper. Instantly, his brows began twitching as he read through the conditions. He felt as though his heart were bleeding inside, though of course, he revealed no such reaction on his face.

  Finally, after a while, he set the paper down and began speaking, clearly troubled. “We agree to all conditions…” There was a trace of helplessness in his voice as he continued after a brief pause, “…except the third one.”

  Seeing the frown on Master Vincent’s face, the Count lowered his head slightly and said, “Please reconsider. A small place like Brinescar is not worthy of having a Magi Temple.”

  Master Vincent leaned back in his chair, playing with the ring on his finger as though deep in thought. Epher watched quietly, an unusual glint in his eyes, while Princess Leia simply observed the exchange.

  As the silence grew slightly awkward, Master Vincent looked at the Count again and said, “I will not make it difficult for you, Lord.”

  Serin sighed in relief, not even realising he had been holding his breath. The Count was slightly sceptical, and just as he was about to thank Master Vincent in gratitude, he noticed the faint upward curve of the man’s lips.

  “Lord Hainar, you see, we Magi require quite a lot of materials. Those not available here must be brought from Seleron. However, it is not so simple.” Master Vincent spoke in mild lament, his expression animated.

  “You see, I would personally appreciate it if we could come to an arrangement regarding this. We would like to import from Seleron through the Brinescar Port under low duty, and then transport the goods here via land.”

  Count Hainar’s brows twitched again as he fell into deep thought.

  Serin glanced at Master Vincent, forming an entirely new impression of him, then looked at Count Hainar, who appeared to be sweating slightly. This was indeed a thorny situation.

  After some time, Count Hainar exhaled deeply, loosening his clenched fists. “I… agree,” he said reluctantly.

  Epher and Master Vincent’s faces bloomed into jubilant smiles.

  The negotiations were finally concluded. Although the Count had made certain concessions, averting the current crisis was far more important. Still, he remained in a foul mood, feeling as though he had suffered a significant loss out of nowhere.

  The task they had set out to accomplish was complete. Now, it was time to return to Brinescar with the Magi. There was nothing more to do in Waham, and the Count finally allowed himself to loosen up, planning to get a good night's sleep before the Spring Festival.