Wright and Kujin simultaneously rushed up to Saul, but at the last mont, both of them took a step back at the sa ti.
"You seem more anxious. Go ahead and trade first," Wright said, gesturing politely like a gentleman.
Kujin hesitated for a second, then gave Wright a grateful nod.
Wright smiled at Saul, then stepped back voluntarily, indicating he wouldn't eavesdrop on their deal.
"You and Ferguson were looking for because of the Obsidian Amber, weren’t you?" Saul asked calmly.
Kujin’s eyes widened in surprise, but after a mont of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and admitted it.
"That's right. Ferguson and I are suffering from the sa condition. Only constant use of Obsidian Amber can keep us alive. We didn’t an to deceive you back then, it’s just…”
“Just that it’s better to grab hold of soone else’s leverage rather than hand over your own life?” Saul smiled faintly.
Kujin tensed, afraid Saul might be having second thoughts even now.
But Saul still wanted Kujin’s Seed of Malice—this was just a way of airing out so of the secrets to ease past tensions.
After all, who knew if Kujin had more Seeds of Malice in his possession, or maybe even knew the source of them.
With the diary in hand, Saul could take his ti and pick and choose.
A guaranteed profit.
“Tonight at eight. Let’s trade at the bronze gate on the first floor of the East Tower. How’s that?”
Kujin held back his excitent and nodded vigorously.
After Kujin left, Wright waited a bit before stepping forward.
Looking at Saul, he suddenly felt a little sheepish.
“About the money for the mask… I might need to wait until I complete the Shadow Leopard trade to pay you.”
“No problem. I trust your credibility, Senior Wright. After all, you handed over that hundred credits pretty quickly back then too!”
Wright imdiately rembered the mont he had to pay up that debt—it was…
Painful and fast!
He forced a smile. “Then I’ll co find you on the first floor of the East Tower in three days?”
By proactively offering to et on Saul’s turf, he was also giving Saul the upper hand.
“The title of ‘Tower Master’s student’ really is useful,” Saul thought to himself, then nodded in agreent.
“I just bought this doll and I’m a little short on money… How about this—I’ll give you the doll as a down paynt?”
“No!” Saul refused instantly.
Just look at that maid doll’s outfit—who knows what Wright has done with it?
Wright’s smile froze. He imdiately realized what Saul was thinking.
“No, no, it’s not like that! It’s just a hobby, not a need!”
Wright rushed to explain, but Saul remained firm in his refusal.
“I have no doubts about your character, Senior Wright. No need for a down paynt.”
With that, Saul gave him no chance to continue explaining and zipped off.
Wright had just taken a step to follow him when the others—who had been waiting nearby—sward in and surrounded him.
“Wright, when will our orders be ready?”
“How do you contact the Land Drifters? Can you share your connections?”
…
Saul had just reached the slope when soone called out to him.
He turned to look—it was Lokai.
Grinning, Lokai strolled over. “So, what do you think? The Mutual Aid Society’s not bad, right?”
Saul nodded.
He wasn’t just being polite—this exchange had been incredibly fruitful. Just obtaining that one Seed of Malice was the biggest win.
Things that the diary gave a prompt for were rare.
It also seed the diary only gave prompts for things Saul could actually obtain. So while the Wizard Tower was filled with treasures, the diary wouldn’t alert him to everything.
After all, if he had no chance of acquiring it, the diary prompting him would only make him envious, maybe even shake his state of mind.
Judging by Saul’s expression, Lokai could tell he was quite satisfied.
“I know you used to be prejudiced against the Mutual Aid Society, but the strong using the weak—that’s the foundation of this world. People like you and Keli, who are gifted, don’t need to worry. You should start getting used to thinking from a higher perspective.”
“I know you’re close with Byron. He’s a good guy, but way too stubborn. His opinions aren’t always right. I still hope you can keep thinking independently, hehe.”
What Lokai didn’t know was that the mont he let out that “hehe,” Saul instantly rembered the way Keli had once been controlled to giggle “hehehe.”
A wave of disgust welled up from deep inside him.
Still, on the surface, Saul smiled and said, “Thank you for your guidance, senior. If I have ti in the future, I’ll be sure to attend the exchange again. I hope you won’t forget then.”
“Forget you? I wouldn’t forget you even if I forgot everyone else!” Lokai burst into hearty laughter. “Looking forward to your next visit!”
Bidding farewell, Saul walked alone down the slope of the East Tower, expressionless, already beginning to exude a certain presence.
Especially with his light gray skin—he stood out from most of the apprentices.
Combined with the aura of death that clung to him, he looked downright eerie and terrifying.
When he reached the 10th floor, he happened to see a group of apprentices carrying bags or hugging thick books as they headed toward the lab.
Most of them walked in twos or threes, clearly already forming cliques.
But there was one person being very obviously excluded—no one ca within five ters of him.
He was slightly taller than the others and looked more mature, a bit more weathered.
Saul turned his head slightly and recognized the unlucky outcast—it was George.
Understandable.
When Saul had first beco an apprentice from a servant, he too had been ostracized by the other newbies for a while.
Back then, Keli had been the only one who’d study with him.
But once he beca top scorer on the first test, that isolation vanished overnight.
“Sir!”
Ever since that night, George—whose nerves had beco extrely sensitive—imdiately noticed the intense gaze locked on him.
Cautiously, he looked up, and saw Saul.
Of course, he didn’t recognize him right away.
Saul had not only gotten taller, but grayer.
Still, his facial features hadn’t changed much. After squinting and examining him closely, George finally recognized him.
He called out loudly, “Sir!” and squeezed past a few new apprentices, jogging up to Saul.
“Sir! Thank you! I’ve beco a wizard apprentice!”
George didn’t lower his voice at all.
Years of serving as a lackey had taught him exactly what behavior benefited him most.
Dignity doesn’t save lives.
Saul instantly understood George’s intentions.
But he didn’t mind the kid using his na to boost his reputation. Without matching strength, he could only ride that wave among newcors anyway.
Saul squinted at George.
The guy still had two heads on his shoulders.
And the one that belonged to David was wide-eyed, staring at Saul with childlike curiosity.
Saul nodded at George. “The danger hasn’t passed yet. Keep working hard—don’t slack off.”
George nodded fiercely.
David still looked confused.
Saul chuckled, said no more, and continued on his way.
George still needed to go to the study hall, so he naturally didn’t follow. He just stood there and watched until Saul’s silhouette disappeared around the bend.
Then he let out a long, deep breath. In truth, when facing Saul, he still felt more fear than joy.
“I wonder if Saul has noticed…”
At that mont, soone suddenly tapped George on the shoulder from behind.
He turned, and saw Alan, the most gifted and talented of the new batch of apprentices.
“George, I didn’t quite understand a few parts of the magic language this morning. Want to go over them together later in the lab?”
George gave a sincere, goofy smile. “Sure!”
(End of Chapter)
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