When A Mage Revolts

Looking through crowd, Benjamin could finally see the famous mage.

A middle-aged man in western suit and leather shoes, slowly climbed down the stairs and waved at the crowd. He reminded Benjamin of a dictator with his "Comrades, you’ve been working hard" vibe. The surrounding mages who were initially loitering about, started gathering around and exchanged words admirably.

Benjamin frowned at the sight.

He had previously experienced the cold shoulder of these mages. This person must be really influential to have these mages chase after him like fans after a celebrity.

"I’m really thankful to everyone attending this event." Vinci looked at all the mages and nodded, "I hope everybody will enjoy themselves tonight. At the end of the gathering, every one of you can head to the purse to redeem fifty gold coins, as a token of my appreciation."

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

Benjamin wiped the sweat off his forehead. No wonder everybody was such a fan, who wouldn’t be a fan of the God of Wealth?

How wealthy was he? Fifty gold coins to every person here, and there were over a hundred mages on site. That would be a spending close to ten thousand. He gave it away without so much as blinking. This man was no millionaire, he was a god damn billionaire.

So that’s what people meant when they say there was one whose riches surpassed the nation’s.

"Is Mage Vinci always this generous?" He asked Jack who was standing next to him.

Jack nodded and explained, "Naturally. Mage Vinci is a man at the pinnacle of mage training, not to mention he’s also the leader of the magic potion industry in Fereldan. He owns half the magic potion stores in the nation - the amount he’s giving out now is nothing."

Alright... Not only was he a mage, he was also a CEO. No wonder he acted like he was giving out red packets during Chinese New Year.

Although it was embarrassing, but since he was about to receive fifty gold coin out of the blue, he decided to stop badgering and just accept it.

While he and Jack were talking, Vinci continued to walk towards the crowd, chattering away with group after group of mages. The hall became lively.

Within moments, he reached Benjamin and the "Viper" mercenary group.

"Long time no see, I heard that you have completed multiple major missions and gained quite the reputation!" He raised his glass while walking over. He proceeded to toast a couple of times with the group.

"If it wasn’t because of your financial support, we wouldn’t have what we have today." Jack responded with a smile.

Vinci shook his head and patted Jack’s shoulder. He then shifted his gaze to Benjamin.

"This young man looks a little unfamiliar, is he a mage in your group?" He asked.

Benjamin immediately switched to his perfect social smile, and extended his hand, "Pleased to meet you, I’m Benjamin, a new mage in Rayleigh City."

Vinci raise his eyebrow and extended his arm as well to shake with Benjamin. "Oh, a new friend. Welcome to Rayleigh City. If you encounter any difficulties, do look for me, I’ll help wherever I can."

Benjamin smiled and replied, "Thank you for your kind gesture. I’m still unfamiliar with things around here. If there is any need, I will be sure to look for you."

Benjamin didn’t really want to ask for help but this kind "God of Wealth" was absolutely bleeding gold.

He needed money and incantations, but he still had arms and limbs and was more than capable of earning himself. He couldn’t put a finger on it but he felt as if Mage Vinci was a fictional symbol and not a person from the real world. If he had a question, he would rather ask Jack who looked much more reliable.

After an exchange of greetings, Vinci, who was a busy man, carried his glass away and went to entertain the rest of the mages.

The group once again turned their attention inwards. Benjamin turned to look at the "Viper" mercenary group and smiled with a shrug.

"Mage Vinci is really a warm person." In order not to raise suspicion, he exclaimed.

Jack nodded. "Yeah." He seemed truthful when he answered - one couldn’t tell if it was sincere or he was just pretending like Benjamin.

"Oh right, weren’t you saying that incantations and laws of meditation could be bought?" Benjamin quickly returned to the forgotten topic, "Where could I buy these?"

Jack shrugged and answered, "There are a variety of ways. An exchange between mages would depend on luck. The Mages Freemasonry branch in Rayleigh City has a few incantations and the price are pretty reasonable but there isn’t a lot of stock available"

Benjamin frowned, "Which means to say that it really just depends on luck?"

"It would be so for high level magic incantations. There are quite a lot of forbidden spell at the Mages Freemasonry though. I would suggest not to purchase them as they’re only for decorative purposes as nobody is actually able to use them." Jack explained, "Normally when a mage joins the association, they’ll receive incantations for low level magic. The better ones can be redeemed through mission completion."

... The Mercenary Association again?

Although this organization seemed to be relatively lowkey, but it did have an ancient existence in this land. It’s been passed down from generation to generation and slowly built its roots.

"Are there any restrictions for mages before they can become mercenaries?" Benjamin asked.

"Why? Are you interested? Why don’t you come to our group for a try?" Jack patted his shoulder, "You’re not too bad. After the gathering, we should have a nice match. If you’re up to par, you can join us."

Benjamin broke into laughter.

"I don’t think I can... I have some friends who came with me. I was thinking of establishing a group myself so we won’t be bothering you." He answered.

"Oh, I see." Jack laughed too and shook his head, "establishing a mercenary group is not that hard, as long as you’re able to prove your ability to complete missions. Honestly speaking, the Mercenary Association will not disturb you if you take care of the missions, and of course not just disappear without a trace after accepting one. Most important is how you run your group. Of course, if you are only after redeeming incantations, you could just redeem them and leave, nobody would stop you."

Benjamin fell into deep thought and nodded.

He has heard that the Mercenary Association was quite lenient. Judging by the mercenaries that were scattered outside the Association, this seemed to be true. The association did not bother with the members matters and would not impose any restriction on joining.

After some time, he gave a smile to Jake, "Thank you for your guidance."

"So, have you decided to form a group?" Jack asked.

"Yeah." Benjamin nodded.

"If that’s the case, could you do me a favor?" Jack quickly continued, "When you form the group, could you tell the Association that we introduced you guys?"

Benjamin was puzzled, "Why’s that?"

Jack replied, "There’s a reward for any referrer that introduces new members to the organization. I’ve helped you by explaining a lot, you could pay me back by doing this for me."

Benjamin could only smile softly.

"Fret not, I will mention your name."

He sighed as he said that. No wonder the organization remained glamorous and well known for years. The marketing done by the Mercenary Association was pretty darn good ; there was even a referrer bonus. How could they not blossom?