“Welcome. We are pleased to have you at the Mage Association.”
A young female employee with a pleasant demeanor greeted Raul and his party. Though she didn’t seem exceptionally skilled, the mana emanating from her robed uniform marked her as a mage.
The first floor of the lobby was bustling with activity due to the many visitors present. Given the association’s role as the representative of mages’ interests, its scale was substantial.
“What brings you here today?”
“I have an appointment with Department Head Dario.”
“Ah, please wait a moment.”
The employee manipulated the magic screen on her desk to check the reservation schedule and then asked again.
“Are you Young master Raul?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Raul presented his family seal, which the employee scanned to confirm, and she smiled.
“Young master Raul, your appointment is confirmed. Please use the third teleportation circle in the eastern hall.”
As they followed the directions to the eastern hall, they saw the teleportation circles divided by partitions, swallowing people or spitting them out.
Upon arriving at the teleportation circle, the waiting employee confirmed their destination and immediately activated the circle.
Poof.
They were instantly transported to a quiet corridor. An awaiting employee greeted them and led them to a room.
“This way, please. Department Head, your guests have arrived.”
“Send them in.”
Although the building utilized spatial magic like a mage tower, it felt like an ordinary office building aside from the teleportation circles.
“Welcome. I’ve heard much about you.”
Department head, who greeted Raul, was a man in his late forties with a slight bald spot. Though he was undoubtedly a competent mage, he appeared more like a friendly salaryman.
Indeed, the purpose of Raul’s appointment today was business-related. After brief introductions, they quickly moved on to the matter at hand.
“We have reviewed your inquiry. You are looking for a preliminary meeting for the acquisition of a mage tower and the association’s mediation, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’ve been advised that mediation by the association would ensure a smooth process.”
The department head nodded as if it was obvious.
“Of course. Evaluating the value of a mage tower isn’t easy, and there are many potential issues. Speaking as a mage myself, mages are notoriously quirky and eccentric, making them difficult for laypeople to deal with.”
He elaborated on how choosing the association’s mediation was wise, citing various reasons.
“Moreover, as a VVIP client of our association, we will assist you to the best of our ability.”
Since the Gate Incident, Raul had become the highest-tier client of the Mage Association. He had been distributing mana stones, various by-products, and cores obtained from the Gate through the association.
Additionally, the personal request from the Great Sage Gray significantly contributed to the department head’s friendliness.
“Here are the basic details and acquisition costs for the 15 mage towers you inquired about. If you narrow it down, I will personally oversee the evaluation of their financial structures and acquisition viability with our experts.”
Thanks to Chief Mage Elmer of the Gray Tower, Raul already had preliminary information on the mage towers. Even so, he sought the association’s help to ensure a seamless acquisition process.
“Your timing is impeccable. Normally, it’s rare for mage towers of this scale to be available.”
Dario’s comment elicited a knowing smile from Raul.
“Well, as you may know, the kingdom’s current situation isn’t very favorable.”
“Pardon my intrusion, but could you explain the kingdom’s situation? This is my first visit here, and I’d appreciate a local expert’s insights.”
“Of course.”
As a top-tier client, Dario freely elaborated on the state of the kingdom. The Leslie Kingdom. It was a magical kingdom established under the leadership of mages.
While the Ruben Kingdom had grown around knights, the Leslie Kingdom was dominated by mages. A significant number of Leslie’s nobles were former mages, and most esteemed or influential families owned a mage tower.
The fact that the king himself was a mage said it all. Consequently, Leslie was a nation driven by magic, with its core industries relying on various magical goods and power armor produced by its mage towers.
The kingdom was sustained by a balance and check system between the powerful royal mage tower and the mage towers of noble families.
Due to their nature, noble mage towers were less interested in territorial expansion and more driven by the passion for developing new magic and power armor.
Various trading companies, mage towers, and noble families had established large power armor manufacturing companies, showcasing their influence through competition rather than traditional power struggles.
“But that all changed with the Gate Incident. That ‘incident’ shook the very foundations of the kingdom.”
Just like the royal palace in the Ruben Kingdom, the royal palace of the Leslie Kingdom was also invaded during the Gate Incident.
While the Ruben Kingdom managed to mitigate the damage thanks to Raul’s timely intervention, the Leslie Kingdom suffered severe losses.
One-third of the royal mage brigade, a source of pride for the royal family, was annihilated, and one of the six-star royal mage towers collapsed.
Additionally, all of the king’s children, including the crown prince and princesses, lost their lives that day. The aging king was left bedridden from the shock.
In essence, the royal family was paralyzed.
‘Nothing different from my past life,’ Raul thought.
He listened carefully to see if there were any differences from what he knew, but it seemed largely unchanged.
Although Dario didn’t mention it, like the Ruben Kingdom, the guardians of the Leslie Kingdom had likely perished.
The first seal breaking indicated that the Leslie Kingdom had also failed to protect the seal.
“Since then, noble families and prestigious mage towers, previously uninterested in power, began to mobilize. It’s likely because the position of the next king was suddenly vacant.”
This shift was catastrophic for small to medium-sized mage towers. Each faction focused on strengthening their power without direct conflict, targeting the smaller mage towers.
“During the Gate Incident, mage towers experienced a boom. Demand for power armor and magical goods skyrocketed, and materials became more readily available.”
However, this turned out to be a double-edged sword. Seeing it as an opportunity, mage towers increased their borrowing to acquire byproducts and ramped up magical item production. Small power armor manufacturers did the same.
Then, prices of magical items and power armor plummeted.
“The prominent mage towers and factions colluded, forming a large cartel.”
When they decided to flood the market and drive prices down, the small to medium-sized mage towers, which had taken on debt to expand production, couldn’t withstand the pressure.
The more they sold, the more they lost. Stopping production would mean no income at all, forcing them into a losing battle of chicken.
As a result, small mage towers, except for those with a strong financial structure, went bankrupt one by one. Members of the bankrupt towers were absorbed by other factions and had to work almost like slaves until their debts were paid off.
“The association received numerous petitions and complaints. But what could we do? Many high-ranking association members belonged to the factions, making it a futile effort.”
It was clear that the current situation did not sit well with Dario, who was purely devoted to the association. He was uncomfortable with the fact that an organization meant to protect mages’ rights was contributing to their downfall.
“Over half of the small mage towers are either closed or completely bankrupt. Some medium-sized towers are also in financial distress. At this rate, the mage tower district, which the kingdom prides itself on, might disappear forever.”
As Dario explained, it indeed seemed like that could happen if the situation persisted. But Raul was confident it wouldn’t come to that.
‘Such cartel formations can only continue as long as all members’ interests align.’
Cutthroat competition was hard on everyone, even large mage towers. Even if they reduced unit prices through mass production, they were still incurring losses.
The efforts they put into creating this situation might have cost them more than a national budget.
‘As soon as someone’s finances run thin, a traitor will emerge.’
Yet, Raul wasn’t certain when that would happen.
“But I can’t express how happy I am that Young master Raul decided to step in. As an association member, and as a mage, I am genuinely grateful.”
“You shouldn’t say that. I haven’t made any decisions yet.”
Raul waved his hand dismissively, but Dario’s demeanor remained unchanged.
“It doesn’t matter. Just the fact that a new competitor has entered the fray will disrupt their collusion.”
It seemed the department head had a keen insight. As he mentioned, if Raul acquired the mage towers or provided financial support, it would undermine the cartel’s efforts.
In a way, Raul’s current actions were very risky. He was stepping into the stage set up by the kingdom’s core factions.
But Raul wasn’t worried. He wasn’t a noble of this kingdom, and he possessed enough power and resources to rival them. And if trouble arose, he could always return to his homeland.
Raul had no intention of getting deeply involved. He planned to take what he needed and then promptly withdraw from the chaos.
And if someone tried to hold him back?
‘I’ll just crush them.’
He had already gathered substantial information on the power dynamics within the Leslie Kingdom, the level and structure of the mage towers, and their composition.
He had confirmed that there were hardly any factions that posed a direct threat to him, so there was nothing to worry about.
‘Surely, the heavy-seated tower masters won’t bother to move.’
Those busy keeping each other in check had no reason to directly threaten Raul, a noble from another country. With this in mind, Raul spoke with a relaxed expression.
“Now that I have a rough understanding of the situation, let’s get to the main point. I’d like you to look into these locations first.”
Raul pointed to a few mage towers listed on the document.
“Leave it to me. The tower masters will likely cooperate eagerly.”
If they went bankrupt, everything in the mage towers would be sold off at a pittance. The remaining future would be a life of hardship, repaying debts.
Now that a proper buyer had appeared, the tower masters would do everything they could to grab Raul’s hand. After concluding his discussions with Department Head Dario of the association, Raul returned.
Unsurprisingly, news of his presence spread rapidly among the factions.
*
The next morning. Raul was staying in a guest annex prepared at the Gray Tower branch, thanks to the hospitality of Chief Mage Elmer.
To ensure convenience during his stay, Raul had hired staff to take care of daily tasks, so they wouldn’t inconvenience the Gray Tower’s mages.
“Young master Raul, there’s a visitor for you.”
The temporary butler announced the guest, and Raul received them in the reception room.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Gerner, the tower master of Kantu Tower.”
A mage in his mid-forties with a straightforward demeanor bowed to Raul. After exchanging pleasantries, Raul asked him.
“How did you know to find me here? I’ve only been here for two days….”
“I heard from Department Head Dario. We studied together before establishing our towers.”
No wonder he arrived so quickly—there was a connection.
‘Well, this works out. Let’s have an interview.’
Kantu Tower was one of the respectable mage towers on Raul’s shopping list. Though a small tower with around twenty mages, it held valuable know-how on enhancing power armor’s force fields.
However, Raul’s expression grew serious as he conversed with the tower master. The situation was worse than he had anticipated.
‘Half of the chief mages and skilled workers have already left?’
Moreover, they had sold their force field-related patents to repay debts. It was like buying a shell with no substance inside.
‘The tower master is a valuable asset, but….’
Spending a fortune to acquire a tower just to hire one talented individual was sheer madness. Raul had an uneasy feeling that acquiring mage towers wouldn’t be as smooth as he had hoped.
(To be continued…)