Wizards: Starting with Fairy Crests

063: Enemy or Friend?

Lin Qi frowned slightly.

What the hell?

You think you can just give it to me like that? Who the hell do you think you are?

Mars Soren seemed to notice Lynch's subtle change in expression. The faint curve at the corner of his mouth deepened slightly, forming a clearer, more aloof smile.

"Don't misunderstand, Lynch's apprentice." He spoke again, his voice carrying a reassuring tone, but the condescending air remained. "What I want is simply the title and the result of 'I will complete this mission.' Of course..."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I won't let you work for nothing."

Lin Qi looked up at him: "What do you mean?"

Mars spoke casually, as if recounting a trivial matter that had been pre-arranged, but what he said made Lynch's eyelids twitch:

"I will compensate you in full for the reward given by Mentor Barek—the five hundred magic stones and the opportunity to enter his private library to select knowledge."

He held up one finger, emphasizing, "Furthermore, regarding spell knowledge, you don't even need to try your luck in your mentor's study. I can directly give you an 'Excellent' level apprentice spellbook, the type of which is up to you."

"Shadows, elements, summons, protection... as long as you can reliably build a model at the apprentice level, my collection should be able to meet your needs."

Lynch was speechless.

As the highest quality spell model, the kind of top-quality one that Lynch would have to painstakingly search through the wizard's library for ages to find, was being talked about by this young apprentice as if it were nothing more than a common cabbage.

This is not over yet.

Mars raised his second finger: "In addition, as a personal thank you for your 'cooperation,' I'll give you an extra book... Hmm, according to my intelligence, you seem to have a good affinity for both shadow and spatial elements? Then I'll give you an 'excellent' grade spell in your affinity attribute direction."

"Two excellent-grade spellbooks, plus an additional 500 magic stones as compensation."

He lowered his hand, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Lin Qi with an almost condescending certainty in his deep green eyes:

"How about that? Isn't that a generous price? Not only did you not lose the original bounty, but you also gained an extra excellent spell and an additional five hundred magic stones. All you need to do is 'slightly adjust' the names of the finder and the killer in the mission log, and then hand over the core remains of the insect and the mission token... to me."

Lynch fell silent.

He didn't answer immediately; his gaze was lowered, as if he were seriously considering the suggestion.

Mars didn't urge him on. He sat back down in his large, comfortable recliner and even picked up the empty crystal glass again, casually playing with it between his fingers. His gaze swept with interest over the girls playing in the pool below.

It seemed that her mind was already focused on admiring her own collection of treasures, and she didn't question Lin Qi's choice at all.

Indeed...

Faced with such an astronomical price, Lin Qi couldn't think of a reason to refuse.

The reward he received after submitting the task was only a set of spell knowledge and 500 magic stones. Even whether the spell model he received would be satisfactory was still unknown.

After all, there might not be a Ghost Ember as easy to talk to in the Barek Wizard's library.

The unfamiliar apprentice before him had doubled his reward, and even provided him with top-tier magical knowledge, saving him the trouble of searching for it himself.

All he gave in return was a nominal title.

This is completely irrelevant, okay? After all, he's not working under Wizard Barek, so how he performs has absolutely nothing to do with him.

If I had to give a reason for refusing…

Perhaps all that remains is the slight displeasure caused by the other party's arrogant attitude, and a hint of worry about unknown risks—is there some other motive behind offering such a large profit so easily?

Perhaps it was because Lin Qi had been silent for a while.

A hint of impatience flashed across Mars Soren's brow, and the fingers that were toying with the crystal glass suddenly stopped.

He didn't look at Lin Qi; his gaze remained fixed on the pool, but his calm voice rang out again, as if stating an objective fact completely unrelated to the previous generous terms:

"Of course, you can also choose to refuse."

He turned his head slightly, his deep green eyes glancing sideways at Lin Qi. The previous laziness and playfulness in his gaze had faded, replaced by a cold, undisguised sense of oppression.

"But if that happens..."

He paused, his tone still steady, yet each word clear and distinct, like ice beads falling onto a jade plate:

"That means you've chosen to be my enemy."

...

Who exactly is this person? How can they be so arrogant!

Although the transaction was eventually completed, the coercive nature of it made Lin Qi feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

So after returning home, Lin Qi began to secretly inquire about the apprentice's identity.

If a seemingly powerful apprentice suddenly appears in your life, it's best to get to the bottom of things first, so you can have a reference in case of future conflicts of interest.

Lynch hasn't forgotten the lessons learned from Jackman and Dyson.

However, after making inquiries, Lin Qi did not obtain much valuable information.

All that is known is that this Mars is an apprentice under the wizard Barek, and joined the Grey Tower a few years ago.

The only useful information is that he is said to come from a wizarding family, but it's unclear which one, and Lynch has never heard of the surname Soren.

Undeterred, Lynch even wrote to Lucy, making a special trip to Shadow's Nest.

After paying a starting investigation fee of two hundred magic stones, they quickly provided him with an estimate of the specific investigation costs—

20,000 magic stones!

Okay...

Two hundred magic stones are not considered a hundred flowers.

at least,

Lin Qi realized that this was someone he couldn't afford to offend.

......

A few days later, the mission given by the wizard Barek to kill the Heart-Eating Shadow Leech was officially completed. An apprentice named Mars ventured deep into the Gray Mist Forest, searched arduously, personally located the Heart-Eating Shadow Leech, and independently killed it, bringing back its consciousness core.

Mars's name quickly spread among the apprentices, and the wizard Barek himself praised the student highly, making him the talk of the town.

The lower-ranking apprentices were amazed by his strength and decisiveness, the middle-ranking apprentices speculated about his background and methods, while the few higher-ranking apprentices who knew the truth or vaguely sensed something remained silent or showed a subtle, knowing expression.

On the same day,

Lynch received a package from Mars' slave girl. This time it wasn't number 16, but another slave girl, number 21, a rare Tide Clan girl whose vital parts were covered with fine scales.

"My master said that you may use me as you wish if you like," the girl said as she handed over the package.

Is he going to jump over the wall?

Lin Qi was startled.

He quickly opened the package and checked it.

Thank goodness...

Seeing the two sets of magic books and a bag of magic stones neatly arranged inside the package, Lin Qi finally felt relieved.

"No need, thank you."

Refusing to let the girl out, Lin Qi took the package and went inside.

Where is the magic and interest in women?

Lin Qi's eyes flickered, his mind completely focused on the two sets of magic books in his hands.

So,

What exactly are these two sets of spells?