A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 162 The Gray Industry's Protector is Actually Kano

Luo Xia is no longer a novice; he now knows that a mage's minor ranks are merely "nominal titles," and only the ratings of beginner, intermediate, and archmage truly reflect actual strength.

However, this is the first time I've heard of the "Moon-Holding Man" medal.

The gull is not common in the Empire. It is native to the riverbanks of the shifting sands and is revered as a sacred bird by the locals. When Rorschach consulted the records, he saw that this creature had a long beak and a ring of black feathers around its white wings when it spread its wings.

"As the embodiment of the wisdom of the god Thoth, he is often made into mummies or skulls to be used as magical artifacts." No, do these people have a problem with Thoth? This god has a profound influence even in the continent of Floren, especially in the magical world, for example, the most common "Thoth Alchemy Ink".

I have a feeling this medal isn't very auspicious.

However, Rorschach accepted anyway, and two days later he and Kano arrived at the Magic Guild building. The building itself was no different from when he first came, but there were many more people coming and going. The front desk no longer had temporary workers sleeping on duty, but rather busy reception staff.

"Our guild's mail delivery system has seen a lot more customers lately," Kano explained as he entered. With the booming stock market, the speed of information dissemination has become a key factor in determining victory or defeat, making the guild's teleportation-based information delivery network extremely sought after.

But is the guild open to just anyone? Unlike before when it was deserted, due to the heavy burden, the Holy Kingdom's branch has recently stopped sending messages to clients who are not registered mages or apprentices.

However, regulations are introduced to create loopholes, especially when there is profit to be made. Many apprentices and even low-level mages act as middlemen, acting as intermediaries for traders and securities companies to send and receive messages.

As the chief professor, after receiving feedback from guild staff, Kano personally issued a ban on in-service teachers and apprentices of the Tower of Stars acting as scalpers, so he knew a little about the situation here.

"Senior brother wasn't involved, was he?" Luo Xia suddenly realized that it was something he was capable of doing.

However, the answer surprised Rorschach: "He himself doesn't." Kano's lips twitched at this. Pascal was a middleman among middlemen, having built a supply chain of merchant guilds, apprentices, and guilds, taking a cut from every transaction. It wasn't until Kano interviewed other apprentices that he discovered this big fish right under his nose.

Pascal, the business genius, made a name for himself through two methods: first, his experience working in the guild allowed him to network with the staff; second, he subtly hinted to others that he was a student of the chief professor of the Tower of Stars. Clients and apprentices looking to make extra money saw that this guy had connections within the guild and above them—the senior disciple was invincible!

Unaware that he had become a protector of the gray market and hadn't even received a single penny, Cano was furious. This was also one of the reasons that the Alchemy Department and Rorschach had angered him that night—his anger bar hadn't been cleared yet and had been refilled.

Luo Xia has been too busy lately and didn't notice that his senior brother was locked in the archives by the Grand Master to copy and organize documents. Today is the fourth day of his confinement.

"Send a letter! Send a letter! Prioritize mine, there's a tip!" All the apprentices in the hall were in a great hurry, their sealed envelopes almost poking the staff in the face, but they all fell silent when they saw the Grand Master enter in his red robe.

Kano glanced over, and the apprentices all lowered their heads or turned their faces away. The receptionist quickly ran out from behind the front desk.

"We'll go upstairs ourselves, you guys go ahead with your work."

Cano waved his hand and led Rorschach to the lobby on the top floor with practiced ease.

As the stairs spiraled upwards, Luo Xia couldn't help but ask, "Why not raise the postage price? That would not only increase revenue but also limit the number of letters that can be sent."

Kano replied, "The guild has studied countermeasures before. If all prices are raised, it will be too much of a burden on mages, especially apprentices. If the high prices are only applied to ordinary people, the phenomenon of using apprentices as intermediaries will still exist. The guild itself is not considering profit, but rather ensuring the stable operation of the postal system and preventing it from being overloaded."

"Perhaps some trading companies will try to build their own transmission networks." Efficient communication has always been a core need for the whole society.

"It's not difficult to solidify a two-way teleportation array, but finding qualified staff to operate and maintain it is not easy. If trading companies could handle this system, the magic guilds wouldn't have been able to stand across the continent for hundreds of years."

Hiring mages skilled in teleportation and magic arrays would be prohibitively expensive. The entire system has been refined over hundreds of years and is supported by a large number of trained apprentices who haven't become mages. People are crucial.

However, the guilds may not be able to monopolize this business in the future. Kano thought about the ecology of mages within the empire, and about the current High Master of Valuwana, and had many things he didn't say to Rorschach.

"Master Kano, we've been waiting for you!" They were greeted by a mage. Although he was just a low-ranking mage in a blue robe, the splendor of his robe far surpassed that of Luo Xia and even Kano, even though both of them had dressed formally for the awarding ceremony.

The gold tassels and velvet fabric reveal large areas of subtle patterns under the light; if they are all handmade, then even the king's clothing craftsmanship is no better.

Rorschach clicked his tongue in surprise, his attention first drawn to the other person's clothes, then focusing on the face. A fawning horse-face was grinning at Cano, a gold-rimmed monocle perched on the bridge of his nose.

Although he was smiling ingratiatingly, Rorschach felt inexplicably disgusted. Perhaps the monk who was receiving them was going too far.

"The main character to come isn't me, it's him, Mage Rorschach." Kano introduced Rorschach to the other party, then turned to Rorschach to introduce the other party: "Morel, guild council member of Valois."

Since the guilds in the capital cities of the three major countries did not have guild leaders or branch leaders, they were directly led by the Senate. But how could the elders take on such mundane affairs? Thus, guild councilors were created, with a title similar to a secretary, to handle all guild affairs and manage other branch leaders.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, all the council members in every generation have been low-ranking mages.

"I bear the responsibility for the entire kingdom's guild, yet I'm not even given the title of guild master! And it keeps me from practicing magic!" Morrel often complained to his servants, but he was extremely respectful to Kano.

"Master Luo Xia! I've long admired your name!" The chairman grasped Luo Xia's hand tightly. His hands were soft and smooth, showing no signs of wear and tear. Unlike the noblewoman's hands, his hands were large and firm, causing Luo Xia pain.

The man's expressions, words, and gestures were so exaggerated that Luo Xia didn't even listen to his lavish praise. He subconsciously focused on the sensation of physical contact and then thought about when to pull his hand away and distance himself from this annoying person.

The Grand Master, also annoyed by this attitude, said, "Let's not waste any more time, let's go inside."

"Of course, please." Even when opening the door for the two of them, Morel bowed as he did so, as if he were a court jester of Cano.

As soon as he entered, countless eyes were cast upon Rorschach, scrutinizing him from head to toe. The main building also had an arched ceiling, below which lay the guild's true hall, a place accessible only to mages.

The circular staircase stretched out in layers, with only a few mages sitting there, but mostly owls with their bell-like eyes reflecting the boy's figure.

They and everything around them were quiet, making the scene somewhat eerie.

(End of this chapter)