'Are they looking for trouble?' Rayven thought to himself after seeing their condescending look.
Though he would probably regret it, he was certainly willing to throw one Mana Flick to show his status as a Mage…
For sure, these four would rethink their decisions.
'Ugh… No no… That's wasteful… I don't have much left.' Rayven shook his head as he really had to learn how to save money.
One gold per cast was simply too expensive for a mere Mana Flick.
An ordinary person could already live a good life for a year for only 1 or 2 gold coins!
'Well… I'll consider splurging a bit if the sealed artifact got sold for a decent price.' Rayven mused.
Finally, after realizing that they weren't seeing the reaction they wanted, Harvey's group lost their motivation and just walked ahead.
As the two groups merged and walked closer to each other, Rayven listened to Harvey's group conversation.
"The final stages of the competition will be watched by the Viscount, right?" one of them said with clear excitement.
"It draws crowds from all over the region… I'm sure we can reach a decent rank there."
"They say this year's competition is special though… Some powerful families are sending their heirs. The Veltham family, too. Everyone's waiting to see if their young master will participate."
At that name, Rayven's brow furrowed slightly.
The Velthams again. He'd only heard of them recently—bullying the Golden Coast Trading branch in Hesa. Now they were involved in this competition as well?
It seemed the noble family's shadow stretched farther than he thought.
***
By the time they reached the gates of Hesa City, it was already getting dark.
"Finally! My feet are killing me." Dennis said as he saw the city gate.
"Stop whining," Tristan muttered, though even he seemed relieved.
"Let's hire an alchemist tomorrow to get these cores processed." Luke suggested.
"Wait… That can be handled by the Adventurers Guild, if I'm not mistaken. Let's check tomorrow..." Tristan replied.
"I think I'll head home. I'll go to the guild tomorrow to report." Rayven said.
Just like that, the small group separated… Efren didn't even bother to glance at them as he also returned to the guild.
***
It didn't take long as Rayven reached the Golden Coast Trading Hall
As he walked, he was thinking of nothing more than washing the blood off, eating, and finally sleeping—
But his footsteps slowed as soon as the building came into view.
A carriage bearing the Veltham family crest, a golden hawk grasping a spear, was parked right in front of the trading hall.
And outside, several men in fine coats stood, while one of them shoved a trembling Golden Coast clerk against the doorframe.
"You call this garbage 'goods' fit for sale?!" the noble's voice rang out.
"My family's name is worth more than your entire filthy branch! You dare to haggle with us?!"
Rayven froze in place, his exhaustion forgotten.
His heart sank as he realized what was happening.
The Velthams… bullying the Golden Coast again.
And this time, he was here to witness it.
Rayven frowned. He couldn't quite understand the full situation yet, but one thing was clear—the Velthams weren't here for fair trade.
Among the clerks clustered at the hall's entrance, Rayven spotted a familiar face.
Rennard, the assistant of his uncle Albert. He stood stiffly beside the trembling clerk…
He had stepped forward with his hands raised as he tried to calm the situation.
"My lord, there must be some misunderstanding," Rennard said…
"The Golden Coast has never sold anything less than genuine goods. If there is an issue with the pricing, we can negotiate—"
"Negotiate?" The noble, or whoever he was, scoffed.
"Do you take me for some peddler on the street? When the Veltham family speaks, we don't negotiate. We dictate."
The clerks fell silent, afraid to even breathe too loudly.
Rayven clenched his fists but held his ground for now…
He used 1 Gold just now to use Detect Mana Source and realized that there was a Mage behind their group.
It was no wonder the noble was being so difficult. He must be waiting for a chance to use the mage to destroy them.
Still, his instinct screamed to intervene. However, he didn't want Rennard's effort to go to waste. His uncle's assistant wasn't weak… He certainly knew how to handle powerful customers, even arrogant ones.
"My lord, the price we offered is fair market value. Anything lower would not only harm this branch but it would also breach the standards set by the Merchant Guild. Surely, the Veltham name wouldn't want such an impression?"
For a moment, it seemed like Rennard's logic might cool the noble down.
But instead, laughter erupted from one of the men standing behind him.
A middle-aged figure in a long gray robe stepped forward.
He was the mage that Rayven noticed.
The noble smiled. "Do you see? Even our hired mage finds your words laughable. We can buy and sell three of your little shops before breakfast. And yet, here you are, clinging to your pitiful price tag as though it means anything."
Rennard's jaw tightened. They were now getting unreasonable.
Complaining or even negotiation was still quite acceptable. However, they just wanted to cause any trouble now…
'They really want our contract with the Count's family…'
"With respect, my lord, you can hire all the mages you like. But unless you are planning to use force—which I doubt, given the Merchant Guild's regulations—you will find our price unchanged."
The noble's smirk vanished, replaced by a cold smile.
"Force? Oh no, you misunderstand… The Velthams don't need to break laws. We don't need to dirty our hands… However, we'll give you a warning."
At that, the robed magician behind him casually released a wave of mana, enough to rattle the lanterns hanging by the doorway.
It wasn't an attack. It wasn't even a direct threat. But the meaning was clear.
Comply, or we can make things very uncomfortable.
'Now they want to intimidate us?!'
'Damn it… I can't let them keep this up.'
But just as he prepared to step forward—
Ding!
His heart jolted. It had been so long since he last heard it that for a moment, he thought he was imagining things.
Suddenly, a familiar glowing text appeared in front of his vision.
[ New Quest: Break the Hawk's Wing ]
A hostile magician has entered the stage.
Objective: Defeat the Veltham family's mage within 7 days.
Reward: 50 Gold
Penalty: Severe weakening of system functions for 30 days. ]