Back at the usual place of their meeting, Bela was serving five people inside with tea and biscuits. She served them with the professional etiquette of a maid, pouring the tea into the cups and serving biscuits on small plates.
Liz and Ian sat on the sofa, while Luceran, Mayor Daaz, and Butler Nelez sat on the opposite side.
"Your Highness, we have considered your proposal," Ian said, breaking the silence while putting the cup of tea on the table after taking a sip.
"And what is the counteroffer?" Luceran asked calmly.
"We agreed to sixty-five percent at most, and we also would like priority treatment to do business in Ironmarch. Here is a contract of the specifics of the treatment," Ian said while handing the parchment to Luceran.
Luceran did not reply yet. He took the parchment and scanned it. The room fell silent for a few minutes. Luceran, who was reading the parchment, suddenly said, "Give me a month to prepare. Stay here for the time being and take a look around Ironmarch. Mayor Daaz will tell you a few stores where you can invest or do some trades with. I will call you a month later." He finished reading and told the duo.
"Nelez, hand me the pen. I will sign this." Nelez, who had been standing silently behind Luceran, stepped forward and handed him a quill pen. Luceran signed the document with his elegant handwriting.
Ian and Liz let out a collective sigh of relief when they saw that the prince had agreed and signed the parchment. As for waiting a month before the journey? What was a month of waiting compared to the safety of the group? Ian and Liz would even have said yes if Luceran had said two or even three months.
A peaceful silence settled in the office after Ian and Liz had left. Luceran stared at the map on the table, his fingers tapping with rhythm on the wooden sofa handle. He was lost in thought, his mind already calculating the risks and rewards of their new venture.
"Do you know what ruins we're going to visit, Nelez?" he asked, not turning to face the butler.
Nelez, who had been standing as still as a statue behind him, seemed to be in deep contemplation. "If I remember correctly, tens of thousands of years ago, there was a famous city known for its alchemy and rune crafting. However, I cannot remember the name, Your Highness, as the records were somewhat vague and blurry."
The butler bowed his head. "I am sorry for the lack of information."
"Never mind. It was too far in the past. It was probably not a well-known place, so the records of it would have been left in the dust and long forgotten," Luceran replied flatly.
He took the last sip of his tea and set the cup down. "But this journey was important for us. We needed a lot of money to revitalize this city and grow our army."
He turned to face the butler. "We will depart with a small group, only fifty people. A larger force would be difficult to maneuver in that mountain region and would be too easily noticed by the Solaris Empire." He paused, his gaze hardening. "Work with Commander Borrin to pick the best soldiers we had. Take three lieutenants this time. The rest will guard the city while we are gone."
Looking as if Luceran had nothing more to add, Nelez bowed and disappeared in the shadows, leaving Luceran in the office alone with his thoughts.
In the downtown of Ironmarch, only a few blocks away from the main office, a group of five people wearing bluish-purple robes with intricate runic patterns on them were walking around the stalls.
"Let's find a bigger store to sell our harvest," the leading figure said to the other four. The lead was a woman with brown hair and soft features on her face, looking quite pleasant to see.
"Yes, I heard that there was a store called Woven Goods Store at the other side of the block that had a good reputation," someone within the group said.
"Then let's go there," the woman said to her group.
They took a few turns before arriving at the store. Before they entered the store, at the front door, three people were walking and talking to one another. Coincidentally, the trio were Ian, Liz, and Mayor Daaz. With their keen senses, they could hear what the trio was talking about.
"Ironmarch has had many changes in the past half a year," Ian said to the mayor, marveling at the rapid progress of development.
"Indeed, under the prince's urge and management, it was a certainty that Ironmarch would prosper," Mayor Daaz replied with confidence, as if it were his achievement.
"I heard that the prince is still increasing his army?" Liz asked the mayor curiously.
"Yes! His Highness wants to increase the number of the army by another thousand and five hundred. In fact, the prince was looking for mages to hire and incorporate into his army. Though there were no mages currently in Ironmarch," the mayor replied and sighed.
"Well, mages usually worked for nobles in a big city, or they made their own organization. It would be hard for the prince to get his mages unless the payment was high," Ian said.
"Our budget is a little tight right now, which was why the pay for mages wasn't that great," the mayor said. "Hopefully, working for the prince will be a big enough draw to attract some mages who aren't tied to anyone." He then waved for Ian and Liz to come into the store.
"Did I hear it right? The prince is looking for mages to work for him?" an excited man's voice sounded from the group.
"Yes, you heard it right. But you also needed to remember what the fat man said, that the payment is not that high," replied another man, pouring cold water on the man's opinion.
"That is true, but we would be working for the prince of the Kyros Divine Kingdom here. Remember that we could be his personal force in the future if we performed well," retorted the other man, looking unwilling to give up the prospect of working for the prince.
"What do you think, leader?" another woman's voice sounded within the group, asking the woman who was the leader of the group.
"Whether it is an opportunity or not, let's meet the fat man first and ask for details," said the leading woman to her group.
They entered the store and found that the trio were talking with a middle-aged man who looked like the owner of the store. The robed group could somewhat hear that they were purely talking about business and investment. The robed group then approached the store owner and said that they wanted to sell their harvest from their hunts. Then a person from the group walked with the store owner, while the rest followed the trio: Ian, Liz, and Mayor Daaz.
"Excuse me!" the leading woman of the robed party said to the trio.
"Is there anything that I can help with?" The mayor turned to them and scanned them from head to toe, while Ian and Liz stopped and said nothing, waiting for the mayor.
"I know that this sounds rude, but I overheard when you guys were talking that the prince is building an army, and he needs mages. Can we talk about the contract for this?" the woman asked politely.
Hearing her inquiry, the mayor frowned, looking displeased that someone had overheard their discussion, though he quickly thought about something more important. "So you are basically saying that you are a mage?" the mayor asked back.
"Yes, we are mages," the woman said, and with a snap of her fingers, a small flame appeared in her hands. Looking at this, the mayor's eyes sparkled, looking ecstatic.
"My lady, please forgive me for being rude. May I know your esteemed name?" the mayor asked politely, looking completely different from his first reaction.
"Ah, that is fine. It was us who were rude. My name is Cassandra," she said apologetically.
"Very well, Lady Cassandra, please come with me to the main office," the mayor said excitedly. "Mr. Ian, Ms. Liz, forgive me, I have to rush to the office," he said to the duo.
"That is fine. We will see you later, Mayor Daaz," Ian said with a smile.
"Please come with me, Lady Cassandra." The mayor gestured for the group to follow him.
"Very well. Rhody, please stay here and wait for Josh. Vena and Prar will follow me," she said to a robed figure. Rhody nodded and stayed, waiting for the other guy, while the rest followed the mayor.
Along the way, the mayor asked a few more questions of the group, asking for their origin and overall power. They explained that they were unaffiliated mages from a small village in the Heaven-Piercing Mountain region.
They usually operated around the border of Heaven-Piercing Mountain and the Northern Land to hunt wild animals for money. As for their overall power, the leader Cassandra was at the peak of the Mana Core realm, while the others were at the late stage of the Mana Core realm.
The walk continued for a few more minutes after the talk before they reached the main office of the city.