Crassus gently put down his spoon. Not a single grain of rice remained on the plate. He carefully chewed the last bite of fried rice, savoring the delicious flavor spreading in his mouth.
After swallowing, it transformed into a warm current, nourishing his nearly parched flesh. It felt as if new life was blooming, even if it was just a final burst of energy before death, it made him feel that life had become a little better.
"Boss, give me another one." Crassus put down his spoon, looked up at Mai Ge and said. He couldn't remember the last time he had the urge to have another serving, but today he felt he could have another one.
"I'm sorry, guest, our opening hours have already passed, and we're more than three minutes past that. You'll have to wait for another opening time to come and eat." Mai Ge shook his head slightly, the clock on the wall already pointed to 9:03, and his expression left no room for negotiation.
"I just want another one. I'm willing to pay double." Crassus said, looking at Mai Ge and placing three dragon coins lightly on the table.
"Sorry, it's the restaurant's rule." Mai Ge shook his head again. If it was another old man, he might have made an exception and agreed, but with Crassus, he wants him to leave as soon as possible. In his eyes, Crassus was a somewhat dangerous person.
"Daddy…" Amy looked up at Mai Ge, hesitant. She felt that the Grandpa White Beard looked quite pitiful, and he had even given double the price. However, seeing Mai Ge's expression, she swallowed back what she was about to say.
"Alright, I'll come back for the next serving at noon." Crassus gave Mai Ge a deep look, making sure he wasn't expecting him to raise the price further. He then pocketed the two dragon coins. Although he wanted to ask about the Fountain of Life, he hesitated for a moment and decided to bring it up later.
He straightened his mage robes and sat up a little straighter, then looked at Mai Ge and said, "Boss, besides that, there's something else I'd like to discuss with you. I'm Crassus, a tenth-tier mage from the Los Empire. Because I'm getting old, I'd like to take on a disciple to inherit my mantle. I just sensed some strange magical fluctuations from this young girl. May I examine her talent? Perhaps she and I are destined for each other."
Mai Ge's pupils contracted slightly. A tenth-tier mage, representing the strongest tier of mages on the entire Nolan Continent, there were no more than fifteen tenth-tier mages on the entire continent.
There are only four or five revered figures in the Tower of Honor of Los Empire, but Crassus shouldn't have been on the original list. However, judging from his current expression, he seems to be talking about something ordinary, not lying.
"If you're going to take Amy as your apprentice, are you planning to take her back to Los Empire?" Mai Ge asked Crassus calmly.
"Yes, the Mage Tower has many tools suitable for beginners to practice with, and it also has a complete magic room that makes it easier for learners to become familiar with magic. As my apprentice, she is qualified to enter the Mage Tower, which is a holy place in the hearts of mages." Crassus nodded.
The Mage Tower holds a revered position in the hearts of most mages on the Nolan Continent. The Mage Tower is a major reason why Los Empire can retain a terrifying number of mages. Even ordinary people should know what entering the Mage Tower means, so he is not worried that Mai Ge will refuse.
"I'm sorry, I don't want Amy to leave my side, and I certainly won't let her go to Luo Du alone, so it's probably not meant to be." Mai Ge said, shaking his head without the slightest hesitation.
"Yes, I will not leave Daddy." Amy nodded and sat down on the chair, reaching out her little hand to grasp one of the Mai Ge's fingers.
"This..." Crassus was stunned for a moment. He was a tenth-tier mage and a honor guest of the Los Empire. He planned to test Amy. If she met the requirements, he would take her as his apprentice and bring her back to the Luo Du Mage Tower to learn magic.
Even nobles in the capital would go crazy for such a condition, but unexpectedly, it was rejected by a restaurant owner in this Chaos City.
Along the way, Crassus has seen many promising talents. Many people even wanted to send their children to him, even if it was just to be a mage's apprentice, without him revealing his identity.
Mai Ge wasn't even going to give him a chance to test, and this sudden change in attitude surprised him a little, but he didn't lose his composure. He smiled again and said, "Boss, you're in Chaos City, so you might not know much about mages, the Mage Tower..."
"If you want Amy to leave me, that's enough. I don't want to know anything else." Mai Ge interrupted Crassus directly, glanced at his watch, and said with a polite smile, "Excuse me, guest, we still need to go out to buy some goat milk for the little one. If you don't have anything else, please come back during the next business hours."
"That's right, the Ugly Duckling's belly was almost flat from hunger." Amy patted the Ugly Duckling's head and nodded in agreement. She took four gold coins from her small pocket and put them on the table, then took the dragon coin and looked at Crassus, saying, "Grandpa White Beard, you're so thin, it's a waste to eat too much. You're not going to grow any taller anyway, so save it for the next meal. Here is your change."
"..." Crassus's feelings were a bit complicated. If others knew that he had revealed his identity and sincerely wanted to help this little girl with magic test and intended to take her as his apprentice, but was rejected because a little kitten wanted to drink goat milk, probably not many people would believe it.
Although he didn't take on any apprentices along the way, almost everyone respected him greatly and they would even give him money and beg him to test them.
But now this had happened, and judging from the father and daughter's almost synchronized actions and expressions as they saw him off, there was absolutely no intention of discussing it at all.
"Alright, I'll come again next time." Crassus, felt quite helpless by his first rejection of an apprenticeship offer, picked up the gold coins on the table, grabbed his mage staff, and headed for the door.
"Be careful the steps oh, Grandpa White Beard. If you fall, you might not be able to get up again." Amy said, watching Crassus grip the door knob.
Crassus's hand on the door knob suddenly froze. He abruptly turned to look at Amy, whose small face showed a hint of worry and for a moment he seemed to see that elven girl from back then.
Back then, he was coughing violently while leaning against the windowsill of the thirty second floor of the mage tower, his life hanging by a thread. Suddenly, a clear voice, tinged with worry, rang out from behind him: "Watch out for the windowsill, old man with the white beard. If you fall, you might crush someone to death."
He turned around and saw a sixteen or seventeen years old elven girl. It was their first meeting. Her words surprised him and made him want to laugh. She was just as lively and sharp-tongued as the girl in front of him.