65: Chapter 65 Contract

Looking at the iron Ore and Magic Crystal Ore on the counter, these Materials were mostly obtained by Ross through card draws.

Another portion came from the storehouse of the lord of Boulder Town.

When that lord learned that Ross needed some Ore Materials, he gifted a batch of high-quality Ore resources to Ross before he left.

Ross naturally saw no reason to be polite.

To the lord of Boulder Town, this small amount of Ore was merely a fraction of the local taxes he collected.

Most of it would have been handed over as "tribute" to the Elius Wizard Academy anyway, so giving it directly to a powerful, high-potential Wizard Apprentice like Ross amounted to the same thing.

Therefore, Ross was not worried about lacking sufficient Ore Materials.

He had only displayed a portion of what he had.

Watching Ross sit calmly and maturely on the woven rattan chair, the dwarf Parker stepped up to Ross:

"Your Excellency Ross, the Materials you provided are naturally enough to forge a magic cauldron, and I will pass your requirements along to my father. However, I wonder if you still have any stock of such high-quality Ore?"

"As long as you can provide a bit more Ore of this quality, I can make the decision to forge a magic cauldron that meets your needs free of charge."

With a look that held both anxiety and eagerness, a faint blush even appeared on the dwarf Parker's normally dark skin.

"It seems I still underestimated the dwarves' desire for high-quality Ore."

Ross weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

Although these Ores were of very high quality and would certainly fetch a high price as Alchemy Materials,

he had no plans to pursue the path of Alchemy for the time being.

At most, during his time as a Wizard Apprentice, he would learn some knowledge like Magic Runes.

Truly getting into Alchemy, or even making a living off the craft, required not only a massive investment of time but also building up connections.

Otherwise, even if he possessed the means to forge godly Sharp Weapons, he would be unable to sell them due to being unknown.

"That works. A few days ago, I went to Boulder Town to complete an academy commission and indeed acquired some high-quality mining Materials there, so I do have some left. If that can cover the forging fee, that would be ideal."

Ever since advancing to a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice, Ross could stand tall.

When facing shopkeepers capable of opening stores in the Wizard Bazaar, he was naturally more relaxed and casual.

Previously, his Mental Energy and mana made him feel a slight uncomfortable pressure when facing this dwarf shopkeeper.

Now, things were entirely different.

After quickly making a judgment in his mind, Ross waved his hand and placed the remaining Ore all together in an open corner of the shop.

When these pieces of iron and Ore crystals fell to the floor, they emitted crisp clinking sounds, showcasing the supreme quality of this batch of Ore Materials.

These Materials piled up in the corner, together with the previous batch on the counter, completely filled up that corner of space.

"Is this enough, Shopkeeper?"

"Enough, enough!"

The dwarf shopkeeper before him was truly cut out to do long-term business with wizards.

He understood the general nature of wizards: no matter how eccentric a wizard's personality might be, they always placed the value of time above all else.

The dwarf's eyes merely swept quickly over these Ores that emitted a metallic scent and glinted with a cold, harsh light.

Combined with the sound of them clashing against each other, he could roughly judge the value of this batch of Ores.

Thus, Ross and the dwarf shop owner named Parker signed a triplicate "magic contract" for the custom magic cauldron.

Ross and the shopkeeper kept one copy each, while the remaining copy was kept at the Notary Office in the Wizard Bazaar's trading center.

That place served as the administration center for important transactions in the Wizard Bazaar, where both parties could deposit their signed contracts.

If either party breached the contract or failed to meet its requirements, they could seek resolution and assistance at the "Notary Office."

This institution also had the official background of the Elius Wizard Academy backing it.

However, generally speaking, shops doing business here would not ruin their reputation over a transaction amount as small as a single magic cauldron.

Signing the contract at the "Notary Office" was simply a measure for both parties to protect their own interests to the greatest extent.

After signing the contract, Ross had no worries about the shop pocketing his Ore, and the shop owner had no fear of a Wizard Apprentice using background leverage to extort him.

It was simply a method that put both sides at ease.

After communicating the detailed requirements for the magic cauldron with the dwarf Parker, Ross concluded his trip.

By the shop owner's estimate, it would take about half a month of forging to complete a magic cauldron that met Ross's specifications.

To Ross, this duration was not long at all.

If purchasing off-the-shelf items, one could naturally get the goods immediately, but when custom-ordering quality items,

waiting a few days was naturally acceptable.

Afterwards, after agreeing on the time and providing his residence to the shopkeeper, Ross prepared to return to the wizard academy.

Leaving his address ensured that once the forged product was finished, it could be sent directly to Ross via Goblin Express.

...

Ross, feeling refreshed and in a cheerful mood after spending his resources, walked through the gate of the Magic Plant Garden.

As always, the Magic Plant Garden was filled with magical plants that seemed strange to Mortals.

In these magic fields, many Wizard Apprentices were also planting and working.

Ross quickly walked past the public area of the Magic Plant Garden and arrived at Professor Pulang's Advanced Plantation.

The air here was as fresh as ever, and working goblin slaves could be seen tending to the magical plants.

From a distance, Ross could already see the figure of the Goblin Supervisor.

Shuttling between the various magic fields, he continuously instructed the servant slaves on how to do their work better and faster.

The busy Goblin Supervisor caught sight of Ross in a brief pause from his work, immediately put down what he was doing, and trotted over to Ross.

Taking off the felt sun hat he was wearing, the Goblin Supervisor bowed deeply to Ross in a formal half-body bow.

Both his etiquette and posture were extremely humble as he said respectfully to Ross:

"Congratulations, Your Excellency. You must have finished your commission and returned. Everything you assigned to me is running normally."

Ross, who was already quite confident in this supervisor of Professor Pulang, was extremely satisfied as he listened to him reel off details.

During the time he was away, not only had the magic fields not fallen into neglect, but even the "mana microorganisms" inside the pile of Alchemy machines had rapidly multiplied three-fold.

"Not bad. You've done very well."