Chapter 621 - 239: Sailboat Model (Part 2)

"Twenty thousand gold pounds."

"..."

’Twenty... thousand gold pounds?’

Ronan’s jaw dropped. He wanted to point out that his previous small Steamship had only cost eight thousand gold pounds. A purely decorative model was going to cost twenty thousand?

"Alright." Wei’en didn’t haggle, agreeing immediately.

He still had most of the payment from Black Jack and Menor. Although twenty thousand gold pounds was a bit steep, he knew there weren’t many things that could pique Tina’s interest. Buying it would also give him a chance to see what was so special about the model.

"Then we will sign the contract together in a moment." Fried’s smile remained unchanged.

’But from the looks of it, this Mutated Mage’s temperament isn’t as vicious as the rumors claim.’

Wei’en nodded. His Spiritual Power enveloped the model, guiding it into Tina’s arms. "Thank you very much."

Tina tossed aside the clown doll, slung her teddy bear onto her back, and cradled the model in one arm. Her other hand still held onto Wei’en. "Tina, thank you."

"You’re welcome."

With that, Fried continued to lead the way.

The three of them followed.

The clown doll on the floor: "..."

’Hey, hey, hey! I’m still here! Are you just going to leave me?’

’These bastards! This is outrageous!’

The clown doll leaped up in a fury, bounded a few steps, and jumped onto Wei’en’s back. Its large, plush mouth bit down on his shoulder, and it just hung there.

’Dammit! Just wait, I’ll summon something huge tonight!’

"...A Five-Masted Sailing Ship, missing four masts, sails need replacing, a new figurehead in the shape of a clown? Docked at Port Three, berth forty-three? Rest assured, our people will go and take possession of it."

A short while later, Ronan and Fried had finished discussing the necessary repairs and calculated an exorbitant price of fifteen thousand gold pounds. Wei’en signed the contract and paid.

"The repairs will take ten days," Fried said, his smile widening as he looked at the thirty-five thousand gold pounds he had just received. "Feel free to enjoy yourselves on the island. If you run into any trouble, you can inform us. The Himenez Clan can provide what assistance we are able to."

"Mm."

Wei’en knew it was just a courtesy, so he didn’t linger. He turned and led the other two away.

"Please come again."

Fried watched their receding figures. ’Someone actually bought that sailing ship model.’

’I thought I was just doing a small favor. I can’t believe those people are targeting this Mutated Mage...’

’It seems I need to report this to the clan head and the others. If something does go wrong, we’ll be better prepared to deal with that Mutated Mage.’

’Tsk. Those bastards from the Glory Society are up to no good!’

Meanwhile, the image of Fried the manager was reflected in Wei’en’s spiritual senses. He glanced impassively at the model sailing ship cradled in Tina’s arms and said faintly, "Ronan, you can go off on your own. You don’t need to follow me."

"In that case, I’ll go meet up with Helvin and the others. If you need anything... I’ll probably be at the Golden Tavern..."

Though Ronan was a little embarrassed, the women on this island were just so damn forward. He hadn’t been with a woman in ages and had almost made a fool of himself on the street.

"Go on."

"Goodbye, Captain."

With Wei’en’s permission, Ronan turned and left, afraid that if he lingered a moment longer, the captain would find some other task for him.

"Let’s get going."

Wei’en watched Tina clutch the model ship tightly, his eyes glinting.

"Let’s go, Tina."

’Ten days... That’s a bit long...’

...

...

「Feng Enliso Research Center.」

"Is the review finished?" Teresa’s eyes shone with anticipation. She had already compiled the entire research report. As long as this final step went smoothly, she could submit it to the Research Center.

"All checked, Teresa. No problems." Christa flipped over the last sheet of parchment, her face alight with joy.

"I didn’t find any problems here either," Escobar said with a smile.

Teresa glanced at the others. Seeing them all nod, she eagerly gathered the research report and waved. "Alright, I’m going to see Dean Josue right now."

Before long, accompanied by a Legend-rank guard, she hurried to Research Institute No. 1 in the central district of the Feng Enliso Research Center, carrying both the research report and a Mechanical Zombie that had completed its fusion and promotion experiments.

"...Dammit, with so many research institutes, you can’t produce a single research project on the same level as the one from the Shadow School?"

"I’m sorry, Dean Josue, but that was research on the fusion of source characteristics. Recently, all our energy has been focused on researching, repairing, and perfecting Magic Runes. Even if our previous projects weren’t stalled, they wouldn’t reach that level."

"That’s right, Dean. We simply can’t produce something like that on short notice..."

"I have a question. Why doesn’t the Boras Legend approach those other two research centers? The caliber of their projects is much higher than ours. I..."

"Shut up!" A red light flashed in Josue’s eyes. "Great Mage Scotty, is that your answer?"

"My apologies."

"Hmph! The importance of those two research centers goes without saying. Even if we can’t produce a comparable research report this time, their existence must not be exposed!"

Josue’s knuckles cracked. "Does anyone else have anything to say?"

"No..."

Dozens of Wizards in black robes all shook their heads.

The truth was just as they said. Research on the fusion of source characteristics was a top-tier subject in the Wizard World. It was a topic that could only yield results by pooling the power of an entire school of magic.

Even if their ordinary research institutes had some high-level projects, they couldn’t compare to the report the Shadow School had just produced.