Chương 393: Unexpected Call

"You don't have to think of a solution overnight," Mage Teft said to Damion later that day.

"I know. I'm just wondering if it is simply a matter of memorization or if it is a matter of understanding Nashto?" Damion answered.

"You think your better than average knowledge of Nashto is the reason you are easily able to memorize magic seals?"

"There might be a connection, but my main thought was that memorization is easier if you understand what it is you are trying to learn."

"True. Perhaps we should have you teach Nashto to the students. If they have ten years to learn the language before they start learning spells it could make a difference." Damion and Mage Teft headed to his home, but before he arrived he received a message forwarded to him from the Saung Adventurer Association. To his surprise, the message was for his alias, James Picard. [Greetings Mage Picard. I have heard word of your prowess and have a proposal for you. If you are interested in making enough money to finance your rise to S Rank, meet me at the following coordinates in two days' time.] At the end of the message were a set of coordinates that when Damion put into his map showed as being in the middle of a field a short distance outside of Argentum. Why someone from a White Zone was contacting Damion was a mystery to him.

Money was not particularly a large motivator, since he essentially already had everything he needed to reach S Rank and more already, but he would like to know exactly who this person was and what they had planned.

"What do you think?" Damion asked Mage Teft after showing her the message.

"I think, someone needs a Spatial mage," Mage Teft answered.

"To find out why though, means going to that meeting."

"It can't be for a sanctioned mission from the Adventurer Association or the Mage Association," Damion reasoned.

"There is no reason to go through such roundabout methods ordinarily."

"Will you be going to this meeting?"

"It seems the best way to find out why someone is looking for a Spatial mage."

"You aren't concerned that someone has seen through your false identity and is using this as an opportunity to trap you?"

"Well, if they are, then they won't know that I really am a Spatial mage. And if they aren't, then it would be good to know who has what planned." Two days later Damion, wearing his Metamorphic Bracelet, exited a Portal near the area where the meeting was going to take place. After making his way to the meeting point, Damion pulled a chair out from his personal spatial storage and took a seat. He did not know if anyone was watching, but he figured if they were, it was best to play his role fully.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The wait was not long, Damion had arrived shortly ahead of the meeting time, he guessed the other party was already in the area waiting for him to arrive. When the person approached Damion was not surprised to see he had disguised his appearance, too bad no disguise could hide his Rank and affinity from True Sight. S Rank Wind affinity.

"Mage Picard, good of you to come," the S Rank mage greeted. Damion stood and greeted the newcomer. Clearly, the man wanted to hide his identity, but there was a slight familiarity to his voice and the fact that there were only so many S Rank Wind mages, he had good idea of who was trying to hire Mage Picard.

"Let's not waste time with platitudes. I am here because you promised me a lot of money. I would like to know if I am wasting my time or not. What is it that you want me to do?"

"Right to the point then. I have no issue with that. Have you heard of Atlantis?"

"The new city being built?" Damion asked, he did not want to appear to know too much about Atlantis.

"That would be the one."

"What about it?"

"I would like you to apply to join Atlantis."

"You are being coy. Tell me clearly why you want me to join Atlantis and what you want of me."

"I want you to join Atlantis so that I might make use of you to open a Portal for me, so I might enter." From the man's aura, Damion could see fluctuations indicating he was not being truthful.

"You want me to open a Portal to let in your own Spatial mage."

"That would be ideal, yes." More fluctuations. Indications that the man was still not being truthful. This confused Damion, if the man did not want him to open a Portal to let his own Spatial mage in, who was he supposed to let in.

"What makes you believe I meet the requirements to move to enter Atlantis?"

"Meeting the requirements is easy, I will just adjust your Adventurer Association file to indicate you have a young child. Since you are listed as having only a D Rank Spatial affinity, they should not have any reason to decline your application."

"Altering Adventurer Association records is a serious crime," Damion said.

"Even just suggesting you want to do so would be enough to get you sentenced to the Crimson Order for a year."

"I assure you, there will be no traces of the alteration. My question to you is, will you do this?"

"You have asked me to do something for you but have yet to tell me how you will pay me."

"Ten aether coins. Not the equivalent gold or platinum deposited to your payment card, actual coins. The aether contained in those coins will be enough to propel even the most talentless person to reach S Rank."

"Payment up front," Damion told the Wind mage.

"Up front?" The man nearly choked. Even for him, acquiring that much money was not easy. Since he had no real intention of paying the Spatial mage, actually having the money on hand had not occurred to him.

"Once I open the Portal and you get whatever it is you want from that, you will no longer have any incentive to pay me, or to keep me around. And it isn't exactly like I can go to the Adventurer Association or Mage Association to accuse you of nonpayment of a debt, is it, Headmaster Sorin?" The man tensed, and Damion knew he was right. A moment later the Headmaster reached up and pulled off the mask artifact that was distorting his face.

"You are very perceptive. But do you think unmasking me was your best approach?"

"You need me. But before I do anything for you, I want payment and to know what your actual plan is."

"It is as I said, I want you to open a Portal to Atlantis."

"Of that I have no doubt. But why you want the Portal to Atlantis is what I want an answer to. If you can't at least be honest about that, why would I help you?"

"For money. But I see your point. I'll have your money in five days; I will send you the coordinates I want you to open a Portal to. Meet me there in five days."

"Agreed," Damion said, opening a Portal and stepping through, leaving Headmaster Sorin in the field alone.