Chapter 200: Hire (1)
"Now, if you’ll excuse me..." Ivan bowed and left.
Angele carefully closed the gate of the garden and applied some energy particles to the handles. It was the easiest way to set up an alarm. Some strong Wizard had certain spells that could help guard a small area for a certain duration. Spells like those were effective, but an energy stone was required to support them.
Angele still had a long way to go. He still needed to learn more and collect more materials.
He returned to the house and started checking all the delivered materials. The heart of the tree and Black Rose Oil were two main components of the Tree Killer potion, and he still needed to find some supplementary materials.
Angele already finished purifying the Black Rose Oil when he was still on the ship. He put it in a small bottle and kept the bottle in the pouch. The size of the heart was huge but after the purification process, only a small amount of essence was left.
The purification was boring and complicated, but he had to stay focus.
Angele spent a long time to clean the ten boxes of the heart of the tree and after the purification, he only acquired a small tube of essence solution.
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Ten days later...
In the morning, the clean sunlight penetrated the tree leaves and dropped onto the land. A golden glint was left on the grasses and the surface of the lake.
Beside the lake outside the house, a young man in a gray robe led a group people toward the white house after passing through the trees. The group members’ genders varied; some were wearing metal armor pieces and some were wearing gray robes.
The leading man stopped in front of the fence and turned around.
"This is Wizard Green’s house. You all signed the contract, but you still need to prove to him that you’re capable of completing various tasks. Otherwise, he might ask you to leave right away." He warned in a deep voice, "Also, watch your word choices. From what I know, Wizard Green is kind and easy to talk to, but if you somehow offend him, I don’t know what he’ll do."
One of the young male apprentices stepped forward and nodded.
"I know, Ivan. Let’s enter the house first. I’ll show my respect to him for sure, don’t worry."
The rest of the group remained silent, only glancing around and checking the surroundings.
There was a girl with a blonde ponytail wearing a brown leather suit in the group. There was a blank expression on her face, and she was staring straight at the door of the house. The girl’s leather suit was covered in scratches and the edges were no longer sharp. It was clearly worn out.
The girl’s face was pale. She stood there steadily with her right hand on the handle of her crossguard sword, giving off the impression that she was nervous.
It was Nancy, who had just signed the contract from Angele.
The two apprentices beside Nancy kept a distance from her, trying to avoid any contact with the girl.
Ivan’s brow furrowed as he saw Nancy in the group.
‘Why did Wizard Green offer her a contract...?’ A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes but showed nothing on his face.
Ivan turned around and looked at the window of the house. There was a man standing on the second floor while looking at the group.
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in Ivan’s ear.
"Send them in one by one. I think I need to do some simple test."
Ivan nodded and turned around again.
"Master Green wants to test your ability. Enter the house one by one. Who wants to go first?" He glared at the group and questioned with a light tone.
"I’ll go first." A man with a mustache stepped forward. He was wearing a silver metal armor suit and his hair was covered by a white scarf. The man had a brown wooden longbow and a black quiver on his back.
He quickly opened the gate and walked to the house.
The door opened by itself as the man approached.
After several minutes, the man walked out of the door with a depressed look on his face.
"What happened? Nicotine?" a female Knight asked in a low voice. It seemed like the two knew each other.
The man with mustache shook his head but did not say anything, as he quietly left the place.
The female Knight pursed her lips and looked at the house.
"I’ll go next!" She stepped forward.
The rest of the group was getting anxious. It seemed like the test given by Wizard Green was difficult, since the first one was already sent back.
Nancy stood by the side. Her grip on the sword handle tightened. She needed the job badly. Although the people from Labyrinth College would not do anything to her in Nola, they could still keep spreading the rumor.
Nancy already stayed in Nola for several years, but no one wanted to hire her. The comment left on her information page made people think that hiring her was too risky. Nancy already spent most of the money she brought here and she wanted to hunt the mutated beasts in the forests, but those beasts were way too strong for her. She was hurt during one of the hunts and the injuries were still affecting her.
She had to spend more money on purchasing healing gels. The enchanted items she had were broken during the fights with the people from the Labyrinth College, and she did not even have the money to fix the high-quality leather suit that she was wearing.
Although the average salary in Nola was high, it still meant nothing if she could not find a real job. The tracking seed planted on her body would alert the members of the college if she tried to leave Nola. The best way to escape the chase was to rent a boat, but the private boats were controlled by the three major organizations, and the merchant ship at the dock was never a safe option.
The second option was to be hired by a formal Wizard.
A formal Wizard could help her rent a boat inside the major organization’s territory and the magic stones could be used to purchase more healing gels.
Nancy shook her head and stopped thinking.
Time passed. Another apprentice left the door of the house and was sent back. She quickly stepped forward.
"I’ll go next."
Only six people were left, including Nancy.
Four people already failed the test. It seemed like the Wizard named Green had high standards.
Also, there were two girls with pretty faces and sexy bodies in the people who failed the test. Evidently, Wizard Green did not care about their appearances.
The rest of the group felt relieved after Nancy stepped forward.
Nancy made sure her clothes were clean. The leather suit was the only high-quality gear she had. Although it was becoming worn out, it showed that she had many practical experiences in combat. Formal Wizards loved to hire people who had battle experiences.
She entered the gate and walked past the garden, carefully pushing the door open after reaching the house.
Nancy walked in quickly.
The living room was dark, all the curtains were closed.
A man sat on a sofa on the left side of the room gingerly sipping a warm beverage.
Nancy finally had a clear view of the man on the sofa after her eyes adapted to the darkness.
It was a young man wearing a dark red leather suit. His brown hair was short and there was a silver glint on his skin. The man had an average looking face, but his skin was clean and smooth. Nancy could feel the pressure just by looking at man’s cold expression.
"Your name is Nancy? Nancy Aria?" The man raised his head and glared at her. A light golden glow surrounded his eyes, almost as if the man was not human.
For some reason, Nancy felt the man’s voice sound familiar and his accent had a hint of Rudin.
"Yes, my name is Nancy Aria. I’m here to take the test. Actually, I really need the job. If you can hire me, I’ll be willing to lower my salary. 20 magic stones would be enough." Nancy was a bit confused. Nevertheless, she bowed to the man and replied in a low voice. This was the only chance she had, so she decided to lower her salary.
"So, it is you. I’m Angele. Angele Rio. Do you remember me?" The man stood up and smiled.
"Angele?" Nancy hesitated. She stared at the man in front of her, looking confused.
"Wait...that Angele?!" She suddenly remembered the young noble man that cured her wound on the ship. Nancy hesitated because the Wizard named Green had a pair of golden eyes and she had already forgotten what the young man looked like after so many years.
However, the man said his name was Angele Rio and his accent sounded familiar.
It was probably not a coincidence.
"Sorry, master Green, you’re joking, right? I don’t know why you mentioned his name, but it’s not funny..." Nancy was breathing heavily. She took a deep breath trying to calm down. What just happened was shocking to her, and she was trying to figure out if this was the test.
"I’m not joking." Angele shook his head and stared at Nancy.
Blonde ponytail, clean and pretty face, and brown tight leather suit with white tight pants.
Her long slim legs and large breast caught Angele’s attention. It almost felt like nothing had changed, as the girl still looked gentle and elegant.
Angele suddenly wanted to hug her. He had not met someone from the old days for a while.
He calmed down and stared at Nancy.
"I have no time to tell jokes. Tell me. What happened to Andes Alliance? Was there a war going on? And how is the Marua Harbor?" Angele questioned in a deep tone.