The Dean looked at Shang.
"What do you want in exchange? This book is worth far more than I have invested in you," the Dean said.
"Is it?" Shang asked in an uncertain voice. "Without your help, I wouldn't have gotten that many points regardless."
"Sure," the Dean said, "but without my help, you would have still made about eight or nine points, and these eight or nine points have nothing to do with me. By gaining about eleven points or so, you would have already repaid everything I invested in you."
"But you gained 22."
"So, what do you want?"
After hearing the Dean put it like that, Shang agreed.
Yes, the Dean had helped him a lot, but Shang would have also gotten a lot of points without his help.
"There is something I want, but I don't know if you can help me get it."
"Tell me," the Dean said.
"Do you know about the Old King's Trial in the Wild Forest?" Shang asked.
The Dean nodded. "It opens once a year for only the most talented Adepts. The quota for joining the trial is heavily contested by all manners of big families."
Shang also nodded. "I recently found the trial on accident, and Sword told me that the very ore I seek can be found in there. It seems to be one of the rewards."
The Dean frowned as he scratched his goatee.
"That is truly very difficult," he said. "The Old King's Trial is only reserved for Mages, and the Trials in there are also designed to be completed by Mages."
"Even if you were allowed to enter, I doubt you would gain many points. After all, it isn't only Battle-Strength that's important in there. The trial also tests the mastery the Adepts have over their Elements and Spells. As someone with a warrior's body, you wouldn't get far."
"And with that comes the problem. If I could guarantee that you would get something out of the trial, it wouldn't be so hard to convince the others to let you participate."
"But I can't. Because of that, everyone will automatically assume that giving you a spot would be like throwing it out of the window."
"Imagine a room with ten people and three valuable gems. Everyone wants the gems. After a long time of deliberation and negotiation, three people get the gems."
"And then, one of them just destroys it."
"This will, naturally, draw the ire of everyone else."
"Additionally, Jerald doesn't have full control over the Old King's Trial just because it's inside his territory. His estate manages the Old King's Trial, but, officially, it belongs to the Skythunder Kingdom."
"The Skythunder King doesn't get involved in the Old King's Trial as long as there are no major complaints."
"But if he hears that a warrior was able to enter it, he will very likely become furious."
"Even if I give Jerald everything I own, he might not agree. This is something that can endanger his life and family," the Dean said.
Shang frowned.
He had already anticipated that getting him into the trial wasn't easy, but he hadn't expected it to be this difficult.
"So, there's no chance?" Shang asked.
The Dean scratched his goatee for a bit longer.
"Getting you into the Old King's Trial is impossible."
Then, the Dean looked at Shang.
"But you don't need to enter to get what you need."
Shang lifted an eyebrow.
"Tell me, Shang. Where did you get all the ore for your sword? Did you harvest it yourself?" the Dean asked.
Shang shook his head, and a moment later, he realized what the Dean meant.
The Dean noticed that Shang had realized what he meant.
"I'll talk to Jerald," the Dean said. "If I am willing to support his heir, Mattheo, he could maybe convince Mattheo to get the ore for you."
"Of course, the rewards from this trial are very valuable, and they could very well be the difference between someone becoming a True Mage and someone becoming a High Mage."
"Additionally, if Mattheo manages to get an amazing score, the value would only skyrocket."
"What if the ore is only worth one point since the ore probably has no use for a Mage, but Mattheo manages to gain ten points? Wouldn't he throw nine points away?"
Shang's brows furrowed.
This was difficult.
Getting this ore might endanger Mattheo's future.
"However," the Dean said slowly, "there might also be a possibility that Mattheo could convince someone less talented than him to help him. Of course, Mattheo would need to promise them quite a bit of wealth, and I should be able to handle that."
"Naturally, there will be many, many more problems with that, but that is something Mattheo and Jerald are very good at. They are politicians, and they live in this kind of world."
The Dean nodded. "Yes, I think we can make this work."
"Is that all you want for now?" the Dean asked.
Shang nodded. "Otherwise, I'm only interested in things that can increase my power. Techniques obviously won't work since I have to rely on my own, but I can use ore for my weapon and resources that increase my mastery of the basics of Magic. It would also help to have something that increases my Stage by a level."
The Dean nodded. "That's not a problem. I will go and talk to Jerald. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. Until then, wait here."
Shang nodded. "Thank you, teacher."
"This is a trade, not me helping you," the Dean said. "There are no thanks necessary."
After saying that, the Dean left the room to talk to Duke Whirlwind.
Shang remained in the room and further theorized how to incorporate the ranged attacks into his battle style with Sword.
And, sure enough, two hours later, the Dean returned.
Surprisingly, the Dean didn't look relaxed at all.
He had a solemn expression on his face.
"There is a cheap way and an expensive way," the Dean said. "I can handle both of them, and what he wants is well within the debt I owe you. Originally, I wanted to directly decline the cheap option, but I think you are powerful enough to make your own choice."
Shang lifted an eyebrow when he heard that.
"The things he wants for the expensive way are about 70% of what I owe you, but I can handle that. You will still gain all the support you need until you reach the Commander Stage. You will essentially get the ore, free of charge."
Shang didn't like what he was hearing. After all, why would the Dean prefer spending so much money if the cheap option didn't have some kind of caveat?
"And the cheap option?"
The Dean looked at Shang.
"Jerald wants you in his faction."
Shang's brows furrowed. "Faction? As in, political faction?"
The Dean nodded. "He wants you to take up a new identity in his new territory, the battlefield. He wants you to wear the Haze Mask for the duration you stay there and act as an informant for him."
"There are many traitors amongst our ranks, and he needs someone that can gain the trust of these traitors without arousing any suspicion. According to him, you have a certain aura of aggression and ruthlessness to you ever since you underwent the procedure, and he thinks that will make people think that you are someone that's willing to betray their faction."
"However, he knows you, and he knows that he can trust you with something like that."
"If you do that for him, he will get the ore for you, for free."
"Of course, you also have to show that you are worth the investment. If he's happy with your results in the battlefield, he will bestow further rewards."
Shang only looked at the Dean.
The Dean looked back.
"I feared that you would choose this option," the Dean said. "I assume my advice to not get involved in politics won't have an impact on your choice?"
Shang sighed. "It's just that I don't want to get something without working for it. I want to achieve my goals, not get them handed to me."
The Dean looked at Shang for a bit.
"You remind me too much of my younger self."
"Fine, the cheap option, it is," the Dean said.
"However, we need to make you unrecognizable, change your battle style, change your looks, and change your power. This will take about six months, but after that, everything should be fine."
"Let's start by getting you to the Early General Stage."
