Luke had just said the truth of the magic world, not just the world of blacksmiths. If this item were purchased by a 2nd stage blacksmith at the auction, there would certainly be a dispute afterward.
Most magicians had to deal with such things sooner or later in their journeys.
Disputes over resources were common, and financial power would never be enough for one to own something.
Only with strength could one stand up before others and publicly own something of value!
"I see," Vicente commented with a thoughtful expression. "And what happens then? Let's say we are successful. What would our relationship be like then?"
Lukas liked Vicente's question because it showed that this guy in front of him wanted to have a deeper relationship after that, just like him.
The blond guy said. "We can team up and work together, Vicente. I'm going to become an Acolyte soon. Considering your score in the Association, I think you will too.
If we join forces, we can set up our own shop in the province. Millfall is already saturated with blacksmiths, but there are other cities where we can develop our skills.
At the same time, I have allies in my group who could also become your allies. I don't know what your plans are as a merchant, but like everyone else, you need alchemists, doctors, etc., right? I have some very promising contacts.
In Polaris Realm, as on Earth, one had more tremendous potential if one started early in a particular field than if that happened more lately.
As a result, low-level professionals could be more valuable than higher-level professionals with the same talent level.
Why was that?
After a certain age, which could vary depending on the magician's level and talent, one would miss the best time to improve one's strengths and understanding of the world. Then, it would naturally be harder to reach one's peak.
For example, among two people with Green talent, the youngest one with the highest level for his age was the most interesting to work with, even considering someone at a higher level.
The younger one could grow faster and reach an even higher level than the one who was already at a higher level.
Because this was the case in this and other worlds, Vicente knew the value of Lukas' contacts. Besides, he already knew that Lukas had partners in various fields and with good levels of talent.
Lukas didn't have the support of a family of blacksmiths, so he needed good contacts. If he had access to some of these people, Vice could make important allies for his family's future!
"That's interesting. I'm very interested in making contacts with local talented people." He said, looking down at the floor of the conference room he and Lukas were in.
'It would be great if my family had its own doctors, alchemists, and blacksmiths.' Vicente's eyes narrowed as he imagined that winning new allies could be the first step to turning them into mafia members in the future.
It wouldn't be hard to convince them to steal and join a group that acted against the law. The basic rule of this society made magicians more tolerant and accepting of the idea of taking what they wanted from their targets.
'I can't always rely on professionals from outside my group. A good mafia family has its own professionals who work exclusively for it.' He clenched his fists, feeling that this deal with Lukas would be perfect for him.
And even blacksmiths would be needed in his group. As much as he could easily create things with his skills, he was only one. Could Vice deal with the problems of his weapons in places hundreds of kilometers away from him?
Even with 100% efficiency, his weapons would need maintenance one day, which might not be so interesting for the head of the family to be responsible for.
Looking at Lukas and imagining that such a guy could produce weapons of the same quality as he could, Vicente grinned. "Okay, I'm willing."
Lukas smiled when he heard that. As valuable as he was to Vice, Vicente was also valuable to him.
Lukas couldn't be everywhere at once, nor did he have the time to do everything he thought he could.
With a blacksmith as capable as he was, he could greatly improve the outcome of his production and even learn more quickly.
"Okay, let's meet with the rest of my allies in three days to talk about it..."
Lukas started to speak, but Vice interrupted him. "That won't work. I won't be in Millfall in three days."
"Do you have to travel?" Lukas frowned.
"Yes, but if you don't mind, I can send Rory instead. He can arrange things with you while I'm gone."
"The redheaded guy?" Lukas remembered Rory.
Seeing Vice nod, he said. "Very well. Ask him to meet me here at the Association in three days. I'll bring him to our meeting to introduce my other allies, and we'll talk about our plans.
But will you be in town for the auction? There isn't much time left. Depending on where you plan to go now, there may not be time to come back and participate."
"Don't worry, I will be in town. I'll be out of Millfall for a month at the most."
"Is that right? Then it's okay." Lukas sighed.
"Anyway, is your family involved?" Vice asked.
"No. Not even my sister, so don't talk to her about it. Anyway, she seems to like you." He smiled. "She said you and your friend were friendly."
Seeing the look on Lukas' face, Vice understood that this was a protective brother. "Don't worry about us. We just went shopping that day. But your sister is very sociable. You'd better keep her out of this. Involving family in such things never works out."
"I'm aware of that." He said as he stood up with a sigh. "Anyway, I won't stand in your way anymore. You're here to study, right? Get on with it. I've got some things to take care of too."
"Hmm, see you later. I'm looking forward to hearing what Rory says about this meeting."
With those words, the two went their separate ways, with Vicente quickly returning to his goal of coming to this building this morning.
As he did so, Shelby moved her allies to help Vicente at the Martial Court, and some local nobles took the pressure off the members of that tribunal.
Vicente's men worked hard to restore their leader's image and get back to business as usual.
But while allies and members of the Mazzanti family were acting on behalf of the group, the Symons family was in opposition, and Marcus stood up to hunt down the person who almost killed him!
