Chapter 19

"Frankly, I must say that your decision is quite bold, giving me, a low-level mage, forty percent of the store's revenue just like that?" Gao Dun was very surprised at Du Luo's decision. He couldn't see where this bear-like, honest little boss got his courage and determination from.

"I trust my judgment. If I'm wrong, it's just my bad luck." Du Luo spread his hands and laughed easily, "You know, even though I've put on weight, I'm still an adventurer at heart. For the former Flame Hammer Warrior Du Luo, life is an adventure. To be able to live a comfortable old age, I don't mind taking a risk."

"Since that's the case, then let's have a pleasant partnership, Mr. Du Luo."

The young mage urgently needed money to improve his life and pay off his loans. The middle-aged shopkeeper wanted to become a tycoon and didn't mind taking a risk. The two of them could be said to have hit it off immediately.

However, the specific details of the partnership still needed to be discussed.

The two spent the afternoon in a small study, drafting a cooperation agreement, and then went together to the temple of the Law God Elasius.

In this grand and solemn building made entirely of marble, similar to the highest court in Gao Dun's world, Gao Dun and Du Luo signed the contract under the witness of a priest.

From then on, Gao Dun would not only receive forty percent of the revenue from "Du Luo's Treasure Chest" but also receive various alchemical and enchantment materials from Du Luo for free. Of course, all the finished products made using Du Luo's materials would have to be sold by "Du Luo's Treasure Chest."

After leaving the temple of Elasius, Gao Dun, who had just risen from a fallen noble to the bourgeoisie, was in a very good mood, and Du Luo was even more excited, pulling Gao Dun into a high-end restaurant called "We Only Do Seafood" to celebrate.

Lemon cod, rosemary lobster, garlic roasted oysters, special seafood risotto, plus a large bottle of cherry brandy to add to the festive atmosphere, this delicious meal really relaxed Gao Dun.

As a mage, to remain clear-headed at all times, Gao Dun almost never drank. After a small sip, the rest of the large bottle of brandy was almost all consumed by Du Luo.

Drinking too much, Du Luo also talked a lot. From constantly boasting about his glorious battle achievements of smashing the heads of four ogres with a flaming warhammer, to his future plans of retiring on Bright Pond Island in the Falling Star Sea and hiring dozens of blonde maids to serve him, the fat boss chattered on and on, finally turning the topic to Gao Dun.

"Gao Dun, my brother..." Du Luo said. Since the two had established a partnership, Du Luo's address to Gao Dun had evolved from "Mr." to "brother."

"Your Vigor Ring is a genius work. How many do you think we can sell in Bluewater City? A thousand, or ten thousand? If it's ten thousand, that's at least 300,000 gold coins in profit! Ah, 300,000 gold coins, that's enough to buy a baron's land, or bury me alive a thousand times..."

Gao Dun didn't know why Du Luo would use "bury me alive a thousand times" as a bizarre way to measure the amount of gold, but he still decided to pour cold water on Du Luo: "You're too optimistic, my friend. In Bluewater City, I estimate that there won't be more than five hundred people who can afford and are willing to buy the Vigor Ring."

"Five hundred people, so few?" Du Luo sobered up immediately.

"Bluewater City has a population of 100,000. The wealthy class with an annual income of more than 500 gold coins, calculated at five percent, is 5,000 people. Among these 5,000 people, the adult males who need the Vigor Ring and are willing to spend money on it are roughly one-tenth." As a seasoned gamer, Gao Dun was quite sensitive to data.

He counted on his fingers, and Du Luo listened intently.

"I'm only calculating the permanent residents of Bluewater City. If we include the transient population—of course, not considering adventurers and mercenaries, I mean the merchants who come to Bluewater City to purchase minerals, furs, and timber from the northern regions—the potential customer base for the Vigor Ring could increase by about 300 people. This is the customer base from which we can make money in the short term. As the ring's reputation spreads, the nobles in the surrounding estates and castles will be our next potential targets."

Gao Dun continued to paint a rosy picture for Du Luo: "However, Far Frost Province, as the largest but poorest area in the northern empire, constantly facing threats from orcs and barbarians, has an underdeveloped commercial sector. Our main stage for action is in the south. There, the foolish and wealthy nobles outnumber the goblins in the barren tundra. And across the sea, the rich desert oases, the land of milk and honey, the two desert empires of Benalat and Muland are in constant warfare, with severe casualties among adult males, leading to a gender imbalance. It's said that even ordinary civilians there can marry four wives, let alone the nobles with numerous wives. I believe that the desert men, who are almost drained by women, will be very interested in the Vigor Ring."

Du Luo wiped the alcohol from his beard: "After hearing your analysis, I have a specific idea for the store's development. I was too naive and too eager for quick success before. If possible, I really want to hand over the management to you and just be a leisurely rich man who collects money every month."

"However, this is just a poor joke." Du Luo laughed heartily. He knew that as a mage, Gao Dun couldn't possibly devote most of his energy to running the store.

The two walked out of the restaurant, and Du Luo unfastened a money bag from his waist and handed it to Gao Dun: "This is your share of the September income."

September had just passed, and the agreement between Gao Dun and Du Luo was to take effect from October. Du Luo's gesture was purely giving Gao Dun money for free.

Regardless of whether it was to further win him over or purely to show goodwill, Gao Dun, who was short of money, accepted the money bag with a smile: "Pleasant partnership."

"Pleasant partnership, may the goddess Waukeen bless us." Du Luo waved to Gao Dun, belched, and turned to leave.

Du Luo's money bag contained 100 gold coins. Adding the 200 gold coins Gao Dun had received from Mendoza, he now had 300 gold coins in total. Gao Dun decided to spend all these gold coins.

To accumulate wealth, increasing income is much more important than saving. He believed that as long as he operated "Du Luo's Treasure Chest" with care, gold coins would soon roll in. Keeping these gold coins in his pocket was not as good as spending them to enhance his personal strength. Gao Dun needed to learn more spells and gain more experience by reading books.

Reaching level five and learning third-level spells was a huge hurdle for mages, and Gao Dun had to cross it as soon as possible.

However, after browsing through several famous bookstores in the city, Gao Dun didn't find the books he wanted. He thought for a moment and decided to visit the Mage Guild.

The Mage Guild was not a tightly organized group; its main function was to provide a place for mages to exchange ideas and a credible trading platform.

The Mage Guild in Bluewater City was located in the southeast corner of the city, a three-story building that was neither new nor old. It was not particularly noticeable among the surrounding buildings, which suited the mages' low-key and quiet nature. There was no text sign at the entrance, only the holy emblem of the Magic Goddess Mystra. On the emblem, a red mist flowed like a river from the center, surrounded by seven blue-white stars.

Gao Dun pushed open the tightly closed door, and the high-suspended holy emblem of Mystra immediately emitted a transparent magical wave. Gao Dun felt as if his whole body had been washed by magical light. There were no strong, fierce guards or shiny swords, but Gao Dun believed that the defensive power of the Mage Guild would not be inferior to that of the Bluewater City Lord's residence.

After passing through a long, quiet corridor, Gao Dun arrived at the guild hall. Three or five people in mage robes were gathered in a corner, whispering. The fragmented sounds echoed in the spacious hall.

A young man walked up. Gao Dun guessed he was probably a receptionist.

"Welcome, Master of Second-Level Arcana, Third-Level Mage." The young man smiled, "This is your first visit to the Mage Guild, right? Do you want to go through the membership procedures? For just five gold coins, you can become a formal member of the Mage Guild and enjoy all the guild's services."

The holy emblem at the entrance probably had some kind of detection magic attached to it. With a light scan, the guild staff could know Gao Dun's level and magical prowess.

Five gold coins were a large sum for the former Gao Dun. But now, the well-off穿越者爽快地把钱交给了年轻男人。收了钱之后，年轻男人递给高登一张表格，让他填写。高登能感觉到表格上传来淡淡的能量波动。没想到这么一张不起眼的纸片都是魔法物品，看来五个金币的入会费真不算贵。

表格的内容很简单，只有姓名、种族、等级、信仰四栏。前三项高登流利地刷刷填完，但在第四栏时，他犹豫了一下。在这个世界，非邪恶的施法者，信仰魔法女神密斯特拉的最多，而其他一些特定的群体，也有自己独有的信仰。精灵法师一般信仰柯瑞隆，半身人幻术师偏爱莎罕妮，而秉承秩序之路的亡灵法师，则往往投入鸦后的怀抱。

信仰在这个世界是十分重要的事情，因为如果没有信仰，人死后灵魂会被钉在无信者之墙上，经受永恒的折磨。而选择了信仰，不但关系着人生一世的行为准则，还影响到死后能否进入神国。

高登仔细浏览了一番记忆中这个晶壁系的诸多神祗之后，在表格上写下了“艾欧恩”。

“哦，原来是知识与理性之神的信徒，您来自烛堡吗？”

“不，我是北地土生土长的原住民。”

年轻人点点头，将表格递给柜台。高登看到一个女人接过表格，拿到一张黑曜石魔法工作台前。她念动咒语，工作台上的一个水晶球爆发出一阵彩虹色光芒，那张表格便消失得无影无踪。

“登记完毕，这是您的身份徽记。”年轻人将一个圆圆的金属徽章递给高登，“以后请在您等级晋升之后，及时来法师公会更新信息。需要带您参观一下这里吗？”

“有劳了。”高登点头。

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Gao Dun handed the money to the young man without hesitation. After receiving the money, the young man gave Gao Dun a form to fill out. Gao Dun could feel a faint energy fluctuation coming from the form. He didn't expect such an unremarkable piece of paper to be a magical item, so the five gold coins for membership really wasn't expensive.

The content of the form was simple, with only four sections: name, race, level, and faith. Gao Dun filled in the first three sections smoothly, but he hesitated at the fourth section. In this world, non-evil spellcasters mostly worship the Magic Goddess Mystra, while other specific groups have their own unique faiths. Elven mages generally worship Corellon, halfling illusionists favor Sharess, and necromancers who follow the path of order often pledge themselves to the Raven Queen.

Faith is a very important matter in this world, as without faith, a person's soul will be nailed to the Wall of the Faithless, suffering eternal torment. Choosing a faith not only influences one's behavior in life but also affects whether one can enter the divine realm after death.

After carefully reviewing the various deities in this crystal sphere, Gao Dun wrote "Ioun" on the form.

"Oh, so you are a follower of the God of Knowledge and Reason. Are you from Candlekeep?"

"No, I am a native of the North."

The young man nodded and handed the form to the counter. Gao Dun saw a woman take the form and bring it to an obsidian magic workbench. She chanted a spell, and a crystal ball on the workbench burst into a rainbow of light, and the form disappeared without a trace.

"Registration complete. Here is your identity emblem." The young man handed Gao Dun a round metal badge, "Please come to the Mage Guild to update your information when you advance in level. Would you like a tour of the place?"

"Thank you." Gao Dun nodded.