Chapter 49

In the morning, during breakfast, only Xeona appeared in the dining room. It was only after Gordon asked her that he learned Shelia had returned to her bedroom, tossing and turning, unable to sleep all night, and only fell into a deep sleep at dawn.

"It seems that being interrupted during a good thing is not only hard on men but also on women," Gordon mused.

However, Gordon didn't have the time to revisit last night's intimacy with Shelia. After finishing his breakfast, he prepared to go to the city council to report to Lord Julian, the mayor.

The city council was in the northern part of the city, and getting there from the noble district required crossing almost half the city. Already exhausted from staying up late, Gordon didn't want to walk there on foot. He should have bought a carriage and hired a driver; it would have made travel much more convenient.

But such a minor issue wasn't a problem for a mage. Gordon had learned many spells recently, though they were mostly low-level first and second circle spells. Despite their low level, they had various uses and could be quite useful in specific situations.

He took a pinch of horse mane from his pocket as a material component and then cast the first-level Conjuration spell "Summon Mount," which summoned a light riding horse. Gordon mounted the horse and tried it out, finding that the summoned creature was even more responsive to control than an ordinary horse.

As the son of a knight noble, the previous owner of the body had left behind decent riding skills. Gordon spurred the horse forward, riding down the bustling main street.

After the Harvest Festival, most of the citizens of Bishui City were still asleep, and the streets were almost empty except for the cleaners.

As he passed a pottery shop, a distant rumbling sound, like a muffled thunder, suddenly came from afar. Moments later, a massive shadow broke through the morning autumn mist and charged straight toward Gordon.

It was a giant bear, standing over two meters tall on all fours and weighing at least as much as four strong warhorses. From its thick, dense white fur, it was clear that this was a Frost Giant Bear. Its claws glowed with a faint ice-blue flame, and its two large red eyes were filled with rage and madness.

Gordon could even feel the summoned mount trembling in fear before the giant bear.

"How could a giant bear suddenly appear in the center of a bustling city?" Gordon wondered. But he didn't have time to think about it, as the fierce beast was clearly charging straight at him.

"I wish I were a druid..." This unique giant bear was likely a pet of some wealthy person or noble. Gordon thought it best to subdue rather than kill it to avoid unnecessary trouble. However, he hadn't learned any Mind-Affecting spells that could control animals, making it difficult to achieve his goal.

Gordon thought for a moment and took out a small piece of rope from his mage robe. As he chanted a spell, he threw the rope forward. Under the influence of magic, the rope grew several dozen times its original length and moved as if it had a life of its own. Under Gordon's mental command, one end of the animated rope securely tied around a sword-leaf pine tree, while the other end tightly wrapped around a large stone block on the street.

The mad Frost Giant Bear didn't notice Gordon's makeshift tripwire. As it moved at high speed, its front limbs were suddenly tripped by the magic-reinforced rope.

The massive creature, weighing over three tons, crashed to the ground, sending dust flying. The enormous inertia caused the bear to crash into the pottery shop, causing a loud clatter.

The shop owner was really unlucky.

Gordon quickly cast two more animated ropes to tie up the bear's four limbs, rendering it unable to move.

"Using the animated rope for the second time, and it's on a fat bear. This once again goes against my original intention for learning spells."

"Quick! Flame Claw is out of control again! If we don't subdue it quickly, it might hurt others!" a worried female voice called out.

Gordon looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall, almost equally tall girl running over. She wore a wild leather skirt and leather jacket, revealing a flat, muscular abdomen and long, slender legs. She ran like a beautiful female leopard, her silver hair fluttering in the wind.

She ran so fast that the ten fully armed cavalrymen following her had to urge their horses to keep up.

"Looks like the daughter of some noble. But her attire is a bit unconventional..." Gordon didn't want to get involved in any more trouble, so he pulled up his collar to cover half his face and quietly left.

The silver-haired girl glanced at Gordon but didn't seem to care.

After this small incident, Gordon finally arrived at the city council on time. It was a four-story stone building with a grand central tower, including a circular council hall that could accommodate three hundred people and was the main office of the city government. However, the councilors only had the right to propose and discuss matters, not to vote. The true governing power still rested with Lord Julian, the Earl of Bishui, who ruled over the city and five towns.

Perhaps Earl Julian believed that setting up the position of city councilor, like a mascot, could appease the minor nobles and satisfy their desire to participate in governance, which would help consolidate his rule. However, Gordon didn't care about these things; after all, this world had all sorts of peculiar political systems.

Gordon dismounted in front of the smooth, tall stone doors of the council and snapped his fingers, causing the mount to be dismissed back to its plane.

The two guards at the door, witnessing this, were taken aback. They thought to themselves, "Who is this powerful mage? He doesn't use a regular carriage and instead luxuriously spends a spell slot to summon a mount?"

Even powerful mages who mastered various flying, teleportation, or summoning fast mounts spells wouldn't use them for travel unless necessary. Normally, mages preferred to use the same transportation as ordinary people. This was because spell slots were the foundation of a mage's power and shouldn't be wasted. In unknown dangerous situations, mages generally reserved their limited spell slots for the most important spells.

Doran Lannister's use of a polymorph spell to satisfy his bedroom needs was undoubtedly luxurious. However, Gordon's use of a summoned creature to save effort was also considered a serious waste in the eyes of others—why use a spell slot to summon a mount in a city with no danger?

Of course, for Gordon, who cast spells using mana, this wasn't a big deal.

A guard bowed to Gordon and respectfully asked, "Respected Mage, what brings you here?"

"I am Gordon Freeman, and I have an appointment with the mayor."

At that moment, a face appeared on the smooth surface of the porch. It opened its mouth and said, "Mr. Gordon Freeman, Earl Julian is waiting for you in his office on the third floor."

Well, many mages added such a doorman-like function to their front doors using spells, but please don't be so scary! If a talking face suddenly appeared on a wall at night, it would really scare people to death.

Seeing that Gordon had an appointment, the guards stepped aside.

When Gordon entered the luxurious office on the top floor with a good view of the entire Bishui City, Earl Julian was standing with his hands behind his back, looking out the window—perhaps these powerful figures enjoyed the feeling of being high up and in control.

"Good morning, Mr. Freeman," Earl Julian turned around with a warm smile and approached Gordon. "I have already learned about you through Doran, and you should know who I am. So let's skip the formalities and get to the point."

He opened a drawer in his desk, took out a heavy money bag, and threw it to Gordon.

"This is your reward," the mayor said, stroking his fine mustache. "A citizen who exposes the conspiracy of traitorous merchants and protects the empire's interests deserves a reward."

Gordon glanced into the money bag and saw about 500 gold coins' worth of gems.

This was a large sum of money, equivalent to a mid-level official's annual income in Bishui City. However, for Gordon, it was just ten days' profit from "Duro's Treasure Chest"—it seemed that adventurers' money was indeed the easiest to earn if you found the right method.

After putting the money bag away, Gordon thanked the earl and waited quietly for his next words. If it were just about giving him money, there would have been no need to summon him personally.

As the mage had guessed, Earl Julian took out a document tied with a red ribbon and handed it to him. "You demonstrated sufficient ability yesterday. I believe Bishui City needs someone like you. If you are willing to accept this appointment, please sign your name in the lower right corner."

"Market Magic Inspector." Gordon silently read the new position offered by the earl. Due to the active adventurers, Bishui City's commercial activities had increased, and a large number of magical items had flooded the market. There was a need for professionals to inspect whether illegal merchants were selling dangerous magical items that could have serious consequences—especially those related to the Abyss and the undead.

This position was not high-ranking, equivalent to a district captain in the police department, a mid-level position in the government. However, due to the need for extensive magical knowledge and appraisal skills, few people could handle it. Additionally, because of the nature of the work, it was easy to gain additional benefits from merchants, making it a highly sought-after and lucrative position.

"The mayor values me quite a bit," Gordon thought, picked up a pen, and was about to sign his name on the appointment.

Suddenly, arcane energy rippled through the room. A silver-white portal opened in the center of the luxurious office, and a middle-aged man in a gold-threaded magic robe and a neat suit walked out. He held a platinum staff, and his square face exuded a natural authority.

"Lord Antelio, you're using the Teleport Again spell again. Can't you use the front door to come here?" Earl Julian looked at the middle-aged man, helpless.