Chapter 78

It seemed that Darren Silvadore VIII was quite proud of his title as one of the youngest mages in the Staff Lord's Mage Guild, believing it showcased his extraordinary arcane talent.

"Beautiful lady, may I know your name?" He took Lady Daina's hand, bent down to kiss it.

Lady Daina naturally had a way to deal with such overly familiar men. She lightly pinched Darren's hand, shook it up and down, subtly turning the hand-kissing gesture into a handshake, and then quietly withdrew her hand.

"You can call me Lady Daina," she said.

Xiona's reaction was even more straightforward. Seeing him look at her, the ponytailed girl immediately took two steps back, standing behind Gordon, her face cold as ice.

"Brother, this man is very annoying, always staring at me," Xiona whispered in Gordon's ear.

"Uh..." Darren was taken aback, momentarily stunned. However, he still had some noble upbringing and did not lose his temper on the spot, only giving an awkward smile.

Then, he suddenly changed his expression, raising his head to say to Duro, "Boss, I want to buy five sea spirit stones, three large bags of tidal powder, five kilograms of Adorov seaweed, and ten liters of seawater collected from the Falling Star Sea on June 15th."

Among the items this Mage Darren was buying, sea spirit stones and tidal powder were very expensive alchemical materials, costing over a hundred gold coins in total. He felt that his generous spending should attract the attention of the two beautiful women. However, this time, Mage Darren miscalculated again. Lady Daina and Xiona did not even spare him a glance.

Darren glared at Gordon with hatred. Although the action was subtle, Gordon still noticed it.

After putting the purchased items into his dimensional bag, Darren Silvadore VIII left the shop in a huff.

"I really don't understand why Mage Darren isn't very friendly towards me," Gordon shrugged.

Duro winked, glancing at Xiona and Lady Daina, "Who can blame you for having two beautiful ladies by your side? If only I were younger and more handsome, and not just a small shop owner, Mage Darren would be jealous of me instead."

Gordon thought that if he had beautiful companions in the future, he should also invite Dorn. The young Lannister's handsome face and natural noble elegance would surely have a good mocking effect, drawing all the unwanted attention.

"Old friend, you are actually quite charming yourself. Your big beard might be very popular with dwarf beauties."

"Even though your flattery is laced with sour poison, I still happily accept it," Duro laughed, "But dwarf beauties are out of the question; they have more beards than I do."

The two of them joked with each other, and Gordon suddenly remembered something, saying, "By the way, is Mage Darren a regular customer of the shop? He seems to be quite generous with his spending."

Duro nodded, "Yes, that mage has visited our shop many times, always buying large amounts of alchemical materials, and spending generously."

"Can you show me his shopping list?"

Gordon knew that Duro had a good habit of recording everything his customers bought, no matter how insignificant.

"Wait a moment."

Duro waddled to the counter and quickly found a thick ledger. Due to the large number of shopping lists, the shop owner took a while to find Darren Silvadore VIII's records.

Gordon directly copied the shopping list.

After bidding farewell to Lady Daina, Gordon and Xiona also left "Duro's Treasure Box."

Back home, after dinner, Gordon went to his study and began to carefully study Darren Silvadore VIII's shopping list.

Today, when the mage was buying alchemical materials, Gordon had been observant. He noticed that most of the items the mage bought were related to water.

Robb Antello had entrusted Gordon to investigate the loss of control of the water elemental maid in Rainbow Spring Manor. The primary suspects were naturally the mages living in the manor.

Apart from the lord's guard stationed in the manor, the Mage Guild was another powerful force in the Staff Lord's hands. This team of fifty-two mages not only assisted the lord in suppressing enemies with military force but also served the lord in areas such as arcane research, enchanted equipment development and manufacturing, and intelligence gathering.

After carefully browsing through Darren's shopping list, Gordon found that in addition to some commonly used materials, there were some very "interesting" items.

For example, candles mixed with shadow thorn powder, mysterious plaster, Apalor incense, water elemental essence...

With his rich magical knowledge, Gordon naturally knew that these items were closely related to magical rituals involving "summoning," "outsider beings," and "control and contracts."

The suspicion on Mage Darren was growing...

That night, Gordon and Shellea enjoyed a long, passionate session. This time, Gordon remembered to close the windows and doors to avoid any negative influence on the young girls at home. After a satisfying night, Gordon fell asleep with the half-elf girl in his arms.

However, happy days are always short. Gordon's two-day holiday quickly passed, and the next afternoon, after lunch, he had to leave home and return to Rainbow Spring Manor.

Duro's promise to help him hire a driver was not immediately fulfilled, so Gordon had to summon a magical steed to travel.

Arriving at the elegant and distinctive entrance of Rainbow Spring Manor, which was filled with elven style, Gordon showed the Staff Lord's emblem to the guard and entered without any hindrance.

Not long after, he heard the rapid sound of wheels behind him and quickly moved his steed to the side of the road.

A luxurious two-horse carriage sped past Gordon at an extremely fast speed.

"Running so fast even in Rainbow Spring Manor, the owner of this carriage must be quite arrogant," Gordon thought.

Unexpectedly, the carriage stopped not far ahead. The door opened, and a mage dressed in fine clothing stepped out.

Darren Silvadore VIII.

Gordon did not expect the person in the carriage to be the one with the long and awkward name, who claimed to be one of the youngest mages in the Staff Lord's Mage Guild.

From the mage's demeanor, it was clear he was coming for him. However, Gordon did not think he had any connection with the other man, not even having spoken a word, let alone met him.

"Who are you? Why are you in Rainbow Spring Manor?" Darren asked arrogantly.

"It seems he's looking for trouble," Gordon guessed. In short, it was jealousy. In Duro's shop, Darren had tried to charm the two beauties but failed, while Gordon had been at ease with the two beauties, enjoying their affection—whether or not this was true, at least in Darren's eyes, it was.

The mage was not completely foolish and did not confront Gordon on the spot, knowing that would only lower his image in the eyes of the beauties. However, after encountering Gordon alone in Rainbow Spring Manor, Mage Darren felt that with his status, he could properly harass this unknown person and vent his anger.

Since Gordon had been living in Rainbow Spring Manor, he had been quite low-key, not moving around much, so it was normal that Darren did not recognize him.

Gordon was not a showy or arrogant person. When he saw Darren's carriage speeding in the manor, he only quietly moved aside. In fact, even if he had used a magic missile to destroy the carriage, causing Darren to experience a crash, it would not have been a big deal, and he would still have the upper hand if the matter reached the Staff Lord.

However, if someone provoked him, Gordon would not back down.

Seeing that Gordon did not speak, Darren sneered, "Heh, why aren't you talking? You must be some wild mage who used dark magic to deceive the guards and sneak into the manor, intending to harm the lord. Come with me to the mage guild's quarters, and we'll have a good 'talk.'"

Gordon sneered. This Mage Darren seemed to have a low IQ. With the guards' capabilities in Rainbow Spring Manor and Robb Antello's magical prowess, how could any criminal easily infiltrate the manor? Except for private areas like the hot springs and bedrooms—since the Staff Lord was not a pervert, he had no interest in his subordinates' or guests' bodies and privacy—most of Rainbow Spring Manor was under the lord's surveillance.

"Confess! Who are you?" Darren continued to press.

"Who am I?" Gordon straightened up on his horse, looking down, "I am Baron Gordon Freeman, not the son of a baron. I am Lord Robb Antello's personal magic assistant, not one of the youngest members of the mage guild."

Gordon's words were like two heavy slaps in Darren's face.

He still remembered the afternoon at "Duro's Treasure Box" when he had proudly shown his identity as the son of a baron and one of the youngest members of the Staff Lord's Mage Guild, feeling superior. But now, he was completely overshadowed.

You are the son of a baron? I am a baron myself.

You are one of the youngest members of the Staff Lord's Mage Guild with astonishing arcane talent? Sorry, I am personally chosen and hired by Lord Robb Antello himself. In terms of talent and the importance placed on me by my superior, you can't even catch up.

Especially, Gordon's high and mighty tone from his horse was like a leader scolding a subordinate, making Darren feel even more embarrassed.

"Damn, you're lying! Not only did you sneak into Rainbow Spring Manor, but you also impersonated the lord's personal magic assistant. I will make you pay!" Darren, deluding himself, glared at Gordon, gathering flame energy in his palm.

"Want to fight?" Gordon's lips curled, preparing himself.

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