Chapter 12

At this moment, the door to the reception room on the top floor of the Sage Tower was knocked on.

Inside the reception room, three people were sitting: an old man, a middle-aged man, and a young man. The old man was wearing a gray robe, with white hair and a thin, frail body. He sat there, occasionally coughing, looking as if his health was not good. In contrast, the middle-aged man sitting opposite him appeared much more spirited. His hair and beard were meticulously groomed, and although his clothes were neither luxurious nor ostentatious, the fine fabric and exquisite craftsmanship clearly indicated that they were the work of a master tailor, and the cost of this single piece of clothing might be enough to cover a common family's expenses for a year.

The young man sitting beside them looked to be under thirty, but what was shocking was the thin silver pattern around the cuffs of his black robe.

In other words, this was a Great Mage under thirty!

However, in this reception room, both the wealthy middle-aged man and the young Great Mage showed a respectful, even humble, attitude towards the old man.

Because the old man's name was Saruman, the President of the Mille Sails City Mage Guild and one of the three major figures of the Sage Tower.

In Mille Sails City, the three major figures of the Sage Tower were almost legendary. They rarely appeared in public, and in recent years, almost no one had seen them in action. People only knew that these three powerful mages, who jointly managed the Sage Tower, had already embarked on the path of Archmages over a decade ago, and their current strength was unfathomable.

Their existence was the true reason why the Sage Tower remained at the pinnacle of Mille Sails City. Challenging the Sage Tower was one thing, but facing the wrath of three Archmages was no laughing matter. After all, they were not kind and benevolent elders. The notorious Black Wing bandit group, which numbered in the thousands, was completely wiped out by these three with a single fire attack, leaving no survivors.

"Come in." The knocking on the door temporarily interrupted their conversation, and the old man had to give his two guests an apologetic smile.

"President Mengqi, Mage Ryan, I apologize for the interruption." The one who entered was a young mage in his thirties. If Lin Yun were here, he would definitely recognize this young mage, who had appeared in the library earlier, when Mason was taken away. At that time, he seemed to have glanced at Lin Yun with some curiosity.

After entering, the young mage first apologized to the two guests, then whispered a few words in Saruman's ear.

"Alright, I understand." After hearing the young mage's report, the old man only nodded and did not say much more. Instead, he gave the two guests an apologetic smile: "I'm truly sorry, President Mengqi. There was a bit of a problem at the library."

"The library?"

"The library?" Mengqi's eyelids twitched involuntarily when he heard this. Wasn't Mason at the library right now?

Mengqi knew very well what his son was like. He usually acted without much restraint, relying on the family's power. Recently, with Ryan's help, he had successfully advanced to Great Mage, and he was feeling quite pleased with himself. At the gathering of the seven major chambers of commerce, he had found an excuse to attack Rog Merlin's son, nearly causing a major disaster.

This time, Mengqi had spent a large sum of money and proposed a highly profitable cooperation plan to get this son into the Sage Tower's library. Before leaving, he had specifically instructed him that the Sage Tower was not an ordinary place and that he should be very cautious, so as not to cause trouble for himself and the family.

Thinking of the various possible scenarios, Mengqi couldn't help but feel a headache. Sometimes he really couldn't understand why there was such a big difference between his two sons. One was steady and shrewd, becoming a Great Mage at a young age, while the other only caused trouble and even needed his brother's help to advance to Mage.

This time, he would have to discipline Mason properly when he returned. Otherwise, who knew when he would cause a major problem for the family.

Mengqi hesitated for a while before finally asking with some difficulty: "President Saruman, is it about Mason...?"

"It's nothing, just a small issue." Saruman waved his hand, still smiling: "There was a bit of a minor disagreement between Mason and a young mage in the library, but it's nothing serious. Solon has already taken care of the situation."

"I'm truly sorry..." Mengqi apologized repeatedly while secretly breathing a sigh of relief. From Saruman's tone, it seemed that Mason had not provoked a mage from the Sage Tower. That was a relief. If that were the case, he could simply apologize to Saruman and show respect to the Sage Tower.

As for that young mage, it would be best if he knew his place. If he insisted on making trouble, the Mengqi family was not to be trifled with.

What truly mattered was the Sage Tower's attitude. From the current situation, it seemed there wouldn't be any major issues. After all, the cooperation plan he had proposed was very attractive to the Sage Tower, and at this critical moment, Saruman would likely give him some face.

As Mengqi had expected, Saruman quickly accepted his apology and showed no intention of holding Mason responsible. The conversation between them became more pleasant, and the content was no longer limited to the cooperation plan. Without the stiffness of official business, the atmosphere in the reception room gradually became more cordial, almost like a friendly chat.

At one point, Saruman even shared two of his own experiences. After all, Saruman had been on the path of Archmage for over a decade, and his experiences were themselves a legend. Both the immensely wealthy Mengqi and the young Great Mage Ryan, who had advanced to Great Mage before thirty, were greatly impressed.

When they left, Saruman even saw them to the door, a rare honor that might not happen for years.

After seeing off the Mengqi family, Saruman returned to the reception room. Solon, who had been waiting there, cautiously asked: "Teacher, should I go and pacify Mason?"

Solon thought that since his teacher had had a pleasant conversation with the Mengqi family, the Sage Tower and the Twin Moon Chamber of Commerce might start some cooperation. Therefore, it would be best to pacify Mason, who had just been expelled from the library, to avoid any negative impact on the upcoming cooperation. After all, he was Mengqi's son, and things shouldn't be made too difficult.

"Pacify him? Let him get lost!" To Solon's surprise, the old man said this directly after sitting down.

...

Should I tell you that I'm actually not asleep yet...