Chapter 185: My Name Is Trist
“That’s a bounty issued by the Magic Research Society, mainly focused on knowledge transactions. The number 27 after the name is its codename at Traveler’s Respite, and the number in front of the task bar is the task number.” Delilah followed Anse’s gaze and explained with a smile.
27 is also the task classification number. The Magic Research Society gets to exclusively occupy an entire crystal task bar, a privilege most organizations don’t have.
“What organization is the Magic Research Society?” Anse asked. He had only heard of the Mage Guild and the Mages’ Guild.
“A society composed of spellcasters, with its headquarters apparently on Faerun continent of Toril, similar to the Mage Guild. It’s said to have several legendary spellcasters, but it mainly recruits wizards, not sorcerers.” Delilah said meaningfully.
“Actually… I’m a wizard.” Anse said flatly.
“That’s a cold joke.” Delilah clearly didn’t believe it.
A sorcerer’s talent can be perceived, and Anse’s such high charisma must mean he’s undoubtedly a sorcerer. Becoming a wizard is too far-fetched.
Anse didn’t argue, raising his finger to point at the first task and asking, “Has anyone taken that bounty?”
“Probably.” Delilah was a bit uncertain; she hadn’t paid attention to these.
Although she was also a wizard, orthodox wizards didn’t think much of her hybrid class, and with racial factors, she had almost no connection to organizations like the Mage Guild.
“I want to take this bounty.” Anse stepped toward the window below the crystal task bar.
“Hey,” Delilah quickly caught up with him, teasing, “You didn’t steal your mentor’s manuscript, did you? That doesn’t count; it requires personal authorization from the individual.”
“Heh, prejudice.” Anse waved his hand and walked straight to the quiet window.
Inside sat a young male human wearing a white robe. Seeing someone approach, he immediately turned his head and said in Common Tongue, “Taking a task or turning one in?”
“Taking a bounty, number 27-1039.” Anse reported the corresponding number from the task bar expressionlessly.
“Mm, mm?” The young waiter glanced at Anse, then lowered his head to carefully check the task book, then looked at Anse again, hesitating for a moment. “Sir, are you sure you want to take the spell model bounty task issued by the Magic Research Society?”
“Yes, any restrictions?” Anse pressed.
“No restrictions, anyone can take it, no registration needed. But this task requires on-site handover and verification. The representative from the task issuer is currently in Room 27. Will you complete the bounty now or wait a bit?” The young waiter was very patient.
He was just a waiter at Traveler’s Respite, not the owner. He couldn’t afford to offend any professional who came here.
“Now.” Anse nodded decisively.
“Do you have an identity plaque?”
“No.”
The waiter pulled out a platinum card from below and handed it to Anse. “Hold on to this. Number 9528. You can write your codename on the back. If lost, points reset to zero, no replacement, only a new one…”
Anse was stunned; he didn’t expect the process to be so simple, no information registration needed at all.
He took the card and immediately perceived a faint mana fluctuation. This was a magical item, with a simple sketch of an Astral Giant Ship Beast on the front and a row of numbers in the bottom right: 9528.
“I’ve already notified Room 27. Just follow the ghost.” The waiter tapped the glass bottle beside him, and a blue female ghost floated out, bleary-eyed.
It grabbed the task sheet from the waiter’s hand, floated over the counter, and flew straight to the other side, its expression dazed like sleepwalking.
Anse hurried to follow.
Delilah followed behind with great interest, her heart itching like cat scratches, increasingly curious.
The ghost proceeded along one side of the hall, passed through a door into a spacious corridor, then found Room 27 at the far end and rang the doorbell.
Moments later, the door opened silently, revealing a large room of several dozen square meters, luxuriously furnished with carpet, sofa, table and chairs, bookshelves, wine cabinet… all exquisite, made of unusual materials.
Anse stepped through the door and immediately perceived the active and steady mana in the room; the mana in his body also perked up.
‘No anti-magic field in the room, nice design.’ He nodded inwardly.
Behind the desk, an old man with white hair and beard looked up, his gaze skipping over the ghost and Delilah to land on Anse, his eyes filled with doubt.
The ghost casually tossed the task sheet on the desk, then floated to a sofa in the corner of the room, curled up, and fell into a deep sleep.
“Please sit, you two. You can call me Gianda.”
The old man seemed long accustomed to it, inviting them to sit, picking up the task sheet, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Anse. “You’re a wizard?”
Anse sat across from him, took out his spellbook from the dragonhide pouch without opening it, and concentrated on spellcasting.
“Unseen Servant”（ Netherese）
After the incantation, an invisible, mindless, shapeless medium force field appeared on the room’s carpet, pressing a dent into it.
‘Go pour me a cup of water.’ Anse issued a mental command.
The unseen servant slowly floated over, placed a teacup in front of Anse, then lifted the teapot and filled it with tea.
Gianda and Delilah beside him focused and sensed, their expressions growing more surprised. A first ring spell wasn’t rare, but proficiently using mana casting was extremely uncommon.
Mana casting had always existed, but it was exceedingly rare. With the Magic Net so convenient, why bother with the troublesome mana casting.
Creatures have limited lifespans and can’t afford delays; faster advancement to higher tiers is the proper path.
So this bounty had been out for weeks, receiving only dozens of spell models, most of which were hard to even cast, let alone stable, with poor results.
Seeing their reactions, Anse chuckled inwardly; this business should close today.
“Wizard Gianda, what do you think?”
“Very good. What’s your name, and who’s your mentor?” Gianda stroked his beard, smiling at Anse.
“I’m Trist, this isn’t taught by my mentor. Let’s talk price.” Anse needed a lot of money to get legendary equipment and local specialties.
Delilah’s mouth twitched; she looked at Anse speechlessly. He didn’t even put effort into a fake name, using the dark elf protagonist from epic tales—really messing with people’s minds.
Gianda’s expression unchanged, either unaware or uncaring, he pondered a moment. “As long as it can be normally cast, one thousand pounds of gold for a first ring spell model. If it reaches the level you just demonstrated, I’ll add another thousand pounds of gold.
Moreover, you’ll become a formal member of the Magic Research Society. Your spell model will receive knowledge protection, and you’ll share twenty percent of the benefits every time someone buys it, for a century.”
Anse’s eyes lit up. “How many members do we have?”
“Roughly over a hundred.” Gianda smiled slightly. “Spellcasters not in the society can also buy our spells, as long as they sign a confidentiality agreement.”
Anse took a deep breath, as if seeing a scene of money drowning him.
‘No, calm down, I only know a dozen spells.’ He steadied his mood; with his current low strength, he couldn’t be too showy.
He opened the dragonhide pouch, took out an Alarm spell scroll, and placed it on the desk. “Wizard Gianda, this is the Alarm spell scroll I just copied. Take a look.”
Gianda carefully unrolled the scroll, his eyes growing brighter, a smile spreading uncontrollably across his face.
The Magic Research Society had received some good spell models lately, but none were as exquisite, concise, aesthetically pleasing, and highly mature as this; it didn’t seem hastily constructed.
‘Maybe from some traditional wizard lineage that insists on mana casting. I knew it, I knew it…’
