Refusal

Black Fortress is a frontier city on the eastern border of the Lisia Alliance, near the Gloomy Mountain Range.

It's more accurate to call it a fortress than a city.

Black Fortress is home to two thousand Lycian soldiers and three thousand adventurers and mercenaries from within and outside Lycia.

As for local residents and traveling merchants, the total number did not exceed five thousand.

Upon arriving at Black Fortress, Saine parted ways with the mercenary group, including Haishan.

To Saine's surprise, before he even left Black Fortress, someone came knocking on his door.

"You are Master Saine, aren't you?" A Intermediate Magic Apprentice dressed in a yellow robe appeared before Saine, accompanied by two low-level apprentices.

The three apprentices in front of me bore the distinct military insignia of the Lisia Alliance.

In other words, regardless of which noble family they served, they were at least Mage working for the Lycian military.

These three apprentices came specifically to win over Saine.

From the moment Saine entered Black Fortress, his status Advanced Apprentice attracted the attention of those with ulterior motives.

Advanced Apprentice are not commonplace anywhere, but at the Black Wizard Academy in City of Mozhsuobula, this level of apprentice is already among the top experts in the academy.

The same applies to the Lisia Alliance and several surrounding countries.

In particular, with the war between the Sifa Kingdom and the Ok Empire already underway, and the Lisia Alliance likely to be drawn into it at any time, there is an even greater need for Advanced Apprentice like Saine to serve them.

However, what is strange is that these three visiting apprentices were not trying to win over Saine for the sake of the nobles behind him, nor for the military they served.

They were representing a small Spellcaster organization called "The Ring of Thorns," and they had come to recruit Saine.

"Our Ring of Thorns organization is a subordinate organization of the Ring of Green Fields organization, and we have a considerable status and influence throughout the Lisia Alliance."

"If Master Saine needs certain rare resources during the experiment, our Ring of Thorns organization can certainly serve as a platform to provide them."

"Of course, if you wish to explore higher levels of magical mysteries, or receive instruction from Formal-Ranked Magician, we can also recommend you to join our superior organization— the Ring of Green Fields." The leading Intermediate Magic Apprentice spoke sincerely.

road.

This Intermediate Apprentice speaks so nicely, as if everything he does is for Saine's benefit.

But when Saine asked what obligations he was required to fulfill, the Intermediate Apprentice gave an awkward smile and then listed far more obligations than the rights Saine enjoyed.

Leaving aside the wartime conscription order, after joining the Ring of Thorns organization, Saine was also required to perform a mandatory mission for the organization every six months. →

However, the most outrageous rule is that after joining the Ring of Thorns organization, Saine is not allowed to leave the organization or join other Mage organizations for thirty years.

This was practically a contract of servitude, which made Saine reject the Intermediate Apprentice's invitation without hesitation, no matter how appealing the conditions were.

"Master Saine, are you really not considering joining our Ring of Thorns organization?"

"You should know that our Ring of Thorns organization also has some influence within the Lisia Alliance..." The Intermediate Apprentice said urgently as he saw Saine about to leave.

The Intermediate Apprentice's words made Saine pause in his act of turning to leave.

Saine then turned around, looking expressionlessly at the yellow-robed apprentice before him, and asked, "Are you threatening me?"

The Mental Strength impact from the Advanced Apprentice, along with the chilling aura of the Black Wizard Apprentice, quickly turned the face of this Intermediate Apprentice, who had a hint of arrogance, pale with fright.

Noticing that the Lisia Alliance garrison not far away seemed to have also discovered the anomaly, Saine snorted coldly, then flicked his black sleeves and turned to leave.

Indeed, the spellcasting realm on the Surface World is very different from the Saine in City of Mozhsuobula underground.

When did Intermediate Apprentice dare to threaten Advanced Apprentice?

As for the Ring of Thorns organization mentioned by the yellow-robed apprentice, in Saine's eyes, it was a joke.

Judging from what they said, this seemed to be a small organization that didn't even have Formal Magician. It was a subordinate organization of the Ring of Green Fields organization, and its main target was magic apprentices within the Lisia Alliance.

When Saine came to the north, besides searching for his family, the only Mage organizations that caught his eye, apart from the Azure Source Holy Tower, were those large organizations with Formal Magician or higher.

The Ring of Green Fields organization might pique Saine's interest, but the Ring of Thorns... forget it!

Furthermore, look at the stringent membership requirements of the Ring of Thorns organization.

Obligations, and the foolish, arrogant attitude of these magic apprentices, even made Saine lose interest in the Ring of Green Fields organization.

Indeed, these so-called Mage organizations are not charitable institutions.

Its initial purpose, besides enabling the Mage within the organization to help each other and jointly explore the Truth Dao, was to allow them to help each other.

As time goes by and developments, these Mage organizations often become highly utilitarian.

Without sufficient compensation, why should these Mage organizations provide you with the corresponding platform and knowledge acquisition channels?

The arrogance of that Intermediate Apprentice was not entirely unfounded.

It's fortunate that Saine is a Advanced Apprentice. If he were just a junior apprentice or even Entry-Level Apprentice, he might not even be considered by the Ring of Thorns organization.

Saine's swift departure left the Yellow-Robed Magician, who had been left standing there, pale and then flushed.

He wasn't foolish enough to turn against Saine; Advanced Apprentice are treated as honored guests in any organization.

He simply hadn't expected that Saine would refuse so decisively, showing absolutely no Ring of Thorns organization.

"What do we do next?" a junior apprentice in the group couldn't help but ask.

"What else can we do but report it to the organization truthfully!"

"Hmph, having offended the Ring of Thorns organization, even if he's Advanced Apprentice, he won't have a good time in the Lisia Alliance." The Intermediate Apprentice said through gritted teeth, seemingly very dissatisfied with Saine's performance just now.

Although the two apprentices beside him nodded in agreement on the surface, they did not really agree.

The Ring of Thorns is not the only magic apprentice organization within the Lisia Alliance. Even if Saine doesn't want to join them and offend the Ring of Thorns, he can join other magic apprentice organizations.

Furthermore, it must be said that the actions of the Ring of Thorns organization in the past two years have become increasingly excessive.

Relying on the support of many high-ranking nobles in the military, they openly forcibly recruited people in various places and seized various resources.

Because the Ring of Green Fields organization was backing them, the other small apprentice organizations within the Lisia Alliance had no choice but to tolerate it.

As for the other large Mage organizations that are comparable in strength to the Ring of Green Fields Organization... they are actually birds of a feather, only their behavior and methods are more respectable than those of the Ring of Green Fields Organization.