Ai watched her new life unfold.
Since becoming part of the Manor, each day had been better than the last. There was no tedious work, and she no longer had to worry about Younger Brother, though she had acquired new worries: cleaning the Ogre and fretting over Younger Brother playing with it.
But both she and Younger Brother were smiling more and more.
Young Master Annan never treated the servants harshly. He had none of that oppressive air of authority, never struck or shouted at anyone, and had even pitched a tent outside the Mage Tower to keep danger away from the Manor...
Could a man like that be a fake Noble? If so, she wished Breeze City were full of them!
But Abby did not dare tell Annan the truth. She feared the peaceful life before her would burst like a bubble.
With that worry weighing on her, Abby kept wiping down the Ogre.
"Where are you wiping?"
The deep, muffled voice snapped Abby back to herself. Blushing, she apologized and pulled out the towel and her arm.
"It's all right. Keep going."
Annan was in the study discussing prices with Michael and the others.
First, he ruled out Soluman Copperbeard's suggestion of 100 Gold Coins, then Francois's ten Copper Coins.
"Then ninety Gold Coins!"
"How about one Copper Coin?"
Before they could keep fooling around, Annan laid out the costs.
A Recording Magic Stone could only be used ten times, setting aside for now the use consumed by recording the Magic Film.
Thanks to Annan's relationship with the Mage Tower, he could probably get the price of a Recording Magic Stone down to ten or fifteen gold coins. Assuming each screening of The Mage Tower's Fall drew a hundred viewers, tickets would have to cost ten to