Spokesperson

Xu Yi left Great Mage Camilla's research room looking utterly dejected.

When he saw the Magic Air Conditioner earlier, Xu Yi remembered that while developing it, he had consulted Great Mage Camilla several times and received many suggestions from her for improving the Frost Chill Array. That made him wonder: if he invited Great Mage Camilla to be his research adviser, wouldn't her extraordinary magical ability help solve many problems?

At first, his conversation with Great Mage Camilla had gone well. She had even agreed to help him with research into Magic Arrays that his own magical ability could not yet handle. But the moment Xu Yi offered to pay her a few gold coins for her work, her expression changed. She slammed the table in a fury, pointed at the door, and told him to get out without giving him a chance to explain.

Does Great Mage Camilla have something against money? Xu Yi wondered.

He had long known that Great Mage Camilla disliked mixing Magic Research with business, but he had never imagined she opposed it this fiercely.

"Hey, old man, why the long face? Does someone owe you money?" A clear voice rang out beside him.

"Nobody owes me money. And I'm only twenty-seven, so stop calling me old man, all right?" Xu Yi shot Stille an irritated look.

After a night's rest, none of the dejection Stille had shown the previous evening remained on her face. She looked like a bright, energetic young woman again.

She was still visibly thin, of course. That was not something a single night could fix.

"Then stop calling me a child." Stille snorted. She glanced at the Great Mage's private research room behind Xu Yi and asked quietly, "What happened? Did you make Grandma angry?"

Xu Yi told her about the meeting, earning a burst of unrestrained laughter.

"Haha, serves you right! You knew Grandma hated that sort of thing, but you went and offered her payment anyway. You brought it on yourself."

"How was I supposed to know she hated it that much?" Xu Yi sighed. "Stille, why is the Great Mage so opposed to it? Other great mages wouldn't refuse."

"Want to know?" Stille gave him a sly smile. "It'll cost you."

Xu Yi shrugged and glanced at the sky outside the Magic Tower. "It's too early for dinner. How about I treat you to afternoon tea?"

Only after they had ordered two cold drinks at a snack shop near the Magic Tower did Stille explain.

Great Mage Camilla had once taken on several apprentices. She had held especially high hopes for two of them, believing that if they worked hard, they would eventually become powerful mages, perhaps even surpassing her.

But those apprentices had been tempted by money. While still young, they had accepted lucrative offers from large merchant associations and become guards for them. They had neglected their Magic Research ever since, making no progress in all the years that followed.

Great Mage Camilla had been heartbroken by what had happened to them and had come to despise the merchant associations' actions. After seeing it happen several times, she had gradually developed her current attitude.

"Ever since Grandma saw your Magic Fan, she's thought you had exceptional talent for magic. She had high hopes for you too. But you refused to become her apprentice and even started your own merchant association. Of course she was disappointed. Honestly, if she didn't still have hope for you, and if your magical ability weren't steadily improving, she'd probably have kicked you out of the Magic Tower long ago. She certainly wouldn't let you see her whenever you wanted, much less help you solve magical problems. And now you've gone to her with a business proposal. How could she not be angry? So when I say you brought this on yourself, I mean it."

Xu Yi could only smack his lips. He had no answer to that.

"What a shame. I'd wanted to invite the Great Mage to be our merchant association's Chief Researcher. I'd even hoped she could endorse our products. From what you've said, neither has a chance, does it?" Xu Yi said helplessly.

"In your dreams." Stille glared at him, then asked curiously, "But what do you mean by Chief Researcher and 'endorse'? I've never heard of that."

"Chief Researcher... Well, she'd help me research the Magic Arrays needed for Magic Machinery. Since your grandmother is a great mage and the strongest person I know, she'd naturally be the chief. You know, the one in charge."

"And what does 'endorse' mean? That's a new one to me."

"Endorse... That's a little harder to explain." Xu Yi gathered his thoughts about celebrity endorsements back on Earth. "It means asking someone to represent our merchant association's products. That person becomes the public face of a product, so when people see them, they think of what they endorse. Usually, you choose someone with a good image and, ideally, some fame. People who know them then learn about the product too. It's a way to promote both together."

"But if the product is no good, wouldn't that damage the spokesperson's reputation?" Stille immediately asked.

Xu Yi paused. "You caught on fast. Yes, it works both ways. Problems with the product can hurt the spokesperson's reputation, and problems with the spokesperson can hurt the product. So both the spokesperson and the merchant association choosing them have to think carefully."

"You certainly chose well when you picked my grandmother." Stille gave a soft snort. "She's a great mage, famous throughout the Lampari Kingdom. If people heard she'd suddenly endorsed something, they'd be sure to ask what it was. And she's always been an upright person. Her reputation is excellent."

"That's why I wanted to ask her." Xu Yi spread his hands. "But judging by her attitude, there's no point even bringing it up. She'd never agree."

"Of course she wouldn't." Stille nodded. Then she glanced at Xu Yi. "Wait, if you ask someone to endorse your products, you'd pay them, right?"

"Of course. I wouldn't ask anyone to work for free."

"Then how much were you planning to pay?"

"That depends on the spokesperson. Generally, the more famous they are and the better their reputation, the more they're paid. For a great mage like your grandmother, I was thinking of offering a thousand Gold Coins a year..."

"A thousand gold coins?" Stille's eyes widened before he could finish. "That much? Just for endorsing something?"

"Yes. What's wrong?"

Stille gave him an odd look. "Xu Yi, you don't seem to have sold that many Magic Fans. How can you offer Grandma a thousand Gold Coins just like that? Do you even have that kind of money?"

Xu Yi smiled. "That's what you don't understand. It's an investment in advertising, and a very worthwhile one. A thousand Gold Coins might sound like a lot, but compared with the benefits her endorsement could bring, it's nothing." He sighed again. "Unfortunately, she'll never agree, so there's no point talking about it. Stille, do you know any other great mages? Could you introduce me?"

Stille knitted her brows in thought, then shook her head. "I know a few through Grandma, but I have to be honest, Xu Yi. I doubt any of them would be interested in your little merchant association. You'd better give up on that idea."

"I thought so." Xu Yi smiled ruefully. "My association has barely got anything to its name. It's only natural that great mages wouldn't give it a second look." Setting the matter aside, he remembered something else. "Oh, right. Vivian said you asked her to tell me to come find you because you had something to discuss. What was it?"

"I did, but I think it's already been settled." Stille smiled. "I was going to ask if you could find me something to do. I've got nothing to occupy me most days with Grandma, while you always seem so busy. I thought you might have some work for me."

Xu Yi studied her. Does she suddenly want work to help her get over what happened?

"If you want something to do, that's easy. I mentioned making your grandmother Chief Researcher because I'm planning to set up a Magic Array research room for the merchant association. If you're interested, you could research Magic Arrays there and help me develop new products."

"I am interested. In fact, that was exactly the sort of work I meant to ask you for. But after hearing what you said earlier, I think another job sounds more interesting." Stille narrowed her large eyes with a playful smile.

"What job?"

Stille slowly sat up straight. A radiant smile spread across her face, and she parted her lips to ask softly, "Xu Yi, what would you think of having me as your merchant association's spokesperson?"