The old mage glanced at Xu Yi and gave him a meaningful smile.
"Your Excellency Xu Yi, should I call you President Xu, or address you as a Great Mage?"
Xu Yi smiled and offered him the customary greeting between mages. When he straightened, however, he said confidently, "President Xu would be better. Everyone is more accustomed to that role of mine, and I prefer being called that myself. Your Excellency Ferguson, I'm truly sorry for the trouble of making you travel all this way."
The old mage sighed softly and shook his head, then smiled again.
"If I'd had to come in one of those old horse-drawn carriages, as we did before, traveling over three thousand kilometers from Sky City would certainly have been tiring. But this time, I came in one of your Xinfei Merchant Guild's Mana Sedans. The journey took much less time, so it wasn't nearly as tiring."
"Thank you for the compliment. Of course, if the Malo Empire and the Falk Kingdom could also be connected by roads, I believe your journey would be much easier and more comfortable," Xu Yi said with a smile.
Marquis Southgate gave a chuckle beside them. "President Xu, there's no need to remind me in such a roundabout way. Don't worry. The fact that I've come this time means I've already made my decisions, and I think you'll be very pleased with them."
"Oh? That's wonderful." Xu Yi laughed heartily and gestured for the two men to follow. "In that case, please come into the city with me, and we can sit down and discuss things at leisure. This roadside clearly isn't the place for a conversation, is it?"
"Yes, let's go."
Marquis Southgate and Great Mage Ferguson exchanged a glance, nodded together, and climbed back into their Mana