The day after Marquis Southgate signed the agreement with the Xinfei Merchant Guild for their joint-venture steelworks, Great Mage Ferguson arrived in the Stantin Duchy.
He did not come alone. Accompanying him were Parmes Allen, president of the Lampari Kingdom Mages' Guild, and several other prominent figures from the guild, who had clearly come as his entourage.
To Xu Yi's surprise, a total of fifty low-rank mages registered with the Lampari Kingdom Mages' Guild had also come with them.
Seeing these people, Xu Yi naturally thought of the matter Great Mage Ferguson had mentioned to him before.
"President Xu, would there be any problem if I asked you to help us secure a livelihood for these fifty mages right now?" Great Mage Ferguson looked at Xu Yi with a warm smile, his tone as casual as if he were merely asking Xu Yi to arrange lunch for them.
Xu Yi's expression remained unchanged as his gaze swept over the fifty mages, whose appearances varied widely. The youngest was probably not yet twenty, while the oldest was likely over sixty. Judging by the mage insignia on their chests and the unstable mana fluctuations they emitted, all fifty were probably very weak in magic. There might not even have been a single level four mage among them.
"That depends on what kind of result you want, Great Mage Ferguson," Xu Yi replied calmly. "If you simply want to ensure that they can support themselves from now on, that's easy."
"Of course it cannot be that simple." Great Mage Ferguson shook his head. "I hope that, while resolving their livelihood problems, you can also resolve the difficulties they face in their magic research."
Xu Yi frowned slightly. "I'm afraid I cannot agree to that."
Xu Yi's blunt refusal startled Great Mage Ferguson. Narrowing