My internet went down today. I wrote two chapters and went over to a friend's place to upload them. I originally meant to post them separately, but decided that was too much trouble and made them one chapter instead. Jiaoshou needs to get his act together. I'll update more often this week so all you brothers and sisters can see my sincerity.
The female mage stopped in front of a tower and gestured for Rex to enter. Rex nodded, noticing the envy that flashed in her eyes, and understood why. The tower before him was a Mage Tower. Every mage dreamed of building a Mage Tower of their own; that aspiration was deeply ingrained in them.
Whether a mage came from Dalaran, Lordaeron, or Gilneas, they all yearned for a Mage Tower. It was not merely a place to live and conduct research, but a symbol of a mage's standing. The distinction was much like the divide between commoners and nobles: mages who owned a Mage Tower were the nobility of their profession.
The female mage's rank was not particularly high, only around the fifth tier. To qualify to build a Mage Tower through personal strength, a mage needed to reach the eighth tier, at which point Dalaran would offer certain assistance. The other option was money. Anyone with enough money could build a Mage Tower, but its specifications were still restricted by their strength, and the crystal displayed on it would not be of a particularly high grade.
The blue crystal atop the Mage Tower before Rex glittered in the sunlight, drawing envious looks from passersby. A blue crystal signified that the tower belonged to a ninth-rank mage. Mage Towers could not be built however one pleased; strict requirements governed them according to their owners' standing. The ninth rank