Durnholde Keep was a very large castle.
Strictly speaking, it was first and foremost a city, and Durnholde Keep was merely the central building within it.
Perhaps because the domain had existed for so long, the city that had expanded around the castle still bore the castle's name.
In the human world of Azeroth, most nations still operated under a feudal system. Local lords were effectively the masters of their domains and wielded considerable power.
For instance, Blackmoore, the lord of Durnholde Keep, could maintain his own private army, build his own private arena, and even have the Orcs imprisoned there compete alongside humans.
Likewise, he could hire mages from Dalaran to help defend his city, which was why it had a Magic Tower.
Of course, however large Durnholde Keep might be, it could not compare to royal capitals such as Stormwind City, Stromgarde, or Lordaeron, so there was only one Magic Tower in the entire city.
The tall structure, known to outsiders as a "Mage Tower," stood out in the city. Rhode easily found it without needing to ask for directions and headed over with Lilia.
These towers were named after their owners. The mage Mayor Marebu had told Rhode to find was Vern Audric, so the Magic Tower he was visiting was called Audric's Tower.
The Magic Tower stood in a square and was built of white stone.
From the outside, a terrace extended from every floor of the Magic Tower. Presumably, there was something like a spiral staircase inside.
The tower occupied a large area, so its interior was probably spacious as well.
Looking up at the top of the tower, Rhode could sense a powerful mana surge. There had to be a powerful mage inside.
Rhode took Lilia by the hand and walked toward the tower's entrance.
Two fully armed guards stood there.
Seeing someone approach, one of the guards stepped forward and blocked his path. "Sorry, only tower personnel are allowed inside. Do you have an entry permit?"
Rhode paused, then took out Mayor Marebu's letter of introduction and handed it to the guard with a smile. "I'm here to see someone. I'm looking for Vern Audric... sir? Master mage?"
Rhode suddenly realized he had no idea how to address a mage.
The guard carefully read the letter, then said with some hesitation, "Sorry, Master Audric doesn't readily receive visitors, especially... especially ordinary people. Even with a letter of introduction..."
Oh, I get it.
Mages only associate with other mages, or... nobles?
Rhode nodded, then held out both hands, palms up. Two fireballs appeared in them. "Will this do? Sorry for the trouble, but could you announce me?"
The guard now looked at Rhode in a distinctly different way.
"Of course, s-sir. Please wait a moment. I'll announce you right away."
The guard soon returned and indicated that Rhode could enter, his tone noticeably more respectful.
Then Rhode got his first look inside the Magic Tower.
It felt much like what he had seen in the game, with a staircase spiraling upward, connecting one floor after another.
The walls and floors on every level appeared to be made of white tiles, making the entire Magic Tower gleam.
Rhode felt as though his horizons had broadened, but Lilia pouted. "There's nothing special about it. It's completely ordinary."
"What's wrong, Lilia?" Rhode asked.
"Where I come from, towers like this are everywhere, and they all look the same. The only difference is that ours are red!"
So Lilia was unhappy because she had not seen anything new.
Rhode could not help laughing.
That was hardly surprising. Towers like this were probably everywhere in the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, weren't they?
Human mages had learned magic from the elves and picked up their tower designs along the way.
As a result, even such a beautiful Magic Tower could only seem unremarkable to Lilia.
Perhaps life on the Farm was more novel to a child like her?
"Maybe there'll be something different upstairs," Rhode said to comfort Lilia.
Just then, someone hurried down from the second floor.
He wore a gray mage's robe and had black hair and black eyes. He was quite handsome, but looked no older than his twenties.
Rhode was a little puzzled.
Mayor Marebu's teacher was actually this young?
Mages really were all young and talented.
No, that can't be right. The mayor said he became a magic apprentice when he was very young. At least twenty years must have passed since then. His teacher couldn't have been a baby at the time, could he?
Could mages simply look younger? But the mana surge coming from him didn't seem particularly strong, either...
While Rhode's thoughts were wandering, the young mage spoke.
"Hello, I'm Alex. Alex Barov. I'm Archmage Audric's assistant."
So he was just an assistant.
Alex did not sound particularly familiar, but the surname Barov certainly rang a bell.
The Barov Peasant Caller! What an incredible PvP item!
This man was probably a young noble from the Barov family. That was nothing unusual; the Magic Tower was bound to be crawling with nobles.
Mages and nobles were practically synonymous. Commoner mages like Rhode were extremely rare.
Rhode smiled a little awkwardly, then imitated Alex's manner of speaking. "Hello, I'm Rhode. I'm here to see Archmage Audric."
Alex smiled as well. "I know. Please come in, Mage Rhode."
His gaze passed over the sulking Lilia, and he hesitated briefly. Still, he said nothing and led Rhode and Lilia up the spiral staircase.
As they walked, Alex said, "Mr. Audric is waiting for you in his office. For now, please allow me to show you the way and tell you a little about this Magic Tower."
"The Magic Tower has twelve magic apprentices, two Apprentice Magic Users, one Novice Magic User, and one Intermediate Mage. Then there's our leader, the president, High Magic User Mr. Audric."
"The Intermediate Mage is our vice president, Hearthglen. He's a... a promising young mage."
The name Hearthglen sounded familiar. There were probably quests related to him in the game.
"The Novice Magic User is away, and one of the Apprentice Magic Users is conducting research in another noble's domain. In short, you'll rarely have a chance to meet them."
Rhode asked, "What about the other Apprentice Magic User?"
"That would be me," Alex replied with a smile, then continued leading them upward. "In other words, most of the people currently in the tower are magic apprentices. That's why Mr. Audric is so eager to recruit new mages."
Rhode nodded.
That was true. Otherwise, he would never have gotten this opportunity to apply.
Mayor Marebu really was an excellent headhunter.
Before you continue