"Huh?" Rhode froze.
They belonged to the Archmage?
That made sense. Only mages would own Magic Equipment like this. He just had no idea how it had ended up on that Great Yeti.
But didn't that mean they were being accused of stealing?
"No, no! We took them from the Great Yeti!" Lilia hurried to protest. "I'm not a thief, and neither is Rhode!"
"Haha... don't worry." Audric laughed. "Of course I don't think you're thieves. If you'd stolen the earrings from me and then brought them right back to show me, you'd be a pair of very stupid thieves indeed."
That was fair.
Rhode relaxed a little, then asked Audric, "So what exactly happened? We took them from a Great Yeti called Yetius in a huge cave on Darrow Hill."
"You actually killed Yetius..." Audric's eyes lit up. "That yeti was no easy opponent. It seems you're quite a capable mage in actual combat, too."
"I killed him! I killed him!" Lilia piped up again.
Rhode smiled and nodded in agreement.
"These Ruby Earrings went missing a few months ago," Audric continued, clearly not believing Lilia's claim. "But they were inside the Magic Tower at the time. Yetius couldn't possibly have stolen them."
That much was obvious.
With his enormous size, Yetius could have been a bandit king in the mountains, but he was hardly cut out to be a thief.
"So someone must have stolen them, only for Yetius to rob them afterward," Audric said.
Rhode thought for a moment and asked, "Didn't you have any protection where you kept the Ruby Earrings? A lock or something?"
"Petty thieves generally wouldn't dare enter our Magic Tower. I only put up a few simple Guardian Wards, then put them in that box and left it on a bookshelf."
"Oh..." Rhode looked thoughtful.
"Let's leave that aside for now. We can investigate when we have time." Audric smiled. "Since these Ruby Earrings found their way into your hands after all that, perhaps they were meant for you. You can have them."
Seeing that Rhode was about to speak, Audric waved a hand and added, "They aren't particularly valuable. Used alone, they don't store much mana. But if you can get the Ruby Necklace and combine the two, then you'll have something worthwhile."
"The Ruby Necklace?"
"Yes. The two complement each other. Not only can they increase the owner's maximum mana considerably, they can also strengthen their mana output."
Rhode more or less understood. It was probably the concept of a "set" that games so often mentioned.
The individual pieces weren't much on their own, but with the set bonus, they became pretty powerful.
"Besides, you don't have to wear either piece. Simply carrying them works," Audric explained with another smile. "Otherwise, Magic Equipment like this would have little to do with male mages like us."
Rhode understood that, of course. He had already tested it himself.
"Then where is the Ruby Necklace?" Rhode was still rather curious.
"I don't know either. I heard it passed into private hands a long time ago. Perhaps some wealthy family's child used it as part of a dowry." Audric laughed.
Apparently, because there was no way to complete the set, the Ruby Earrings weren't actually all that valuable. Accepting them wouldn't be too much, then.
Rhode nodded to Audric, closed the box, and put it back in his pack.
"Now, let's officially discuss your work." Audric really was an amiable mage, often smiling as he spoke. "Your position will be deputy head of Audric's Tower. Your main responsibilities will be..."
"W-wait," Rhode hurriedly interrupted. "Deputy head? Not an assistant?"
"That's right. Deputy head, or in other words, vice president."
"Vice president?" Rhode was even more confused.
"You know about the Kingdom of Dalaran, don't you?"
"I've heard of it. A kingdom of magic with lots of powerful mages."
Audric nodded and said softly, "The Kingdom of Dalaran is led by a mage organization called the Kirin Tor. Its leader is Grand Archmage Antonidas."
Rhode naturally knew that.
Everyone had grinded reputation with the Kirin Tor in the game. It even had plenty of branches, like the Violet Eye and the Kirin Tor Expedition... basically, it gave you all the grinding you could ever want. It felt just as obnoxious as the Cenarion Circle!
Seeing Rhode looking down in silence, Audric continued, "The Kirin Tor has branches in many cities. Our Magic Tower here in Durnholde Keep is one of them. That's the Kirin Tor's basic organizational structure."
"And I am the president of Audric's Tower." Audric smiled at Rhode. "You are now its vice president."
"I understand that part," Rhode said. "But I'm only a new mage..."
"I can tell that you're a mage with tremendous potential," Audric said earnestly. "More importantly, I can also see that you're a kind and capable person. That's what allows me to entrust Audric's Tower to you without worry."
"Entrust it to me? Aren't you the president?"
"As I said at the very beginning," Audric said, waving a hand, "if you don't work hard, you'll grow old in the blink of an eye. I'm not particularly gifted, so I want to make the most of every minute and devote myself to researching new advanced spells. I really don't have any more time to manage this tower properly."
"But don't you already have another vice president? His name was... Hearthglen? Right?"
Audric shook his head. "Hearthglen is just a spoiled rich boy. Though he's barely reached the level of an intermediate mage, he refuses to apply himself to studying spells and never takes care of the tower's affairs. Naturally, he can't guide the magic apprentices properly, either. Right now, for instance, who knows where he's run off to amuse himself..."
"Then why did you make him vice president?" Rhode couldn't understand. Wasn't he just useless?
Audric sighed. "His teacher is Kel'Thuzad, a member of the Kirin Tor's Council of Six. The Council of Six is the Kirin Tor's highest leadership body. Grand Archmage Antonidas is also a member, though he serves as its chief."
All right. Now Rhode understood.
Rhode knew about the Council of Six, of course.
They were among the most powerful mages in Azeroth, and not all of them were human.
Besides Antonidas and Kel'Thuzad, there were Krasus of the dragon race, the elven prince Kael'thas...
And Kel'Thuzad was especially famous.
He had started out as a brilliant human mage, but he was better known for later becoming obsessed with researching dark magic, eventually joining the Lich King and becoming a powerful lich who commanded the undead Scourge in the Lich King's service.
In the level-sixty version of the game, he had been the final boss.
And now he was the teacher-and backer-of this mage called Hearthglen.
Apparently, even in Azeroth, it all came down to who your father or teacher was.
From that perspective, being vice president wouldn't be easy.
There would surely be plenty of work, and he would also have to deal with pressure from another vice president with powerful backing...
Rhode gave a bitter smile, unsure what to say.
"As vice president, you would naturally receive the highest pay," Audric said at last. "Five gold coins a month."
"..."
F-five gold coins a month?
Rhode hesitated for 0.1 seconds, then told Audric solemnly, "Thank you for your trust, Mr. Audric. I'll make sure to do this job well. Is there a contract I need to sign?"
"..."
Before you continue