The pair settled into their respective chairs, mirroring the positions they found themselves in when Daniel first arrived in Ravenholme. Adrien poured Daniel a cup of tea.

“Would you like some sugar in your tea?” Adrien asked, his tone serene and welcoming. Daniel nodded silently and felt nervous energy coursing through his chest. Since the last time he had met the sleep-deprived man with Lucia and left a less-than-amicable impression, he was worried about what could happen now that he was alone with the man.

As Adrien added sugar to his tea, he glanced up and locked eyes with Daniel. A flicker of amusement danced in his gaze, unsettling Daniel even further. “Does this man ever sleep? he looks even more tired than last time.” he thought.

After preparing the cups, the pair sat silently as they enjoyed their tea; Daniel felt increasingly uncomfortable as time passed.

He nearly finished his cup, and Adrien finally broke the silence. “I’ve called you here to thank you for saving my niece.” He stood up and proceeded to bow.

But before he could, Daniel interrupted, “Hold on, please. That’s not needed. I didn’t save Lucia because she’s your niece but because she’s my best friend.”

A slight smile appeared on the doting uncle’s face. “You have my eternal gratitude, Daniel.” The man sat back down and waved his hand, and two items appeared on the table: a dark brown box and a gold plate. “Here are some gifts I wanted to give you as a token of my gratitude.”

He grabbed the golden plate and handed it to Daniel. “This is a VIP pass issued to only a select few in the kingdom. You’re the fifth to receive one. With this pass, you get discounts, and certain services are free. You can also request that we source any material free of charge; you’ll only pay for the material cost. There are many more benefits, but I won’t go over them all; instead, I’ll leave that for Lucia to explain.”

Daniel took the golden plate, examining it closely. In the middle, it held the crest of the Amberleaf family. Above the crest was his name, and below it was Adrien’s name. In each of its corners were rubies, and sandwiching the family crest were two intricate runes. The lines seemed so small that he could barely see them with the naked eye.

“Do you see the rune on the left side?” Adrien asked. Daniel nodded in response. “Inject your mana into it. With it, we will be able to determine you’re the owner. If you manage to lose it or damage it, go to a nearby branch, and they will get it sorted.”

After Daniel finished injecting a tiny bit of mana into the plate, it gave a slight buzz, indicating that it had succeeded. After he stowed the plate away, Adrien opened the wooden box and presented it to Daniel. Inside lay a dark crimson lotus, wisps of fire emanating from the flower.

“This is a Fire Lotus,” Adrien explained, his voice carrying a tone of reverence. “It’s a rare flower that can aid in various things, such as fire resistance and fire spell comprehension. Originally, it was the reward the attackers received to attack Lucia. Since you stopped their plan from succeeding, I thought it would be fitting for you to receive it.”

Daniel gulped, his curiosity piqued. “How did you manage to get it? What happened to the attackers?”

Adrien’s expression shifted, his features adopting a solemn demeanour. “They’re gone. They won’t bother anyone ever again.”

His expression shifted to a more neutral one, and he continued explaining, “You can use the flower in a multitude of ways, but I recommend you ask a professor at the Astral Academy to guide you since they’re more experienced with such matters. In the meantime, please keep it in the wooden box. It’s made of special materials and runes, so it won’t wither and prevents the fire energy from leaking and potentially damaging something.”

Daniel carefully stowed away the wooden box, expressing his gratitude to Adrien. Daniel politely declined when Adrien offered him another cup of tea, feeling that he had already taken up enough of his time.

“Lucia told me about your hobby in carving,” Adrien remarked, a hint of warmth in his tone. “She showed me the chess set you carved for her during her first year when she returned for summer break. I’ve arranged for a few artisans to give you pointers tomorrow and the day after. We’ll leave for the academy in four days, and I’ll be travelling with you two, as I have an appointment with the academy.”

Daniel expressed his gratitude once more and left to find Lucia.

….

Lucia sat on a chair outside in the hallway, waiting for Daniel. When she saw him, she stood up and walked over to him with a nervous expression. “So, how did it go? Did he do anything bad?”

Daniel chuckled in reply and retrieved the pass her uncle had given him. “Quite the opposite. He gave me this and a few other things as a thank you.”

Lucia froze for a moment before snatching the golden plate out of Daniel’s hands and inspecting it up close, her expression shifting from severe to awe and disbelief. “W-w-what? No way! This is incredible, Daniel!”

“He didn’t really tell me about what the benefits are, besides a few discounts and free services and that not many people have received this”, Daniel explained, wearing an awkward smile on his face as he received the pass back from Lucia. “He said he’ll leave it to you to explain all the benefits.”

She responded with a dismissive tsk and an annoyed expression. “Typical of him,” she muttered. “He’s always believed that it would be beneficial for me to handle customer support since I could talk, preaching about the importance of learning the trade since childhood.”

She crossed her arms and detailed the perks: “So, you’ll receive free basic services, like minor equipment repairs, and hefty discounts on major ones, such as magical equipment maintenance. Plus, there are no material sourcing costs—you’ll only pay the purchase price for materials. And I like the most that you’ll get a free VIP box at our auctions.” She continued explaining the benefits for another few minutes, but sadly, Daniel’s attention ran out after the first few minutes, causing the rest of her words to drift into oblivion.

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The sound of Lucia snapping her fingers pulled him back to reality. “Hey, are you even listening?”

He scratched his head, offering an awkward smile. “More or less, but I got the gist of it. Please thank your uncle for me. I feel like this is way too much.”

In response, Lucia playfully jabbed his arm. “Don’t be silly. If anything, he should have given you more!”

“Well, he did give me something else,” Daniel continued, retrieving the box from his ring and presenting it to her.

When he opened the lid to reveal the lotus, her eyes widened, and her mouth slightly agape. It took a few moments before she snapped out of it. “What? Did he give you THIS? My dad has been searching for one for years. It’s hard to believe my uncle would be so generous. Are you sure it was him, not some doppelgänger, that somehow escaped from a dungeon?”

He burst out laughing. “I’m sure it was your uncle. He still gave me those intense stares like when I first met him. I don’t think a doppelgänger could pull that off.” Daniel decided not to share the origin of the lotus. He feared it might trigger a panic attack.

She joined in his laughter. “Yeah, that sounds like my uncle.” Their laughter filled the hallway for a moment.

“Ugh, I can’t tell my father he gave you this, or he’ll annoy me endlessly,” she said. “Let’s go. I want to pick up some materials for the project I have in mind.”

….

“So, I’ll need a hide from a moonglow cow, lunar stone dust, purple swamp oak sap,” Lucia began listing a long catalogue of items she required. “And, of course, some red mytrill. Here’s my card to cover the expenses.” With a flourish, she handed a silver-coloured card to the attendant; it was similar to the one Daniel had received.

“Certainly, young miss. We will fulfil your request shortly,” The attendant replied, jotting down the details. Then, turning to Daniel, who sat beside Lucia on a nearby couch in a private consultation room, the attendant inquired, “And what about you, sir? Is there anything you wish to purchase?”

“I need some silver and ebony ash wood, please. Just a few sticks of each will suffice. How much would that cost?” Daniel placed his VIP pass on the table, and the attendant’s eyes widened at seeing it.

After a brief pause, the attendant replied, “It will only cost you ten gold, sir.” Daniel retrieved the amount and handed it over, prompting the attendant to stand. “I’ll retrieve your items now.”

Lucia interjected before the attendant could leave, “Oh, and a robe should be made for him. Could you fetch it?”

“Of course, Miss,” the attendant responded with a short bow before leaving the room.

While they waited, Lucia and Daniel talked about their plans for the materials. Lucia explained her desire to craft a bracelet with calming runes and a tiny mana stone to calm her nerves during tests. Meanwhile, Daniel shared his plans about making various small items and a statue resembling his little sister's cat, Mia; He planned to give it to her when they next met.

After a short while, the attendant returned. He was flanked by two others, all bearing trays of items. Once the other attendants had placed their trays on the table and left, the first attendant pressed on the wall and activated the enchantments; ensuring the room was again soundproof. He then walked towards the table and also put his tray down on the table.

“Here is the robe made out of Azure Moon Wolf fur. The manager has paid for the cost.” The attendant picked up the robe from one of the trays and handed it to Daniel.

Daniel held the robe in his hands, feeling its rugged exterior offering protection from the elements. Along the spine of the garment ran the distinctive long blue line of the Azure Moon Wolf fur. When he turned it over, he found the inside lining was made of the same fur but incredibly soft. He fought the urge to bury his face into the smooth and comfortable inside lining. With a second glance, he noticed that there were two hidden pockets.

“Stunning,” Daniel exclaimed, a glint of amazement in his eyes. “Please convey my compliments to the craftsman. This robe is the most impressive I’ve ever seen.”

The attendant nodded; a hint of pride was visible on his face. “That is not needed, sir. Is there anything else you require?”

Daniel glanced at Lucia, who shook her head. “No, thank you. We’re all set for now.” With a polite nod, the attendant left the room, leaving Daniel and Lucia alone.

….

After dinner with Lucia, he decided to call it a night and retreat to his suite. The day had been taxing, and the comfort of solitude attracted him. Eager to clear his mind, he ran the shower and sat on the couch, waiting for the water temperature to rise.

As he reclined and stared at the ceiling, he remembered the system’s reward: a page had been unlocked. “It can’t be, can it?” he muttered. He retrieved the book from his ring and opened it; the pages began fluttering by themselves until they stopped in the middle, and a soft glow started emanating.

A bright purple flash shot out of the book, hitting his face and blinding him. As if summoned by some unseen force, a seemingly never-ending stream of symbols and words began flooding his mind. He grunted, overwhelmed by the sudden mental onslaught, and fell back into the backrest of the camelback couch.

Time seemed to blur as his consciousness struggled to make sense of the flood of information assaulting his senses. Gradually, as the intensity of the stream subsided, he regained his senses. He felt a strange sensation, like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place within his mind. Yet, he couldn’t quite grasp it.

When he finally managed to find his composure, he cautiously picked up the book from where it had dropped on the ground. He looked at its pages again with a mix of nerves and curiosity. To his surprise, he could now understand some of the words written on it, as if a mist cleared up in his mind.

[Guide: How to make whisps as a low-tier mage]

While he quickly grasped the ingredient lists, understanding the steps proved elusive, like a fog clouding his mind. Annoyed, he stood up, only to realise that he had forgotten about the running shower, and water slowly began to flood the suite. “Oh fuck…”

He hurriedly turned the shower off and dumped all the available towels onto the ground, but sadly, it wasn’t enough, and the suite remained drenched. “Whatever, I’ll deal with this later,” he muttered, rushing over to his bag, which was luckily still dry on the other side of the room. He retrieved a few blank pages from it, placed the purple book on the nightstand next to his bed, and began copying the ingredients down in Theathan. He was afraid he might lose the ability to reread the ingredients. “As long as I have the ingredients, I might be able to figure it out myself or with help from the professor,” he murmured.

When he finished jotting down the list, he dashed out of the room and made his way towards a consultation room. He was thankful that the company operated around the clock.