The Frugal Mage

Before leaving the sparring chamber, Ardania handed Rayven a small velvet pouch.

Inside was a necklace… It was simple in design, with a silver chain and a dull blue crystal embedded in the center.

"This is for you," she said. "It has the Lifeguard Pendant. It's bound to a single Tier 5 defensive Spell. If you're ever hit by a life-threatening spell, it will activate automatically."

Rayven paused for a moment as he looked at the necklace. "No mana activation?"

Well, it would be useless if he had to use Mana after all. All his Mana was from his system, and it could only be used by paying for Spells.

"None," Ardania confirmed. "It's designed for non-practitioners. They're normally created to protect your friends or loved ones who weren't practitioners of mana. You don't need to do anything. Just wear it. This could be a dangerous mission for you after all."

Rayven accepted the gift without ceremony, but he understood its value. For a Tier 2 mage like him, surviving a Tier 5 spell was normally impossible. This necklace changed that.

"I'll make sure it's not wasted," he said.

"I know you will," Ardania replied.

***

Seven days passed quickly.

Rayven didn't spend them idly. His businesses were thriving.

Eterna Script Trading had become really popular as more and more people heard about it.

The fountain pens and ink pots were selling faster than expected and several merchants were already connecting to him. Unfortunately, their mass production was still not enough to produce many of them.

Still, because of his business, only a few shops still stocked quill pens, and even those were struggling to sell their products… Rayven's design was cleaner, faster, and more durable after all. It was also comfortable in their hands, so it was always chosen by scribes.

Of course, imitation followed.

He heard rumors… Other merchants were trying to reverse-engineer his pens. Some had managed to copy the outer casing, but none had replicated the ink flow system. Not yet. Mass production was still out of reach for them.

Meanwhile, Eterna Mayonnaise was doing just as well.

Fifty to eighty jars are sold per day. Customers came from neighboring districts. Some even placed bulk orders for taverns and inns. Gene had hired two more workers to help with production, and Rayven had finally stepped back from daily operations.

With a steady stream of income and a reliable staff in place, Rayven finally had the freedom to shift his focus…

He returned to the Adventurers Guild that morning, not just to earn coin, but to begin his investigation in earnest.

He was still silver-ranked, but after surviving the siege and sparring with an Archmage, his reputation had shifted. He probably only needed a few more missions to qualify for gold rank.

And more importantly, he needed a reason to investigate the Count.

Rayven entered the Adventurers Guild, and as expected, the hall was busy. There were many mercenaries, swordsmen, mages, and even beast tamers, all moving between counters and boards.

There weren't a lot of beast tamers before, but it seemed that, due to the previous outbreak, many types of Adventurers had come to Hesa City.

He walked past the main board and headed for the mission board…

The clerk on duty was a younger man, probably new, as this was his first time seeing him.

Anyway, Stella must be busy elsewhere…

"Looking for Silver rank missions?" The young man asked after seeing Rayven's guild token…

Rayven nodded. "Looking for something quiet. Preferably near the noble district or involving city logistics."

The clerk raised an eyebrow. "Not many silver missions in that area. Most of the noble-related work is handled by gold or platinum ranks."

"I'm not asking for escort duty," Rayven said. "Just something that gets me to work with a high reward. I heard that nobles or higher officials were generous with their rewards…"

"Hmm… Wait. Let me see."

The clerk then browsed through the listings with a furrowed brow. Soon, he found something.

"There's one request that came in this morning," he said. "It's a healing mission. A baron's daughter has fallen ill, but none of the local healers could identify the sickness. Not even the Mages in the Mage Guild… Potions haven't worked, and the family's getting desperate. No one knows if it's really a disease. According to the mages, it was also not a curse."

Rayven leaned slightly forward. "Which baron?"

"Baron Fumiya of the South District… He's mostly involved in trade permits and agricultural zoning."

That was good enough.

Rayven didn't need a direct link to the Count yet. What he needed was proximity or access to noble circles, staff, and records. Even a minor noble's household could offer insight into how things moved behind closed doors.

"What's the rank requirement?" Rayven asked.

"Silver is acceptable," the clerk replied. "They're not asking for combat support. Just someone with spellcasting ability and discretion. The baron's daughter is bedridden, and they don't want to make the matter public."

That certainly made sense…

Rayven nodded. "I'll take it."

The clerk handed him the mission slip. "Deadline is five days. Fifteen gold upon completion. Bonus if you not only identify the illness but also provide a working treatment."

Rayven accepted the slip and tucked it into his coat. The mission was straightforward, but it gave him a reason to enter a noble estate, speak with staff, and observe how information flowed.

If the girl's condition was magical, he might even get a glimpse of restricted spellwork or rare symptoms. After all, with his current set of skills and system features, he should have a chance to identify it.

Even if not, he would definitely purchase a skill that could help him.

Just like that, he turned and left the counter, passing through the guild hall without drawing attention.

Outside, the midday sun was steady.

The pendant Ardania had given him rested against his chest, and it made him really confident walking alone in the streets…

Of course, Rayven didn't expect trouble during this mission, but he had learned to prepare for it anyway.