Fire Mage (Web Novel)
chapter-184

Chapter 184: Next Plan

In the meantime, Charles turned his gaze towards Titus and Noel and ordered.

"Go and buy a suitable carriage for us."

Jessie took out a leather bag from her void pouch and gave 50 gold coins to them as he said those words.

Meanwhile, Titus and Noel took the coins from her and went towards the market street.

On the other hand, Jessie touched the void pouch and muttered with a pensive look on her face.

"We need to find a suitable job to make a large sum of money."

"Yes. Should we do some part-time job?" Rhea also started to frown.

Upon hearing those words, Charles got stunned.

"Y-Your Highness, I will help with that. Meanwhile, you guys should focus on improving your strength." This time, Ashley added in a nervous tone.

Only then did Rhea and Jessie realize that another person was tagging along with them.

At that moment, Charles suddenly thought of an idea.

"Money is not a problem. I will give you a few Rank-3 elemental creatures' carcasses from time to time. You guys can put them in an auction house and solve the money problem."

'Rank-3 Elemental Creatures' carcasses? Did our Teacher have a pocket dimension?' A thought appeared in Rhea's mind.

"Won't it cause suspicions from other mages, Teacher? Everyone will suspect that you have a pocket dimension." She said in a worried tone.

"Don't forget my identity, lass. I'm an Ancient Mage, and I do have a Fire-elemental pocket dimension." Charles let out a chuckle and continued.

"Once you guys save enough money, buy one complete affinity checker from the auction. Then, focus on checking kids' affinities in Commoners' District and slum District. As long as the kids have 'High' level affinities, recruit them under Rhea's name."

"Give them some promises like good salary, permanent job, bonuses, and so on. Once you guys give some extra benefits, their parents will be willing to let them work under Rhea. Then, buy a bulk amount of contract scrolls from Day and Night Church and make a long-term agreement with those kids. Make it up to 50 years."

"But what can those kids do? They can't even save themselves." Rhea wore a confused look and muttered.

"No, we are recruiting the kids to turn them into Mystics. These kids will be your future personal guards and mages." Charles responded calmly.

At that moment, a look of realization dawn on Rhea's face.

'Personal soldiers and mages…' She finally got some hope.

"But where can we get a bulk amount of Class-Gems, Teacher?" Jessie's expression turned solemn.

Although they can buy Class-Gems in the black market, they can't buy them in bulk.

They need a Church's help!

"Day and Night Church… Will they help us?" She clearly remembered that their Teacher used a forceful method earlier to make them submit and felt troubled.

"If they didn't help, what's the point of our earlier agreement? Tell them that we won't allow them to build a single church in the future." Charles replied coldly.

"Threaten won't work on the Church, Teacher." However, Jessie still felt that her Teacher was too daring.

"We are not threatening them, lass. We are just following the agreement." Charles smiled mysteriously and turned his gaze towards a four-wheeled carriage that was moving in their direction.

"Let's go."

Within a few seconds, the four-wheeled carriage arrived in front of them and turned around.

Then, the horses made a neigh noise in unison and stopped.

On the other hand, Charles and others entered the carriage and sat comfortably on their seats.

"Set out." He placed the cane below the seat, slightly opened the curtain, and spoke towards Noel, who sat on the driver's seat.

The next instant, Noel whipped the horses and drove the carriage out of City Square.

Around 1.30 P.M, they went to an Estate Agency called Gold Invest Agency in Merchants' District and rented an old mansion at the cost of 1,500 gold coins.

Thankfully, the company's officials didn't decline Moon Kingdom's currency and accepted it before getting multiple signs from Charles.

The housing process took more than 2 hours to complete!

By the time they walked out of the Estate Agency building, it was already 3.40 P.M.

After that, they went to a mid-sized hotel and had lunch over there.

Then, the group went to the nearby shops and purchased few necessary things like cooking utensils, cereals, pulses, vegetables, cooking oils, etc.

By the time they returned to the newly brought old mansion, it was already dark.

…

Rodsley Street, Nobles' District.

Noel parked the carriage next to the compound gate and told others about their arrival.

One by one, Charles and others walked out of the carriage and stared at the eerie, gloomy three-storied mansion building.

It looked more like an abandoned mansion.

Not even a single torchlight was lit inside!

But what surprised Charles was a familiar feeling.

It was as if he had already visited this mansion!

'No, this mansion… I saw it in the earlier vision!' He was stunned for a moment before came to a realization.

'In the vision, I only saw a glimpse of it. Hmm, this mansion needs complete reparation.' He opened the compound gate and walked on the dirt path.

Meanwhile, the kids and Ashley silently followed after him and glanced at the weed-filled front yard and fountain.

Then, they soon turned their gazes towards the three-storied house and frowned.

Even though it was dark, they still managed to see the broken windows and front doors and got confused.

"Did the agency scam us?" Rhea asked in a dissatisfied tone.

"Nope. Renting a house is always costlier in big cities, lass. This mansion is the cheapest we can get in Nobles' District. Even though it is an old mansion, its worth should be more than 15,000 gold coins. Hmm, repairing these broken windows and doors won't cost us too much. So, don't put too much thought into it." Charles rubbed his chin and continued to walk.

On the other hand, Noel, Jessie, and Titus started discussing their next plan.

While chatting, they soon arrived in front of the entrance door, unlocked it using a large silver key, and pushed it open.

A loud screeching noise echoed, followed by a gust of dusty air.

The next instant, the dust particles entered everyone's nostrils, causing them to sneeze involuntarily.

Even Charles felt affected by the dust and sneezed twice before regaining his sense.

Covering his nose using a handkerchief, he took a step forward and spoke.

"Choose your favorite room and rest." He stopped for a moment and then added.

"Before going to sleep, clean the room with a broomstick. We will hire some servants and carpenter to fix the house tomorrow."

Saying so, Charles walked into the building and soon reached the main hall.

Unlike the entrance hall, which was illuminated by the outside reddish moonlight, the main hall appeared utterly black.

Upon noticing such eerie black, kids and Ashley felt like they were about to step into a dark abyss!

As Charles placed his foot on the floor, multiple candle lights shone from different directions and illuminated the main hall in dim yellow light!

The next instant, the chandelier hung up in the ceiling, also illuminated the hall in yellowish light, and gave off a feeling of warmth to the new guests.

Charles and the kids were surprised for a moment before resuming their walk on the polished floor.

Furniture like sofas, luxurious chairs, tables, and even metal stools appeared in the center of the main hall and was neatly arranged.

Charles's gaze swept past the furniture and soon landed on the bifurcated stairs, covered in the red carpet.

He looked at the second floor for a moment and soon turned his gaze towards the right side.

The main hall's right side was the kitchen, dining hall, pantry, buttery, and larder.

To the main hall's left side were multiple private rooms for guests, along with attached bathrooms.

The second floor was filled with cabinets, boudoirs, chapel, oratories, storage house, bedrooms, and game room.

On the third floor, there was a large banquet hall for gatherings and a private meeting hall.

After looking around for a moment, the kids and Ashley moved to the left side and chose suitable guest rooms to take some rest, leaving Charles alone in the main hall.

He first went near the chesterfield sofa and sat on it.

'Mr. Runeth, don't you feel something off about this successor mission?' He asked.

'What do you mean? Are you saying Churches arrange this mission?' The Holem's Crown asked in confusion.

'Not the Churches, but someone else. I have a vague feeling that this mission might be a trap…' Charles wore a trouble expression and soon sighed.

'I lack information about our enemy. That assassination earlier is a provocation. That young child's voice from before… Something feels off. This mission might not be a simple one.'

'What is your plan?' The Holem's Crown asked.

'I'm planning to comprehend all the spell models in the next three years. But, at the same time, I will also try my best and delay this mission.' Charles spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.

'Delay this mission? Don't you want to make Rhea as Queen of Iron Kingdom?' The Holem's Crown was entirely puzzled by his reply.

'That's why I want to delay it. I want to confirm something.' A cold look appeared on his face.

'Confirm something?' The artifact asked.

He nodded his head but didn't answer.

Instead, he leaned his back against the sofa and closed his eyes.