The house—or rather, the dragon’s nest—could be thought of later.
After all, Cirilla usually took on a human form and didn’t need such a large nest. When the ti ca for her to slumber in her dragon form—
They could deal with it then. Cirilla had just advanced and wouldn’t need to slumber again soon. With a decade or so, they could arrange a dragon’s nest.
Of course, a bed of gold coins—no, silver coins—was still necessary. When Cirilla successfully advanced and saw a bed of silver coins to roll on, she would be overjoyed!
Garrett happily handed over the negotiation rights and rested his chin in his hands, his role reduced to agreeing with “Mm-hmm,” “Ah,” “Okay,” and “I agree.” Occasionally, he would chuckle:
“Yes, I do value this point—”
Master Sam, Senior Brother, it’s up to you!
In terms of negotiation and managing the relationship with the War God’s temple, you are definitely more professional!
Whatever the outco, I approve. It’s fine to yield more benefits to the council as long as it facilitates my continued research~~~
And Old Sam didn’t disappoint.
Though how the two grand mages communicated was a mystery—especially how they did so without Bishop Seiren noticing—the fact was, Old Sam took the lead while Grand Mage Carlisle supported, driving Bishop Seiren to retreat step by step.
The tug-of-war negotiations lasted all afternoon. Garrett watched as Bishop Seiren’s face alternated between red and white, his eyes bulging, and even his temples appeared to throb.
…Are we bullying the War God’s temple too much?
After all, we are allies. Can’t we yield a bit?
Garrett felt a pang of conscience. He couldn’t secretly cast a blood pressure spell to check if Seiren’s blood pressure was rising, so he smiled and smoothed things over:
“It’s getting late, everyone. Let’s pause and continue after dinner. Co, co, esteed guests, please move to the dining room—”
None of the three guests listened. Bishop Seiren glared at Old Sam, who glared back. Grand Mage Carlisle stood slightly apart, fully alert:
One was alone but strong; the other had a companion and high rank but couldn’t withstand a punch from the War God’s high priest or a high-level warrior. In a real fight, it was hard to say who’d be unlucky.
Garrett retreated to the door, wearing a hospitable smile. His left hand ford a spell gesture, ready to cast defense, and his right hand flicked, opening a crack in the door—
The tantalizing aroma of food wafted in silently through the crack.
The two guests glared at each other for a few more seconds before both snorted and backed down. Garrett imdiately stepped to the door and smiled:
“Please—”
The dining room was on the sa floor, just down the hallway past two doors. Invisible servants had already set the table, each dish covered with a patterned glass do.
Despite the fine mist of condensation inside the dos, the rich aromas of various foods filled the air.
Bishop Seiren’s tense expression softened a bit. Grand Mage Carlisle, following behind, quickly surveyed the dining room:
A long table covered with a deep red tablecloth, seating about ten people. On each side, five chairs were symtrically placed; four seed to be added temporarily from the floor marks;
Bernard, Aurora, Mage Norwood, Anita Winvey, and Carlos, the permanent residents of the Mage Tower, were waiting at the dining room door, bowing to the guests;
Grand Mage Carlisle ntally counted, noting that the dining room could only accommodate this many people. As for the other apprentices?
Mage Norwood’s apprentice, Mage Lynn’s apprentice, and possibly other young apprentices working in the tower, likely had their own dining area.
This implied that Anita Winvey and Carlos, the young priestess of the God of Nature and necromancer, had Garrett’s approval and were considered his disciples.
Now wasn’t the ti to ask about this. Following Garrett’s lead, he took a seat at the second position on the right, with Old Sam at the head. The Mage Tower mbers took their seats in order, invisible servants uncovering each glass do:
Thick, juicy steaks sizzled on hot stone slabs. One side of the steak was neatly arranged with green asparagus; the other side had large mushrooms soaked in at juices, looking especially enticing;
Honey-glazed roasted chicken, golden brown and sweet-slling. An invisible servant sliced the chicken’s belly, revealing fried rice dotted with ham and mushrooms, adding layers of flavor to the sweetness;
A purple-red ceramic jar over a foot high, covered with a crispy lid, brimd with braised pork, glistening and rich. A slight stir made the pork skin quiver and tremble;
A whole rack of pork ribs, marinated and slow-roasted, emitted a fragrant aroma. The invisible servant cut them into strips, the at’s rich scent filling the dining room;
A large bowl of creamy seafood soup, with bright red shrimp, yellow clams, curled squid tentacles, scallops, dried scallops, various fish slices, and small fish, all stewed to tenderness, its aroma wafting up;
A silver platter of large lobsters, over a foot long, with shells split open to reveal succulent, quivering at…
Bishop Seiren’s face relaxed more and more. When Garrett signaled the start of the al, he eagerly cut a large piece of steak and took a bite. The red juice burst in his mouth, filling it with a rich flavor as he chewed.
Bishop Seiren sighed comfortably and nodded lightly at Garrett:
This steak is excellent. The at quality, seasoning, and doneness are all top-notch. The texture is firm and juicy, with a slight milky aroma. This Nordmark Mage, the cooking level in his Mage Tower, almost rivals that of the temple.
—The War God’s temple, renowned for its high at consumption and expertise in at cuisine!
He praised internally while Old Sam voiced it:
“Mage Nordmark, the cooking level in your Mage Tower is truly impressive!”
“Just okay, just okay.” Garrett modestly replied:
“It’s mainly MOSS’s effort. He records every new recipe, and over ti, we’ve accumulated quite a variety…”
Of course, everyone here loves good food. Aurora, Bernard, Anita Winvey, and Carlos all collected cooking thods and recreated them in the tower.
As for Lynn, Garrett was sure half of MOSS’s recipes were learned from Lynn’s golden skeleton.
Cough, he contributed too! He went to another world, and not eating well, eating what he wanted, was unthinkable!
Garrett smiled as he controlled the invisible servant to serve himself a piece of braised pork. He took a bite. Mm, rich but not greasy, lean but not dry, flavorful and tender. The slight sweetness from the sugar perfectly enhanced the flavor…
A taste of ho!
So happy!
Such a sumptuous al satisfied everyone. Old Sam enjoyed a piece of lobster, squinting in pleasure at its tender, bouncy texture;
Grand Mage Carlisle slowly savored a spoonful of seafood soup, picking out the juicy shellfish, his movents gentle and relaxed;
Bernard’s plate already had two rib bones, and he was attacking a third;
Anita Winvey, having finished a chicken leg, sliced open a small roll, stuffed it with a mushroom and asparagus, and ate with delight. Garrett admired her from afar:
Good taste!
Girl!
at and vegetables are forever!
Carlos was picking through the fried rice in the chicken, analyzing the ingredients with his tongue, seemingly planning to improve the recipe…
The food greatly relaxed everyone. After dinner, when Bishop Seiren returned to the eting room, the tension and anger on his face were gone. Reclining in his chair, his voice was lazy:
“Mm…let’s move to the next topic…Mage Nordmark, how many personnel from the War God’s temple do you need for your research?”
“The more, the better,” Garrett set the tone for his needs:
“But of course, manpower isn’t unlimited, and the temple can’t endlessly deploy warriors. So we hope to negotiate a reasonable number.”
Then he fell silent, watching Bishop Seiren and Old Sam debate. Finally, they agreed on fifty 5th-level knights, thirty 6th-level knights, and twenty 7th and 8th-level knights each to cooperate with Garrett’s research—
“Of course, only for non-invasive research, such as asuring blood pressure, blood oxygen, heart ultrasound, and CT scans! Cooperation doesn’t an harming these knights!”
Bishop Seiren insisted. Old Sam imdiately added conditions:
“Blood samples are allowed!—No more than 10 milliliters per person for asuring blood potassium, sodium, and possibly lipids. This won’t harm the knights, right? War God temple knights aren’t that fragile, are they?”
Bishop Seiren hesitated slightly. After thinking, he decided 10 milliliters of blood shouldn’t be a problem—
“But no electric testing! No resistance to electric currents or anything like that!”
“Of course not!” Garrett jumped up. He wanted to throw the entire “Helsinki Declaration” at Seiren’s face. In the end, he raised his hand and made a magical vow:
“Unless necessary to save a life and with prior permission, I will not use defibrillation or cardioversion spells on patients. If I violate this vow, may the Arcane take away my spellcasting ability—”
“Enough,” Old Sam interrupted tily:
“Now, let’s talk about the cash compensation!”
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