Chapter 116: The Mage Tower’s Promise

Seeing that the two mages from Malf didn’t seem to believe him, Donald continued, “Firstly, proper treatment for potions and equipment is of course essential. You must have met the three mages from Moray; from them, you’ve learned enough to prove my strength and sincerity!”
When the three nodded, Donald added, “Secondly, Dalaran is located near the Green Cloak Forest and the Cloudspire Mountains, along with the newly established Adventurers’ Guild, which can attract many adventurers. With these advantages, the various magical materials we can obtain will undoubtedly be the best in all the northern regions. Neither Stonehold nor Redmaple Town can compare to Dalaran. I believe you’re all aware of these facts.”
The four mages, including Messel, nodded in agreement. These two conditions were indeed better than those of the Mage Association, but they were still far from matching its standards. The three mages waited for Donald’s next condition.
Chris naturally thought of the two gargoyle statues Donald had provided earlier. He had studied them for a long time and, though he hadn’t succeeded in replicating the process of creating such alchemical statues, he had gained much knowledge from them, which boosted his confidence in his research. Perhaps this time, the young mage would offer something even more advanced from ancient alchemy.
Then Donald said in an enthusiastic tone, “I also have a major plan… to build a mage tower in Dalaran!” “What?”

Chris was immediately surprised and said, “You’re not joking, are you?” Malf also stared at Donald as if he were a monster and said, “Back in the day, even the Celts, with all their strength, could only build one high-level mage tower. It was this very mage tower that tied the Mage Association to the Celts’ royal chariot. Although you’re considered wealthy among the local nobles, it’s unlikely you’ll succeed in building a mage tower—even a low-level one—in ten years. As for a high-level one, it’s nothing but a fantasy.” Seeing that none of the mages, except his teacher Maelthor, agreed with him, Donald said, “Who said I want to build a low-level mage tower? If Dalaran is to build one, it has to be a high-level one to match my teacher’s status as the greatest mage in the Northlands and a Silver Master!” After Donald spoke, all three mages thought he was crazy. Building a mage tower above intermediate level alone would cost hundreds of thousands of gold sols in materials. Even the most powerful noble lords couldn’t complete it in a short time—it could cripple a kingdom’s finances.

But what Donald said next truly shocked the three mages. Confidently, he said, “You might not know this, but Dalaran recently discovered a vein of Blue-Striped Magic Gold. I also obtained some silver. With our territory’s current economic strength, we can definitely start building the framework for a high-level mage tower first.”

“Really Blue-Striped Magic Gold? And silver too?”

All three mages turned to Maelthor, who nodded, confirming his disciple’s words.

With the amount of silver Donald had, he could build two high-level mage towers and still have some left over.

Chris also said, “I was there when that Blue-Striped Magic Gold vein was discovered. I checked it out too. Preliminary estimates suggest that although the vein isn’t large, its reserves are quite good. It’s likely the largest Blue-Striped Magic Gold vein discovered in a hundred years.”

Such a secret about a magic metal mine was too important, so Chris had kept it hidden from Donald, not even revealing it to his two closest friends. The other two mages would likely do the same, so everyone understood.

After confirmation, the mages were overjoyed. A magic metal mine was an extremely valuable resource for all mages in the Northlands. With this mine, they could exchange resources with mages from other regions, dispelling the myth that mages in the Northlands were the poorest.

“A high-level mage tower could surely provide the best conditions for cultivation for all of you! Even if you advance to Grand Gold Mages, you’ll still have an excellent environment for further study and practice,” said Hentia, one of the three mages, coldly. “Indeed, mage halls in county-level territories usually have their own low-level mage towers. It’s only our remote and impoverished North County that has failed to build one for so many years. The mages in our hall had planned to construct a low-level mage tower over a decade ago, when we were just promoted from apprentices to Dark Iron Mages. But the cost of a mage tower is too high, and without the support of powerful nobles, the Macbeth family—the only viscounts in North County—although capable of helping, has always harbored ambitions to unify the region. Fearing that our mage hall might grow too strong, they refused to support us, and thus the plan was shelved indefinitely!” Hentia was the sister of Mage Malf. Not only was she one of the few female mages in the hall, but she was also the only female Bronze Peak Mage in entire North County.

This female mage was a rare type of sorceress. As one of the four major mage factions in modern times, sorcerers primarily inherited some traditions from ancient spellcraft schools, and most of them also mastered techniques from the illusion and enchantment schools. Therefore, sorcerers are generally suited for covert attacks or spell-based support, with combat capabilities far inferior to those of elemental mages.

However, things aren’t entirely as the predecessors said—there are no useless spells… only useless mages. If non-direct attack spells are used skillfully, their effects can be just as good as elemental spells, and sometimes even better.

Hentia had a rather reserved personality. It was said she had suffered emotional trauma in her youth, which is why, despite being over forty, she remained single. But considering the lifespan of a Bronze Mage, forty years represents less than one-third of a lifetime, similar to a normal person’s twenties, so she couldn’t really be considered old.

Donald was very confident in his plan. “With the strength of our hall, even if every mage contributed selflessly, it would take decades to accumulate enough resources to build a mage tower. Yet the total output from my territory in just three years is already equivalent to that amount. So as long as I can obtain the blueprints for the mage tower and have access to the key magical metal materials, I’m confident I can build it within two years.”

Messel added, “There’s a blueprint for building a mage tower in the Mage Association. It might be a bit troublesome, but paying a certain price should allow us to get it. If those stubborn old men refuse to cooperate, I’ll go to the continent myself—surely the mage organizations there will be much more generous!”
After hearing this, the three mages fell into deep thought. Messel was Donald’s teacher, and the ancient lineage of mage factions was even closer than the relationship between ordinary mages and apprentices, akin to a father passing on his craft to his son. Apprentices had to be carefully selected and go through long trials before they could officially join the faction. So, regardless of these conditions, Messel was willing to help Donald unconditionally.
The other masters, naturally, couldn’t do the same.
Finally, after discussing for a while, the three mages decided that Mage Malf would represent them.
“Very well, Donald. Since you’re so sincere, we’ll stay in your territory for now. The day the mage tower is built will be the day we officially join Dalaran!”
“Then I’d like to thank you all for your support here first. I, Donald, promise I will not disappoint your trust! As your teacher and these three senior masters,” he said, then took Kelsas with him and led the four mages to the location of the World Tree.
Although he had been promoted to Bronze rank, Donald still hadn’t had time to learn flight magic. However, he had flying beasts like griffins to transport him, which were much faster than the flight magic of the four mages and didn’t consume his own mana.
Two griffins led the way, with the four mages flying behind them. They soon arrived at the World Tree, hidden in the Moonwood.
This place had already been officially named by Donald as a sacred site for class changes. Surrounding it was an area guarded by ancient guardians, with military structures of the three major beast races and hero altars neatly arranged.
Upon arriving, the extraordinary nature of the World Tree immediately amazed the mages. Even Messel was seeing Donald’s secret base for the first time.
“This must be the Elven Sacred Tree, the World Tree, right?”
Mage Chris, who was usually quiet, spoke with a trembling voice.
Donald replied calmly, “That’s right. It is indeed the World Tree, but it’s still growing and is far from reaching its full potential.”

Messel sighed, “That’s also truly remarkable. Just being around the Tree of Life for a long time has a positive effect on a mage’s cultivation, and its leaves and branches are top-quality materials for crafting alchemical potions and wands.”
“Teacher, please don’t lay your eyes on my Tree of Life. Most of the products from my territory depend on the lunar essence it produces to exist. Moreover, it’s not an ordinary magical plant—it has intelligence, consciousness, and even a memory for grudges!”
As Donald spoke, he saw the branches of the Tree of Life sway a few times, as if showing fear.
The old mage glared at his disciple.
“I was just talking. How could I really bear to harm it?”
Donald smiled and fell silent, leading the four of them to a strange building.
The building resembled a pyramid-shaped base, with obelisks standing at each corner. Above it was a platform, on which several devices resembling armillary spheres were placed, like those in an observatory.
This was the sacred mystical site—the training facility for human mages, ideal for human spellcasters to train. Whether they were arcane spellcasters or divine spellcasters, they could train here.
As for the class that countered mages, the Magic Destroyers, aside from their unique abilities, the other two classes trained at this sacred site—priests and witches—were not as powerful as mages in this world.
What Donald valued most was the training function of this mage building—it could accelerate a mage’s cultivation, speed up their learning of spells, and even directly grant them an understanding of corresponding laws.
A mage like Messel, at the peak of bronze rank, could definitely break through to silver rank after training under an expert mage. And if they reached the peak of silver rank and then received training from a master mage, they would surely become gold-rank powerhouses.