At night, Wizard Richard was in the study, examining the schematic of the Miniature Magic Tracking Missile for its second revision.
Suddenly, a knocking sound arose.
"Come in," Wizard Richard called as he looked up.
With a creak, the door opened, and Jia Lie entered, looking tense, "Master, there are some things I need to report to you."
"What is it?" Wizard Richard asked, guessing one possibility, "Is it something from the list that you couldn’t buy?"
"Yes," Jia Lie nodded, "The other items are manageable, but the high-quality glass you requested is difficult to purchase."
"Not even if we offer a high price?"
"A small quantity is possible, but a large quantity is difficult," Jia Lie explained, "The glass in Jialan City is produced only in Marquis Vian’s factory. It is said that a special substance is added to the glass, making it much stronger than glass from other places and it is quite rare.
As such, the monthly production is not very large, and as soon as it’s produced, it’s bought by many nobles, leaving very little for the market, and it is also very expensive.
To acquire a large quantity of this quality glass in a short amount of time, we either need to forge a connection with Marquis Vian and enter their inner circle, or purchase it from other cities. But Master, as you know, other cities are far and the roads are not in good condition. If transported by horse-drawn carriage, we couldn’t even get half the glass intact. It wastes both time and money and could potentially impact your construction plan."
"I see," Wizard Richard said thoughtfully.
The reason he chose to build the Wind Tunnel Laboratory on his estate, rather than in Eden, was partly because it was the first time building such a structure and he wanted to test the waters. Additionally, he wanted to utilize the abundant manpower from the outside world to save time.
If the glass had to be purchased from other cities, it would conflict with his goals.
And buying locally presents a problem with Marquis Vian, as he had little contact with the Marquis, making it difficult to establish a connect, not to mention forcing the Marquis to sell all the production glass from his factory.
So, should he build his own glass factory?
He did possess several processes for making specialty glass, and if he built his own glass factory, the quality of the glass would definitely surpass that of Count Wei’an’s glass factory.
However, this would take more time, not less, than buying from other cities.
Wizard Richard tapped the desk lightly, pondering, and muttered to himself: "Marquis Vian, Marquis Vian..."
After a few repetitions, something felt familiar, and he turned to ask Jia Lie, "Jia Lie, do you remember on our first day at the manor we received quite a few invitation cards, which I had you take away?"
"I remember," Jia Lie said, "I put them all away."
"Good, find them for me."
"Yes." Jia Lie didn’t hesitate, quickly turning around and leaving. Soon after, he came running back with a stack of invitations and gently placed them on the desk, "Master, they are all here, I haven’t missed any."
"Well done," Wizard Richard said satisfied, and after scanning the pile for a few moments, he picked up a pale red invitation with gilded lettering, then read a few lines.
From a mysterious Master Wizard from afar:
Welcome to Jialan City. Although I am unfamiliar with your past, I am filled with nothing but respect for your power to wield Extraordinary Power, and hope my children could follow the same path under your tutelage.
If it is convenient, I hope you could honor my humble home with a visit, or I, with my children, could visit you and allow me the chance to witness your greatness, for which I would be most grateful.
Wizard Richard pointed at the signature on the invitation and asked Jia Lie, "This person, is he Marquis Vian?"
Jia Lie glanced at it, slightly surprised that Wizard Richard could remember such a distant affair. Then he nodded affirmatively, "That should be him. As far as I know, among the nobles in this city, he is the only one with that name."
"Good," Wizard Richard made a decision, "Take my card and go to his mansion, tell him I plan to visit soon and see what he thinks."
Soon, Wizard Richard knew what Marquis Vian Sisko intended. The response was: Any time, they would welcome the Master Wizard’s visit, and the Marquis would be waiting.
After receiving the response, Wizard Richard didn’t hesitate and visited the very next day.
In the afternoon, a carriage stopped in front of the Marquis Mansion in Jialan City, and Wizard Richard got out.
The Marquis personally came out to welcome him, then led Wizard Richard inside to the living room.
After seating in the living room, they had tea.
After exchanging pleasantries, Wizard Richard stated his purpose—he needed some high-quality glass, and price was negotiable.
Marquis Vian listened and agreed readily, clapping his chest and containing, "For the next few months, the glass factory will fully supply Wizard Richard. If that’s not possible, I could even dismantle the glass used in my mansion to send to you."
"That won’t be necessary; just ensure a sufficient quota from your glass factory."
"Absolutely," Marquis Vian said with a smile, pausing before looking at Wizard Richard respectfully once more, "By the way, Wizard Richard, I have one question I’ve been meaning to ask you, if it’s alright."
"It’s about your wizard level, what level are you?" asked Marquis Vian, then explained, "Please don’t misunderstand, I’m merely curious. You know, Jialan City isn’t a very big city. We do have wizards, but not many. I want Wizard Richard to broaden our horizons."
"I see," Wizard Richard said, understanding all too well that this was not merely curiosity but rather sizing him up. As a noble with the title of Marquis on the Main Continent, his stature was quite high. He had Magic Knights loyally serving under him, not very numerous, and they maintained their combat strength through Magic Potions, but enough to contend with a Level One Wizard or a slightly weaker Second-level Wizard.
Such a person would want to get close to a wizard to gain benefits, but he wouldn’t be interested in just any wizard. At least, a First-level Wizard, especially those who had recently been promoted from Apprentice Wizard, wasn’t impressive.
A Second-level Wizard, however, would be given due respect and considered for transactions under the premise of equal exchange.
As for a Third-level Wizard, they would be treated with the utmost respect, ready to meet all sorts of demands and even agree to extra terms.
If it was a Level 4 Wizard, the Marquis might consider addressing him as ’father,’ although he also knew this was highly unlikely.