Gravity Mage with Level-Up System Chapter 1814: Heated Meeting

Office

Time elapsed, and visitors began inspecting the gallery space.

Not all attendees came to vend; the majority sought appraisal assistance. For that reason, no objects reached me for evaluation.

Right at that moment, I spotted a plump middle-aged fellow in a heated exchange with Patrick and Otto.

My eyebrows arched. I realized the middle-aged man held the rank of Supreme Wizard. I kept observing their discussion.

Soon after, Patrick headed my way, clutching an item. He stepped inside the chamber.

"Master, examine this object," Patrick remarked.

With those words, he set down a dark-hued stone on the desk. Upon catching sight of it, a spark of interest lit up my eyes. I activated the system's scanning feature to uncover its essence.

[Ding! Black Iron Stone detected.]

[Ding! The Black Iron Stone comes from the Iron Magic Mountain, laden with minerals.]

The system's alert rang in my head. Upon hearing it, I nodded and glanced at Patrick.

"It’s named Black Iron Stone. Extracted from Magic Mountain. It serves in artifact crafting," I explained to Patrick. "Verify with him. Uncover how he obtained this item."

Patrick inclined his head, then lifted the ebony stone. He left via the doorway and approached the middle-aged man.

Patrick commenced his inquiries. In contrast to typical visitors, the middle-aged man was familiar with the stone. He'd arrived to confirm the object's nature.

The stout middle-aged man grinned with delight. He cheerfully covered the appraisal cost before departing the store.

Witnessing this, I nodded approvingly. The man wasn't deceptive. Next, I grabbed my electronic gadget and began scanning the digital headlines.

...

Tulip City — The Enchanted Store

The Enchanted Store fell under the management of the six wizard clans, all linked to the Flame Elemental Tower. As a major vendor of magical wares, it ranked among Tulip City's top establishments.

The Tulip Auction House focused on bidding events, but the magic emporium operated daily, demanding extensive supply chain operations.

At present, a council convened. The chiefs of the six wizard houses had gathered. Every one of them qualified as a Supreme Wizard.

Present among them stood the three Magic Lords: Old Man Reese, Taylor, and Connor. Each had stumbled in their undertaking.

All inventory had vanished, alongside eight Supreme Wizards and additional personnel. This represented a tremendous blow to their operations.

The house leaders seethed with fury, though they held back from confronting the Magic Lords. Securing such allies proved difficult, and they labored for the houses. They chose their utterances with care.

"With the Magic Lords unsuccessful, the adversary likely holds Magic Lord status. Caution is essential. Perhaps a third party aims to undermine us," stated a middle-aged figure.

He served as the head of the Benny Family, known as Ted Benny. His comment stirred responses from the other leaders.

"If a Magic Lord orchestrated this, it might hail from competing towers or hostile groups," another leader proposed.

Not every influential faction bound itself to the magic towers. Certain ones connected directly to the Mage Union, leaving the perpetrator's origin unclear.

"This could stem from the Silver Tower," voiced a middle-aged man.

Gasp!

The elders let out shocked breaths. They'd briefly dismissed the Silver Tower. A recent dispute with store proprietor Frank had occurred. Retribution from that side seemed plausible.

One individual huffed, declaring, "Store proprietor Frank lacks official ties to the Silver Tower. He didn't orchestrate it."

Listening to this, the rest acknowledged the truth. Frank held no such power.

Ted Benny dipped his head and continued, "Store proprietor Frank commands just one Magic Lord, specializing in body enhancement."

"Elder Connor could have dispatched that figure without effort. Hence, an outsider must have acted," he appended.

The group concurred with his assessment. The three Magic Lords themselves suspected interference from another source.

Connor's eyes shimmered briefly. During the incident, he'd unleashed a magical incantation. A body-focused Magic Lord would have suffered gashes from the wind blades.

The deliberation stretched on extensively, but no answers surfaced. The intruder's identity stayed hidden.

They'd even conferred with the intelligence division leaders, yet no clues emerged. For the moment, they had to swallow the damages.

Once the facts came to light, they would strike back. The assembly wrapped up. The Magic Lords avoided any penalty; the houses lacked the nerve. In the eyes of wizard houses, Magic Lords counted as treasured resources.

Old Man Reese breathed easier. No one questioned his role. He'd fretted over potential blame. He feared not the wizard houses, but the Flame Elemental Tower itself.

Recognizing the session's positive close, he set aside the issue. Connor and Taylor also exited. They were certain the wizard houses wouldn't risk confrontation.

Nevertheless, these houses sheltered Ancestors who were Magic Lords and remained active. Not long prior, they'd launched an assault on store proprietor Frank in Crystal City.

It's common knowledge that these houses' Ancestors thrive vigorously. No one has provoked them since that event.

Yet, the pair remained baffled by the assailant's true form. They harbored fears of an assault from a Magic Tower insider.

...

Silver Tower

Jason Nicholson, Susan Park, and Wilfred Cox found themselves at the Silver Tower. Their goal was to secure missions. Having joined as formal members, none had fulfilled a task yet.

They contacted Manager Lara. She made her way back to the entrance hall. Spotting them, she understood their objective.

Aware they sought missions, she displayed the task inventories. She refrained from additional queries.

Wilfred Cox desired a mission within a vast foreign superpower. He also aimed to bolster his family enterprise.