Hague School's Station.
In the opulent hall.
"Have Sande and Rice, who were responsible for target number twelve, returned yet?"
Deacon Blumer asked Mark in front of him.
"Not yet, sir," Mark shook his head.
"This is already the second time this month that they have been so slow. Tell them that if there is a next time, their wages for this month will be cut in half."
Blumer spoke indifferently.
Their Hague School, in fact, resembled more of a gang formed and developed by wandering wizards rather than a traditional school and still had a significant gap from the orthodox schools.
On Bananka Island, the only real orthodox school was the Bananka School.
Yet, this did not affect their self-proclamation as a school.
The main pillar of industry for the Hague School was the sale of inexpensive luxury items.
For example, sea pearls, which cost tens of gold coins, were priced here at tens of magic stones.
Though poor in quality and expensive, the customers who bought them were never lacking.
This was mainly due to the huge flow of people on Bananka Island and their hardworking gang members who attracted customers.
"Yes, Deacon Blumer," Mark replied.
He felt somewhat disgruntled too.
The efficiency of Sande and Rice had been getting slower recently.
Although the magic stones they brought back increased, this wasn't necessarily a good thing.
The law enforcement team on Bananka Island turned a blind eye to such behavior.
But this was under the premise that they were only selling things and not robbing and that they pay a costly tax to the law enforcement team every month.
But recently, Sande and Rice's methods had become more and more brutal, crossing the line… It was time to give them a warning.
Otherwise, if this got out to the law enforcement team, those people would not consider old ties.
Mark was very clear on this—
To Bananka Island.
The travelers coming and going were much more important than these sea dogs!
As he thought this, he excused himself from Deacon Blumer, his tall figure gradually receding, vanishing at the door.
...
Golden Anchor Auction House.
Colin walked out of the tall golden archway, a look of joy on his face.
The Golden Anchor Auction House was the largest auction house on Bananka Island, directly owned by the Bananka wizards.
Despite the high commission fee of 15%, its reputation was excellent, and its professionalism was strong.
Since it was his first time at the auction, they even waived the appraisal fee.
McIntosh's Golden Four-leaf Clover was a rare magic potion that could strengthen the soul.
Although it only worked during the apprentice phase, its value was not low.
At the end of the auction, an old wizard with black circular glasses appraised it for him.
It appeared to be an Official Wizard… His supersensitive phase had already ended the day before he arrived at Bananka Island.
Now that he had lost his supersensitive vision, he could only guess the appraiser's power level through his appearance.
'Special magic potion, a variant of the Golden Four-leaf Clover, retains the original soul-strengthening effects while also enhancing life force, and perhaps gains some self-healing capabilities.'
Colin recalled the old appraiser's final assessment in his mind.
This result matched almost exactly with his actual experience.
He had initially absorbed the power of the Golden Four-leaf Clover perfectly with the help of Golden Paper.
And now, having undergone Limit Breaking once, that certain self-healing capability had been elevated to another, higher level.
However,
After one Limit Breaking, even with the assistance of the second Limit Breaking Sunlight Breathing Technique, the progress of Talent Strong Life was still very slow.
It was only yesterday, after taking Manatee's Tears and training anew, that he could see significant improvement.
The sun was setting.
After viewing the ship and entrusting the auction of the Golden Four-leaf Clover,
It was now four in the afternoon.
But Colin did not return to the inn but headed toward the distant Bananka Port instead.
Golden Anchor Auction House held a micro auction daily and a medium-sized auction weekly.
His McIntosh Golden Four-leaf Clover was not of low value, and it was scheduled for the monthly large auction seven days later.
The old appraiser estimated the price of the Golden Four-leaf Clover to be between six thousand and fifteen thousand Magic Stones.
If the auction house were to buy it directly, it would pay eight thousand Magic Stones.
Such a large price fluctuation was mainly due to the uniqueness of the Golden Four-leaf Clover.
The Golden Four-leaf Clover was only effective for Wizard Apprentices, of no use for Official Wizards.
But ordinary apprentices usually didn't have so many Magic Stones, while Official Wizards had no use for it.
So it usually didn't sell for a very high price...
Only when encountering proper clients, like Official Wizards buying Magic Potions for their juniors, could it fetch a good price.
Thinking all the way, before he knew it, he had arrived at Bananka Port.
The place was still bustling with noise, and travelers were constantly coming and going.
On the open ground by the dock, inquisitive-eyed travelers disembarked from ships, pausing briefly to look around before stepping forward and blending into the crowd.
Colin headed to the left following his memory.
An middle-aged guide was standing by the roadside, closely observing the passing travelers.
"Mod." He called out softly.
Mod, reflexively turning around and seeing it was Colin, bowed slightly in greeting.
"Sir."
Then he quickly walked over to Colin's side.
The two conversed as they walked.
"How's the information gathering going?" Colin asked.
"It's all clear now," Mod answered.
He organized his words and said:
"Currently, there are fourteen ships heading to the Siya Continent.
Out of these, there are nine fleets led by Official Wizards, all First Rank Wizards."
"The earliest departure is the day after tomorrow, a ship of a Peak Apprentice. The latest is on the twenty-sixth of next month, also a ship of a Peak Apprentice."
"The journey durations range from a month to half a year."
"The prices range from three hundred to two thousand Magic Stones per person."
"I have all the specific information recorded in detail, sir. Take a look."
Mod stopped briefly, fumbling in his coat to pull out a sheet of paper and handed it to him.
Colin nodded and accepted the paper.
On it, a table clearly listed various information about the fourteen ships heading to the Siya Continent.
His regard for Mod rose further.
Whether it was yesterday's sincere disclosure about the inn's kickbacks or today's logically clear table of ship information, both demonstrated Mod was a clever man.
Unfortunately... he was just a Basic Level Wizard Apprentice.
'With such a mind, and no longer young, yet still only a Basic Level Wizard Apprentice...'
Colin eyed Mod, feeling somewhat emotional and speculating to himself.
'It must be poor aptitude.'
He rubbed the paper, then shifted his thoughts.
'That means, Mod likely has no connections with the Hayha School Wizards I met this morning...'
Those two Hayha School Wizards could easily divulge his information.
He hadn't forgotten that.
Folding the paper neatly and tucking it away, he casually took out the previously agreed upon Magic Stone as payment for Mod, while casually asking.
"Are there any famous Schools on Bananka Island?"
Although he said so, necessary probing was still needed.
After all, one must be cautious with others.
"Schools?"
Mod took the Magic Stone, placing it into a black pouch inside his coat, his expression somewhat puzzled.
He watched Colin, his thoughts spinning, then his expression revealed sudden realization.
Then he counter-asked:
"Sir, have you been targeted by those sea dogs?"