Romon greeted the people outside, and they sent a representative to bring a sack of ore into the hall.
The burly man placed the burlap sack on the coffee table in front of Romon and stood quietly to the side.
Romon pulled a piece of raw ore from the sack, lifting it in one hand, letting the sunlight from the window pass through it. The deep blue energy inside the stone seemed to swirl as if alive.
"High purity," Gresla commented.
"The ones with lower purity, I've already thrown them away," Romon lied.
"I'm willing to offer 30 silver coins," Gresla continued.
Hearing this, Romon didn't respond immediately. Instead, he placed the ore back into the sack.
Seeing Romon's lack of reaction, Gresla quickly corrected himself, saying, "32—no, how about 35 silver coins? My lord, we're in a tough spot, and this is already far above the market price."
Even then, Romon remained unmoved. When a merchant reached this point, the negotiation was only beginning, and there was still room to raise the price.
Moreover, the opening offer had already exceeded Romon's expectations, indicating that the market for magic crystals was doing quite well recently.
Romon changed the subject. "Has there been anyone noteworthy in the hiring market lately?"
"Are you looking to hire guards? You're right to be making such plans. Just recently, I noticed a few interesting individuals. Here, I have a list." Gresla handed Romon a sheet. "This is [Stone Town's Boulders] Golden Stone, a secretive earth-element mage, who asks for an annual salary of just 50 gold coins. Then there's [Rose Alley's Scimitar] Spidevs, a rare gem who offers a full range of services, though she's a bit pricey—she won't work for less than 60 gold coins per year. And [Perfect Aim] Pito, a half-breed, but his skills are unquestionable, and he's affordable at only 45 gold coins..."
Romon skimmed the list while listening to the guild president's descriptions.
Each entry had a magical portrait and a brief description. Spidevs was indeed quite alluring, but compared to Lornis, she fell short. Lornis, even without makeup, was more charming, and with a little effort, she could outshine Spidevs in beauty. Spidevs looked more like dried, salted meat—she had aged a bit.
As for the others, Romon didn't even consider them.
Seeing that Romon was absorbed in the list and remained silent, Gresla hesitated before asking, "My lord, have you found someone you're interested in?"
"Not yet."
"Ah... is it the price or the quality that doesn't meet your expectations?"
"Both."
"Well, there are more expensive options, I mean, better ones..."
Gresla's voice trailed off as he observed Romon, and there was a faint resemblance to the old Thune lord in his expression.
Had it not been for the exorbitant fees set by the old Thune lord, the hiring market wouldn't be in such a disarray today, with all sorts of low-class mercenaries daring to set their prices.
Now it was Romon's turn, and given the poverty of Thune Territory these past years, seeing him sell these ores made it clear that his noble mindset was already restored.
"[Knight Commander] Mayus, he's not technically a knight commander, but he once defeated an actual knight commander using his own methods. His strength is guaranteed, and his price is 75..."
Before Gresla could finish, Romon placed the list back on the table.
He had finally found the mage he had seen in the simulator: [Rapid-Fire Mage] Talia, 35 gold coins.
The description on the profile read: "I haven't learned magic beyond the basic level, but my spells are definitely the fastest. I can also double as an assassin. An assassin of equivalent skill would cost at least 50 gold coins, but I only ask for 35."
Gresla, the guild president, briefly scanned the list.
Even from across the room, he could clearly see who was listed.
But... was this strange?
Perhaps Romon just wasn't satisfied with any of the options.
After all, if he didn't like any of the people Gresla had recommended, why would he choose this one?
The "Rapid-Fire Mage" angle sounded appealing, and the personal introduction had clearly been well-crafted. However, had anyone considered that an assassin's job was to kill without leaving a trace? Anyone hiring an assassin was likely intending to eliminate an enemy covertly.
If she made a move, half the town would know where the shot came from. Did she have invisibility? Did she have stealth?
Aside from being cheap, she seemed utterly useless.
But would the Thune family really be this desperate for a bargain?
"I'll take her," Romon said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Now it was Gresla's turn to be stunned. Was this something a noble would say? Even if their family had fallen on hard times, didn't nobles typically maintain their pride? Who would abandon their dignity to say something like that?
The girl might look decent, but she wasn't like Spidevs. She didn't sell her body. If forced, she had the absolute right to terminate the contract. And frankly, even if she was skilled, she wasn't someone Thune Territory could deal with at the moment.
"My lord?" Gresla asked, still waiting for a response.
Romon didn't answer.
With a sigh, Gresla reflected on how, if the downfall of the last generation of the Thune family had anything to do with this narrow-focus little mage, he would have witnessed both the rise and fall of the Thune family.
"My lord, since you're hiring from me, if you sell all the magic crystal ore you have to me, I can waive the commission for this service."
"Then I'll sell it to you for 35 gold coins."
"Wait, I know you're wealthy, my lord, but only selling this small amount of ore? That hardly fits with your noble status."
"The rest of the ore needs to be sent as tribute to the imperial capital before October."
Upon hearing this, Gresla's face fell.
He didn't know how much stock Romon had, but he was well aware of the tribute and tax system. Even though Thune Territory was reduced to a mere sliver of land, taxes were still assessed based on the original contract amount.
If so much magic crystal ore flooded into the imperial capital, the price of magic crystals there would definitely be suppressed. When that happened, not only would Romon fail to make a profit, but he would lose money on the ore he had invested in.
He would rather buy all the magic crystal ore from Romon and have him use money for tribute rather than sending the ore itself!
"My lord, the magic crystal ore is too difficult to transport. Why don't you send something else as tribute instead? I'll buy your ore at 40 silver coins per piece—this is my absolute limit."
"Alright."
Romon signaled to the people outside, and the remaining nine bags of raw ore were sold off.
Gresla called over a few appraisers, who quickly evaluated and assessed the ore. After paying for Talia's hiring fee, Romon was left with exactly 100 gold coins.
In the simulator, he wasn't sure how much he sold at once, but it had only added about fifty economy points.
This time, by handling it personally, in just one day, he had secured Talia and earned 100 gold coins.
Romon couldn't hide his excitement.
After so many years of hardship, he was finally seeing the first signs of his family's revival. He sat back on the sofa in the VIP room, sipping the guild's hot tea, while waiting for his new employee to arrive and sign the contract.
Fifteen minutes later.
A young woman, wearing a black wizard's hat and a gray robe, entered the room, her silver staff held tightly in her hand.
She moved cautiously, her bandaged hands unconsciously pulling the brim of her hat lower, as though she lacked confidence.
She looked like a new hire, nervous and underprepared for the job—someone who clearly didn't live up to her resume but was still forcing herself through the interview.
"U-um, hello... I heard you are Lord Romon of Thune Territory... I never imagined someone like me would be chosen by you... I... I really..."
Romon set his tea cup down and glanced at her. She was so nervous that her legs were pressing the robe into a tight seam.
"Sit down," he said.
"I'm Talia!" She sat on the soft sofa and suddenly remembered to introduce herself, speaking quickly.
"Mm, Romon Thune."
"R-Romon, my lord, I should show you my skills, I'll make sure to satisfy you!"
"No need to demonstrate. I already have a general understanding of your abilities. I invited you here just to sign the contract and then come back with me. It's that simple, relax. You've been hired." Romon pushed a contract with magical effects toward her and said.
According to the contents of the contract, it had originally been an annual salary, but Romon requested it be changed to a buyout. However, provisions for future living expenses were included, and the basic salary for maintenance was clearly stated.
Talia stared at the dense text, feeling dizzy.
"You... you're really a big shot, to understand my abilities so quickly. I... I'm honored to become your guard."
"Take a look at the contract first. Signing your name means you're agreeing to abide by its terms."
Talia slapped her face lightly, pretending to calm herself, though she was still quite flustered. This was her first time being a mercenary.
She had heard from friends that mercenaries who worked for nobles never had an easy time. They were either insulted or oppressed, and those who managed to last the year would often take the money and go on a revenge spree with it.
"Buyout?" Talia noticed that line of text but quickly saw the additional compensation offered, "After the buyout, the base salary is 10 gold coins per year, with commissions based on contributions—no upper limit, estimated between 100 and 500 gold coins?!"
It was the classic "boss making big promises" scam.
People from this world hadn't seen such tactics before, and looking at that huge promise in front of her, Talia cleared all her doubts and immediately wrote her name down.