313 Head Referee

While there were many Guilds of Magic in the Felan Kingdom, only Alanna's Guild of Magic was helmed by a true Legendary mage. Having stayed there for a couple of months, Lin Li was well aware that this Legendary mage, Aldwin, was the real reason they were able to maintain their position in Felan's capital, seeing as they were only mediocre in their capabilities.

Aldwin has rarely intervened personally in the past decade—the only time he had done so was to fight the Sword Sage of the Storm for the map of the Highlord's mausoleum. Even then, nobody dared to belittle him. Lin Li recalled his fight with Matthias; even though the Marathon Family basically controlled the whole of Alanna, they did not dare deal with him openly as Aldwin had said before that anybody who dared find trouble with the young mage was provoking the Guild of Magic.

Provoking the Guild of Magic was equivalent to challenging Aldwin's authority, and even the powerful Marathon Family was not prepared to deal with the rage of a Legendary mage.

Strength, how straightforward and effective it was at times—so long as one held enough power, they would not even have to do anything, as anyone who harbored ill will for them would be sufficiently deterred with just a few words.

The strength of a Legendary mage would be especially amplified in a place like the Breezy Plains' Guild of Magic. It was newly established, and much too weak to withstand the attack of any decent force. If a Legendary mage were to join them now, it would buy Lin Li some precious time for him to build up the Guild of Magic.

The surprise had come so suddenly that it was almost unbelievable, which made Lin Li doubt his ears. Surely free lunch like this did not exist?

Soon, however, Lin Li calmed down…

Lin Li had to repeatedly remind himself to be cautious against this heaven-sent offer as a free lunch simply meant he would have to pay for it in another way. Granted, he couldn't wish for anything more than to have a Legendary mage on board, but what would come after that?

There had to be a reason behind everything, even if it seemed like nothing more than a convenient coincidence. To have a Legendary mage join them? Not bad, it'd call for a celebration indeed, but the first thought that came into Lin Li's mind was…

"Why?"

"Of course, I have my reasons…"

"Mr Basel, that was hardly convincing at all—"

"Listen to me, Mage Felic…" The old man cut him off somewhat rudely, and slowly stood up from his bamboo chair, an unusually stoical expression on his wrinkly face. "I assure you I have no ill intentions. It is true that I have my own reason for wanting to join the Guild of Magic. While this reason does not negatively affect you, I cannot tell you know about it for the time being."

Basel paused for a moment. Perhaps to make himself sound all the more convincing, he sincerely added, "But, I guarantee that I'll tell you the real reason when the time is right."

"Well, Mr Basel, I'd like to know when will the time be right?"

"In three months."

"No, no, Mr Basel, three months is too long a time; there's no saying if anything I have no control over will happen in this time. I hope you understand this as I have to answer to the members of the Guild, the Supreme Council, and to myself."

"Alright, two months, then. However, Mage Felic, this is my last offer, and if you cannot wait this little bit of time, I'm afraid that'll be the end of our deal…"

The Legendary mage and the Archmage haggled like a couple of street hawkers. After arduous negotiations, they finally settled on a month.

After that, Lin Li stared at Basel for a good 10 minutes before he suddenly smiled warmly. "Welcome on board, Mr Basel."

"My pleasure." The old man sat quietly and did not look the least bit surprised, as though it was as he'd predicted.

"Right, Mr Basel. I wonder what position you'll like in the Guild of Magic? Honestly, with your status as a Legendary mage, you can definitely be the president, but that'll be tricky as this was decided by the Supreme Council. If I were to transfer this position to you, it may take a long time for the Supreme Council to agree… I should be able to call the shots for any other position, though."

"The position of the president is a pretty humorous idea. I've never thought about wanting that position, but since President trusts this old man so much, I cannot stand on ceremony with you. If it's possible, I want the position of the head referee."

"The head referee?" Lin Li paused. It was a very important position in the Guild of Magic, and it's authority was comparable to that of the president. They could handle any matter that concerned the safety of the Guild, and their authority sometimes surpassed that of the president. A head referee was to some extent another president in the Guild of Magic.

Perhaps for this reason, the position of the head referee was empty in most Guilds of Magic, or the president occupied both positions. Take Alanna's Guild of Magic for example: even with Macklin's influence and power, he was not appointed the head referee. As for Jarrosus' Guild of Magic, Gerian himself was the head referee. Anything that provoked him was treated as a threat to the Guild's safety, and he was perfectly capable of leading a group of mages to eliminate it.

However, Basel's request was not seen unkindly by Lin Li, who secretly heaved a sigh of relief instead…

Basel was a true Legendary mage. With his power, it would have been perfectly reasonable for him to ask for the position of the president. Lin Li was not worried that he would ask for an important position; quite the contrary, the more important the position Basel asked for, the better. It would only be an issue if he asked for an unimportant one…

Since the head referee was such an important position, they would have to notify the Supreme Council of it, and they could have the Supreme Council send a few people to examine the issue as well. Anyway, the most important thing was to blow this matter out of proportion so that everyone knew of it, then it'd be great for Lin Li. Stand me up? No problem, the Supreme Council will take care of you. Set a trap for me? Not an issue, either, the Supreme Council will take care of that too…

With the Supreme Council backing him, Lin Li would be more than a mere president of a Guild of Magic. He would represent the authority of the Supreme Council, and anybody who dared go against him would be directly challenging the Supreme Council's authority. Would the sick elders holding unimaginable power let you go easily?

"Haha, I'm sure you'll be well-assured after this, right, President Felic?" The old man looked at Lin Li with a half smile.

Clearly, Basel was well aware what being the head referee entailed, and he did so to prove his sincerity. By tying himself to the Guild of Magic, he would avoid creating any issues when the pair worked together.

Lin Li was apparently a fan of such a solution too…

Of course, Lin Li would never admit this. Once he got what he wanted, he immediately put on a smile. "Hahaha, Mr Basel, you're pretty humorous too, what would I be worried about? You're a well-respected man of impeccable morals, it is the honor of the Guild of Magic of Breezy Plains to have you on board as well as my honor as a junior. Head referee aside, if you wanted the position of the president, I'd give it to you in a heartbeat…"

After serving up a flurry of flattery, Lin Li changed the topic suddenly. "Right, Mr Basel, when do you intend to announce this to the mages in the library? As you know, government organizations like the Supreme Council like to take their time, and if I don't notify them of your new appointment as soon as possible, I've no idea when they'll send your letter of appointment over…"

"…" No matter how refined his manners were, Basel could not help feeling baffled by this blatant lie.

Thankfully, Basel had had more time to cultivate his manners than most of the young, and only frowned slightly before he relaxed again. "Why the rush, my President? I'd like to discuss something else with you before you announce this news…"

"Something else?"

"Yes, about the kidnapping of Rolan's castellan…"

"Oh? I wonder what do you think of this, Mr Basel?" Lin Li lit up at this. Recall that the map of Dragon Mountains had been given to him by this old man. He had to have a good understanding of the bandits of the Dragon Mountains. Lin Li had originally come today to find out more from him and had been worried about not having a chance to bring it up. To think that Basel would bring it up first…