Chapter 427 201: "Do You Want Revenge?

"You jest, Mr. Gomez," Lauden demurred once more. "I'm just a Little Wizard, weaker than a farm pig. How could I possibly catch Mr. Blake's eye?"

"Please, you do it."

"No, no, no, you do it."

"No, no, no, *you* do it!"

"..."

The two went back and forth in the office, and before they knew it, the entire morning had passed.

However, despite their deferrals, it never occurred to them to question why there were so many Magic Potions on the list.

Mr. Blake had his reasons for doing things, and it wasn't their place to question them.

This was the exact effect Sean had planned for.

Asking for too little would make him, as Mr. Blake, seem low-class. After all, with his perspective and status, something like Witch Blood Potions was no different from popping candy from a supermarket; he could use them however he pleased.

But he couldn't ask for too much, either.

Once this mission was issued, there were only two possibilities.

One: Lauden was truly loyal to the Holy Sanctuary and would do everything in his power to gather the items on the list, even risking his life to rob the Church Court.

In the process, Lauden would be in grave danger and could lose his life at any moment.

Two: Lauden wasn't as loyal as he appeared. In that case, this mission would "crush" him. Although he might still risk his life, he would be filled with the bitter resignation of "when a lord commands his subject to die, the subject must die." In the future, he might harbor resentment.

Neither of these outcomes was what Sean wanted to see.

Therefore, the number of Magic Potions had to be carefully controlled.

It had to be a number that both suited his status and didn't put too much pressure on Lauden and Gomez.

One hundred was just a number Sean felt was appropriate. In reality, it didn't matter if they could gather all 100. About ten would be enough: one for himself, one each for Elvire and the others, and an extra one for Lante to study. After that, they would only need to find the materials themselves.

On the other hand, Sean also wanted to gauge Blake City's strength.

In a way, the number of Witch Blood Potions could, to some extent, indicate the number of Grand Mages in Blake City. The two seemed unrelated, but if Sean himself were the City Lord of Blake City, the number of Grand Mages would definitely be higher than the number of potions. Otherwise, what was the point of keeping these potions around if they weren't being used?

They couldn't exactly have children.

Blake City was one of the foundations of the Holy Sanctuary. Sean needed to understand it so that any future plans could be made "within their capabilities."

As for the reason he needed so many Magic Potions this time...

Sean couldn't even be bothered to come up with one.

His status spoke for itself. There would always be great scholars to justify his actions.

And events unfolded just as Sean had anticipated.

Back in the office, Lauden and Gomez had grown tired after half a day of going back and forth.

In reality, both of them understood that no matter who ended up being the "legal representative," the other couldn't escape responsibility.

One was the person Mr. Blake had personally summoned.

The other was the one in charge of Blake City.

It was like the relationship between a city's mayor and a special envoy dispatched to oversee development. If they failed to complete the task assigned from above, both would suffer the consequences.

So, they racked their brains and finally came up with a solution.

Blake City didn't have that many resources in its reserves, and a large portion of what it did have came from False Heaven. As the person in charge of this Underground City, Gomez knew exactly how much was in the "storeroom," and even if they took it all, it wouldn't be enough.

To gather all the items on the list, the only way was to purchase them from the outside world.

And since they had to buy them, they naturally needed money.

Blake City didn't have much cash it could divert, so what could they do?

The solution Lauden and Gomez devised was—

Crowdfunding!

That afternoon, a shimmering, golden Crystal Ball appeared in the church where the Wizards accepted their missions.

It glowed like a holographic projector, creating a large screen in the most conspicuous part of the church. The screen played a "CG" of students laughing and chatting about their school life in the Hall of Truth during the bygone Era of Polymaths.

The scene was heartwarming.

But just as the warmth spread, a hand suddenly reached down from the sky and shattered everything in the image.

The screen went black, and words began to appear.

This was meant to be our Holy Sanctuary.

This was the life we were meant to have.

But the Church Court betrayed us, destroying everything we once had.

The Holy Sanctuary is no more, and the Era of Polymaths has become history.

Do you want revenge?

Do you want to reclaim the life you once had?

Do you want to become a Grand Mage, to fight for the Holy Sanctuary, for yourself, and for your dead friends and family?

The simplest, most unadorned language is often the most effective at stirring people's emotions.

Many Wizards who saw this found their eyes turning red, on the verge of shouting: "We do!"

They dreamed of getting revenge on the Church Court and taking back everything that was theirs.

But in the next moment, the tone suddenly changed.

A brand-new, glittering golden hall suddenly appeared on the screen.

This era needs a Holy Sanctuary.

And the Holy Sanctuary needs you.

My friends, please rise up with me!

Please resist!

Please contribute!

Please, let us take out our private savings, add a brick to the new Era of Polymaths, and rebuild the Holy Sanctuary!

Thank you!

The Wizards: "???"

Sean, who was passing by: "..."

'This has really become a magical version of passing the collection plate.'

It really looked like a scam advertisement.

And yet, it had appeared in the church.

This was a sacred and solemn place; the leaders of Blake City would never allow anyone to run a scam here.

Therefore, it had to be real, and it was likely the leaders themselves who were behind it.

Considering Mr. Blake had even appeared in person last night, this might have been something he had ordered Lauden and the others to do.