"You little...

" One of Layn's added escorts couldn't handle the insult. He laid his hand down on the handle of his sword, stepping forward as he started to pull it out.

"Stay where you are, you idiot,

" Layn scolded the enthusiastic youth. For a moment, the archmage took on the same face he would wear on a human battlefield. The face he used to ward off against the weaker-willed enemies. He then turned to the wolf monster before nodding his head yet again.

"I apologize for that. It seems I need to train those youths far further,

" the archmage added, casting a deadly stare at the man guilty of the negotiation's hiccup.

"Oh, I do not mind at all,

" the wolf-monster assured before leaning its long head to the side in a pretty cute manner.

"That is, as long as we will account for it while striking the new deal,

" it added.

There was hardly any way to bring the wolf's expression. After all, it was a monster that looked like an oversized wolf, but a wolf nevertheless. As such, it was pointed to look for any human shows of emotion. Yet, despite all of that, Layn could see with the eyes of his soul as the monster smirked.

The youth to the archmage's back clicked his tongue, realizing what the entire play from before was all about.

'He is at least not that stupid to ignore the reality when it's thrown in his face,' Layn thought, silently judging the character of the young mercenary.

This was one of the problems that Layn didn't account for.

His main wish behind setting the entire camp project in motion was to set up an academy where he could teach the true magic. As opposed to the cultivation schools that were the current lifestyle of the world, Layn wished to spear the knowledge of real, logical magic to everyone.

But doing that had to be done with precise and concise steps. 'As much as I want to change the world, I can't do it all at once. For my plan to work, I need ambitious students, Layn thought, sizing up the young man with his eyes.

"That can be arranged,

" the archmage said, gently squinting his eyes.

"Let me begin with our requests, then.

" Layn raised his chin, looking at the wolf's eyes as he would look at the eyes of an important noble or rich business partner.

In short words, Layn approached the negotiations with the idea of the other party being his equal. Not someone to exploit, not someone to make use of, but someone to share benefits of cooperation.

Exploiting could only go a short way. As a system that was all about draining everything from the other side, it only helped out in the short term. 'If I want it to work in long-term, I need to make sure they will be equally happy with the exchange as we will,' he thought, taking a deep breath.

"Well then, keep in mind that I do not intend to insult you or your kind in any way or form,

" Layn raised his hands, putting an emphasis on this aspect of the situation all over again.

"Yeah,

" the wolf replied.

"I understood when you first said it,

" it nodded its head. With its mouth closed and its sharp teeth hidden, it almost looked like some kind of extra size dog.

"First off, then, are animals,

" Layn brought one of his fingers up.

"If it's possible, we would like to procure a small herd of animals. From wool-bearing ones, through the stronger ones that could help us tilt the fields, all the way to even some that could help me defend my lands,

" Layn explained the first of his wishes. He also made sure to name the area as his sole property rather than sharing the authority over it by mentioning others.

"To a degree... I will be able to accommodate this wish,

" the wolf said, raising its head and looking towards the bright sky of the day.

"I won't spare you any fighters yet, but I can get you everything else,

" it said, moving its sight back on Layn.

"That is, as long as you will treat them well,

" the wolf added after a moment, retracting its attention from the topic.

"Great,

" Layn said with a genuine smile appearing on his lips.

"Next, the mana stones,

" the archmage announced before turning silent. For a moment, Layn observed the wolf's reaction, sadly, to no real benefit.

"We will need even more of them,

" he said, looking at the monster with curiosity.

"Didn't you just procure a lot of them on your own?

" the wolf asked, turning its head to where the battle took place just yesterday.

"Yes, I can smell it all the way from here,

" it said, turning its eyes back to Layn.

"That's true,

" the archmage admitted regardless of the shocked stares that his entire escort threw at him.

"But it's simply inefficient,

" Layn said, shrugging his shoulders.

"If we are attacked, we will defend, and we will make the most out of the situation. But I'm not going to waste the few men we have to hunt for the stones,

" Layn said, smiling towards the wolf.

"It's inefficient. If that's okay with you, it would be simpler and faster to just buy more of them.

"

Layn kept his smile after finishing his turn in the negotiations. Now, it was the time for the wolf to decide on how things would go. Stressed out far more than he showed up, Layn bit his lip in anticipation.

"I can only double the amount,

" the wolf shook its head, appearing to be perfectly aware of how unsatisfactory this answer was for his negotiation partner.

"That's better than nothing,

" Layn said, releasing a small sigh of relief. 'With all the projects I have in mind, magic seems to be the greatest shortcut in the face of the lacking resources,' he thought as he approached the pile of mana money.

"So, how about we get the price for those two things before moving on?

" Layn suggested with a smile, pouring a huge amount of stone coins from the bag to the floor.

"Then, we won't spend too much trying to move the huge amounts from the final price.

"