A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 90 Followers

In the suburbs of Velissco, tents stand in rows, forming a new urban area that has also become a slum.

The slum relocation and renovation plan was implemented smoothly. In just one day, the population count in the area under Jiang Shuzhou's responsibility was almost completed. There were some minor "friction" during the process, but they were successfully resolved under Jiang Shuzhou's iron-fisted suppression.

The former filth has disappeared, and now, at least some traces of the civilized world can be seen here.

Hayes was extremely busy, as he had to select some useful people from nearly ten thousand people and then recruit them.

Garbage is just a resource that has been misplaced, and so are these poor people. Although Jiang Shuzhou didn't have high hopes for it, he wanted to give it a try, just in case.

While frantically flipping through documents, looking at the mountain of identity information in front of him, Hayes exclaimed, "Dad, do you really not care whether I live or die?!"

However, as it turned out, Jiang Shuzhou was right; Hayes actually found a useful person.

"If you pay, I'll come."

The short, stout man picked up a large glass of beer and drank it down without hesitation; this was his twenty-second glass.

Dwarin, 28 years old, is a dwarf who loves blacksmithing and drinking the most in his life. After each blacksmithing session, he would get completely drunk and then fall asleep immediately, never leaving any stress for the next day.

There's a reason why Dwarin stayed in the slums instead of the blacksmith's shop in the city.

He got into trouble. To put it simply, after getting drunk one time, he started acting crazy in front of his ancestor's statue. It was just him cursing the statue, but he actually heard the statue cursing back at him. How could he tolerate that?

He threw a punch, and to everyone's surprise, the normally incredibly sturdy statue shattered instantly.

He had committed a grave offense. Most dwarves worshipped their ancestors, believing that the statues contained the power of their ancestors, and that only the most outstanding members of their tribe could inherit this power.

Who would have thought that such an oddball would appear among the dwarves, smashing one of their ancestral statues? Not to mention the dwarves, even in reality, he would be accused of vandalizing cultural relics.

So after being stripped of his surname, Devalin was kicked out of the dwarf tribe's dwelling and wandered around until he finally arrived in the slums of Velisco, where he made a living by blacksmithing for the slum gangs and earning some money for drinks.

When Jiang Shuzhou tried to recruit him, the dwarf showed none of the arrogance and stubbornness typical of his kind. The burdens of life had worn down his edges, and at only twenty-eight years old, he already had eight years of wandering experience. He really had no pride left.

Paying the bill was his last act of defiance.

"Deal made. Don't worry, you'll get all the benefits."

Jiang Shuzhou had no objection to this; he had already released the test results, and Devalin had not lied.

"Whatever, I just need somewhere to drink."

He downed another beer, showing no sign of stopping; he hadn't drunk this much in a long time.

"Sign the contract."

Jiang Shuzhou handed over a piece of paper with some terms and conditions on it.

This is a follower contract with very harsh terms. If Jiang Shuzhou dies, these followers will also die with him; otherwise, it will have no effect on Jiang Shuzhou.

"Okay! Another one!"

Whether he was answering Jiang Shuzhou or talking to the bartender, Devalin didn't even look at the contents of the contract before signing his name.

Seeing that the contract had taken effect, Jiang Shuzhou did not disturb his future craftsman. He casually tossed out a bag of gold coins, told the bartender it was for the drinks, and then left.

"Keep going! I want to drink ten!"

Jiang Shuzhou heard Devalin's slightly drunken voice behind him, shook his head, and then quickly left.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The sun shone through the clouds, and the rain that had lasted for several days finally stopped.

The once dilapidated and filthy slum streets were deserted. All the poor had been properly settled, especially Jiang Shuzhou and Jia Wei, who were rewarded for their efficiency. Jia Wei finally got the long-awaited vacation he had been longing for.

However, Master Jian was not so lucky. A rebellion broke out in the area he was in charge of, and he had to take action to suppress it. He killed nearly a thousand people to completely quell the rebellion, which was quite tragic.

Subsequent investigation revealed that the main reason was that some of the nobles he was cooperating with were unethical, embezzling, soliciting bribes, and misappropriating funds, making it impossible for the poor to survive and forcing them to rebel. Now, that noble has been reduced to ashes by Master Ji'an.

A figure suddenly appeared in the air, and then Jiang Shuzhou felt an extremely strong magical energy fluctuation.

A massive fireball shot towards the slums, and with a deafening roar, all the filth and sin within the slums were wiped clean, everything reduced to ashes.

Then another spell was cast, and the slum that had been razed to the ground was brought back to life. Countless plants grew in competition, and in just over ten seconds, the place was transformed from a slum back into a lush forest.

From destruction to creation, it only takes a spell and a few seconds.

The monks who came to observe the ceremony left one after another. As they were leaving, Monk Jiawei handed Jiang Shuzhou a brick of tea.

"Take this and drink it. It's good for your health. Thanks to your plan, I was saved a lot of trouble. This is my way of thanking you."

You can speak.

"That's nonsense. Even if I didn't say it, you would have figured it out sooner or later."

As he spoke, Jiang Shuzhou naturally accepted the gift. His familiar manner surprised Jia Wei. After saying goodbye, Master Jia Wei did not say anything more. At first, his pace was normal, but then he walked faster and faster until he got into the carriage.

In an instant, the carriage sped away from the scene like an arrow released from a bow.

It's obvious that working too much has given him a phobia.

Fortunately, I'm about to leave my job as an arbitrator and join the leisurely, peaceful, and lucrative logistics department.

Thinking this, Jiang Shuzhou didn't stop. He was going to complete the handover today, and now that the matter was settled, it was time to finalize Hayes' contract.

Jiang Shuzhou traveled without hindrance. The mages of the Arbitration Bureau showed considerable respect to this newly promoted alchemist. Most mages could only complete the research and study of spells and did not have much energy to study alchemy. Mages always had great respect for learned scholars.

They assisted Jiang Shuzhou in completing the matter concerning the Hayes Contract as quickly as possible.

From this day forward, Hayes is his follower.

As for his handover, although there aren't many new people now, it shouldn't be a big problem. Once the war officially begins, all areas will be under military control, and besides, the administrators are all ordinary people, so it won't cause chaos.

The bureau chief readily approved Jiang Shuzhou's resignation, voided the contract, and Jiang Shuzhou is now a free man again.

"My lord, are you really..."

Hayes is still in disbelief. He was filled with anxiety when he learned that the war was about to begin. Even with Jiang Shuzhou's promise, he often woke up in the middle of the night.

However, everything is completely different now. What used to give him a headache is now as easy as eating and drinking for Jiang Shuzhou. He can solve everything just by showing his face.

"Yes, your matter has been resolved. From today onwards, you will officially be working for me."

Jiang Shuzhou took out a contract and handed it to Hayes, who signed it without even looking at it.

He no longer needed to go to the dock area; the houses there had been acquired by the bureau chief in the name of the arbitration bureau, who gave him a thousand gold coins, which was already three times the market price. Moreover, the bureau chief had also decided to give Jiang Shuzhou the carriage as a gift.

This bureau chief is such a good person.