After Colson’s jest-like performance concluded, Malin first spoke with the eldest Mr. Fate, Tucker Olsson. He could see the urgency hidden beneath the surface. "Sir, my eldest son has confirmed the existence of the World Tree, and the Lord of Justice’s favor towards you is visible to the naked eye. As a wizard family, the Olsson family is willing to offer you our loyalty, simply hoping that our clan can dwell in Carterburg forever, free from the marks of wizards upon us." "That’s not a problem, you can buy your own houses in the new district, and I can write you a note, but I really can’t grant you any land." Malin on his part couldn’t possibly help the wizards get land since one thing leads to another. Malin could help a legendary wizard and his family get land, but he couldn’t possibly satisfy every wizard because there’s only so much land. Not only did wizards want land there, even the Church did—and Malin could only help his own Church of the Harvest Goddess acquire new land. He did it for his church, and nobody could fault his devotion in this matter, but helping others get more, when there wasn’t enough land to go around, was one thing; Malin also had to give consideration to the mayor of Carterburg—a man who was now fully aligned with Malin, and Malin couldn’t possibly usurp his responsibilities. "If you can help us issue a note to prove our identity, we would already be overjoyed. We will buy the blocks ourselves and then transform them into large houses." Tucker Olsson’s words pleased Malin—the old man showed no signs of displeasure. Instead, he even proposed a solution: the method of paving the way with money was a forceful one no matter where, and if enough money was provided to clear things with the city hall, Malin wouldn’t mind. "Besides, I’ve heard that Sir Malin, you only have two apprentices—I wonder if you could take my two youngest granddaughters as your apprentices?" The humility on Mr. Olsson’s face was apparent, making Malin somewhat at a loss for words—he now had a half-human apprentice, the child of a deserter Malin had taken in because he had a father who loved him. The other apprentice was only on paper, Colin’s eldest son, who had come asking with a bashful face, and of course, Malin couldn’t possibly reject his own mentor’s face. "They just turned four, the right age to become apprentices. They are among the few in our family to possess the rare blessing talent, so I thought, if possible, becoming devout followers of the Harvest Goddess could be a new path. Our family has lived in the wizarding world for too long; in the past decade, they are the only two seeds of our clan not marked as wizards." "...All right, but to be honest, I am seldom in Carterburg, and I’m afraid I might not be of much help with the children’s education." "Please rest assured, if you are busy, I will personally take care of their education. Although wizards and priests are different, there is a certain clever adaptability in spellcasting." The old astrologer’s speech forced Malin to admit that the man seemed to be well-prepared, even if he didn’t agree, the old fellow already had ways to push his granddaughters upon him—there was no helping it, the Olsson family as a dynasty of astrologers was quite renowned, though few knew they were actually more of a wizarding family. The moment Malin agreed, the old man’s laughter was full of joy, as if he had gained something significant, which made Malin somewhat puzzled and then a bit wary—could this old man have some ulterior motive? Then Malin thought... there was nothing much to ponder, they were just two four-year-old children after all. Well, it seemed that the Olsson family had no ill intentions, and this old man probably just wanted to get his granddaughters familiar with Malin’s side—going out and boasting that his granddaughter was an Apprentice of Malin Gaiate sounded quite powerful. That idea made Malin feel a touch of pride. Now that Tucker Olsson was settled, Tim the young sir was the next to strike up a conversation with Malin. Though called a young sir, he was actually said to be a vigorous man skilled in both wizardry and sorcery who had run into some bad luck in his past, resulting in a small mishap. Mr. Tim could only live as a child; the closer he got to adulthood, the more likely he was to become deformed. Thus, he had to learn the way of the mage as well to master the making of alchemical golems. So, the child before Malin was not so much Tim’s hiding place as it was his eternal prison for his soul. He wanted to say much like Mr. Olsson did; if he couldn’t get the land, he would use money to buy blocks to renovate them. Malin also welcomed this, as wizard families within the range of the World Tree would be very secure. With so much added strength joining Carterburg, Malin would be more confident in protecting the surrounding area of Carterburg, and as long as he could hold that area, the fire of civilization on this planet would not be extinguished. This was part of Malin’s grand scheme, to protect the world at large. Tim the young sir got Malin’s approval without expecting his children to become Malin’s apprentices, and for Malin, it was probably not that Tim was unwilling, but that he had no suitable offspring to become church apprentices. Thus, Malin felt somewhat helpless, even as he noticed Tim the young sir’s hesitation. "Is there anything else you would like to say?" Out of consideration, Malin asked. "Could I possibly borrow some money?" Tim asked very awkwardly, "I feel if I buy an entire street, there might still be a shortfall in my funds." "No problem, I can lend you the money. You can just repay me with materials or work later on," said Malin and wrote him a check for one hundred thousand—wizards might call themselves penniless, but they have the ability to earn money, so Malin wasn’t worried. Tim took the check, glanced at the amount, and as he lifted his head, his eyes widened like great bells, "Isn’t that amount a bit too much?" "Uh... how much do you need?" Malin was puzzled, "Didn’t you say you were short?" "Ah, yes, what I meant was, once I’ve bought the block and transformed it into a mansion, there might be some gaps in my daily expenses. If you could give me a few thousand to tide me over for ten days to half a month, that would be enough," Tim said while trying to hand back the check, which Malin shook his head to, "That’s fine, I told you I would lend it to you. Just make sure you pay me back." "Thank you so much, I’ll earn the money as quickly as possible," Mr. Tim said, very happily pocketing the check. Then Malin looked towards his own Lulu, "Do your sisters have anything to say?" "Not at all, Mr. Malin," Christian said with a smile. "No, Mr. Malin seems like a very ordinary human," said the Thainan girl. Malin turned to Colson, "You two, what brings you to me?" "We wish to fight under your battle flag," Nim said, "Colson brought me here, and I think he was right about one thing, fighting alongside you is an honor." Malin glanced at Lord Fate, who smiled and nodded. So Malin also nodded, "No problem, I’m actually taking the Church’s apprentices on a mock reconnaissance mission this afternoon. You two should come along, together with the two Sharpshooter seeds I just took on. I’ll acquaint you with my scouting methods." "You’re willing to teach us this method?!" Nim asked, surprised. Malin nodded, "Do you think I should keep it to myself?" "Yes, my lord, such knowledge is undoubtedly a closely guarded secret in any family." Nim, Colson, the girls, and Mr. Tim all nodded in agreement. Malin glanced at Old Chief Olsson, who nodded to indicate that the young people were not wrong. Malin shook his head with a smile, "I could keep it to myself, but if the method I teach you allows you to kill more Chaos creatures more quickly and effectively, then that’s the best outcome for me. So don’t worry, I’ll teach you wholeheartedly. How much you learn is up to you." "...My lord, I will definitely live up to your expectations!" Nim said vigorously, nodding his head. With that from the young man, Colson, of course, expressed the same resolve, and Malin nodded with a smile, "I understand. By the way, Miss Christian and..." "Just call me Meng, Mr. Malin," the tattooed girl replied. "Alright, Meng, would you like to come and observe as well?" "I’m a Mage, I can’t fight like Mr. Nim and Mr. Colson, so thank you, but no thank you." The two girls answered in unison. Malin nodded with a smile, "Alright, then you can keep Lulu company this afternoon." Truth be told, Malin would be glad not to have to look after two more rookies. As for Mr. Tim and Mr. Tucker, if those two came along, there might not be much opportunity for the apprentices to show what they could do. "No problem, please be assured, Mr. Malin," Meng said, while also flexing her muscles, though to Malin they seemed almost nonexistent. And Miss Christian wrapped her arm around Lulu’s waist, "Please entrust Lulu to me! I will take very good care of her!" Um, what do you mean, competing with me for a woman? Malin’s gaze was sharp as he looked at the young girl, giving her ten minutes to rephrase. But it quickly became unnecessary as Lulu, her face flushed, elbowed her, "What are you babbling about?!" Watching Christian holding her stomach in an exaggerated manner, Malin shook his head with a laugh. Never mind, why bother with a little girl. With that thought, Malin stood up, "You’ve come here today, and you’re my guests. Have lunch here, I’ll be cooking." It’s time to show you my power.