Just as Robb was about to inquire about the price, a commotion erupted from the direction of the market square.
The shouting interrupted their conversation. The merchant frowned and apologized, "Looks like something's happening at the central square, likely another slave duel between apprentices. Sir, you might want to go have a look. These wares aren't going anywhere, and you're welcome to return at any time to continue browsing."
Robb thought for a moment, then decided to check it out. Public confrontations often hinted at deeper undercurrents worth observing.
As he walked out of Blake's Exchange, his mind was still sorting through what he'd just learned.
From the merchant's chatter, Robb had picked up that most mid-to-high-ranking apprentices within the order owned combat slaves. It was both a status symbol and a practical defense measure.
"Perhaps once my position is more stable and funds are more abundant, I should consider getting one too."
"Ideally something hybrid, capable of both ranged and melee combat, complementing my own fighting style."
…
The sky was dimming toward dusk. A sizable crowd had gathered in the market's central square, forming a loose ring of spectators.
Robb squeezed through the gaps in the crowd, curious to see what was going on.
Through the shifting bodies, he quickly spotted a familiar figure, chestnut brown hair and an upright stance. It was Talisa.
He was about to greet her when he noticed she was standing across from a woman in a flowing purple gown, clearly in some sort of confrontation.
"Who's that? Why are they facing off here?" Robb asked a nearby onlooker.
The apprentice glanced at him with a hint of irritation, but upon recognizing who he was, his eyes widened in surprise, and his tone softened.
"Apprentice Robb, long time no see." He nodded politely. "I'm Norris. We briefly met last month during the enforcement team's handling of the Darude mutation incident."
Robb didn't recall the name, but it was clear his rising reputation, thanks to support from Lady Elena and Hugo, had preceded him.
He nodded politely. "Nice to meet you, Apprentice Norris. What's going on over there?"
Norris glanced toward the standoff and explained in a low voice:
"The ones clashing are Apprentice Talisa and Apprentice Cynthia. Talisa is a student of Sorceress Corinna, while Cynthia is a top disciple of Sorceress Mashara. Their mentors are long-time rivals in the Order, and their students often butt heads too."
"What's this dispute about?" Robb frowned slightly.
"Apparently, an ancient manuscript on stellar energy conversion," Norris replied, shaking his head. "These rare texts always spark conflict. Both sides claim it should belong to their mentor."
Robb found it odd. Resources within the Black Mist Order weren't particularly abundant, but it was still unlikely that two formal sorcerers would clash over something so minor, unless they were deliberately letting their apprentices do the dirty work…
"But it's already escalated past mere words," Norris interrupted Robb's thoughts. "Looks like things are about to get serious."
Around them, the whispers and murmurs of other apprentices grew louder. Some were excited, others anxious, and more than a few clearly enjoying the drama.
Talisa stood calmly at one end of the square. Her expression was composed and focused, radiating quiet confidence.
Opposite her stood a woman in a shimmering purple silk gown, crowned with a silver circlet inlaid with starlight gems. A smirk tugged at her lips, but her gaze was cold and haughty.
"Is that Cynthia?" Robb whispered to Norris.
"Yes, that's her." Norris nodded, with a faint trace of apprehension in his voice.
"She's not someone you want to provoke. Rumor has it, her male servants don't survive more than six months on average."
"Servants?" Robb raised an eyebrow. "She's a senior apprentice, right? Still has time to toy with slaves?"
"Oh, she makes time. That's her favorite pastime." Norris lowered his voice. "She's been a high-ranking apprentice for years and is one of the Wizard Reserve Sorcerers."
"Can you tell me more about that system?" Robb asked, pretending ignorance, though he'd already read about it in the standard apprentice handbook.
But since Norris had brought it up, it was a perfect chance to hear the unfiltered version from someone with inside knowledge.
Norris scanned the area to ensure no one was eavesdropping, then said quietly:
"It's a special list. Only apprentices deemed to have a real chance of advancing to full sorcerer status are added. The handbook barely scratches the surface. Once you're in, the Order tracks your performance and awards ranking points. Those with higher scores get better resources and more opportunities."
"Talisa's in the list too, right?" Robb asked.
"Yes, she joined a month or two ago," Norris confirmed.
"Her spiritforce talent is exceptional, so her starting score was high, high enough to immediately surpass some senior candidates, Cynthia included."
"So this whole conflict probably has nothing to do with the manuscript?" Robb said, zeroing in on the real issue.
"You're sharp. Exactly."
Had it been anyone else fishing like this, Norris would've walked off by now.
But remembering that his team leader had high hopes for Robb, he patiently continued:
"The manuscript doesn't really matter to the sorcerers. Cynthia's just using it as an excuse, to suppress Talisa's rising momentum and boost her own ranking points."
Just as they were speaking, the air in the square suddenly grew tense. Cynthia strolled gracefully into the center of the ring.
"My dear little Talisa," she said sweetly, her voice syrupy yet barbed.
"You really believe that manuscript should belong to Lady Corinna?"
"Of course." Talisa replied calmly, undaunted by her opponent's theatrics.
"The manuscript clearly records the resonance theory between stellar reflection and spiritforce fluctuation, which happens to be the focus of Lady Corinna's current research."
"Oh?" Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "Impressive. You're so well-informed about your mentor's work. Surprising, really, for someone who just joined the sequence. Do you know what behavior like that is called in the candidate ranks?"
"Insolence. But I am not being insolent," Talisa replied evenly. "I'm citing publicly available data from the Order's archive. If you believe the data is incorrect, feel free to file a revision request."
The crowd murmured louder in amazement. Talisa's poise was striking, nothing like a new intermediate apprentice. Her responses were razor-sharp, dismantling Cynthia's verbal traps with ease.
Cynthia's expression darkened. She clearly hadn't expected her carefully crafted ambush to be so easily turned aside.
"Fine," she said suddenly, a dangerous smile curling her lips.
"Since words won't resolve this, I propose we settle it the traditional Order way, through a duel for rights to the manuscript."