Chapter 106

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Chapter 106: The Gift

That afternoon, Jesse missed an Orcish language class because of a trouble that happened, so he couldn’t afford to miss the class this morning.

Since he didn’t have to stay with Malin the whole morning, he could quickly clean up, ask Malin if there was anything to do, then leave and go to last Wednesday morning’s Orcish language class.

After class, Jesse headed straight to the Larson family’s clothing store.

Of the two clothing stores in the Mage Quarter, Jesse was more familiar with Duncan’s store as he had been there several times.

He had only been to Larson family’s store once, and the person who greeted him was from Lordaeron.

The first time he met him, he looked down on Jesse as a migrant worker, which made Jesse a bit unhappy, so he never went back again.

It turns out this store is a partner of the Wizard’s Sanctum, where mages get their robes made.

Reluctantly entering this time, Jesse found that the shopkeeper had changed from a young man to a middle-aged person.

"Hello, young man," the middle-aged shopkeeper looked over and said, "Welcome to Larson Family, you can call me James, the owner of this clothing store."

James has gray hair and a wrinkled face, but from his posture and speech, he seems to be around fifty years old. And he has no Lordaeron accent, probably a local from Stormwind.

Jesse looked around and said, "Last time I came, it was Evan Larson running the store, I thought he was the owner here."

James said, "He is my nephew, I also carry the Larson surname. This shop is my grandfather’s legacy, Evan helps me with the store. Do you know him?"

"I don’t know… just curious."

"So, what are you looking for here, sir? Most of the clothes in our store are made for mages."

"I am a mage." Jesse showed him the Apprentice Badge.

"No problem." James put on his glasses, glanced at it, and asked, "Is this your first time buying a robe?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want a long one or a short one?"

"A short one," Jesse decided quickly.

Not only did he study at the academy, but he also traveled around a lot, and long robes were difficult to clean and hindered his movements in battles.

"Going for a non-traditional style, huh?" James Larson asked again, "What material are you looking for?"

"I have a limited budget, probably only about 10 silver coins, boss," Jesse said. "I’m not very knowledgeable about robes, so please recommend a set with good quality, durable material that won’t easily tear."

"10 silver coins, huh," James said. "If you want better quality, you can go for spider silk material. The disaster in South Elwynn did have its benefits; the giant spiders living there were found to produce silk with good shadow resistance a few years ago, perfect for making robes. Especially now that we are dealing with the rampant Gnoll Warlocks, and there are many Orcs skilled in Black Magic lurking in the shadows. Spider silk robes are a good choice for any level of mage, light and sturdy."

"Can I get it for 10 silver coins?" Jesse said, "Spider silk seems even more expensive than silk."

"You need to consider each type separately," James said. "Even if it’s spider silk, it’s unlikely to be pure spider silk… By the Holy Light, that would be sky-high expensive. The cheapest spider silk fabric in our store costs about 12 silver coins for a set, which is a pretty good choice for apprentices and even apprentice mages in terms of quality."

12 silver coins.

When buying this piece of clothing, I don’t know how long I will wear it for, so let’s try to buy a better one if possible.

"Do you have any specific requirements for the appearance of the clothes? Like color, patterns, and such."

"Try to be more low-key, like brown, simple and plain, nothing too fancy on patterns." Jesse said.

"Noted." Jesse watched as the boss wrote quickly, cautiously asking, "Is there a credit system available?"

"Of course." James took out a paper, wrote something on it, and handed it to Jesse, saying, "Starting from when you receive the clothes, it’s 12 silver coins within a month. If it goes past a month, it’s 13 silver coins, and so on. If it drags to the next term, you’ll owe the Wizard’s Sanctum, young sir. If you can’t pay by then, there’s a risk of being expelled."

Jesse was about to get paid soon, so he was sure he wouldn’t delay it to next month, therefore he signed it.

"Now sign your name below." James reminded.

After Jesse wrote his name, James checked and said, "You’re Jesse Seso? The initials on your ring, does it stand for Jesse Seso?"

"Yes," Jesse said. "I just became an apprentice, my mentor is Master Eden Malin."

James said, "Mr. Seso, Master Andromath asked me to pay special attention. Your robe is sponsored by the royal family, so this bill is waived."

After speaking, he tore up the bill.

"What…" Jesse was stunned for a moment.

"Can I choose again?" he immediately asked.

"Of course," James said. "But the royal subsidy is only 15 silver as the waiver limit for most new mages’ robes. If the price exceeds this limit, you will still need to pay for it yourself."

It turned out that the standard subsidy was 15 silver. Jesse decided to go with this one without further ado. He didn’t expect much from the Stormwind royal family, so he was already grateful for this waiver.

"I won’t choose again," he said helplessly.

"Of course, there is something else to hand over to you. Please wait a moment," Larson tidied up the counter and quickly walked to the back room.

He walked towards the back room while speaking, leaving Jesse standing alone.

The king actually bought clothes for himself with his own money, which was really nice.

Suddenly, he remembered the strange look Andromath gave him when mentioning Larson’s shop. Maybe it was because there were too many people around and she didn’t want to mention that the king funded his new clothes. So, she just reminded him to go and have a look.

Jesse never expected to end up here, being accused of theft before finally coming here willingly.

When Larson came out again, he was holding a brownish-red cloak.

Carefully laying the cloak in front of Jesse, as if afraid of damaging it.

What is this, making Jesse a bit nervous.

"This…"

"A Flame Smoked Cloak," said James Larson.

James lifted the cloak and explained, "The material of this cloak comes from a giant Incendosaur that roamed in the southern Badlands and Loch Modan. Do you know what an Incendosaur is?"

"I know," said Jesse. "It’s a creature that crawls on the ground like a crocodile, with a big sail on its back."

"Exactly," James said. "The Incendosaur was first discovered by the Bronzebeard Dwarves because it often ambushes travelers near the Badlands using its reddish skin. Even though it is over ten meters long, it can still surprise attack successfully. The dwarves call it ‘cunning’. Ironforge was busy fighting the Dark Iron Dwarves, so they couldn’t deal with it for many years."

"Decades ago, King Varian sent a hunter team to help the dwarves in Thelsamar hunt down this giant beast, restoring the normal connection between Ironforge and Stormwind. The dwarves used its scales, skin, and sail to make some armor and clothes as a thank you gift to Stormwind. This cloak is one of them."

"Because this cloak is from decades ago, it’s inevitable that it has some damage, and it has been repaired. Its previous owner wore this cloak while fighting trolls and got pierced by a troll’s spear on the shoulder side. But after the repair, it’s hardly noticeable. Our leatherworker is the best in the kingdom." James flipped through the cloak and said, "However, it still inherited strong flame resistance from the ‘cunning’, and it can also enhance a mage’s fire magic. It’s a treasure for Fire Mages. The only downside might be that it could be a bit hot to wear in summer, Mr. Jesse Seso."

"This is too precious…" Jesse looked at the robe and was lost for words.

"It is precious, but not unimaginably so," James said, folding the robe neatly.

"How much is it worth approximately?"

"It could sell for around 3 gold coins in Dalaran because the cloak has been repaired, and many people might feel there’s a discount compared to its original performance, which is understandable."

Even though Jesse had seen a robe burned by a Red Dragon sell for 7 gold coins, showing his resilience, the price of 3 gold coins for the cloak the king wanted to give him still exceeded his expectations.

Even if it’s a gift for him, he doesn’t want to wear it outside.

Jesse asked cautiously, "If it gets damaged again, can you help repair it?"

"To repair this cloak, it needs to be fixed with magic, Mr. Seso," James said. "The specific price depends on the extent of the damage. It might cost around 30 silver coins to fix a hole. But this garment is not as easy to damage as you think, after all, it’s crafted with magic by the dwarf runemasters."

Jesse couldn’t hear anything else, he just remembered the 30 silver coins.

"Can it be used as a rain cape?" he asked tentatively.

James chuckled and said, "Unless it’s acid from a Cloud Serpent falling from the sky, maybe it can corrode a bit of color. Don’t forget that the Incendosaur is a monster living around lava."

He carefully wrapped the clothes in a piece of expensive-looking fabric, handed it to Jesse, and then slipped a letter into the seam.

"This is everything Master Andromath asked me to give you. Once you take it, my task is complete."

Jesse quickly said thank you a few times, picked up the package, and noticed the wax seal on the letter was a golden lion’s head.

Jesse walked out of the clothing store and sat down on some steps in the garden. He tore open an envelope.

"Mr. Jesse Seso,

Fulfilling your wish and sending you to the Wizard’s Sanctum is not enough to express my gratitude. You brought hope to all the soldiers of Stonewatch Keep and the residents of Lakeshire during the kingdom’s most difficult times. This hope in the darkness is invaluable.

Each mage at the Wizard’s Sanctum wears attire that suits their status. Knowing that as a young craftsman who came all the way from Lordaeron to contribute to the rebuilding of the new Stormwind may not have much extra to afford such clothing, I took it upon myself to offer a magical robe inherited from my grandfather, King Barathen, from the royal mage treasury as a further token of gratitude. I hope it will help you adjust to your new life in the kingdom swiftly.

May the injuries on your hands heal soon, in the name of the Holy Light.

——King Varian Wrynn, the King of Stormwind, Defender of the Royal City, and Lord of Stormwind Keep."