Subject

The grey dwarf proposed a six month grace period for both Steven and Richard, after which the two would compete again in a subject of Sharon’s choosing. Hopefully, both would use the extra time to improve on and refine their preparations, the outcome of the battle determining which of the two would eventually inherit Sharon’s runecrafting expertise.

The grand mages all realised that Blackgold’s proposal for a six month grace period was self-serving. In all honesty, this proposal would give him an extra half year of fees from Steven. Could it be that Her Excellency’s finances had deteriorated to that extent? Yet, such doubts were immediately rebuffed. The legendary mage’s finances were robust; it was only the Deepblue that was struggling to make ends meet.

For many materialistic people whose primary objective in life was to amass wealth, time was an extremely precious resource. This was especially true for time in a primary plane like Norland, so without a split second to spare in the legendary mage making decisions...