Chapter 329: No Problems At All (Another plea for monthly votes!)
"Lord Luther..." Richie subtly edged backward, dodging the spray of Luther's spit. Richie knew this Title Archmage's temperament all too well; even within the Blackhorn Consortium, Lord Luther was infamous for his explosive temper. He was upright, sure, but his big mouth had earned him a rather poor reputation among the staff.
Richie's strategy was simple: just stand there quietly and wait for Luther to finish his rant...
"Tell me, on what grounds do you think you can vouch for this Matthew Merlin just because you 'feel' like it? Do you want to get your teacher in trouble over something this big?"
Luther kept scolding for several minutes before he finally felt thirsty. He reached for the cup on the table but came up empty—Richie was already smiling, handing it to him. "Lord Luther, your water..."
...Luther took the cup, shot Richie a glare, and then gulped down several big mouthfuls. At least he stopped ranting, and his expression softened a bit. "Alright, tell me—why do you think so?"
"Lord Luther, hear me out..." Richie had expected this outcome and wasn't flustered at all. Smiling, he leaned in and whispered in Luther's ear, "That Matthew Merlin—he's a Golden VIP..."
"Gol—" Luther shot to his feet so fast it startled everyone. Realizing his own loss of composure, he managed to choke back the rest, only shouting the first syllable of 'Golden.'
But that didn't mean Luther wasn't excited—his hands were trembling as he grabbed Richie by the collar. "Come with me..."
"Careful, careful, Lord Luther... The clothes, you're going to tear my clothes..."
The two left one after the other, leaving behind four auction managers, all staring at each other in bewilderment, their faces written with confusion and uncertainty.
"So, tell me, how did you know he was a Golden VIP...?" Luther brought Richie into a quiet room, finally sitting down and waiting for Richie to lay out the whole story.
"Because I was the one who welcomed the Merlin Archmage when he arrived."
"Wait, Merlin Archmage?" Luther was startled. "Are you saying that Matthew Merlin is already an Archmage?"
"Yes, Lord Luther. According to the news Kadgar brought back from Seaview City, Matthew Merlin is now an Archmage—and a powerful one, beyond anyone's imagination..."
"This..." A twenty-something Archmage really was shocking. Luther mulled it over for a long time before helplessly shaking his head. "No wonder he's a Golden VIP. Alright, go on..."
"Yes, yes, Lord Luther. When the Merlin Archmage arrived, I personally greeted him. The VIP credential he presented was none other than the Lunar Token..."
"The Lunar Token, you mean the Lunar Token!" Luther, who had just calmed down, was once again flustered, his eyes fixed on Richie. "You mean the Lunar Token that the Moon Sage always carries?"
"Yes, exactly—the Moon Sage's Lunar Token..."
"My god..." Luther stared blankly at the ceiling for a full three minutes before snapping back to reality. "Quick, go stop those fools outside—if the Moon Sage finds out we're auditing the assets of someone he favors, we'll be in big trouble. Damn it, Hanson Charlotte, that bastard—one day I'll teach him a lesson..."