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It was odd to introduce others with nicknames.

Jake wasn\'t used to that.

His nickname, Archer, was also a normal name, so he didn\'t have problems making new acquaintances in the game. Fortunately, Mary and Robert were the same.

That said, it was important to mention one\'s nickname to NPCs. The character profile was like a game\'s ID, and misinformation could lead to catastrophes.

Players also could hide their status from everyone else, and NPCs were mechanical existences with limited quotes.

Because of that, the culture between players and NPCs was similar to Japanese Culture, where only the closest friends and families called each other by name. The rest was by surnames. In the game\'s scenario, players and NPCs called each other differently when their relationship was on a high level.

Viktor skimmed over Mary and Robert. His eyes rested on Robert for a while more, as Mary\'s boyfriend was a tank. His toned muscles stood out even though his casual clothes wrapped them.

As a man with an excellent build, Viktor couldn\'t hold himself back from assessing Robert\'s muscles.

He wasn\'t interested in magic, either.

Nonetheless, Jake\'s sister was his saving grace today. She deserved proper treatment.

He smiled, "I welcome you two in my workplace. You\'re much more welcome than uninvited guests."

Jake rolled his eyes at him.

Viktor continued, "The real and exciting part of this visit should come in fifteen minutes. Before she arrives, allow me to serve you some royal tea. I\'ve saved enough for the old hag—The Imperial Mage."

"Thanks," Mary casually said. She didn\'t find anything royal in Viktor\'s speech or actions. He was like a polite man, and she had been told that he needed her.

For that reason, there was no need to watch out for decorum or language.

After taking a seat on a smooth wooden chair, Mary wet her lips with the royal tea that stirred her palate. It was so tasty that she couldn\'t help but take a few more sips and let the warm liquid fill her.

Despite not being a tea expert, Mary could tell that the tea was related to green tea. The exquisite and rich flavor, however, was out of this world, and every piece of Mary wanted to drink more of it.

The effects of the royal tea gifted everyone at the table with high mana regeneration. If they were on the battlefield, this tea perhaps would make them reconsider drinking potions to regenerate their energies.

Jake was also absorbed in it. In the corner of his mind, however, he found this royal tea wonderful because Mary couldn\'t talk at all—an excellent drink.

It was like a magic potion for him!

Viktor nonchalantly took a sip and explained, "It\'s called royal tea, but it\'s not exclusive to my empire. It\'s imported from the lands no player has set foot yet. Ever heard of elves? I figured. This tea had been a part of their royal lineage, but upon getting discovered and connected to our world, they established worldwide businesses to keep others off their lands.

Only those with blue blood can buy the royal tea from them.

"The mana in this tea\'s leaves is responsible for the rich flavor and addiction. Ever since this tea became a part of our royal culture, every noble, be it a baron or marquis, has spent millions to get their hands on this tea to prepare themselves and their descendants for any official talks with their rulers.

"Other than that, the royal tea stirs mana in our veins and increases our natural mana production along with its intake. If you have a poor metabolism, the royal tea also fixes that for you, eternally." Viktor concluded with an interesting tidbit about the royal circles and their culture.

Robert, who wasn\'t aware of Viktor\'s identity, didn\'t need more evidence to infer Viktor\'s origins.

Mary then dropped a bomb, "I\'ve received fifty INT stats from this tea!"

"Seriously?!" Robert exclaimed.

Viktor\'s eyes widened in a surprise. It seemed that this woman wasn\'t just about her level… Jake had brought him a real deal, making Viktor excited.

Only Jake wasn\'t really aware of what was going on. He turned to Viktor for an explanation.

The man said, "The mana of a royal tea is rich: that\'s what I just said. Talented scions can passively absorb mana into their veins from sources like these and permanently enhance themselves. It\'s usually one time. I\'ll offer her a second serve to see how talented she is."

While Viktor went to brew the tea again, Robert took up the baton and added, "It\'s difficult to improve our stats at the high level, Jake. Leveling up takes time unless you\'re a hardcore player who just levels up. Our foundations are also established, so picking new means to increase our stats is hard and consuming.

That\'s why it\'s amazing that Mary can increase her INT just from drinking this tea, even if it\'s only fifty stats! This can predetermine the outcome of our future battles and contests."

"I see," Jake nodded. "Good for her, I guess."

Jake\'s expression betrayed the casualty behind his words. He was clearly happy for his sister.

Mary was also thrilled by this outcome and could no longer sit still on the chair. She got onto her two feet and spun around while feeling the warmth of the tea coursing through her.

That was when someone knocked on the door.

Mary raised her hand, "I\'ll open the door!"

Viktor didn\'t mind this until he realized it had to be the imperial mage! He was too late to fix his mistake and just sighed under his nose.

He heavily prepared two cups of royal tea—the second serve for Mary and one for The Imperial Mage.

While the pressure weighed on Viktor, Mary opened the door.

Just like Viktor thought, an old woman stood across Mary. He was so familiar with her that he could imagine her old eyes slightly narrowing upon noticing Mary.

Mary smiled, "You must be Minerva Asta Orb—The Imperial Mage!"

"Indeed, I am. Introduce yourself, child," Minerva replied.

Mary\'s smile widened, "I\'m Mary November, not Mary June! Here to beat your old ass, so sorry for that in advance!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Only Viktor\'s expression didn\'t turn into an utter disbelief, speechless. He curved his lips into a sneer, and a childish reaction of him clenching his hands and throwing them up in cheers crossed his mind.

\'Ah, you have my thanks, Archer… this old hag will not lecture your sister and get tired. I won\'t have to listen to any of her nagging!\' Viktor thought.

When Viktor cheered up in his mind, Robert held onto his head.

Although he hadn\'t shown that on his face, he turned so nervous that he wanted to rush in and lower Mary\'s head to apologize to The Imperial Mage.

Robert thought, \'Mary! Monica told you this is an important mission to become closer to The Warmonger Empire! She told you that you can use anything to become acquaintances with Minerva, but she didn\'t mean that! She meant that you could use your legendary magic! Why did you have to be vulgar?! Ah, I thought we would get off that blunder with Raven Guild and our reputation… but this is the worst!\'

Jake stared at the old mage. She was shorter than Mary, but because of the angle, he could see her from the side and experience those sharp, old eyes taking in Mary\'s expression and lack of decorum.

Minerva\'s appearance was straight from an old book about mages.

She wore red robes falling onto the ground and following her in her wake. Red was the color of The Warmonger Empire\'s Imperial House, and golden accents on Minerva\'s attire only completed her outfit, highlighting her status. A few golden badges hang on her chest, and her sleeves have four stripes.

The more stripes, the higher one\'s status.

Minerva had all of them—she was one of the strongest, if not the strongest, mages in The Warmonger Empire.

Because the wars between countries had been halted for quite some time now, Minerva\'s prowess was under a big question mark. In the eyes of royalties vying for the highest status, her old age didn\'t help her image.

Of course, the rest respected her. Though her face was dotted with many wrinkles and old age, anyone could tell she used to be a gorgeous woman. She deserved a lot of respect.

Jake was the same, which was why he was worried.

One glance at Viktor calmed him down.

\'Yeah, it\'s not our problem,\' Jake smiled.

Minerva said in a much sharper tone, "Step aside, child. I\'ll lecture you in a second."

Mary shook her head, "Sorry, but I can\'t!"

"And that\'s because?" Minerva asked.

"Because you gotta get those trees up and fight me! I can\'t wait to test myself against one of the best!" Mary replied, taking a step forward.

She was so close that her chest nearly bumped into Minerva\'s.

A second later, Minerva disappeared from Mary\'s vision.

Mary thought, \'A mana step! But I was so close! She shouldn\'t be able to use it!\'

Robert narrowed his eyes.

Minerva was already sitting beside him in Mary\'s chair.

She said, "Viktor. I see you\'ve fallen even deeper into a commonality. I also don\'t drink more than one cup of royal tea daily, which is why I\'m limited to a single meeting every day. How could you forget that when I\'m sacrificing an entire day for you?"

"It\'s for Mary," Viktor said without hiding his displeasure.

"Dare to repeat?" Minerva\'s eyes now shone with a dangerous glitter.

Viktor clicked his tongue.