The two mages were seriously tempted by the offer of Golem Skill Books, Karl could tell. But they didn't fully trust Cara not to tempt them with something super expensive that they would be paying on for ages.
"The basic Golem Skill book is a Common Grade skill, you could likely even borrow enough from your mom to buy it if it was a priority.
In my opinion, it's one of the essentials for mages.
Other than your basic [Arcane Barrier] or equivalent personal defence skill, having some sort of constructs to back you up should be the basics for mages. Elementals are also an option, and you can tailor them to match your affinities," Karl suggested.
"Elementals? Aren't they supposed to be super powerful?"
Karl nodded. "They are, most of the time. If you'd like to make a deal, I can customize you a skill, and I bet that Miss Veda here would subsidize some of the cost. New skills are sort of her thing, and she hates to miss out on the chance to learn new things."
