"I've been here for over a month now, and I've already been reprimanded six or seven times. I'm almost at the point of going to my tutor to complain."

"Hmph!" Hodgson scoffed. "In my view, it's just Mag, that old woman, being jealous of your talent and deliberately picking on you."

"If that's the case, Nancy, you'd better go to Senior Marian," Carl interjected. "Although we are outsiders, we shouldn't let ourselves be bullied without reason."

"Well..." Nancy struggled, speaking in a low voice, "It's... tolerable, I suppose. I've made some mistakes too, and I shouldn't trouble my tutor over such trivial matters. That would make me look incompetent."

Carl shook his head. Seeking help through a complaint isn't a sign of incompetence. On the contrary, being bullied and not daring to speak up is true cowardice and makes one even more vulnerable to bullying. But it was her choice, and as an outsider, he didn't have much say.

"Carl!" Hodgson sat up straight, saying, "I heard about what you did. You taught the locals here a serious lesson, and the Tower even rewarded you. Must be a good amount of Magic Stones, right?"

"A little," Carl chuckled. "I didn't expect that the alchemy techniques I casually acquired in the Black Swamp would come in handy here."

"That's your luck for you; you couldn't avoid it if you tried," Hodgson laughed out loud, then leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "You haven't spent the Magic Stones, have you?"

Hmm? Carl's gaze flickered. It seems he isn't just making small talk.

He asked immediately, "Why? Are you short on Magic Stones?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Nancy standing beside him, her expression restrained.

Nancy's tutor was Marian, and she herself came from a Wizard Family, making her quite wealthy. Everyone from the Black Swamp knew that Hodgson had always been using Nancy's money; he shouldn't be lacking in Magic Stones.

"That's right." Hodgson sat up straight and explained, "Because Kaliem Continent is unwilling to send people over, the Tower's businesses here are short on management. Another batch of people is leaving next year, and many businesses won't be sustainable. So, the Tower plans to sell off some of them, or lease them out and charge a certain rental fee."

Carl slowly nodded. The Tower was short-staffed; he was well aware of that.

"Initially," Hodgson glanced at the shop and continued, "this apothecary was also supposed to be sold off, but because of you, Carl, the Tower decided to keep running it. But Nancy's shop is a different story; it's already slated to be sold off, and we plan to take it over."

"Hmm?" Carl raised his eyebrows, surprised. "You two?"

"Yes!" Hodgson nodded. "Me and Nancy!"

"You two, as I recall," Carl frowned, "have never run a business, nor do you have much experience even working for others. Running a business is not simple. And Nancy, with her exceptional talent, has a great chance to advance to Official Wizard. She shouldn't be wasting her time on this."

Nancy's eyes brightened, and she nodded in agreement.

"Sigh!" Hodgson waved his hand. "What's so hard about business? It's just buying low and selling high to make a profit. I get all that. That shop mainly sells Demonized Items. The Tower has Wizard Apprentices who make them. We'll just need to find some other suppliers; the supply chain won't be an issue. As for sales, we'll just need to advertise a bit. You didn't have any real business experience before either, yet you managed to get the apothecary up and running. Why can't I do the same?"

Carl opened his mouth to speak. He wasn't inexperienced at all; besides, he had the Beast Pellet technique. What do you have? He shook his head speechlessly and spoke slowly, "You plan to borrow Magic Stones to take over the Tower's business?"

"Yes!" Hodgson's eyes brightened, and he nodded emphatically. "The Tower is offering two ways to take over the shop: one is an outright purchase, the other is to pay an annual lease fee. I definitely don't have the tens of thousands of Magic Stones for a buyout, but an annual lease of two thousand Magic Stones... I think I can scrape that together."

"How much?" Carl's wrist trembled, his face showing surprise. "Two thousand Magic Stones a year?"

"Yes!" Hodgson nodded. "You might think it's a lot, but this is already a discounted rate because we're considered insiders. For anyone else taking over, it would be at least two thousand four hundred Magic Stones a year, and they would still need to pay a two-year deposit."

"That's truly..." Carl shook his head. "Two thousand Magic Stones is simply too much. I'm afraid I can't help you with that."

"How so?" Hodgson asked, a look of surprise on his face. "Before coming here, I inquired about you. You're famously wealthy back in the Black Swamp. You've invested in real estate and even resold Potions for profit. Adding the reward from the Tower this time, you must have over a thousand Magic Stones, wouldn't you say? I'm not asking for much. Just lend me eight hundred Magic Stones!"

Eight hundred Magic Stones! And he says 'just'? Carl looked utterly exasperated and replied slowly, "I'm truly sorry, but those rumors must have misled you. I really don't have many Magic Stones. As for the reward this time… it was mainly a witchcraft legacy from the Tower. There were indeed some Magic Stones, but not many. Besides, my Wizard Talent is too low. I need Potions just to keep pace with the others in my cultivation, and that also requires a lot of Magic Stones."

In short, I'm not lending him any.

"Carl!" Hodgson said, his face clouding over with displeasure. "What kind of talk is that? I came to you because I consider you a friend! I haven't asked anyone else to borrow Magic Stones."

A friend? Thanks a lot! Carl remained expressionless. "I really don't have any Magic Stones. I'm happy to have met you both today, but let's not discuss borrowing money any further."

"You…" Hodgson's face changed color as he abruptly stood up, slamming the table. "Carl, are you really refusing to lend them to me?"

"It's not about refusing to lend; I simply don't have any," Carl shrugged. "Nancy," he continued, turning to her, "Oma is staying at the Wizard Tower to cultivate. She wrote me a letter saying she hopes to try breaking through to the Official Wizard realm within two or three years. You also have Level Two Wizard Talent. You advanced to Advanced Wizard Apprentice even earlier than she did. You should really focus on your cultivation."

"Yes," Nancy said hesitantly, glancing at Hodgson's displeased expression and stammering, "I... I've thought about it too. Maybe... maybe we can discuss this again later."

Carl gently shook his head. He found it hard to understand. Nancy was an Advanced Wizard Apprentice, had an Official Wizard as her tutor, and possessed such high talent. Why was she so afraid of Hodgson? Hodgson's own talent wasn't high; he was merely an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice. Even the Magic Stones he spent were provided by Nancy. Yet, the one who held the dominant position in their relationship was Hodgson, who by all rights should have been the subordinate one.

"Hmph!" Hodgson snorted. "Let's go!"

"Oh…" Nancy hastened to stand up, nodding at Carl. "Well, we'll be going then. Goodbye, Carl."

"Goodbye!" Carl waved and watched the two leave, shaking his head again at Nancy's timid, shrinking demeanor.

「On the street.」

Nancy spoke softly, "Hodgson, there's really no need to be so anxious. The Magic Stones I have are enough for both of us to live a decent life here."

"Hmm?" Hodgson's expression changed. "So, you also think I'm going to fail?"

"No," Nancy quickly waved her hands, saying, "I just think there's no rush. In a few years, I'll try to break through to the Official Wizard realm. If I succeed, borrowing two thousand Magic Stones will be easy. You can start your business then; it won't be too late."

"What do you know?" Hodgson said coldly. "Right now, they all look down on me! I'm going to make those who scorn me witness my success! Nancy! I know you're saying this for my own good. But since you care about me, can you bear to see me being looked down upon by everyone? Especially your tutor, Marian! She clearly knows we're in love, yet she refuses to allow us to marry. If my business succeeds this time, perhaps she'll consent to our marriage."

Nancy opened her mouth as if to speak, but then hesitated.

Hodgson knew very well that if Nancy became an Official Wizard, their chances of being together would become even slimmer.

Only now! By relying on Nancy to achieve success and earn a large amount of Magic Stones, he himself would have a chance to become an Official Wizard, thereby achieving a leap in social standing.

Then... He glanced down at Nancy, at her freckled, plain-looking face, and a wave of revulsion churned within him.

However, he quickly composed himself, his voice turning gentle, "I know a way we can borrow the Magic Stones. Nancy, my love, you'll help me, won't you?"

"Huh?" Nancy looked up, bewildered, at Hodgson's affectionate expression, and a wave of sweetness washed over her, making her feel giddy.

Immediately, she nodded repeatedly, giggling, "Of course, I'll help you!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.