"So that's the only solution," I muttered.

"Are you really considering it?" MidnightFire asked, her voice tinged with surprise.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Since it's the only solution that could get me out of this predicament, then I might as well consider it."

"I've never seen anyone considering renouncing their identity as a noble heir. Even those who did would at least give it a second thought to see whether things might turn around for good," MidnightFire responded, lightly chuckling.

"I wonder what the Zahara Clan would do over this once they got a hold of this information?"

"I know. They would most likely hold a banquet and sponsor my travel to another fortress if possible." I snorted.

If the members of the Zahara Clan were given the option of kissing a wish-granting frog to make me willingly renounce my identity to the clan, they would do it and give the frog an Elder position.

Now that I was willing to do so myself at no cost, it was likely a wish upon a star for them.

"Hahaha!!" MidnightFire clutched her stomach as she burst into a pearl of laughter.

She raised her hand to wipe her eyes.

Her avatar glitched.

I knew she had removed her VR gear to wipe her eyes in real life as well.

"You are different," MidnightFire said, "So what's your decision on joining my clan?"

"I'm still thinking about it."

"Okay. If the proposal is unsatisfactory for you, then I can enable you to get into other Magical Swordsman Path Clans or even a Beastmaster Path Clan through my clan's connections, if you feel that the protection is not enough and still desire to reside in such an environment," MidnightFire responded, her voice solemn.

"With your potential, it won't be easy for you to join any force you desire, unless they don't care about offending the Zahara Clan. So I hope you think about my words clearly before giving me a response."

I wasn't surprised that she had given another tempting proposal.

"I'll think about it."

My response remained the same.

"Were you also interrogated?" I asked, curious.

She nodded.

She explained all the questions that she had been asked.

"As a victim of the Descendants of the Zahara Clan's schemes, my name will not only soon be cleared, but I'll also be compensated for the loss I made while attempting to secure the merit points required to help me retain my position as Leader of the Star Auction Auditorium," MidnightFire responded.

"They already have their hands full with Instructor Fredric, you, and Ivory. I believe the final verdict will be announced in a few days or a couple of weeks."

She had stated that she had hosted a sale to sell her belongings to earn the merit points.

She didn't mention that it was an auction attended only by those close to her. And that just one person had suspiciously purchased all of it.

I wasn't surprised.

We weren't that close to be privy to each other's personal matters.

Our relationship is currently based on investments and future profits. It was transactional, with a hint of getting to know each other here and there.

"I want to make the remaining payments."

MidnightFire made a simple gesture in the air.

A holographic screen appeared before her.

She waved her hand forward, and the screen displaced into a replica that appeared before me.

"Pay up."

I had been completing tasks during my training to accumulate enough merit points to make a significant payment, so this was my first time making a purchase.

I unlocked my wallet of merit points, which I had manually connected to this avatar profile.

The original price of the storage ring within the academy was 12,000 merit points.

However, with the discount MidnightFire had given me, it was reduced to 6,000 merit points.

I transferred the remaining amount.

My merit points were immediately depleted.

[ Merits Points: 59,189 ]

"I've completed the payment."

"You what?" MidnightFire asked, her voice filled with surprise.

She stared at the holographic screen and then at me, stunned.

"How...? What did you do to be able to gather so many merit points? I hope you didn't engage in any illegal activity. Or else, I'm sorry, but I won't accept this," MidnightFire said.

I could hear the emotions roiling in her voice.

"You don't need to worry. I didn't do anything illegal."

"Then how?" she pressed.

"How else am I supposed to get merit points? I took a quest to complete at the Dungeon Hall. Added with my earnings from the new ranking, it wasn't that difficult to gather enough to pay back what I owed," I replied.

"Stop playing dumb! If you don't tell me how you obtained these merit points, then I'll send the payment back," MidnightFire snapped, adding, "I won't engage in anything that risks attracting the attention of the Disciplinary Committee. I only did this out of goodwill."

I sighed.

Her concerns were reasonable, since making a 6,000 merit point payment was outrageous for someone who possessed a small amount a few days ago.

There were only two conclusions anyone could draw: either I had stolen it, or I had borrowed it from a lender.

Either way, I would be in trouble if caught by the Disciplinary Committee, since they considered such predatory behaviour unacceptable.

That would defeat the entire purpose for which the merit points were created.

It would ruin the agreement between us.

I had no other choice but to explain to alleviate her concerns.

"I know this is hard to believe, but I've been completing quests to gather the merit points I needed to pay. However, I completed a quest today that allowed me to obtain this much," I said.

"Which quest was that?"

"The number one goblin elimination quest."

MidnightFire summoned another holographic screen with a flick of her hand. After a few gestures, she placed the screen before me.

"That is the quest you completed, right?"

Her voice was solemn.

She pointed at the quest at the top of the list.

It was a photographed of the Magical Swordsman Department's quest list.

Within the VR platforms, there were images of the quest lists for each department, so I wasn't surprised.

I had once looked at the Magus Department's quest list out of curiosity, and it had refreshed my understanding of what kind of monsters they were.

"Yes."

"You completed the inexhaustible quest! Unbelievable," MidnightFire gasped in shock.

"How did you do it?"

I didn't respond.

She would hardly believe anything I said now.

Besides, I had no reason to explain.

How I managed to complete the quest was my secret to keep.

Seeing that I wasn't going to respond, MidnightFire fell silent.

"You are something else. I thought we were close enough to share little details like this, but it seems I was mistaken," she said with a sigh. "You might just be one of the most popular figures in the academy once news of this gets out to the public."

Suddenly, she paused.

After several seconds, she continued, "Did you do this because of the current situation with the other Descendants of the Zahara Clan?"

I nodded.

I wasn't surprised that she had already figured something out.

Her reasoning capacity was powerful, and that was the reason for my silence.

"Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant," MidnightFire praised. "By doing this, you not only stand out in public, but whatever actions the Governing Council takes will reflect their decision-making."

"Others will surely look into you once they learn about this matter, and those who already know will also be affected. It's effectively hitting two preys with one stone."

That was also what I had thought.

"You know, I'm beginning to ponder if one of your greatest secrets, your powerful physique, is truly the only thing you inherited from being a Zahara. Don't worry, I won't dig too deeply into your personal life… I'm just curious."

"I need to inform my teacher about this as soon as possible. She would surely be surprised by this piece of information."

"Do you want to make any other purchases? Considering your current wealth, I will incur a loss if I continue to offer you such discounts," MidnightFire added. "But considering our close relationship, you don't need to go through the time-wasting procedures. You can buy them directly from me."

"I want to purchase a spell, specifically fire, earth, metal or attributeless. They can be Intermediate, High, or Advanced," I responded.

I wanted to master a new spell while I continued training Fire Spark.

"Hmm! I've a few here that you might like. Here, have a look," MidnightFire responded.

A catalogue of spells alongside their prices appeared before me.

I looked through the list.

Fortunately, they were all neatly arranged in her catalogue, allowing me to make an in-depth analysis.

After twenty minutes, I quickly made my selection.

[1. Molten Grip – Intermediate – 2,000 MP

2. Fire Ring – Intermediate – 2,800 MP

3. Mud Cloak– Intermediate – 3,000 MP

4. Armour Coat – Intermediate – 4,800 MP

5. …]

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