"What?" The grey-haired assistant manager didn't suppress her confusion.

"You heard me, want to work for me?" Ebony was slightly out of it. He couldn't sleep a wink despite his exhaustion after arriving at his old house.

The trip back to Tidal took longer than he'd like due to his injuries. At least 30% of his body was lacking its mana chassis. He looked physically in one piece but he wasn't in the best conditions.

While he had trouble with the darkness and stealth portion of the Stygian-Frost Elementals powers, they had a slight issue with manipulating his cold flames. Ebony had incorporated fire manipulating techniques to wield his flames better.

Regardless, the unseen attacks and spawns of the stronger members had done a great deal of damage to him. They were a real threat because whatever 'Stygian' was, it could similarly damage his mana chassis. There was a good chance it was because they were Elementals, a mana-based creature like him and not the element of Stygian and that was for him to find out.

Not erasing this annoyance, he realised it still didn't show on his expression or attitude.

Spy girl blinked furiously. "I-you. I have always been doing that."

"I mean an actual job, my company…merchant firm."

"But I-"

"We both know how capable you are, climbing up the Quest Hall's ranks so quickly to be an assistant manager is impressive. Especially with your side job…" Ebony watched the lady hush him with her eyes and hasty glances around them.

They were in broad daylight, in the midst of hundreds of people in the Quest Hall but Ebony was confident few could sneak in on their conversation now. He could place even more precautions using silencing runes but he wasn't speaking about anything he didn't want people to overhear.

"Let me consider." The metal mage bit her lips.

"Mmm, but you haven't heard my offer. Be the manager of the company I'm founding, you'll be handling everything." The girl already knew Ebony's speaking habits and remained silent, "How about twelve million Blues annually, we can deal in 🜋. I don't have the translation for that currency…Sulpto would be the closest phonetic translation I can give you. It's worth-"

"I know, Z&Z and many merchant firms have begun to use--Sulpto…that's an apt translation." The grey-sliver-haired lady couldn't control her trembling fingers as she leafed through documents.

"You learned Gia?" Ebony pulled a lemon out of his pocket and peeled it before eating a slice. Whenever he got into these periodic times where he lost his sense of taste, fruits would usually work and sour fruits were his favourite.

"You know the trouble I was in. Lure isn't even from Elcra. Heck, the Jaded Parasites are beginning to deal in Sulpto." His action of eating a lemon seemed to rub the spy girl in all the wrong ways. She was a good actor and even then, she didn't hide her appalled expression in time for Ebony to catch. "Do--do you need me to make some grub, I can cook reasonably edible food."

"Don't bother, I lose my sense of taste periodically."

"Is that some sort of illness?"

"Perhaps." Although he was dense, Ebony could read patterns. He lost his taste whenever he was apart from Xin for long. It just activated a lot faster this time around.

'Ting' 'Core Skill Boundless Serenity Geyser lvl up 1192 → 1193'

'I knew it, its experience gain condition has changed or there's an additional way I can improve it. Accepting all my subdued emotions seems to do me good. Alone time is great but lonely time isn't. Still human.' Ebony nodded at his confirmation.

Serenity was a very different concept from his past meditation about a clear mind, a calm mind - an empty mind and flawless control.

Boundless Serenity and its reaction to his mental state while gaining levels suggested that his Tier 5 meditation was about being calm and untroubled amid unease. He was supposed to take in all that unease without converting it into fuel for mana regeneration. There was a subtle difference of burning that emotion to sitting on it and utilising it.

'That aside, this skill has already long past its requirement but it is still levelling without limits, unlike my Sub-Class skills that I've felt the limit recently. Need more Potential…' Ebony's return to civilization was not without reason.

As a Grandmaster, he was more sensitive to his skill level limits than before. The limits were more suffocating to feel when one was close to an evolutionary requirement.

While his Core and Class skills would need to be two times that of his level for a full Fortification, his Sub-Class only needed them to be 1.5 times his level, or 750 to receive the 100% Fortification.

However, limits were breakable. Even genetic limits.

'Is this how that Dwarf Democlus felt?' Ebony recalled the Shield King Democlus who trapped hundreds of people underground to be fed into a ritual.

He was unluckily faced with Kong Jing then but the ritual was meant for stealing Natural Potential and lifespan.

While Ebony didn't understand the need for lifespan at his age and life expectancy that he hadn't confirmed past ten thousand since Kong Jing's lifespan meter didn't go past that. He did however know the feeling of desiring more potential.

He felt like he could do anything even a wisp of Potential, to increase the 'cap' of his skill levels.

The only difference was that, unlike others who wanted to increase their cap to 1.1 or 1.25 times their evolutionary level cap for the minimum state to evolve, Ebony wanted to go past 1.5 while his Core Skill was easily surpassing the requirement of 2 times, showing that Grandmaster wasn't close to his genetic limit.

No surprise really, most Imperials of Elcra were born between Masters and more recently Grandmasters except the Noble houses and racial differences. If Ebony was an Emperor, there might be a good chance he faced a similar problem as them. Though his ego and data were telling him that wasn't true either, it was true that even the Xengs seemed to be stopped at the ranks of an Emperor. Temporary or not.

"Think about my offer, I am up for negotiations but I do have additional requirements for this job." Ebony knew what she wanted to hear and he was betting that he was right when she calmed down and was relieved to hear more conditions.

This lady who he knew the name of but was unwilling to call her until they introduced themselves to each other was naturally distrusting.

Ebony's clones had watched her growth over the past decade and more. She was what the Imperials would call a genius, an abnormally strong and fast-growing human.

Despite being a Journeyman when he met her, she was now also a Grandmaster. Secretly.

She wasn't even much older than he was, a decade or two at best. People like Raika, an instructor for lightning mages, was over 150 years old Master who was coined a good seed who progressed fast.

And she was…not as fragile as the average Imperial.

His clone, colloquially termed Numbers shared difficult times with her.

Dusk and the Numbers were facing eventual death, not knowing where he was or when he was going to come back to repair and refill their Will. Spy girl was good at hiding her identity. She gave the Numbers information while they occasionally helped her escape and even gave her some fighting and mana manipulation advice.

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Lure while extremely quiet in Tidal was semi-active across the continent. Even right now, unless he actively pulsed mana constantly Ebony would be unable to find many members doing shady work. Their goal was not known but a common link was that monsters were always in the equation whenever they were going to carry out any activities.

Ebony had a much better grasp of the populace of Elva. There were billions in Tidal alone while every other city and town didn't have as many people added up, there was the Three Great Farms. There were a lot of farmers there.

Lure activity there was higher than what could normally be found elsewhere.

Ebony and spy girl had a profile on some members who were either too careless or just a helping hand. Like an orphan child promised some food and shelter.

Spy girl was orphaned by Lure's machinations and she had her desserts over three years before Ebony returned to Elcra.

Metal magic was rare for humans but not unheard of for Dwarves. Sadly, there weren't many mage Dwarves. So she was mostly self-taught. The Numbers gave her some training methods for elemental conjuration that were similar for any solid elements. It would be harder for him if she had fire, lightning or wind since the conjuration for them was very different.

Even so, in less than a decade while working for the Quest Hall and the Jaded Parasites she got her revenge by herself.

The Numbers came out of hibernation to watch over her, slowly maiming her opponents. And the Numbers didn't do a thing to help or stop her. Watching a few battle hardened men cry for mercy as their bodies turned metal, molten and put back together.

For that was what Spy girl had to watch happen to her family when a metal magic using monster was flooding her town with fire mages in tow. Lure members, these people.

Spy girl found peace and it wasn't Ebony's place to do anything for or with her.

"And that is?"

"First of all, you'll need more personal strength to protect yourself."

"I'm plenty strong."

"Using Jaded Parasite's assessment, I would say you're currently a four-point three with a slightly special set of skills that allows you to take advantage of most mages while being especially deadly to anyone wearing metal armour or weapon. Before you begin working as a manager, you need to be a six pointer while being a threat to seven pointers."

Ebony knew their way of classifying their members' strengths. A 0.1 score for a ten-level difference.

Spy girl should not be higher than level 330 right now, by his rough gauge of her overflowing essence alone. On their scale, she could equal the average level 430 fighter on Elcra. That was impressive for someone so young with their genetics.

"...What on Life Queen, am I being offered to be a manager of? If it's anything shady I don't want it anymore." Spy girl put her hand on her forehead and covered her eyes, "should've expected that when I heard the money you're offering. Just so you know I wanted to leave Jaded Parasites years ago but I stayed on to get you the information you wanted to repay my debt." Spy girl was in favour of the Life Queen Yvette, it was thanks to her healing magic over the entire Capital that she was even alive to this day.

She was outwardly religious to Yvette like many Imperials.

"Agriculture. I'm planning to start a farm." Ebony answered honestly. He wasn't planning to farm himself of course.

"...What drugs are you planning to make to be that profitable?"

"No drugs. Normal food, vegetables and possibly herbs but that is a side project for myself."

"You're telling me I have to be able to kill a level 700 as a Grandmaster, be a manager for a normal farm and earn as much as over a hundred Kings working for a year in a single year."

"You did your homework, are you registered with Eidolon?" She was off the mark but not too far. She was only referring to odd jobs a freshly evolved King could do joining expeditions on dungeons or unexplored worldcores.

Ebony tried his best to follow market prices and offer something he thought was worth her time. He almost felt bad offering so little. Twelve million 🜋, Sulpto took 5 hours for him to earn if he had a proper channel at the bank. Remotely, with his Bracelet's inefficiencies, it would take closer to 25 hours instead. Less than a single standard day.

"No, the organisation works for money alone. I know money."

"Then you should know that twelve million is a petty sum. If I don't give you a raise, it'll take you twenty years to afford this." Ebony pulled his sleeves back to show his bracelet before he took a better look at his robes. It was tattered and he hadn't even mended them.

"Why do I need to get stronger to be a farm manager?"

"I get into trouble from time to time. If you're my employee, then you are at risk."

"...That's the same for any job. What's the rest of the catch?"

Taking it off his robe the moment he realised its state, he continued, "You'll be the face of the company, you'll also be doing most of the work from sourcing the land to materials and workforce. Don't worry, twelve million is merely a probationary salary. As my second official employee, I'll give you a one-time offer of half the company since you're going to do everything. When the company starts earning money, you can pay all your salary back over time." Ebony changed his mind on the spot.

This time, spy girl couldn't take it anymore. He was speaking nonsense and he knew it.

"You don't know business at all." Spy girl knew him well enough to know that he didn't take offence easily or she wouldn't have said something like that with her nature.

"I don't. I'm more of an investor and I chose you." In his mind, this opening a company thing was just an interesting or fun thing he decided to do but wasn't going to put his time into.

He truly wasn't interested. He just thought his money had ways to grow and knew wealth was power. Spy girl's words struck close to home. She was right, he wasn't trying to do business. He was just investing.

"...Uhm, where is the missus? I don't want to die young." Her hair practically stood up while she looked around frantically.

"?? Back at her maiden home, I hope she's having a good time. I know I had the best months of my life just a while back. Enjoying the last days of singlehood? Yeah, that might be it." Ebony cocked his head in ignorance at her random question.

For some inexplicable reason, he had been feeling extremely lucky.

Ever since leaving Cinderash, it was like everything was falling into place for him. Finding Xin on Teheil so easily in hindsight was luck. Although beating her in battle for her hand wasn't luck, he felt lucky.

The time in the Glades with Apa was the most fun he had in years and he felt like things were going the way he wanted throughout the trip. No pursuers, no one who wants to drain him dry of mana. He was left alone the way he left others alone.

The only thing that felt off was how lonely it was during the trip but he enjoyed that even more. The beauty in what would be lost while he lived that moment was hard to describe. It was enjoying the last moments of this emotion that he shouldn't feel ever again.

At least…that was how he hoped it would be for he didn't like the feeling more than any physical pain.

Ebony looked at the spy girl intently, "What do you say, no more my company. I'll invest in you, but it has to be an agriculture-based business. I would have inputs, for sure. There are certain plants I need grown and I have minimum standards for the workforce and the materials we'll be using but your say will be heavily taken into account. You'll make the business decisions, I'll provide the money, security and sometimes suggestions about the direction we'll be taking."

"I-" Spy girl looked down on her desk, stunned.

"There's nothing to consider, this world is too small for you," Ebony replied with his honest thoughts. His Model didn't sacrifice itself for nothing. He gave birth to the clones. And saved a life.

Doing something Ebony would consider…none of his business.

If that was the Will of Model 38889, then Ebony wanted to keep it going. It was too bad there hadn't been much left over from 38889 so he had to figure out the clear reason for that Model's reason for going out of its way to take her out and place her in their home. Was it its interpretation of Ebony's original instructions for it to follow Spy girl and make sure she didn't do anything silly like suicide? Perhaps.

In any case, his Clones had watched over her for a long time. He was well aware that she was more than capable in many aspects. She was worth investing in.

'For my power…have I been blinded by that?' Ebony looked so intently at her that his focus was pulled away and back to her.

"When are you off work?" He took enough of her time.

"Ehm my shift ends in six hours." She looked back at the clock in the hall.

"Are you free after that?"

"Yes?"

"Okay, I'll be here then." Ebony turned and walked away.

'I need to prepare all the birthday gifts I missed. And those things Aunt Tao reminded me of. But first, Sky's Edge for training. I need sleep." Ebony wanted to sleep badly. Even an hour or two was fine.

His Core Skill wasn't helping him sleep for once due to all the noise.

Stamina overexertion forced his body to require sleep for his muscles to rest and recover.

But no matter what he tried, he wasn't falling asleep.

A duel with a Xeng should knock him out.

Ebony was a man for effective solutions.

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