CH349 Post-Auction Profits; the Cradle and Echelon

***

"It's as you predicted," Haggleworth reported. "The nine parties reached a prior agreement before the auction."

Alex sighed wryly. "Of course they did."

He didn't look particularly bothered by it. Instead, he leaned back and asked, "So then, who won the bid? And how much did they drop for the ring?"

"The alliance between the Alchemy, Forgesmith, and Runesmith associations," Haggleworth said with a frown. "Just fifty Top-grade Mana Stones. That's barely half our projected estimate."

The gnome's disappointment was almost palpable.

Alex's lips twitched.

A single Top-grade Mana Stone—a rarity in itself—was valued at around fifty million gold coins, even at its lowest market rate. Fifty of them? That was easily two and a half billion in value.

Considering he'd only spent about fifty thousand gold coins worth of materials to craft the item, the sheer profit margin was absurd.

For a brief moment, Alex lost his composure, his grin almost splitting his face before he managed to reel it in. He glanced at the sulking gnome and said with amusement,

"Let's not get greedy, Haggleworth. Those estimates were made based on the absolute best-case scenario. Honestly, I'd have been content with just one top-grade mana stone—fifty is beyond generous. Besides…" He smiled faintly. "We've earned far more than money today. We've gained reputation and a brand name. Those are worth far more than gold."

"I understand, Mr Chairman," Haggleworth nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching upward despite himself. "How would you like to make use of the mana stones?"

"Give ten to me," Alex said after a moment's thought. "Store the remaining forty. They'll help offset the operational costs of our core formations. With that, we'll save a small fortune on maintenance."

"Understood," Haggleworth nodded approvingly. "That will also free up more capital that we would otherwise spend on mana stone purchases."

He took out a small note book from his inner jacket pocket and flipped through a few pages.

"Also, Chairman, the projections and estimates for all our current projects are complete. Based on the total earnings from the auction festival, we now have enough funds to fully expand our logistic network across the entire continent—both the visible and the hidden sectors. We'll even have a substantial surplus left over."

He paused, looking between Alex and Zora.

"Might I suggest paying dividends to the shareholders? Chairman, your share alone would be enough to settle the 'debt' you owe Earl Drake Fury."

Alex turned his gaze to Zora. "Is the Enclave in need of additional funding?"

"No," Zora replied with a composed shake of her head. "We've earned quite a bit ourselves during the festival. Considering Pinchcoin has already submitted a request to distribute bonuses, I'd say we're rather flush at the moment."

"In that case," Alex said, turning back to Haggleworth, "reinvest everything into our expansion. I want our logistic and intel networks to grow as much as possible. We should be able to move anything, anywhere on the continent—and access any information, from anywhere."

"I'll see to it personally," Haggleworth said solemnly.

Alex paused, deep in thought.

"While you're at it," he said at last, "increase the allocation to the Academy. I envision it as the core of my powerbase—the critical manpower supply station to all my organisations, including the Palace.

"I want it to become the finest educational institution on the entire continent. So spare no expense."

Haggleworth nodded solemnly.

"On the matter of the Academy, Mr Chairman, you still haven't finalised whether it should be opened to the nobility," he reminded gently.

Alex folded his arms, his right index finger rhythmically tapping his sleeve as he fell into contemplation.

In terms of talent, the nobility offered an abundant pool. However, that came with its own set of risks. The entire purpose of the Academy was to produce loyal subordinates—individuals whose allegiance would never waver. Training the sons and daughters of noble houses would complicate that beyond measure. The risk was simply too high.

He weighed the pros and cons several times over, but a clear answer eluded him. Finally, he decided on a compromise.

"Recruitment should proceed as we initially discussed," Alex said at length. "Focus on commoners—especially orphans and children from the lowest levels of society. At most, we may consider the scions of wealthy families outside the nobility, and only if their talents are truly exceptional. Even with that limitation, I'm confident we'll have a large enough pool of candidates."

He leaned forward slightly. "As for the nobility—should a rare talent appear, recruitment will require my personal approval. No exceptions."

"What if you're unavailable when such an opportunity arises? We would lose a potential powerhouse talent." Haggleworth asked carefully.

"Then so be it," Alex replied firmly. "Let's not be greedy. I'm not chasing raw strength or brilliance in people—I'm seeking loyalty. Given time and resources, a loyal weakling can be made strong. But no matter how hard you try, a disloyal powerhouse's loyalty can never be guaranteed. If that's the case, I'd rather invest in those I can trust without question."

He spoke with quiet conviction, the weight of his experience evident in every word.

In truth, Alex already had multiple means to elevate the weak. Chief among them was his Rune Tattoo Project. Once he returned to field experimentation, he was confident he'd make breakthroughs that could expand the enhancement potential of the tattoos even further.

Seated opposite him, Haggleworth reflected on his chairman's philosophy. Within barely a year, Alex had turned the Golden Palace into a multi-billion-gold enterprise—built entirely upon the foundation of loyalty and trust.

The gnome was reminded why Alex valued loyalty above talent or strength.

"Then I take it the school will remain semi-secret, as planned?" Haggleworth asked.

"Yes," Alex nodded. "Let people know the school exists—especially for orphans and the underprivileged. But how far our training goes must remain hidden. Actually…" He paused, thinking. "It might be better to give it two faces: a public and a private one."

Haggleworth tilted his head slightly.

"The public face will handle the ordinary students," Alex continued. "Nothing too extravagant—basic education, magic, crafts, and general development. The private face, however, will be for the true diamonds in the rough we discover among them. Those few will receive the Academy's full attention… and eventually, they'll form the core of my powerbase."

Haggleworth thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"I believe we can merge both concepts," he suggested. "If every student begins in the public face, we'll have time to evaluate their personalities, habits, and loyalties before transferring the exceptional ones to the private side."

Alex smiled faintly. "That's as good a system as any. I'll leave it to you. Just like the Palace, I won't interfere much. I only expect results."

"Understood, Chairman," Haggleworth replied with a respectful nod.

"By the way," he added, "you still haven't named the school. Since we'll have two faces, we'll need two names."

Alex thought briefly, then said, "Let's name the public face Cradle. As for the private one… call it Echelon."

"Understood," Haggleworth said, committing it to memory.

He rose from his seat, and Alex stood as well, extending a hand.

"Thank you for the hard work, Haggleworth."

"It's been my pleasure, Mr Chairman," the gnome replied warmly as they shook hands. "I've never enjoyed my work more than I have this past year."

After Haggleworth departed, Alex turned to Zora, who had been quietly observing from her seat.

He sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Thanks for helping me out."

"I still don't get it," Zora said, her tone equal parts confusion and mild frustration. "Why organise the auction that way if you already knew those people would collude? And aren't you worried your interspatial storage method will be cracked now that it's in the hands of the three major crafting associations?"

Alex smiled, his gaze turning distant and amused.

Her concerns were reasonable—he and Haggleworth had wrestled with the same doubts before finalising the plan.

"Let's just say…" Alex said quietly, eyes narrowing in thought, "…it was necessary."

***

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.