Chapter11-A Huge Profit!

Joad gritted his teeth, as if making a firm decision.

"Seeing how sincere you are… I'll—I'll only charge you twenty thousand and ten mana stones!"

After saying this, he discreetly observed Ivy's reaction.

This price should be reasonable, right? He had even left some room for negotiation.

However, Ivy's reaction completely defied Joad's expectations.

She blinked her beautiful eyes, as if she had just heard something insignificant.

"Twenty thousand and ten mana stones? No problem at all."

As she spoke, she once again removed an exquisite storage pouch from her wrist and handed it to Joad.

"Joad, I'm counting on you!"

Joad was completely stunned. He stiffly accepted the pouch,

opened it, and saw that it was filled with gleaming mana stones…

"Wait a minute, Ivy—"

"Is everyone in House Rima… this rich?"

Ivy tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion flashing across her beautiful face.

"It's alright, I suppose. They're just mana stones, not exactly rare."

"And besides, if I can spend money to improve my magic array skills, it's totally worth it. Time is the most valuable thing, after all."

Joad felt like he had been hit with a ton of bricks.

He silently put away the storage pouch, his heart filled with complex emotions.

They were both nobles, yet why was he so poor?

This isn't fair!

No, actually… this is too fair!

And the reason for his poverty?

Joad immediately thought of the culprit—his unreliable father!

It was all because of that womanizing old man!

Spending the family's fortune in pursuit of so-called "true love"…

When in reality?

He was just chasing after young, beautiful women…

Thinking about it made Joad's teeth itch with frustration.

Ivy, however, didn't notice Joad's inner turmoil. Seeing him accept the mana stones, she eagerly asked,

"Joad, what should I do next?"

Joad snapped out of his thoughts. He glanced at Ivy's expectant eyes,

then at the pile of scrolls and notes in front of her, his mouth twitching slightly.

"Put away those scrolls and notes for now."

"Just relax today and clear your mind. I'll come find you tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?"

A radiant smile immediately blossomed on Ivy's face.

"Really? That's great! Thank you, Joad!"

Joad was in just as good a mood.

It seemed he had found himself a long-term, stable… source of mana stones.

However, before officially "helping", he needed to set some ground rules.

Clearing his throat, Joad spoke seriously to Ivy.

"Ivy, before we start, there's something I need to make absolutely clear."

Seeing Joad's sudden seriousness, Ivy also composed herself and asked attentively,

"What is it, Joad? Please tell me."

Lowering his voice, Joad spoke in a mysterious tone.

"If you want to quickly improve as an array master, the key lies in perceiving the flow of magic."

"And to help you this time, I need to invite an old friend from House Whide—someone with unique insights and methods in this field."

"But…"

Joad's tone suddenly turned solemn.

"This old friend has an eccentric personality. He doesn't like being disturbed, and he absolutely despises having his existence known to others."

"So, regarding him, I need you to promise to keep it a secret. You can't tell anyone—not even Leit. Can you do that?"

Ivy nodded without hesitation, her voice resolute.

"I promise, Joad! I won't tell anyone! You can trust me!"

Seeing how quickly Ivy agreed, Joad finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good."

"Then go get some rest. I'll find you tomorrow morning."

"Mm-hmm!"

Ivy responded excitedly, hugging her scrolls and notes as she skipped away.

Joad left Royal Academy and headed straight for the potion supply store.

Walking up to the counter, he casually listed his order to the clerk.

"Hello, I'd like some potion ingredients—Tranquil Herb, Serenity Flower, Mana Dust…"

He rattled off more than a dozen names in one go.

The clerk nodded, maintaining their standard professional smile.

"Understood. Please wait a moment."

Before long, the clerk had gathered everything Joad needed.

"That will be five mana stones in total. Thank you for your patronage."

Joad accepted the box of ingredients, paid five mana stones, and walked out of the store.

As for the remaining twenty thousand and five mana stones…

That was his "processing fee"!

After all, this was an exclusive formula, honest business!

Ivy was such a good person!

Ever since she had joined Royal Academy, Joad's income had skyrocketed.

In just one day, he had earned what previously took him six months to accumulate in mana stones.

This efficiency was practically a money-printing machine!

Joad even began seriously considering offering Ivy a "package deal".

For example…

From apprentice array master to full-fledged array master—

only 100,000 mana stones!

That seemed like a fair price, right?

After all, array mastery heavily depended on talent.

Many people spent their entire lives stuck at the apprentice level.

But to Joad, becoming a full-fledged array master was laughably simple!

Talent? Unnecessary.

All they needed… was the right guidance.

Even Leit had reached his current level under Joad's "guidance"!

Since Joad had already cleared the path,

as long as Ivy followed his instructions, reaching full-fledged array master would be as easy as breathing!

Just as Joad was gleefully plotting his "grand scheme",

a voice filled with rage suddenly roared from nearby.

"JOAD! I KNEW IT WAS YOU!!"

Joad's eyes narrowed as he turned toward the sound.

A furious Archido was storming toward him.

Behind Archido stood an elderly man with white hair and beard,

dressed in an elaborate mage robe, with an elite mage insignia pinned to his chest.

Joad's brows furrowed slightly, though his face remained calm.

This was Royal Academy, within Ilan Principality's domain.

No matter how arrogant Archido was, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble here.

Joad nonchalantly adjusted his collar, then put on a polite smile.

"Why, if it isn't Mr. Archido! What a coincidence, meeting you here."

Seeing Joad's calm and composed demeanor only fueled Archido's anger.

He pointed a trembling finger at Joad, voice shaking with rage.

"Joad! You… you're still acting so—!"

"Archido, calm yourself!"

The elite mage elder, who had come from Mington Principality, stepped forward to restrain Archido.

Then, turning to Joad, the elder smiled kindly and introduced himself.

"Joad, greetings. I am Grand Scholar Augustin from Mington Principality."

"I apologize if Archido's tone earlier was too aggressive. Please don't take it personally."

"Grand Scholar Augustin, you're too polite."

Joad returned the courtesy, but inside, he was already on high alert.

Mington Principality? Why are they here?

"Augustin, may I ask what brings you to Ilan Royal Academy?"

Augustin nodded, his expression turning serious.

"We're passing through Ilan Principality, and we heard reports that Skydome Mountains' magical beasts have been restless lately."

"Every few decades, the Skydome Mountains experience a beast tide, which could pose a threat to Ilan Principality."

"So, Archido and I thought we'd stop by and see if we could assist in any way. After all, Mington Principality stands ready to help."

Help?

Joad sneered inwardly. Would Mington Principality really be so kind?

Of course, Grand Duke Ilan wasn't a fool, so this wasn't something Joad needed to meddle in.

His priority remained one thing—making more mana stones!

After exchanging some courtesies, Joad quickly excused himself.

He entered a Potion College's private chamber and began brewing potion…

The next morning.

Joad knocked on Ivy's dormitory door.

Ivy, who had clearly been waiting, opened the door instantly.

Noticing Joad's heavy dark circles, her face filled with guilt.

"Joad, you must have worked so hard."

"Oh! The potion—is it ready?"