Chapter 18: Three Hundred Thousand Gold Coins? Barely Enough?

Vivian stood before Leon with a stone-cold expression, her tone flat yet unmistakably firm: "Leon, I've decided to collaborate with Sila. This is none of your business. I have my own reasons and do not need your interference."

"Let's be honest, are we that close?"

Blow struck!

Leon's previously relieved expression instantly froze.

Cutting words indeed!

Sila watched the scene unfold with a detached eye, thinking to himself that this was typical of Vivian's style—extremely cold towards others, with her words exuding a sense of distance.

He remembered from his previous life playing "Journey of Radiance" that the male protagonist had struggled immensely in the early stages to improve Vivian's favorability.

Leon attempting to persuade Vivian now would be nothing short of asking for humiliation.

"But this icy beauty demeanor of Vivian's in the previous life of 'Journey of Radiance' drew many players' fervent admiration for the character."

"Yeah, I admit, I liked her too."

Sila was still daydreaming.

Leon's face was filled with astonishment. He had thought that during their days at the academy, their frequent conversations and exchanges on alchemical projects meant they had bonded well. Though she had initially been quite cold towards him, he chalked it up to Vivian's personality.

Now, it seemed Vivian wasn't always cold, at least, she wasn't towards Sila. Her indifference towards him was genuine because they weren't "close" at all.

"Vivian, listen to me. I've inquired about Sila's background, and you can't trust him easily. He must be lying to you." Leon said urgently, his words filled with concern and anxiety.

Hearing the emotional tone, Vivian couldn't contain herself any longer.

On one hand, she was annoyed by Leon's persistence, on the other, she found his words highly amusing.

She wasn't a toddler. Sila's earlier planning, though guarded, only further proved the authenticity of his scheme to trap and kill Livia using the Dimensional Rift.

"I don't need you to question my judgment, Leon. If you keep pestering me, I'll report it to the academy." Vivian said coldly, instinctively moving to stand beside Sila to get rid of Leon's entanglements.

Sila, without hesitation, slipped an arm around the girl's waist. V

ivian wore a plaid dress that hindered direct skin contact, but her soft waist felt like warm, flowing jade, delightful to the touch.

Sila could even feel Vivian's gentle breathing, a tingling sensation that brought him a sense of ease.

"This country bumpkin over here, didn't you hear Miss Vivian say she doesn't appreciate your harassment?"

Sila's lips curled into a sneer.

Leon's face instantly turned a mottled red and white.

He naturally didn't have any deep feelings for Vivian, a girl he had only known for a few days. It was just his inherent kindness that prevented him from wanting to see an acquaintance step into a "pit of fire."

Seeing that Vivian was already threatening to report him to the academy, even though Leon was extremely reluctant, he couldn't continue to persist.

His purpose at the academy was not purely to seek breakthroughs...

Leon gave Sila a deep look and turned to leave.

Sila watched his retreating figure with a hint of amusement.

Being targeted by the protagonist of the original work, this "clingy person." was indeed troublesome. Fortunately, despite Leon's impressive strength and his ability to surpass limits, he was ultimately a good person.

Don't be fooled by his apparent hatred towards Sila, all he wanted was to protect Vivian from deception.

Such people were the easiest to deal with.

After all…

During the earlier scene, Leon had kept questioning but hadn't shown any intention of taking action. Even with his Elite Rank 9 strength, far superior to Sila's, Leon was still exercising restraint.

People like him...

It would be all too easy to outmaneuver him.

While Sila was still contemplating, he suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged.

It was Vivian. She was a head shorter than Sila and looked cute at this moment, like a timid little animal, though her expression remained cold. "Don't waste time on irrelevant people. When are you going to execute the plan?" Vivian asked.

"Soon, but you'll need some preparations." Sila rubbed his spatial ring.

"Preparations?" Vivian blinked in surprise.

"Your 'Firefly Seed' is indeed powerful, but it's the only decent alchemical creation you have so far, right?"

"The Rockefeller family has given you considerable support, but you should reserve those funds for when you need expert-level resources. Do you have enough alchemical equipment on hand to explore the Dimensional Rift?"

Sila bluntly asked.

Vivian stumbled slightly, a hint of confusion breaking through her indifferent expression. "I have several stockpiles of basic alchemical shields, fire-melting capsules, and the like..."

Unfortunately, her matter-of-fact tone was instantly interrupted by Sila.

"The dangers of the Dimensional Rift are far from ordinary adventures." he emphasized.

"Moreover, since we're going into the Dimensional Rift, we must find a way to obtain those valuable items inside."

"Will a few low-grade alchemical creations suffice?"

"Your Rockefeller family may like to save money, and I don't care about that, but when adventuring with me, don't get me into trouble."

Sila said with a hint of genuine skepticism and dissatisfaction in his voice.

"Go prepare some things. At least get twenty low-grade alchemical shields, two or three intermediate ones, and some floating devices. Also, make some toxin capsules, lightning capsules, lightweight power armor, and portable fire-melting glue for survival in the wild..."

Sila reeled off more than a dozen alchemical equipment items like a waiter reciting the menu, all of which could be crafted by elite-status alchemists.

With Vivian's talent, even with just Elite Rank 1 abilities, she could probably complete these preparations.

However...

As the young girl listened to Sila's requests, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. "You make it sound so easy, but how long will it take to prepare all these things?"

"Moreover, acquiring the materials will require a substantial amount of funds. What if the resources in the Dimensional Rift are not worth much?" Vivian's questions were reasonable doubts.

Sila smiled confidently.

The Dimensional Rift that Sila was about to explore served as a high-reward novice dungeon for the male and female protagonists in the original story.

It contained a complete magical inheritance, documenting numerous ancient spells, combat techniques, and accompanying cultivation resources of immense value.

Even though Sila could use points to exchange for essence crystals in the system to instantly master magic, redeeming the inheritance from the Rift would cost tens of thousands of points.

Additionally, some of the resources available could be used at the expert level, which were not even available in the system store at this time.

More crucially, through this exploration, Sila had a reason to explain the source of his abilities obtained from the system, making the benefits truly substantial.

He couldn't possibly tell Vivian the truth directly, so he simply smiled faintly and said, "We're about to enter the Dimensional Rift. Don't you have the courage to take a chance?"

Vivian's eyes narrowed slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, she agreed with Sila's perspective.

However, her expression soon turned troubled as she realized that producing such a large batch of alchemical equipment would likely deplete her small savings significantly.

The Rockefeller family was only a mid-sized family in Florence. Vivian's family background might be decent within the Magic Academy, but it wasn't enough for the young girl to fund the expenses of exploring the Dimensional Rift with her allowance alone.

She didn't ask Sila for help.

In this deal, betraying Livia was the foundation of their cooperation.

Sila had provided valuable intelligence about entering the Dimensional Rift, which was enough to offset Vivian's investment in alchemical equipment.

Vivian believed it was only fair for her to bear the expenses alone in this matter.

Unbeknownst to her, Sila was standing nearby, deliberately enjoying the hesitant expression of the girl as she struggled with embarrassment.

With a wave of his hand, Sila caused coins to rain down like a shower, producing a delightful clinking sound.

"What are you doing?" Vivian's expression frozen in surprise.

Then she heard Sila say with a smile, "Why are you just standing there? Use your spatial equipment to collect them."

"I have three hundred thousand gold coins here, which should be enough to prepare for our exploration."

"Go ahead and make the alchemical equipment. With money to buy materials, you can definitely finish it in a short time."

"...Are you crazy??" Vivian's eyes widened in disbelief.

She knew in her heart that even if the best quality materials were chosen for making alchemical equipment, it would never cost as much as three hundred thousand gold coins.

This was a huge amount of money, even for the Rockefeller family, which would struggle to provide it in such a short time.

She had never imagined that Sila would be so generous, casually giving away such a vast fortune.

Even...

In Sila's words, such a terrifying expenditure was only "barely enough"!