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nIn the Lothmire City branch of the Etherium Gold Chamber of Commerce building.

nMaximus clicked on a random alchemy shop `design that caught his eye.

nLogan swiftly processed the information, calculating the total cost of constructing the storefront and acquiring the land.

n“The total comes to 84 million low-grade crystals,” Logan said, a smile lighting up his face.

n“The building materials and labor amount to 14 million, while the right to use the land costs 70 million.”

nMaximus smiled wryly, he only possessed 20 million low-grade crystals.

nThe cost was far beyond his means, and he was about to voice his financial predicament when Logan seemed to sense his unease.

n“Don’t worry, if you don’t have enough cash, you can borrow from us with interest,” Logan reassured him.

nMaximus was curious.

nThis was the first time he had heard about the possibility of borrowing money from the EGCC.

n“What would the interest rate be?” he asked.

n“As our VIP 6 and a tier 5 alchemist, you can borrow up to a billion low-grade crystals, with an interest rate of 30 percent per year,” Logan explained carefully.

nMaximus let out a sigh.

nThis was a timely solution, and the fact that he could borrow up to a billion was impressive.

nThough the interest rate seemed like black usury, it was convenient as they didn’t require any collateral.

n“In that case, I would like to take the credit,” Maximus decided.

nLogan smiled and entered a value in the store token.

n“Can I see your token?” he requested.

n“Here,” Maximus said and took out his personal token.

nAfter Logan tapped his own token against Maximus’s.

n-84,000,000.

nIt was disheartening to see a negative balance when he only had about 20 million in his account

n“Is there anything else you need, sir?” Logan inquired.

n“I’ll need a million packs of materials for the Mystic Potion, and 500,000 each for the Tier 5 Soul Mending and Blood Rejuvenation potions. Add those to the credit as well,” Maximus requested.

nSince he was already in debt, he figured why not borrow more.

nMoreover, he needed to use the purchased materials as a cover.

nAfter all, potions couldn’t be made out of thin air.

nAs for what he would do with the materials, he hadn’t decided yet, anyway, they wouldn’t spoil in his storage space for a long time.

n“All the materials for the potions amount to about 450 million low-grade crystals,” Logan calculated.

n“And also, can I borrow the remaining balance to make it a total of one billion low-magic crystals?” Maximus pressed on.

nSince he was already here, why not borrow more?

nAnyhow, He was confident he could earn that much money easily.

nWith just one million Mystic Potions, he can earn a billion magic crystals effortlessly using the system.

nFor others creating that million Mystic Potions, required them a year of not eating and sleeping just concocting potions.

nAs for him, he was only responsible for being a shopkeeper, reselling potions he bought from the system

n“Sure, you can, sir. It would be our pleasure,” Logan replied, his smile widening.

nAlthough borrowing money doesn’t yield an immediate return.

nLending money was akin to burying it and to produces more baby money.

nAs for Maximus reneging on his payment, it would be impossible.

nThe debt was formed through a personal token, where his mana and spiritual signature were bound.

nEven if he escapes and hides in the most desolate and hidden part of the Etherium realm, using his mana and spiritual as a guide they can easily find him.

nWhat Logan didn’t know was that Maximus was in disguise, his mana and spiritual signature altered.

nAfter all, only those who have mastered the laws as a Tier 9 mage or knight could achieve such a feat.𝞸𝓥xt.𝒪𝑚

nAttempting to disguise oneself merely to borrow and cheat money would be even more impossible.

nTier 9 mages or knights rule over domains in the arcane continent giving them endless richness.

nIn theory, they own the entire land, and if they were in dire need of money, which is highly unlikely, there are countless people who would readily offer assistance.

nOf course, Maximus was oblivious to all this.

nEven if he were aware, he wouldn’t dare take the risk, for who knows what peculiar methods they possess to track him down.

nLogan swiftly entered a series of numbers into the store token and tapped it with his own.

n-916,000,000

nEdward William:

nBank Account:

nMoney: 489,560,000

nDebt: -1,000,000,000 (30% Yearly Interest)

nAs Maximus glanced at his bank account, he felt as though he was caught in a dream.

nAlthough the weight of the debt alone would bury anyone who dared to take it on, for him it’s just lifting his fingers and opening his mouth.

nHe could simply assume the role of a shopkeeper, counting the money he earned from reselling.

nMoreover, this approach felt safer and more convenient, with no one doubting him.

n…

nAfter concluding their conversation, Maximus stepped out of the store.

nAs he gazed at the bustling pedestrians on the street, He was light-headed for a while, not knowing what to do.

nHe felt that he was still dreaming.

nAnyone who was poor, and suddenly woke up the next day knowing that they won the lottery would also be at a loss too.

nMemories of his wives and children flooded his mind.

nIt had been nearly a month since he last laid eyes on them.

nThe longing to be reunited with his family grew stronger with each passing day.

nHe contemplated the idea of returning to the sunburnt plateau for a while before pursuing his enrollment at the academy.

nAfter all, there were still more than six months until the enrollment deadline.

nThe wealth he had amassed would be more than sufficient to develop the entire sunburnt plateau for a few years.

nIt was also time to extend his rule over the entire land.

nHowever, before embarking on such endeavors, he realized he needed a personal token, one that would bear Maximus’ identity.

nWithout it, he would be unable to board any ship to go to the cursed continent.

nGoing to the Arcane Continent from the Cursed Continent didn’t need any token but after going back you needed a personal token.

n…

nSneaking past the city gate unnoticed, Maximus breathed a sigh of relief.

nFortunately, there were no guards checking for personal tokens when exiting the city.

nAs he reached the outskirts of the city, near the endless sea, Maximus retrieved and activated the mana deceiver and removed the mask of Grimoire.

nWith his true identity, he proceeded to register his information and obtain the personal token he needed.

nReturning to the city, he resumed his reselling of system products.

nThis time, instead of selling alchemy potions, he focused on mechanical bullets and energy cores.

nHowever, being only a Tier 3 nascent mage, his options were limited to selling Tier 3 products, resulting in a modest income.

nAfter several rounds of buying and selling, Maximus accumulated more than a hundred thousand magic crystals.

nGiven his current strength, this was already a dangerous amount, so he quickly made his way back to EGCC to make a purchase.

nWhile shopping earlier, He thought about how could he manage the kingdom, once he entered the academy.

nAlthough his system provided alternatives like a mechanical clone controlled by spiritual power or other communication devices they were only good for a short distance.

nThere was a vast body of water and chaotic wind blocking any energy transmitted from one continent to another.

nTo bypass that he needed stronger alchemical or mechanical items.

nUnfortunately, they were out of his budget.

nHopefully that EGCC offer a better solution.

nSince EGCC was capable of maintaining branches in the Cursed Continent and facilitating travel back and forth they should have means of long-distance communication.

n…

n“Welcome, sir,” the steward greeted Maximus as he approached.

n“How can I assist you today?”

nMaximus wasted no time getting to the point. “Is there a communication device that can reach the Cursed Continent from here?” he inquired.

n“Certainly, we have a wide variety of options available in our shop,” the steward replied, offering a friendly smile.

nHe then guided Maximus to a comfortable lounge area.

n“Here’s the catalog, sir. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.’

nCatalog:

nSimple Array Node Point: Connects communication devices to a node point in the continental array, enabling simple communication between the Arcane Continent and the Cursed Continent. Price: 100,000 low-grade magic crystals.

nMechanical Puppet: Made of silicon materials, resembling a normal human. Can connect to the continental array of the Cursed Continent.

nHologram Puppet: Features holographic projection, unable to interact with physical matter. Can connect to the continental array of the Cursed Continent.

nSatellite Observatory: Provides a comprehensive view of your entire territory from any location. Can connect to the Cursed Continent.

n…

nAfter careful consideration, he decided to purchase the Simple Array Node Point.

nHe only needed a connection point that he then can connect to a device.

nAfter that, he can later acquire additional devices such as the mechanical puppet and satellite observatory.

nAfter all, it’s more affordable in the system mall.

n“I would like to buy the Simple Array Node Point,” Maximus informed the steward.

n“That will be 100,000 magic crystals,” the steward confirmed.

nMaximus handed over his persnal token, and the steward completed the transaction with a simple tap.

n-100,000

nDuring his previous business dealings, he had conveniently registered a bank account.

nWith his task complete, Maximus left the city and boarded a ship bound for the Cursed Continent, his homeland.

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