Chapter 335
Chapter 335
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 335
>Chapter Title: The More Complicated, the Better
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After the meeting with Bellos.
Aster hummed a tune as he headed to the cafeteria.
‘See, this is why people should live kindly.’
Look at that.
Living kindly meant money just rolled in.
Bellos had promised investment.
Of course, they’d need more talks to nail down the exact amount, but that was Evelyn’s job.
For now, securing the promise was more than enough.
That said.
“Wouldn’t it feel a bit unfair leaving out just one person?”
This was a Magic Tower event, after all.
Bellos was in, but everyone else was out?
That wasn’t fair.
Having made up his mind, Aster sat in a corner of the cafeteria, cast a sound-blocking barrier, and picked up his communication orb.
And the second sucker after Bellos… no, investor was none other than.
“Yes, Senior. Haha, how have you been?”
[……I’ll hang up.]
“Hey, come on, why? Your junior’s reaching out after so long. How’s everything at home?”
[……Get to the point.]
Mysern, the Gale Wind Spirit Master.
He swallowed his rising urge to curse at Aster’s chummy tone and barely managed to ask.
Normally, that would’ve made Aster flinch, but he wasn’t normal.
“Oh, it’s nothing much. I just want to offer a great opportunity to the members of the 72 Council.”
And so the explanation continued.
In that moment, Aster was a natural-born silver tongue.
His three-inch tongue turned the undeveloped Arapurkin lands into a dream paradise brimming with wealth and glory, and not investing there was branded as a once-in-a-lifetime blunder.
Of course, a seasoned old spirit master who’d seen it all wouldn’t be swayed by such words.
Saying ‘no’ was easy.
Easy… but Mysern couldn’t spit it out.
‘……I’m totally hooked.’
From the way he was yapping, it didn’t seem like he’d back off easily.
Sure, avoiding Aster, who was banned from the Second Black-White Slums, was simple.
Just hole up there.
But.
“I met with the Blandoga Patriarch the other day, you know? Huh? Senior, you listening? Yes?”
[…….]
“I’m just saying, that’s all. In a year, you’ll be heading to the Blandoga Family with Damian… What, should I pass along your regards to the Patriarch?”
[Hoo.]
Mysern let out a deep sigh.
Any normal person spouting that wouldn’t faze him.
But this was Aster.
A madman Mysern, veteran of old wars, had never seen. No, madman felt too dramatic.
He was more like…
‘……An abyss, a true abyss.’
Unpredictable.
No telling what he’d blab to the Blandoga Patriarch.
Mysern admitted it.
……Once hooked, he had no choice but to bite.
[……Hoo, pick a date.]
“Huh? A date?”
[Yeah. You’ll need to talk to that Duke kid separately anyway. I don’t want to repeat myself.]
Aster brightened at Mysern’s deflated voice.
“Excellent choice, Senior.”
[……Tch.]
The call cut off with a displeased tongue-click.
“…….”
Aster stared at the now-dull communication orb for a moment, then tilted his head in genuine confusion.
“Why? I’m offering a real golden opportunity.”
Arapurkin lands.
This was a surefire venture.
No, one he had to make succeed.
Because.
‘……If not, the Magic Tower’s done for.’
For Aster, it was a business he had to succeed at any cost, so yeah, it really was a great opportunity.
A hundred percent guaranteed profit.
Yet he was displeased.
“Beyond me.”
Aster shook his head.
But that mood didn’t last.
“Let’s see… who’s next.”
He’d secured Third Princess Bellos’s investment. And Senior Mysern too.
But stopping at two wouldn’t make it feel big enough.
So.
Let’s think more.
‘First, Senior Musphelun.’
Obviously.
‘Gotta include the Principal too.’
Of course.
‘Teheman Senior… wonder if he’s got money?’
Eh, what’s a senior-junior bond for?
Even if he’s broke, let him in.
He’s spent his life lonely in Rapiter; he deserves some cash and fun in his later years.
That made three solid ones…
But a dilemma.
“Lortel and Blandoga. Include them or not? That’s the question.”
Bellos and Senior Musphelun alone could scale it up plenty, but deep down, his goodwill toward those two families bubbled up.
As he pondered.
“……Aster.”
Aster looked up at the voice. It was Evelyn, who’d pierced his sound barrier to call him.
“Oh, you’re here? Talk go well?”
“Yeah, sort of. But… what are you scheming now?”
“Huh? Scheming what?”
“Your eyes… they’re like…”
Evelyn eyed him with narrowed gaze, like she was looking at a bug.
But instead of clenching his fist, Aster lit up.
“Perfect timing. Hear me out.”
“……Can I at least order drinks first?”
“Oh, get mine too.”
“……Sure.”
When Evelyn returned with a reluctant expression and two drinks.
“Alright, check this out. What should we do?”
Aster began.
* * *
Aster recounted his conversation with Parun… Of course, he hadn’t revealed Parun’s identity yet. Just the talk itself.
Anyway, he calmly shared what he’d realized from it and the path forward.
Then he mentioned securing investments from the Third Princess and Mysern, plus plans to pull in Duke Musphelun, the Principal, and Teheman.
And that he was torn about Blandoga and Lortel.
When the whole story wrapped up.
“Ah, aah… My god.”
Evelyn felt dizzy and lost her balance. Naturally, Aster didn’t catch her.
Thud. Her head bumped the wall.
Rubbing her throbbing head, she blinked.
“Why? Too good to be true?”
“Good?”
“We’re getting investments.”
“Do you… know about shares?”
“……Shares?”
“Yeah, shares.”
Aster tilted his head.
Evelyn stared at his blank expression, then calmly explained the concept of shares.
So, that’s why she’d felt dizzy.
“Say… we invest 10. And develop Arapurkin with that 10. Who owns the land?”
“Us, obviously.”
“Then someone invests 1. Total money in?”
“11.”
“Our share?”
“10.”
“Now think of this. We put in 10, they put in 5, those guys 3, and over there 7. Total?”
“25.”
“Our share…?”
“10.”
“Investors’ share?”
“15.”
“Now, just hypothetically. Investors band together and claim ownership of Arapurkin. Could… we defend it?”
“……Uh, huh?”
Aster blinked, finally getting it.
“Didn’t the Third Princess accept way too easily?”
“Maybe… yeah?”
“Didn’t ask how much we’re investing?”
“Maybe… she did?”
“And… you answered?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Honest to a fault—though to hook suckers, some sincerity was needed.
Evelyn sighed deeply at his brazen reply.
“First off, good plan to sell the base camp for funds and distribute magic materials ASAP. Pulling in other Hamern Great Forest and Kalia mercenaries with investments? Not bad. I was gonna suggest that anyway. But…”
“But?”
“Scaling up with investments isn’t great. Shares get tangled, and you could lose everything despite the work. Lucky no contracts signed, no firm amounts exchanged… Haah.”
She sighed like the ground had caved in.
If Aster had eagerly signed contracts and taken huge sums… it’d be irreversible.
Just imagining it made the world spin.
Anyway.
“I’ll talk to the Third Princess. Minimize her investment, scrap the rest…”
As Evelyn tried to wrap it up.
Aster spoke right then.
“But.”
“What? Something to say?”
“Think about it.”
“……?”
Aster smiled gently. A truly peaceful smile. He continued calmly, still smiling.
“I was thinking. Have we been living too harshly, seeing the world too cynically? It’s a world we share—maybe we’ve shut out too many around us.”
“You selling drugs now?”
“No, not selling drugs.”
Aster had pondered her words.
‘Yeah, shares. Almost made a huge mistake.’
Even if they were trustworthy, what if?
No, Blandoga and Lortel didn’t seem that trustworthy.
Anyway.
It hit him.
“That land… honestly, isn’t it a bomb?”
“Bomb…?”
“Yeah, a bomb.”
Evelyn frowned.
That golden land, a bomb?
“Why…?”
“You assume it’ll pass down generations, but not necessarily. Who’re our enemies?”
“Enemies…”
Evelyn let out an ‘ah’ of realization.
Right.
She’d forgotten.
“……Decullan.”
“Yeah, those guys.”
Hearing that.
Evelyn grasped what Aster meant.
“So, investments aren’t for the money… but to protect Arapurkin?”
“……Something like that.”
Thinking about it, yeah.
If Arapurkin was purely the Magic Tower’s… could it survive Decullan unscathed?
Probably not.
But if many were entangled in Arapurkin, it changed.
‘Even Decullan couldn’t touch it lightly.’
So, even if Aster himself fell, Arapurkin… the Magic Tower could endure.
Thus.
“The more tangled interests, the better, don’t you think?”
Even if they lost control of Arapurkin, protecting a scrap of land and the tower on it.
What mattered more?
Getting it, Evelyn forced her mouth open.
“Got… it. I’ll push it that way.”
“Thanks.”
……And so.
They pulled in Duke Musphelun, Third Princess Bellos, Gale Wind Spirit Master, Principal Shuberts, Endurance Teheman.
From Lortel, Young Patriarch Sion promised personal investment.
The Blandoga head lent his strength about a week after Lortel’s Young Patriarch replied.
When all investors were finally in, Evelyn gave a weary smile.
“Gonna be busy. Academy studies, Arapurkin worries.”
“Hang in there.”
“No worries.”
Arapurkin development began.
A start at least a year ahead of schedule.