Chapter 93: Chapter 90: Compete! Make Money
Ah Fu set down the last piece of lab equipnt, turning without a single wasted motion.
It walked to Allen’s side and reported in a deep voice, "Sir, your schedule indicates that you need to go to the finance office on the first floor of the Black Tower of the Forge this afternoon to pay a fee, and then handle the expansion of the Learning Mutual Aid Group."
Allen was flipping through the basic information on the Ironthorn Clan that Draven had sent over.
He stood up. Ah Fu was one step ahead, having already retrieved his black Advanced Apprentice Robe and opened the door for him.
"Don’t touch my notes or textbooks until I get back," Allen instructed.
"As you command, Sir."
The finance office on the first floor of the Black Tower of the Forge looked as lifeless as ever.
The bald, middle-aged man nad Barton Thorn was still slumped over in his usual spot, dozing. He hadn’t moved since the last ti Allen had seen him.
Allen walked up to the counter and rapped his knuckles on the surface.
KNOCK, KNOCK.
Barton’s head stirred, and it took him a long mont to look up.
"I said not until this afternoon..." He trailed off, recognizing the black-haired young man before him.
"Allen Wesren."
He muttered, the na finally coming back to him. "Master rcer’s apprentice. What is it now? Hasn’t your tuition been paid in full?"
"I’m here to register for a competition," Allen said, getting straight to the point.
"Competition?" Barton pulled a crumpled flyer from a disorganized pile of files and slapped it on the counter.
"The ’Black Tower New Star Cup’ Basic chanical Body Design and Manufacturing Competition? You? A newly promoted Advanced Apprentice?"
His voice dripped with skepticism as he sized Allen up.
"Yes."
Allen’s reply was devoid of emotion.
Barton scoffed, sitting up straight. He took a formal registration form and a pen from his drawer.
"The registration fee is twenty Low-Level Magic Stones, non-refundable. The competition is to build a basic chanical Body. You have to provide your own materials, and the cost can’t exceed one thousand Magic Stones. The top three winners get a Spiritual Enhancent Potion. Rember to submit a list of materials before the competition starts."
"Spiritual Enhancent Potion?" Allen had never seen such a potion on the market.
"It’s a Magic Potion that directly raises the upper limit of one’s Spiritual Power. It can only be used by Advanced Apprentices. It’s a true rarity; you can’t buy it anywhere else."
Allen’s eyes narrowed. ’Looks like I’ll have to give this competition my all.’
Barton pushed the form toward Allen, resuming his languid posture. "Kid, this competition is held every year, but the ones who win are always apprentices who’ve been at the Black Tower for two or three years. You’re a rookie. You’d be better off not throwing your money away."
Allen ignored his remarks, picked up the Feather Pen, and quickly filled in his personal information on the form.
Once he’d filled out the form, he handed it over along with his identity card.
Barton took them and slowly began tapping at the Magic Guide Terminal.
The terminal emitted a soft chi, confirming Allen’s registration.
"There. Now don’t go building a piece of junk and embarrassing yourself. That would make
feel like I wasted five minutes of my ti."
Allen took back his identity card without responding to Barton’s trash talk. He needed results to do the talking; a verbal clash was pointless.
「That afternoon, in the public practice room of Zone A-7.」
Colin had already cleaned the room until it was spotless, arranging the tables and chairs neatly.
Vera and Colin stood by the door, nervously watching as twenty apprentices trickled in.
They were the ones who had been screened, all of whom possessed an understanding of their chosen subjects that surpassed the average apprentice.
Allen sat behind a table at the far end of the room, with Ah Fu standing behind him like a silent statue. The presence of the chanical Body butler in its tuxedo brought an invisible pressure to the ordinary practice room, causing the entering apprentices to subconsciously walk more softly.
"Let’s begin." Allen glanced at the clock on the wall. "First, Andrew Moss."
A tall, thin young man with an arrogant expression stepped forward. He was the only one present who ca from a Little Wizard Clan, and his specialty was *The Nature of Magic Power and Macroscopic Theory*.
"Mr. Wesren. No, I suppose I should call you Senior now."
Andrew’s voice held a hint of conceit. "I acknowledge your achievent in those fourteen courses, but teaching theory is a different matter from taking exams. I’ve been educated by private tutors since I was a child. I should be more than competent for this job."
Allen picked up a textbook he had written himself, flipped to a page, and pushed it across the table.
"Explain the third solution for ’magic model redundancy overflow’ and elaborate on its limitations when applied to low-level Magic."
Andrew looked down at the page. He had never even heard of the question written there.
The academy’s textbooks only ntioned two solutions, and both were covered only briefly.
"This... this is beyond the curriculum," he finally managed to say after a long pause.
"Next." Allen closed the book.
Andrew’s face turned a furious shade of red, but as he looked at Allen’s calm, deep blue eyes and the motionless steel butler beside him, he didn’t dare cause a scene. He retreated to the side in humiliation.
The rest of the interviews were just as efficient.
The interviews were over in half an hour. Allen ended up hiring ten people. Along with the four he had hired previously, he had assembled a team of fourteen instructors—one for each public course.
"Starting next week, you will officially beco instructors for the Learning Mutual Aid Group," Allen said, looking at the apprentices before him.
"For the ten of you, your monthly salary as instructors will be fifty Low-Level Magic Stones. If student feedback is good, there will be bonuses at the end of the year," Allen continued.
The new instructors’ breathing grew heavy.
Fifty Magic Stones a month—this inco was enough to pull them out of their dire financial straits. They could purchase ample materials for ditation and even have so left over.
"My requirents are simple."
Allen pushed a thick stack of textbooks and a pile of Magic Contracts toward them. "First, you must teach strictly according to the textbook. You can supplent it with your own examples, but you cannot deviate from the core frawork. Second, absolute confidentiality. No part of these textbooks may be shared with outsiders. Violators will be held responsible for the consequences."
His voice was laced with the magical pressure of an Advanced Apprentice.
The new hires looked at the textbooks on the table—which could only be described as "bibles"—and then at the clearly worded Magic Contracts. One by one, they signed their nas.
The chance to earn a high salary while also gaining access to such a revolutionary body of knowledge was an opportunity no one would refuse.
After the contracts were signed, Allen ntally commanded DSeek, ’Calculate the profits.’
[Calculating revenue model based on Learning Mutual Aid Group expansion to 200 mbers at a monthly fee of 15 Magic Stones/person.]
[Total Monthly Revenue: 200 mbers x 15 Magic Stones = 3,000 Low-Level Magic Stones.]
[Potion Revenue Share: Approx. 600 Low-Level Magic Stones per month.]
[Our Cut: 2,400 Low-Level Magic Stones.]
[Personnel Costs: Administration (Vera, Colin) 100 Magic Stones
Instructor Team Base Salary (14 people) 700 Magic Stones
300 for bonuses = 1,200 Low-Level Magic Stones.]
[Venue & Miscellaneous Expenses: Covered by partner.]
[Estimated Net Profit: 2,500 Low-Level Magic Stones.]
Allen was reasonably satisfied with this steady stream of inco.
Not only had he freed himself from the tedious work of teaching, but he had also established a self-sustaining, profitable machine and the beginnings of a technical team.
"One last thing."
Allen looked at everyone present. "The Learning Mutual Aid Group’s regular classes are just the foundation. Moving forward, we will be launching a new high-end service: ’Personalized Academic Path Design’."
He looked toward Vera and the new instructors.
"This service won’t be open to the public; it will only be for a select clientele. Your task, during your daily teaching, is to observe and identify apprentices who have potential and ambition but are struggling to decide on their future path—especially those from wealthy families."
"You are to record their individual traits, their best subjects, and the difficulties they encounter, then compile this information into detailed reports for ."
"Yes, Sir Allen!"
Allen said no more. He turned and walked to the door. Ah Fu pulled it open for him, then turned gracefully to follow him out.
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