Chapter 7: Chapter7-Adults Don’t Make Choices

"Headmaster—please reconsider!"

Logistics Director Isolde grabbed Daniel's arm, her face filled with sincere concern.

It wasn't just about maintaining the academy's daily operations after this shopping spree. The cost of angering Dragonscale Bank would be far more than their small academy could bear!

Miss Claire sighed.

"I'm sorry, Professor Daniel. Dragonscale Bank does indeed have one very powerful treasure, but it far exceeds the amount of mana stones you brought today."

She thought she hadn't been clear enough before, leading Daniel to overestimate his purchasing power.

"Just one of these treasures would use up most of your mana stones, leaving little room for other necessary academy supplies. From what I hear from Miss Isolde, your academy is in need of many items."

"Perhaps you could wait until the academy's situation improves before purchasing. I will keep that treasure reserved for you," Claire sincerely suggested.

Daniel appreciated her honesty, and he decided not to tease her any longer. He simply pulled out an item from his pocket.

Claire continued her explanation, but suddenly, her voice came to an abrupt halt. She froze, her eyes widening as they fixated on the object Daniel was casually tossing in his hand.

"Miss Claire, please don't zone out. I still need to continue shopping," Daniel reminded her.

Stammering, Claire replied, "Apologies, but... but is that what I think it is?"

"A small trinket," Daniel said, placing the item on the table. It was a stone, similar in size to the superior mana stones scattered earlier, but it had a deeper, more restrained glow, with no external radiance.

"That's a pure mana stone!" Claire's voice trembled with excitement, and a flush appeared on her face.

If superior mana stones were used for large transactions and high-tier magic, often considered currency for purchasing rare treasures, then pure mana stones...

Their very existence was a rare treasure.

In addition to containing an immense amount of mana, pure mana stones allowed mages at the tier-grandmaster level or higher to absorb ambient magical energy with unparalleled efficiency. Moreover, casting spells using the mana from a pure mana stone was sometimes even more fluid and powerful than using mana directly from one's own body—an advantage that couldn't be overstated!

In mage families that had been around for centuries, pure mana stones were ranked among the most prized heirlooms—true family treasures.

The phrase "priceless" was no exaggeration when it came to such an item. One pure mana stone could easily purchase an entire small city in a remote region of a weaker continent.

"A pure... mana stone?!" Claire's outburst snapped Isolde out of her daze, helping her realize just what sort of treasure their headmaster had in his hands.

Unlike Claire, who had some understanding of pure mana stones, Isolde had only heard about such treasures in legends and myths.

For people like her—small-town elites or local powers—this was akin to witnessing a legend come to life.

The shock left the Logistics Director rooted in place.

"Where's the rest?" Daniel tapped the table.

Claire snapped back to attention and immediately gave orders to her staff: "Bring the best treasures from the deepest vault."

She treated Daniel with newfound respect. Many people could come up with large amounts of mana stones, but someone who could casually toss a pure mana stone like it was a toy? That was exceedingly rare.

"It seems Dragonscale Bank is very interested in pure mana stones?" Daniel asked.

"Yes," Claire answered truthfully. "It's not just Dragonscale Bank—any mage would value a pure mana stone highly."

Such treasures had no threshold or limitations; they could be used by anyone and were valuable for nearly all magical research or combat purposes.

Pure mana stones weren't just treasures; they were treasures you could never have too many of—true strategic resources, even for Dragonscale Bank.

Even in a small place like Riverside City, Claire, as a manager, knew that this pure mana stone might be her ticket to a promotion within the bank's system. Out of the countless vault managers across Dragonscale Bank's branches in major and minor cities, few ever encountered such an opportunity.

Claire knew she had to seize this chance.

Soon, two more items were brought from the vault.

One was a dull, gray staff.

The other was a crystal-clear green orb.

Upon seeing the staff, Daniel asked, "What's this?"

"Oh, my apologies!" Claire seemed surprised. "I didn't mean for this item to be brought out. Mr. Daniel, I'm truly sorry—this staff is a defective product, completely unusable by any mage. I'm not sure which of my predecessors acquired it, but I've been meaning to dispose of it and simply forgot. I can't believe they brought it out."

"Defective?"

Daniel smiled slightly. "It's fine. Even if it can't be used, it'll make a nice decoration for the classroom wall."

"If you don't mind taking it, it's yours," Claire said, unfazed.

The staff had no value whatsoever. They had tested it countless times, and it showed no mana fluctuations at all, nor could it be activated by any mana stones. It was, at best, a tree branch with decent aesthetics.

Since Daniel had purchased so many items, Claire was happy to give it away as a freebie.

Daniel casually tossed the staff onto the pile of selected items, further convincing Claire that he simply saw it as a free decorative piece.

She then introduced the sparkling green orb.

"This is an Emerald Protection Magic Array."

"It contains a defensive magic array cast by a Tier-Master mage, perfect for protecting large buildings. If you place it in the center of your Crossbridge Academy, you can activate a protective shield around the entire academy."

"That doesn't sound too special," Isolde remarked. "Our academy already has protective magic arrays."

"Please let me finish," Claire said with a smile. "What's special about this magic array is that it works in conjunction with nearby plants.

"The more plants surrounding the academy, the more it absorbs trace amounts of plant energy every day. There's no limit to how much it can absorb, and this energy, in turn, promotes plant growth."

"If attacked, this stored energy will be unleashed as part of the academy's defenses."

"In other words, it's a magic array that strengthens itself daily. Even if its power diminishes during an attack, as long as plants are present, it will recover and grow stronger over time."

"In the ancient Greenleaf Kingdom, a similar crystal was used to withstand an abyssal demon invasion for over a hundred days."

Isolde was stunned.

Unlimited growth, plant resonance, self-repair and enhancement—just those features alone made this orb extraordinary.

She didn't even dare to imagine how much it would cost.

"Perfect," Daniel said without hesitation. He had found what he truly needed.

As he looked over the so-called "treasures," he thought the knight's sword might be useful for his daughter Rose, and the rest of the supplies would be broadly useful for the academy.

But for Daniel himself, what he truly needed wasn't the crystal orb—it was something else.

To him, wealth—mana stones—meant nothing.

In the Void Library, where he had read endless books and mastered boundless knowledge, these were mere side rewards.

In fact, among his mana stone reserves, more than half were pure mana stones, and the rest were mostly high-grade ones. Medium-grade stones were scarce, and low-grade ones were non-existent.

"Very well!" Even though Claire had done her best to remain composed, the sheer scale of the transaction was making her heart race.

"This crystal is now yours, Headmaster Daniel!" Claire reverently presented the treasure with both hands.

But Daniel shook his head. "You misunderstood me."

"Huh?" Claire was confused.

"What I meant was, I want everything in your store—and all the remaining treasures in Dragonscale Bank as well. I'll take it all."

As a financially limitless adult, Daniel wasn't here to make choices. He was here to take everything.