บท 36: Chapter36-Becoming a Prime Target

After furthering his research into the world's magic, Daniel refined his work on Genesis and also updated the magic patterns for the Ragtag Mercenary Squad, making magic usage more efficient.

This time, it took just a few days to make these adjustments, and the mercenaries successfully leveled up.

Daniel also taught them a combined attack spell, allowing the squad to elevate their combat style.

Together, they could now merge their mana to form a miniature magic array, making team operations more streamlined.

This deepened their admiration for Daniel even more.

After all, they were a mercenary group that hunted in the wilderness. Just from their name, Ragtag Mercenary Squad, it was clear they weren't top-tier individuals.

But since meeting Daniel, their lives had changed. Gone were the days of hardship—they now had an endless supply of mana stones and access to refined magic patterns, things they couldn't have dreamed of before.

Especially today, with the new combined attack spell, their combat power had greatly increased.

For Kent and the others, this act of kindness cemented their resolve to protect Miss Rose.

Daniel's reasons for empowering Kent and the others were simple.

Firstly, he wanted to test Genesis's viability in this world.

Additionally, the Ragtag Mercenary Squad served as sparring partners for his daughter, Rose. The stronger they became, the more pressure Rose would face.

And with pressure comes motivation. Hopefully... Rose wouldn't be overwhelmed.

Soon after Kent and the others leveled up, good news spread through the academy: Ms. Isolde had advanced to tier-platinum.

This had been Daniel's expectation for his staff, especially with the academy's growing influence in Riverside City and the surrounding areas, as more students enrolled and facilities improved.

The academy had upgraded its mana absorption crystals and enriched its environment for physical and magical growth, making it easier for students and staff to progress.

But with students improving rapidly, tier-gold was becoming insufficient for teachers.

If they didn't advance within the next six months, they might soon find themselves at the same level as their students—a troubling situation for any instructor.

That's why Daniel had pushed them to advance. However, he hadn't expected Ms. Isolde to reach tier-platinum first. Once she ascended, she promptly resumed her logistics duties as if it were nothing extraordinary. Her nonchalance motivated the other teachers at the academy, especially Rowan, who started his own intense training.

In the days that followed, the academy's teachers advanced one after another. The Luna Tree's effects were remarkable; not only did the teachers make breakthroughs, but even many students experienced advancement during this period.

Time flew by, and with only ten days until the Mistriver Realm opened, an unexpected visitor arrived at Crossbridge Academy: Lady Claire, the head of Dragonscale Bank in Riverside City.

"Daniel, we meet again," Claire greeted, sitting down after Daniel gestured for her to do so. She wasted no time, stating her purpose directly.

"This time, I've brought some new supplies, which you might need." Placing a storage crystal on the table, she let Daniel inspect the items within using his mind power.

With the academy's recent increase in enrollment, resources were being consumed rapidly. Ms. Isolde had already brought up these needs a few days prior. Although Daniel had initially bought out nearly all the supplies from Dragonscale Bank in Riverside City, and they'd sent extra shipments since, the academy's reserves were starting to thin out. Daniel had even given Isolde a storage crystal filled with mana stones for new purchases. But it seemed Claire had personally come to deliver the items today, thoughtfully including an itemized list.

Daniel glanced over the list, then looked directly at the price at the bottom: thirty-eight billion inferior mana stones. In Riverside City, few, if any, organizations could manage such a payment. In fact, even combined, they wouldn't be able to. But Daniel barely looked at it before asking Claire for a larger storage crystal. Without hesitation, he filled it with the required amount of mana stones and placed it on the table.

"Impressive! At Dragonscale Bank, we love customers like Daniel." A customer who never owed a penny and could handle any order, no matter the size, was a rare gem indeed. However, it was rather astonishing for him to have thirty-eight billion mana stones readily available. Claire had decided on her visit to Crossbridge Academy on a whim today, so it was hard to believe Daniel had prepared the exact amount in advance. More likely, he carried such a massive quantity of mana stones with him constantly.

Was he secretly carrying around an entire mana stone mine? Dragonscale Bank had tried analyzing their high-profile client, only to conclude they had no answers. Maintaining a good relationship with Daniel was much more straightforward than understanding him.

Claire pocketed the storage crystal and then added, "One more thing. Every time we transact, it's in inferior mana stones, which makes the sums quite large. The higher-ups wanted to request if we might settle in intermediate or superior mana stones instead?"

Each transaction required billions of inferior mana stones, which had become cumbersome to handle.

"Of course, if you're unwilling, it won't affect our business," Claire added quickly, as her superiors' suggestion was simply for convenience and not worth upsetting Daniel.

"Oh, sure. Let me spend these inferior mana stones first, and then we'll see," Daniel replied.

With his recent transactions increasing in scale, Claire assumed he must be running low on inferior mana stones, which would help satisfy her superiors. Daniel then inquired,

"Does Dragonscale Bank belong to the Free Federation?"

Hearing his question, Claire immediately responded with a serious expression.

"Daniel, Dragonscale Bank doesn't belong to any organization. We are a neutral entity across the continent, never taking sides or participating in any power struggles."

"A commercial entity as large as yours, accumulating so many mana stones—what's the purpose?" Daniel asked.

"Well…" Claire was momentarily at a loss, unable to answer.

"No matter, I was just curious," Daniel said. "You may go."

"Understood, Daniel. One more thing that may interest you. This piece of news requires no mana stone payment—think of it as a perk for our valued client." Seeing Daniel reach for his mana stones again, she quickly added,

"It's about House Windwhisper and House Lunastone. Their team rosters for the Mistriver Realm in ten days have already been confirmed. You're probably aware of this," Claire said.

Daniel hesitated; he hadn't actually seen the lists yet. House Windwhisper and House Lunastone seemed to be going all-in for the Mistriver Realm this time, and Rowan had presented him with a list a while back. However, Daniel hadn't had time to review it.

"These two houses have something in common in recent months—their members have been advancing at a rapid pace! They're putting everything they have into this round of the Mistriver Realm!"

In other words, they were all gearing up to target Crossbridge Academy.