It was a tradition in Baiyi's family to present gifts to his sisters before they went on a long trip. Ever since the girls had grown up to the point where they could take care of themselves, Baiyi no longer brought them on trips. Instead, he left everything to them to handle on their own, just in case something bad happened.
Still, Baiyi's well-thought-out, well-prepared approach had been imitated by his students, and that was how the tradition came to be.
Mia, on the other hand, felt a little awkward when she saw the gifts from her sisters. When her sisters went on a long trip, she would give them cookies, candies, cakes, and other desserts. When it was her turn to go on a trip, everyone gave her something similar. This time, however, all the gifts were practical.
"Because this is the first time you're partnering up with Mordred. Before, we were always around, so we didn't have to worry. But now that it's your turn to go on a trip, we're all worried," Tisdale expressed her concern in a roundabout way.
There was another reason that she did not mention: Mia was a standard sorcerer from the Academy. She was walking the path of the Vice President of the Academy, and under Baiyi's meticulous care, she did not have much actual combat experience. It was the same for Mordred. She might have been a troublemaker in the Academy, but she had never encountered a real battle that could really give her a chance to hone her skills.
"Big Sister Dale, this isn't my first time traveling." Although Mia was grateful for her sister's concern, she felt that she was making a mountain out of a molehill. The bag of scrolls that Big Sister Dale had given her was more than enough to support a local battle. "Oh, Big Sister Dale!
It was true that Mia had gone on a few excursions in the past, but that was only when she was a lecturer. She was accompanied by Mr. Sorry and Mr. Owl, who were both reliable and powerful. Everything had been smooth sailing. This was the first time she was leading a team, not to mention that Mordred was tagging along with her.
On top of that, the realm called Ede that they were going to was a small realm that had just been discovered a few months ago. The initial exploration of the realm did not seem to be dangerous, making it a perfect training ground for the students. However, since they had not explored the realm in depth, they were not sure if there were any hidden dangers lurking in the realm. Compared to the other realms that had been overused, Ede was still a little more dangerous. Baiyi had included the realm in his list because he wanted to train his students.
"Anyway, it's always good to be prepared. That's what Sir always taught us. Being fully prepared is the best insurance, isn't it?" Nota, who understood Mia's thoughts, comforted her.
"Thank you, everyone. Don't worry, I can take care of myself and my students," Mia replied with a smile.
"That's right, don't forget that you still have me!" Mordred also patted her small chest and said aggressively.
While the students were praying for Mia and Mordred, Baiyi, accompanied by the Warrior Walker, was dealing with the bored nobles. Most of their conversations were repetitive, such as:
"Master Hope, I'm sorry to bother you, but may I introduce my nephew/niece/son/granddaughter to you? He/she has always been looking forward to attending your Academy, and he/she has decided to apply for this year's Martial Arts/Magic/Alchemy/Archery. Could you please take a look at him/her first? "
Then, a child stood in front of Baiyi after being introduced by an elder. Using his Psychic Energy, Baiyi gave the child an evaluation of the child and encouraged him/her to apply for his/her own Academy.
Then, the elder of the child's family would use this opportunity to encourage his/her relative, saying things like, "If the child successfully gets into the Academy, the sponsorship money will be used to buy the child a horse;" "Since the Academy is in dire need of sponsors, the child must work hard to get into the Academy;" "Don't become a sponsored student."
Baiyi's ears had grown calloused from hearing the same thing over the past ten years.
In all fairness, only a small percentage of the youngsters he had met that night would be able to get into the Academy. As for the rest, they would have to consider sponsorship channels.
The annual tuition fee for a sponsored student was fifty thousand gold coins, which was fifty times that of a normal student. Furthermore, they had to donate at least a hundred thousand gold coins to the Academy when they enrolled. These conditions were extremely harsh. After all, the Academy was one of the best universities in the world. If they did not spend money to sponsor their students, how could they live up to the Academy's status?
Even so, the supply of sponsorships could not keep up with the demand! Even though Baiyi had increased the number of sponsored students year after year due to his cash flow problems, he now had thirty sponsored students. Compared to the tens of thousands of applicants, it was still a drop in the bucket. Every year, after the entrance examinations, countless people of all statuses would visit Baiyi, begging him to give them money.
In this regard, the Southern Duke, Lynch, had the upper hand. He had used a few of his trade channels to exchange for three sponsorship slots, which allowed him to send his youngest son and eldest grandson to Da Xue. Through these channels, Baiyi was able to successfully sell some of Da Xue's products, which greatly alleviated the financial strain caused by the Dragon Knights.
Tonight, the two of them were going to have a business discussion about the newly developed transfiguration clothes. The martial artists had already cooperated and ran to the circle of women to show the function of changing clothes to the noble ladies. They successfully caused a burst of screams and exclamations, and also attracted the attention of countless male guests.
"She's so beautiful." After Duke Lynch had finished his business with the guests, he found an opportunity to get close to Baiyi. He looked at the Warrior Walker, whose body was glowing with a dazzling white light, and sighed. "If I didn't know that she's also a Plane Walker, I might've had the urge to compete with you."
"You won't stand a chance. The bond between us is far deeper than a normal marriage," Baiyi replied calmly.
"You've mentioned it before. Is this the exchange of memories? Two people sharing each other's memories without reservation is truly a sacred ritual, "the Duke lamented. He then changed the subject." This new and gorgeous product is bound to be very popular. Have you thought of a name for it? "
"Honestly, if I were to name it, I'd probably call it a shapeshifting garment or something. But I'm afraid that doesn't suit the taste of you nobles. " Baiyi did not mind admitting that he was terrible at naming things. After all, he was just like his teacher.
"Haha! You're still as simple and direct as ever." The Southern Duke laughed. "Alright, my friend. I'll have my people come up with a fancy name for it. After all, I'm a man who loves to help his friends."
"I think it's because you're a part of this business, right?" Baiyi said mercilessly. Although Da Xue was producing the new product, the Southern Duke was in charge of the sales, operations, and maintenance of the product. It was only fair that Baiyi would take thirty percent of the profits.
"Alright, my friend. You're right, but this is only a small business deal. I have a big one here that you're very interested in. If you don't want to waste your time with these boring people, why don't we go somewhere else?" The Southern Duke suggested.
"Oh? Is it the one from last time? "Baiyi asked curiously. He gestured for the Southern Duke to lead the way.
The two of them avoided the guests and arrived at a study in the manor. Someone was already standing there, waiting for them. It was a young-looking man dressed in standard aristocratic attire. He had a glass of red wine in his hand, and he was standing by the window, admiring the moonlight. When he saw Baiyi and the Southern Duke, he quickly closed the window and walked toward them.
The Southern Duke closed the door behind him, and Baiyi cast a Silence Barrier. Then, a private conversation began.
"Greetings, Sir Principal. I'm a graduate of the 62nd advanced class, Zod King. It's a pleasure to meet you here." The young man introduced himself politely, then bowed slightly to Baiyi to show his respect.
"He's not finished. He's currently the First Secretary of a certain Grand Secretary, and he's here on behalf of that Grand Secretary," the Southern Duke added, completing the introduction.
Since Zod King was the Grand Secretary's representative, this business deal was just as the Southern Duke had said; it was a big one. In other words, Zod King was going to get his hands on the nation's military supplies.
Anyone with a little common sense would know what kind of business this was. Even if Baiyi did not plan to monopolize all of it, just a small piece of the pie, the profit would still be more than the total profit of all of his businesses.
Of course, Baiyi was very interested in such a business. Two years ago, the Southern Duke had invited him to discuss the matter, and Baiyi had agreed without hesitation. Be it military swords, marionettes, or potions, there were almighty beings among the Voidwalkers who specialized in these fields. As long as Baiyi could get his hands on one of them, he would be able to earn a steady flow of gold coins into his pocket.
The Southern Duke had worked hard for many years, but to no avail. That was why he had decided to rope Baiyi in. Unfortunately, Baiyi had already fallen out with the Empire's upper echelons, so there was no point in bringing him along. The Southern Duke's relationship with the Northern Duke had improved tremendously, and the two of them had worked together on many other projects.
Who would have thought that, at a time when Baiyi's relationship with the Empire's upper echelons was already at an impasse? At the same time, Baiyi felt a little relieved, but at the same time, he was on full alert.
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