'Ten million Credits!?'
Noah was speechless, he really couldn't imagine a sum that huge in the hands of a single person.
"How is it possible that a single student is in possession of such wealth?"
He asked the Professor.
"That's part of the problem. We believe that some large-size noble families are planning to build an organization similar to the academy. Yet, their foundation is not as solid as ours, so they are investing that sum to accumulate enough appealing resources. Even if the academy would still be the best school in the country, we can't allow for a competitor to appear."
Thaddeus explained in a serious tone, he was taking this matter quite seriously.
However, Noah really didn't care about such political struggles.
"What do you want from me?"
Noah asked his most pressing question.
"Stop the delivery of the items to the noble families."
"Why don't you do that?"
Thaddeus smiled bitterly at those words.
"We must maintain the social environment peaceful and calm. If large-size families were to be suppressed openly, a conflict would be inevitable. Oh, don't get the wrong idea, the Royal family is fully prepared for an internal conflict, we would just prefer to avoid it."
Silence occupied the room, Noah was considering the offer.
"And what should I do once I intercept the student?"
"You take care of him. It will be an undercover mission with other cultivators of a suitable profile. All the information will be delivered to you as soon as you accept."
Thaddeus answered, the meaning behind his words was quite clear.
'They want criminals to do the job so that they can blame them if something goes wrong. Fucking Royals, they are so pitiful.'
Noah internally shook his head.
The mighty rulers of the Utra nation, undisputed for two thousand years, asking for help from disposable individuals.
'What's the point of having all that power if you can't use it? Rules are bindings even in the cultivator world. Noble families are so powerful and yet so frail.'
He was honestly disappointed by such vision, he felt like a dragon had turned into a scared sheep as soon as one of its wings was pierced.
He didn't underestimate the actual power held by the Royals, he knew that if he made a mistake they wouldn't waste one instant before taking care of him.
However, he felt disappointed seeing such a grand organization unwilling to deal personally with their problems.
In a world under the constant threat of magical beasts, weakness was a sin, even if only a circumstantial one.
"I believe that the rewards would match the enmity with large-size noble families."
Noah broke the silence.
"Name your price."
Thaddeus smiled again, he knew that his proposal had interested the young man.
"Rank 4 cultivation technique of the darkness element."
There was no hesitation in Noah's answer, he knew exactly what he wanted.
However, Thaddeus' eyes widened in surprise and he stood up from his seat.
"Are you crazy? Do you know the value of something like that!? You are overestimating your value! Do you think that we don't know about those inscribed items that you ruined master has sold? This fake identity of yours is reaching its limits! If it wasn't for us Royals always suppressing the rumors of a darkness element cultivator, how much do you think your family will take to find you? Show some damned gratitude and remember that your life depends on our goodwill!"
Thaddeus was mad, such a request had clearly enraged him.
Noah stared with cold eyes as his overreaction unfolded and he knew that what the Professor said was true.
He was a pawn and pawns must obey the orders of the kings.
'This matter must be quite pressing for him to react like that.'
"Rank 3 cultivation technique of the darkness element."
Noah took a step back and lowered his price.
Thaddeus sighed and sat back on the couch behind him before answering.
"That is doable but you must join some Royal organization first and to do that you will have to make an agreement. Since you are involved in the Royal inheritance, we still can't do that. It means that it will take some time for it to be delivered to you."
'That won't do either.'
Noah wanted to remain free from bindings, he wouldn't join a noble family just to obtain some immediate benefits.
'Giving myself away can't be done. If I join the Royals, I'll always be an outsider and be suppressed. I don't want to go through the same experiences of the inner circle of the Balvan family.'
He had been restrained for a year and a half in the inner circle of the mansion, spending most of his days being a testing dummy for the heirs and having almost no time left for his training.
'They will probably give me more freedom but a cage is always a cage, no matter how big it is.'
"I want an immediate payment, I might not come back after all."
Thaddeus shook his head.
"Then you have to choose something else, rank 3 cultivation techniques can't be given away like that."
Silence again, Noah was deep in thought, trying to find what he needed the most at that moment.
'That would solve most of my problems.'
Noah found something that fitted his needs and stared for a long time in Thaddeus' eyes before opening his mouth to speak.
"I want a "Breath" blessing, one big enough to be useful through all the second rank of the dantian."
Thaddeus' expression became stiff, the meaning behind Noah's words was clear.
One of the problems in the higher level of cultivation was the amount of time needed to accumulate enough "Breath" for the breakthrough.
Places like the academy or the capital were coveted due to the higher density of "Breath" which facilitated the cultivation process, the improvements of two centers of power depended on that after all.
Yet, if one had a piece of "Breath" blessing big enough, he could cultivate everywhere, without having to bear the expenses linked to better accommodations.
'If I have that mineral, I can just live in normal rooms and still cultivate at a higher speed. Not only that, I can even use it when I'm outside hunting, eliminating the problem of a slower pace of training.'