In the Lothmire City branch of the Etherium Gold Chamber of Commerce building.
Maximus clicked on a random alchemy shop `design that caught his eye.
Logan swiftly processed the information, calculating the total cost of constructing the storefront and acquiring the land.
“The total comes to 84 million low-grade crystals,” Logan said, a smile lighting up his face.
“The building materials and labor amount to 14 million, while the right to use the land costs 70 million.”
Maximus smiled wryly, he only possessed 20 million low-grade crystals.
The cost was far beyond his means, and he was about to voice his financial predicament when Logan seemed to sense his unease.
“Don’t worry, if you don’t have enough cash, you can borrow from us with interest,” Logan reassured him.
Maximus was curious.
This was the first time he had heard about the possibility of borrowing money from the EGCC.
“What would the interest rate be?” he asked.
“As our VIP 6 and a tier 5 alchemist, you can borrow up to a billion low-grade crystals, with an interest rate of 30 percent per year,” Logan explained carefully.
Maximus let out a sigh.
This was a timely solution, and the fact that he could borrow up to a billion was impressive.
Though the interest rate seemed like black usury, it was convenient as they didn’t require any collateral.
“In that case, I would like to take the credit,” Maximus decided.
Logan smiled and entered a value in the store token.
“Can I see your token?” he requested.
“Here,” Maximus said and took out his personal token.
After Logan tapped his own token against Maximus’s.
[-84,000,000].
It was disheartening to see a negative balance when he only had about 20 million in his account
“Is there anything else you need, sir?” Logan inquired.
“I’ll need a million packs of materials for the Mystic Potion, and 500,000 each for the Tier 5 Soul Mending and Blood Rejuvenation potions. Add those to the credit as well,” Maximus requested.
Since he was already in debt, he figured why not borrow more.
Moreover, he needed to use the purchased materials as a cover.
After all, potions couldn’t be made out of thin air.
As for what he would do with the materials, he hadn’t decided yet, anyway, they wouldn’t spoil in his storage space for a long time.
“All the materials for the potions amount to about 450 million low-grade crystals,” Logan calculated.
“And also, can I borrow the remaining balance to make it a total of one billion low-magic crystals?” Maximus pressed on.
Since he was already here, why not borrow more?
Anyhow, He was confident he could earn that much money easily.
With just one million Mystic Potions, he can earn a billion magic crystals effortlessly using the system.
For others creating that million Mystic Potions, required them a year of not eating and sleeping just concocting potions.
As for him, he was only responsible for being a shopkeeper, reselling potions he bought from the system
“Sure, you can, sir. It would be our pleasure,” Logan replied, his smile widening.
Although borrowing money doesn’t yield an immediate return.
Lending money was akin to burying it and to produces more baby money.
As for Maximus reneging on his payment, it would be impossible.
The debt was formed through a personal token, where his mana and spiritual signature were bound.
Even if he escapes and hides in the most desolate and hidden part of the Etherium realm, using his mana and spiritual as a guide they can easily find him.
What Logan didn’t know was that Maximus was in disguise, his mana and spiritual signature altered.
After all, only those who have mastered the laws as a Tier 9 mage or knight could achieve such a feat.𝞸𝓥xt.𝒪𝑚
Attempting to disguise oneself merely to borrow and cheat money would be even more impossible.
Tier 9 mages or knights rule over domains in the arcane continent giving them endless richness.
In theory, they own the entire land, and if they were in dire need of money, which is highly unlikely, there are countless people who would readily offer assistance.
Of course, Maximus was oblivious to all this.
Even if he were aware, he wouldn’t dare take the risk, for who knows what peculiar methods they possess to track him down.
Logan swiftly entered a series of numbers into the store token and tapped it with his own.
[-916,000,000]
[Edward William:
Bank Account:
Money: 489,560,000
Debt: -1,000,000,000 (30% Yearly Interest)]
As Maximus glanced at his bank account, he felt as though he was caught in a dream.
Although the weight of the debt alone would bury anyone who dared to take it on, for him it’s just lifting his fingers and opening his mouth.
He could simply assume the role of a shopkeeper, counting the money he earned from reselling.
Moreover, this approach felt safer and more convenient, with no one doubting him.
…
After concluding their conversation, Maximus stepped out of the store.
As he gazed at the bustling pedestrians on the street, He was light-headed for a while, not knowing what to do.
He felt that he was still dreaming.
Anyone who was poor, and suddenly woke up the next day knowing that they won the lottery would also be at a loss too.
Memories of his wives and children flooded his mind.
It had been nearly a month since he last laid eyes on them.
The longing to be reunited with his family grew stronger with each passing day.
He contemplated the idea of returning to the sunburnt plateau for a while before pursuing his enrollment at the academy.
After all, there were still more than six months until the enrollment deadline.
The wealth he had amassed would be more than sufficient to develop the entire sunburnt plateau for a few years.
It was also time to extend his rule over the entire land.
However, before embarking on such endeavors, he realized he needed a personal token, one that would bear Maximus’ identity.
Without it, he would be unable to board any ship to go to the cursed continent.
Going to the Arcane Continent from the Cursed Continent didn’t need any token but after going back you needed a personal token.
…
Sneaking past the city gate unnoticed, Maximus breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, there were no guards checking for personal tokens when exiting the city.
As he reached the outskirts of the city, near the endless sea, Maximus retrieved and activated the mana deceiver and removed the mask of Grimoire.
With his true identity, he proceeded to register his information and obtain the personal token he needed.
Returning to the city, he resumed his reselling of system products.
This time, instead of selling alchemy potions, he focused on mechanical bullets and energy cores.
However, being only a Tier 3 nascent mage, his options were limited to selling Tier 3 products, resulting in a modest income.
After several rounds of buying and selling, Maximus accumulated more than a hundred thousand magic crystals.
Given his current strength, this was already a dangerous amount, so he quickly made his way back to EGCC to make a purchase.
While shopping earlier, He thought about how could he manage the kingdom, once he entered the academy.
Although his system provided alternatives like a mechanical clone controlled by spiritual power or other communication devices they were only good for a short distance.
There was a vast body of water and chaotic wind blocking any energy transmitted from one continent to another.
To bypass that he needed stronger alchemical or mechanical items.
Unfortunately, they were out of his budget.
Hopefully that EGCC offer a better solution.
Since EGCC was capable of maintaining branches in the Cursed Continent and facilitating travel back and forth they should have means of long-distance communication.
…
“Welcome, sir,” the steward greeted Maximus as he approached.
“How can I assist you today?”
Maximus wasted no time getting to the point. “Is there a communication device that can reach the Cursed Continent from here?” he inquired.
“Certainly, we have a wide variety of options available in our shop,” the steward replied, offering a friendly smile.
He then guided Maximus to a comfortable lounge area.
“Here’s the catalog, sir. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.’
[Catalog:
Simple Array Node Point: Connects communication devices to a node point in the continental array, enabling simple communication between the Arcane Continent and the Cursed Continent. Price: 100,000 low-grade magic crystals.
Mechanical Puppet: Made of silicon materials, resembling a normal human. Can connect to the continental array of the Cursed Continent.
Hologram Puppet: Features holographic projection, unable to interact with physical matter. Can connect to the continental array of the Cursed Continent.
Satellite Observatory: Provides a comprehensive view of your entire territory from any location. Can connect to the Cursed Continent.
…]
After careful consideration, he decided to purchase the Simple Array Node Point.
He only needed a connection point that he then can connect to a device.
After that, he can later acquire additional devices such as the mechanical puppet and satellite observatory.
After all, it’s more affordable in the system mall.
“I would like to buy the Simple Array Node Point,” Maximus informed the steward.
“That will be 100,000 magic crystals,” the steward confirmed.
Maximus handed over his persnal token, and the steward completed the transaction with a simple tap.
[-100,000]
During his previous business dealings, he had conveniently registered a bank account.
With his task complete, Maximus left the city and boarded a ship bound for the Cursed Continent, his homeland.