Marketplace District, noon.
Ibuki Mio stood behind the makeshift stall set up by the Chief Squad, her posture graceful, her voice gentle yet clear.
“Everyone, please don’t crowd.”
“Due to the limited quantity of materials, we will prioritize those who have already signed the ‘Talent Cultivation Program’.”
Before the stall, the crowd surged, a wave of heat washing over her.
Face after face, full of longing and anxiety, almost seemed to swallow her whole.
“Ibuki Mio! Our team applied yesterday, did we pass the review?”
“Please, we just need one more Spirit-Calming Flower! My alchemy assignment is due soon!”
She was numb.
This was the truest thought in the heart of the Eastern girl who had been working nonstop for several days.
“Chief Squad is truly the savior of us commoner students!”
Savior?
Ibuki Mio’s expression stiffened.
She recalled that, at this very moment, Lokmeu was leisurely sitting on the second floor not far away.
Sipping red tea, enjoying the sight of her nearly being crushed by the crowd.
Her dorm had become a warehouse and office, her servant had turned into a porter, and now she had been pushed to the front as a mascot.
Is being handsome all it takes to do whatever you want?
“To ensure fairness, all prices will be open and transparent.”
Suppressing her mental fatigue, Ibuki Mio clapped her hands, signaling the servant behind her to unveil the price list.
“All materials will be priced at ten percent below the current highest market price.”
“A price cut!?”
“How much will you lose on this!”
The crowd erupted in excitement.
Under these market conditions, to forcefully choose a ten percent price cut!
This was practically a declaration of war on all those hoarding goods—a spark tossed into the sea!
“It’s really cheaper! Am I seeing this right?”
“Great! Now my credits are just enough to buy the card!”
“Only those who joined the program can buy… Luckily, I signed the contract yesterday!”
Students who had already joined the “Talent Cultivation Program” couldn’t hide the relief on their faces.
Now, the program was no longer just a synonym for lending—it had become a symbol of the Chief Squad’s recognition of the strength of their fellow students!
A point of pride!
Ibuki Mio held the roster, methodically beginning the sales.
Listening to the sincere “thank you” after another in her ears, the smile on her face grew sweeter, but she did not enjoy the feeling at all.
Lord Lokmeu.
Are you not going to count my emotional damages at all?
*****
In the distance, on the coffee shop’s second floor.
Through the window, Lokmeu took in the frenzy below with a glance.
Karlenina sat across from him, as calm as ever, her gaze turned outward.
“Winning hearts with loss-making blind boxes and interest-free loans, then using a small batch of discounted goods…”
“You’re planning to use those wavering people to suppress even more space.”
She stirred her coffee, sighing in admiration.
“If I were Sylvia, I’d probably be green in the face.”
“Green is good. Green means healthy.”
Lokmeu shrugged, unconcerned.
“Bro, this isn’t manipulating people. This is targeted poverty alleviation—look how happy they are.”
“Happy?”
Karlenina chuckled, shaking her head.
“That’s only temporary.”
“When they calm down and realize the materials still aren’t enough, won’t they just become Sylvia’s fat sheep?”
“How much do you think I’ve stockpiled?”
Lokmeu shot back at his friend.
Karlenina: “Three hundred and fifty credits worth of basic materials, three hundred credits’ worth of Silver Bell Essence, Ibuki Mio told me already.”
Lokmeu: “What if I said, on top of that, I have another hundred units of Silver Bell Essence?”
“A hundred units?”
Even Karlenina couldn’t understand how this had happened:
“How is that possible? What channel, what price did you get it for?”
“No cost, free.”
Lokmeu added,
“Instructor Ankat donated generously for the sake of a taste of home.”
“The real show is just about to begin.”
“Heh, no wonder you suddenly brought up the distillery…”
Knowing this hidden card, Karlenina’s view changed.
This was a hundred units of Silver Bell Essence, a market-scarce resource.
With supplies abundant, a ten percent price cut, and such a sought-after good…
What had seemed like minor skirmishes would now become a sledgehammer falling on all the trend-chasing hoarders and on Sylvia herself.
The existence of the Talent Cultivation Program further told everyone that the price war had begun, yet it limited the group who could purchase, eliminating the chance for secondary monopolies.
“So, all those participating in the cultivation program will be our allies in the future?”
“No wonder you’ve already seen that far ahead.”
Lokmeu nodded in admission.
“I’m not losing anything on these sales anyway, and they’ll have to thank me. Isn’t it wonderful?”
*****
Inside the exclusive dormitory of the Valentin family.
“Miss, the market… public opinion has completely shifted in favor of the Chief Squad.”
“A few small nobles who were hoarding before have already begun quietly selling at lower prices.”
“So what?”
Sylvia showed no emotional fluctuation.
“They can’t satisfy the market, so what if they sell everything?”
She was certain Lokmeu didn’t have much in reserve.
But those invisible third parties, the scalpers?
They were the easiest to sway.
The slightest disturbance would send them into a panic, forcing them to sell off what they held.
This would set off a domino-like collapse.
Once panic selling started on a large scale, the massive credits she’d invested earlier could really turn into a hot potato no one wanted.
Unfortunately, her advantage was simply too great.
Lokmeu’s struggles couldn’t even make a splash, let alone incite those far greedier than her to follow suit.
It was just another provocation.
“That man…”
Sylvia closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the dragon blood surging within her.
Such violent emotional swings made her feel as if fine scales beneath her skin were pricking with pain.
That contract, the public humiliation at the dessert shop, exposing the essence of her dragon blood…
He had already done far too many outrageous things.
Sylvia was determined to take it all back—with interest.
*****
Night had fallen.
When Ibuki Mio, utterly exhausted, dragged herself back to her dorm, she nearly passed out from rage at the sight before her.
Lokmeu was sitting by her expensive tea table, wearing an eye mask, napping on the table.
“Lord Lokmeu.” Ibuki Mio felt utterly drained.
“You’re back? Good work, Ibuki.”
Lokmeu removed his eye mask, sat up straight, and looked at her with solemn gratitude:
“If you hadn’t been there, I really wouldn’t have known who to rely on to hold the situation together.”
“Thank you for all you’ve done.”
That sincere thanks was like candy, stuck in Ibuki Mio’s throat.
Her words full of resentment and fatigue were stopped cold in her throat… and she even felt a little happy!
“Not at all, this is the obligation of a collaborator.”
Ibuki Mio tucked the sweat-dampened strands of hair behind her ear.
“But…”
She glanced at the floor, a little heartbroken.
“I’m just thinking, if Your Excellency has any more plans, it’d be nice to let me prepare in advance, like… maybe buy a few more rugs.”
“Well, that’s my bad.”
Lokmeu maintained his sincere tone.
“Some things, if you don’t act quickly, the chance is gone. I really am sorry.”
“But the market business was only the appetizer—the main course is just being served.”
With a twist of his wrist, Lokmeu produced a delicate white porcelain bottle.
“What’s this?”
Ibuki Mio’s attention was instantly drawn.
The porcelain bottle gave off a strange fragrance, a cold freshness tinged with an indescribable sense of majesty—truly unique.
“What is it?”
“A little gift.” Lokmeu toyed with the porcelain bottle between his fingers. “It’s also for Sylvia Valentin.”
“For her?”
Ibuki Mio frowned, even more confused.
“On the thirteenth of this month, the last day of the contract.”
Lokmeu left it at that:
“It’ll come in handy.”
“Let’s take this price war all the way to the end.”