The Genius Evolution Store

Ellia coughed, regaining her composure. "So, what are you planning to do with the money? Do you want me to introduce you to a business you can buy, or do you want me to tell you about a reliable firm to manage your money?"

"No, it’s fine. I will just let it sit for now. I’ll take my time to think about it for now." Auric waved his hand. He originally wanted to get enough money to maintain Lindwurm.

Of course, his Night and Day store’s income alone wouldn’t be enough, especially if he wanted to upgrade it again.

However, the Sun Store and the Moon Store were different. The Sun Store was earning so much that he could even give Lindwurm a buffet without caring about the cost. The Moon Store would most likely earn even more money.

So, money wasn’t a problem.

Lindwurm couldn’t help but say, "Still, you’re going to buy a meal for a tycoon like her? She must be earning more than a hundred times as much as you. I’m talking about daily."

’What about it? She has been managing my money, so a little thing like this doesn’t really matter.’

Auric looked at Ellia and asked, "By the way, you surely set yourself a big goal for this tournament. I might end up having to fight you."

"Hmm? You plan to become a Rank 3?"

"I’m planning to become a gold-grade evolution master before the training program begins." Auric nodded calmly. "However, I will mainly use my power as a Rank 2 human."

Ellia looked down. "I don’t really want to fight you. Well, my main goal is actually one person."

"Oh?" Auric raised his eyebrows. "Who is that person?"

"Clarice Estella. She is a genius knight who is good with her sword. From what I’ve heard, she recently received the honor of bearing the name Arthur."

"Arthur?"

"You know? The Round Table."

Auric tilted his head in confusion before snapping. "Ah. You mean the Knights of the Round Table? That’s a very old legendary tale."

"Yeah, that one."

"But seriously? They’re using old legends now?" Auric was quite surprised by this kind of name.

"What are you talking about? Isn’t it fine to use ancient names? Just think about it, even your teacher’s avatar is known by another name in mythology."

"..." Auric scratched the back of his head. "The personification of the night, Nyx."

"Exactly. People said avatars are some sort of wishes of the people that have come alive to protect them." Ellia shrugged. "So, using a legendary name like the Knight of the Round Table isn’t anything weird."

"So, she is this talented."

"Yeah. People claim that in terms of swordsmanship alone, she is the best in the world... among the younger generation, of course."

"Have you met her? Or maybe fought her?"

"No. She is one year older than me. When I joined the competition, she had already awakened, so I had never met her." Ellia shook her head helplessly. "This is perfect. Both of us are now Rank 3, so we will definitely meet. I want to test myself against her and see if I can surpass her."

"You don’t have confidence in yourself?"

"I do have my own confidence, but I also believe in my opponent’s strength. So, I’m just speaking realistically."

"Fair enough."

It was indeed interesting. He had never heard of Clarice from Maya, but that was probably because she focused on her sword rather than her element. So, it was only natural for his teacher to mention things that would pique his interest, but it didn’t mean they were the only geniuses out there.

Auric nodded in understanding. "Interesting, indeed."

"Yeah. I’m planning to challenge her this time, and if possible defeat her."

"Good luck. If you want my help—" Auric suddenly stopped as he felt his phone vibrating. "Excuse me."

Ellia nodded.

Auric exited the room and received the call. "Yep?"

"Are you busy?"

"I have some time. What’s wrong?"

"I’d like to talk about your request this time. I don’t have the authority to move those soldiers."

"Ah. I must have forgotten to tell you it has already been taken care of. The Relesha family will handle the soldiers. You only need to keep me safe since I can’t exactly show my power to them."

"I see." Katarina thought for a moment. "If it’s just protecting you, then sure. I can do that."

"Thanks." Auric paused. "That’s right. While we’re at it, I want to ask you: Do you have something in mind? I’m not exactly good at thinking of what others want."

"Hehe. Even though your sensitivity is the strongest?"

"Yeah, all that sensitivity has been sucked away by the magical sensitivity." Auric chuckled.

Katarina smiled. "In that case, I’d like you to bring someone into the Unique Temple."

"!!!" Auric raised his eyebrows. This request had a clear meaning. It was clear that Katarina wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to bring someone to her side.

By offering the chance to evolve, she could gain a powerful connection. This was what she wanted from her reward.

"Who is it?"

"The son of Kleff. Kleffin Brothers. Do you know them?"

"Nope."

"The leffin Brothers were created by two brothers. Both of them had reached Rank 6. They were twins, and they got along well. When one of them faced a problem, both of them would work together to solve it."

"I’m not Rank 6, so you mean their son or maybe their grandson?"

"Yes. The older brother, Kleff, has a son named Refftin. He was born with a unique element. The Kleffin Brothers have been doing their best to secure unique-element artifacts to help him evolve. Right now, he’s already Rank 3 and is approaching Rank 4."

"Artifacts? Haven’t I provided some artifacts to the Relesha family?"

"Yep. At this point, I wonder why you didn’t keep a few for yourself. This kind of thing wouldn’t have happened."

"I didn’t expect this to happen either. I thought that traveling around and absorbing the ruins was more convenient. Besides, I know the struggles of unique-element users. Even if it was just a little, I wish to help them a little."

"Says the unique evolution master."

"Hey, I’m gradually establishing the Unique Temple." Auric shrugged.

"Hahaha. I’m just joking with you. I know you are neither a hero nor a saint. You can be as ruthless as a devil and as kind as an angel." Katarina chuckled. "So, what do you think?"

"What is the plan, though? Adding him all of a sudden won’t be easy to justify. I mean, I don’t mind since it’s your request, but it might create an abuse of power."

"Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to do something unreasonable. Actually, I have been preparing a proposal. I was planning to ask you after helping you a few more times."

"You’re rather honest with me. I thought you were going to make an excuse."

"Hahaha. I told you. I know you a bit. You have a bottom line. As long as I don’t cross it, it’s easier for you to accept my proposal if I’m being honest. Even if it’s a slight inconvenience, it will be better than lying to you."

"Pfft!" Lindwurm laughed. "This girl is good."

Auric rolled his eyes. "Okay, let’s hear the proposal."

"I’ll be brief for now. The plan is simple. He’s approaching Rank 4, right? Meanwhile, you’re intending to make a trip like this because you intend to reach Rank 3 for your unique element, right?"

"How did you know?"

"It’s easy to guess after you gather all those unique element users."

Auric couldn’t exactly deny it. "So..."

"So, once you reach Rank 3, couldn’t you help him? Maybe invite a new batch. The schedule itself can be pushed back, say, because you’re busy or something. I won’t reveal my identity as the SunSaintess. Instead, I will use another opportunity to act as a channel for him.

"You just have to help him, like everyone else. There’s no need to give him special treatment."

Auric contemplated. This way, this guy would be indebted to her and her family. It wouldn’t be just a one-time thing.

Refftin still had the potential to reach Rank 5 or even Rank 6 as long as he joined that group.

This kind of favor would be hard to repay even for the Kleffin Brothers.

Even before she became Auric’s subordinate, Katarina had already mentioned that she would be benefiting from being his subordinate. This was her way to benefit from her relationship with him. In exchange, she would remain loyal and help him.

Katarina’s goal remained the same. She wanted her family to become first-rate like Vera’s, Ellia’s, or even Maya’s family.

Auric pondered. "Well, I won’t have the time to do that for now, but after the training..."

"I know. I originally intended to give this proposal after the training. Your unique element should have reached Rank 3 by then. Besides, I also need time to search for other unique element users, especially the Rank 3 unique-element users for you. I intended to give you the list as well as the proposal." Katarina chuckled.

"So, that’s it?"

"Yes. He isn’t desperate right now because he’s still approaching Rank 4. However, it’s true that his ass is on fire because of what happened a few days ago."

"A few days ago? Did something happen?"

"You don’t know? The Relesha family auctioned your artifacts. Artifacts belonging to the eight elements had an easier time being sold, but the unique element artifacts were different. There are people who have unique elements, and this is their only way to evolve after all."

"I know."

Katarina smiled. "That was why the bidding fight was extremely fierce this time. The Kleffin Brothers were fighting with other families, but because they had just used a large amount of money a few days back, they couldn’t raise the funds to buy them. So, they failed to get it. Has the Relesha family given you the money yet?"

"No, not yet. I told them to just transfer it after all the artifacts have been sold. Probably the other artifacts haven’t been sold yet."

"Oh, that’s understandable. It’s quite a fierce fight, you know? I heard the Rank 4 artifact went as high as 8 billion."

"Seriously?" Auric was stupefied.

"Now, do you understand why you’re like a treasure-seeking mouse?"

Auric chuckled. "So, that’s how it is. Now that the Kleffin Brothers failed to get it, they started looking for other options."

"Yep. By waiting a bit longer, they will grow desperate. I will just step in to offer a solution."

"Such a devilish tactic."

"Hehehe."

Auric considered the proposal carefully. It shouldn’t be a problem. Even if he didn’t intend to use or absorb them yet, he could still get the elements first. "Still, you will have to be careful. The Kleffin Brothers might use that information against me."

"I understand. That’s why I will only appear when they’re at their most desperate time. If I offer the solution, they will keep their mouths shut. If it ends up coming back at us, I will take responsibility."

Auric sighed. "I guess I have to agree with this proposal. Okay, you may do it as you see fit. Considering all the good work you’ve done so far, you deserve it."

"Hehehe. Thank you, Boss."

"Mhmm. I will text you the details later."

"Yep."

"Oh, by the way, someone approached me earlier. She admitted that Gloria was a spy. I might need you to look into her."

"They’re probably from Dermania, right?"

"Yeah. I don’t know what the deal is with them, or it might be just politics... But my principle is Equivalent Exchange. Despite accomplishing her job, Gloria ended up being treated as though she had done something wrong and was punished. I am not—"

"I know, I know. You don’t intend to help her just like that. You want to see if there’s a chance for us to invite Gloria, right? For now, I will investigate both of them. Although I’ve suggested Gloria’s recruitment, I will need to make sure she accepts it not just with her words while secretly feeding your information to their government.

"If you want to recruit her, I will make sure that her loyalty truly belongs to you, Boss."

"Okay. I’ll leave it to you. And stop calling me ’Boss’ already."

"Yes, Master."

"Now you’re teasing me..."