Chapter 304 – Farming?

No money! This was a serious matter, because having no money meant having no resources, and without resources… this was something no spellcaster could accept, and Punk was no exception.

This problem became even more pronounced within the Thought of Truth, because the price of resources in the Thought of Truth was simply too expensive—so expensive that it was impossible to afford through legitimate means of earning exchange points as per the Thought of Truth’s regulations.

Of course, it was precisely because Punk had spent a month figuring out just how exploitative the Thought of Truth’s resource pricing was that he understood why Ben Lajie was so brazen in running a black market, “colluding with the enemy,” and taking on shady jobs. Punk could guarantee that none of the seven Master-Level powerhouses in the Thought of Truth Branch, including Master Kirk Weilen, were clean. If anyone were to investigate, everyone’s records would be equally shady.

If they didn’t have some illicit income… judging by the research expenses of the several masters who hadn’t left their quarters for years, they wouldn’t be able to afford living in Magic Towers.

For now, let’s not discuss whether the wealth acquired by the other powerhouses through certain means was enough to cover their expenses. At the very least, Punk knew that relying solely on the income from selling a few potions was far from sufficient for his own needs.

Originally, Punk’s need to earn exchange points wasn’t too urgent. He had planned to figure out how to earn exchange points after completing his research on modified spells, especially since his spell research had just reached a critical juncture, and matters with Anya had only recently stabilized.

But… as the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly! This plan had to be moved up.

The reason was simple. Roughly five months after Punk joined the Thought of Truth, at the beginning of the Scorching Sun season, Punk’s finances abruptly collapsed!

The reality proved that it was far more reliable to keep one’s finances under their own control. Trade with others, especially underground trade, was utterly unreliable. It was as unpredictable as the stock market on Earth—it could crash without warning.

Looking back now, Punk’s black market trade with Ben Lajie wasn’t much better. Just when everything seemed to be thriving, without any warning, the entire black market trade suddenly collapsed.

A month ago, the volume of potion transactions from Ben Lajie’s side began to plummet drastically. Half a month ago, orders from the Zhentarim finally came to a complete halt.

Although Ben Lajie repeatedly assured Punk that he would soon find new buyers, Punk no longer believed a single word of the fat old man’s nonsense.

It was precisely because of this guy’s confident but unsubstantiated claims that the black market collapsed without warning, and Punk’s financial chain immediately snapped. His research had to be completely halted.

Now, Punk only wanted to earn as many exchange points as possible in the shortest time possible, because he desperately wanted to open his own “trade route” and completely cut out Ben Lajie, that greedy and exploitative middleman.

But here was the problem: he didn’t even have the capital to “start a business”!

Since joining the Thought of Truth, Punk’s exchange point income had come from selling potions to the Red Robes and some traveling mages through Ben Lajie’s black market. Other than that, the only exchange points Punk had left were from the initial funds he obtained by selling a few pieces of Magic Equipment.The most troublesome part was that Punk had recently brewed several batches of “Wind Chime Potions” and purchased a considerable amount of Fierce Corpse Worms, completely depleting his limited exchange points. At this point, Punk was practically penniless, with less than double digits remaining in his account.

In the Thought of Truth, having no exchange points was simply not an option—this was beyond doubt.

However, after carefully considering the ways to obtain exchange points, Punk couldn’t help but furrow his brow even tighter:

“Trading materials with the Thought of Truth is completely unrealistic. Factoring in shipping costs, the price of ingredients for any potion would nearly match that of the finished product. This path is a dead end.

Selling knowledge is quite popular, but… before advancing to the Legendary level, the knowledge of Netheril must never be discovered by others. Exchanging knowledge for points is also impossible.”

“So, does that leave only ‘organization missions’ as the viable path?”

Punk lightly tapped the stone table, hesitating.

As a Master-Level powerhouse, the missions he would undertake would naturally be at the Master-Level tier. Within the scope of missions he could accept, only tasks of this level offered sufficiently generous rewards. As a Senior Mentor, all spoils he obtained during missions could belong to him, and the number of exchange points would be enough to sustain his high-expenditure research for the next hundred years.

However… Master-Level missions were not without significant risks.

Such missions often involved hostile Legendary organizations or other Master-Level powerhouses. The mission locations might not even be within the Faerûn Plane, with both known and unknown dangers being self-evident.

“What a headache. Is peaceful development really so difficult? The moment I run out of money, I have to go out and fight. What happened to the promised life of a mage?”

After carefully weighing the potential risks and rewards, and considering his nearly bankrupt financial situation, Punk had no choice but to reluctantly decide to try undertaking a mission.

Taking a sip of fruit tea, he reflected on the numerous battles he had fought along his journey and couldn’t help but smirk self-deprecatingly:

“Thinking about it, I’ve grown accustomed to fighting and plundering my way through. It seems pillaging truly is the best path for a mage’s development. Peaceful development? Might as well forget it!”

Once the decision was made, there was no need for further hesitation. Setting down the empty teacup, Punk adjusted his hood and stood up.

His pitch-black Mage Robe, embedded with red energy patterns, stood out starkly in the multicolored Laboratory.

“As the saying goes, the path to Legendary is always paved with mountains of corpses and oceans of blood, lined with sharp thorns. How true that is. It seems even with the heritage of Netheril, necessary adventures are unavoidable.”

Muttering to himself, Punk carefully stored emergency potions into his Ring and repeatedly inspected his lifeline—the Haitzita Magic Box.

“Legendary Equipment that blocks Divination Spells—Haitzita’s Magic Box! Speaking of which, this thing is the ultimate configuration for a pillaging lifestyle. It seems a peaceful life really isn’t for me!”

Watching the mysterious glow flicker across the Magic Box, Punk sighed inwardly.He had already decided to take on a Master-Level mission to earn exchange points. Generally, such missions lasted about one or two years. Before leaving, he would leave Anya with enough exchange points, and finally cast a “Suggestion” spell on her to curb the little girl’s adventurous impulses.

Pausing his research on spell improvements for now wasn’t an issue either. Truth be told, he could set off without any lingering concerns.

“Since I can’t farm the land well, I might as well give up on it altogether. There are plenty of people in this world who excel at farming—let me see if I can find a more direct way to reap rewards!”

Grasping his emerald-green staff, he stepped out of the Magic Tower’s main gate. Beneath the shadow of his hood, a cold glint flashed in Punk’s eyes.

(End of Chapter)