Chapter 62 – Trial

Having decided to squeeze something out of her, Punk looked straight into Lotalan’s eyes and slowly spoke:

“Then… what is the price?”

“What……”

Lotalan seemed not to have expected Punk to ask this question.

Shaking his head inwardly, Punk felt somewhat disappointed. It appeared that Lotalan was ultimately just a little girl. Even with a strong will, she still lacked in intellect!

But as the saying goes, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Since he wanted subordinates who were easy to control, he had to accept their lack of intelligence. At least for now, this situation was unavoidable for Punk!

Sighing lightly, Punk decided it would be best to educate the naive Little Lolita. After all, she would be his representative in the future—she couldn’t afford to embarrass him too much!

“Listen up, little girl!”

Ignoring Little Lolita’s muttered protest of “I’m not a little girl,” Punk spoke seriously to Lotalan:

“If you want to achieve success in business, if you wish to revive the Minohorn Family through commerce, then you must learn to accurately judge the value of your own goods and the goods of others, just like a merchant. Here, ‘goods’ and ‘merchandise’ don’t just refer to physical items! Favors, connections, even a word of praise—all are resources that can be utilized!”

Lotalan stared blankly as Punk “lectured” her. Though she resented a boy around her age speaking to her in such a condescending tone, and was even more unwilling to admit that she, the esteemed Countess of the Minohorn Family, knew less about business than a young mage, she had to concede that his words made sense. She truly was lacking in this area.

Paying no mind to the Little Girl’s pitiful, defeated expression, Punk continued his lecture (or brainwashing?).

“Right now, our collaboration is a perfect example. In this partnership, the alchemical potions I provide are my goods, while the sales platform you offer is your merchandise. In the end, we’ll distribute the earnings based on our respective contributions to the collaboration. That is a fair transaction!”

“But now, you’re asking for my reputation to facilitate your business endeavors—that’s an additional request. Here, my reputation becomes another commodity. You must offer something of value in exchange for my permission!”

Having finished speaking, Punk noticed that poor Lotalan’s eyes were nearly spinning like mosquito coils. He rubbed his temples in exasperation. Clearly, Earth’s business theories were too difficult for a child from another world to grasp!

The Old Butler, however, understood perfectly. He wisely realized that if his family didn’t offer something, they couldn’t expect to have Punk, a formal mage, as their backer. In fact, he had already prepared for this. Quickly stopping Lotalan, who clearly hadn’t grasped the concept and was about to ask more questions, the Old Butler carefully pulled a thin, ancient book from his suit pocket and respectfully presented it to Punk with both hands.

“Oh—?”Punk took the ancient book, sensing the faint Formal-Level magical fluctuations lingering on its surface—proof that this book had once belonged to a Formal-Level Mage!

Gently opening the browned, curled cover, the title page boldly displayed “Walkerway’s Flesh Golem Notes.”

“Walkerway”?

Punk searched his memories carefully but found no recollection of the name. He surmised it must have been some obscure alchemical mage.

Skimming through the book, he found it contained hastily scribbled Byron script detailing a Formal-Level alchemical puppet crafting method using biological remains as the primary material. Though somewhat brief and ambiguously worded, Punk was confident his System’s analytical abilities could master the flesh golem’s creation.

“Excellent. I accept this payment. Now, you may use my name for promotion.”

Punk stored the magic book in the storage ring left by Mainaixi, then took out a gold coin and sealed a trace of mana within it. Any professional sensing this mana would recognize the coin as representing a Formal-Level Mage’s authority.

As he spoke, the carriage came to a halt by Doleiz City’s gates.

“Catch!” Punk tossed the gold coin and three alchemical potions to Lotalan. She gasped softly, fumbling to catch the coin, but the potions fell onto the leather seat. Punk casually opened the carriage door and stepped out.

“A small test for you both!”

Admiring Doleiz City’s walls painted with golden dye from an artistic perspective, Punk spoke without turning back to the Old Butler and Lotalan.

“I’m heading to the Mage Guild in the city to purchase materials. Your task is to sell these three alchemical potions before I return to the city gates…”

“Understood! Absolutely no problem! But… if… just if we fail to sell them, does that mean the Minohorn Family loses qualification to cooperate with you?”

Lotalan confidently accepted the challenge, then childishly whispered her follow-up question.

“…Lose qualification?”

Punk’s lips curled slightly. He slowly turned, gazing intently at the naive Lotalan.

“No no no, my little friend. If you fail… I’ll twist your head off!”

The smile froze on Lotalan’s face. Large beads of sweat dripped from her chin.

“Um… Mr. Punk… don’t joke like that… haha…”

“Joke? I never joke! Let me think—if the penalty were merely terminated cooperation, what would you do? You’d parade before every noble you could find, boasting about gaining a Formal-Level Mage’s protection. Then you’d return apologizing for failing the task while I retreat to some obscure town. Meanwhile, you’d keep using my reputation to play the big shot? Typical Nobles’ petty schemes, am I right?”

Punk scanned the carriage fleet with disdain, slowly voicing his “speculation.”

“I would never do that…”Lotalan felt extremely wronged. Being misunderstood like this for the first time, especially by the boy she secretly admired, left the little lolita with mixed emotions—so much so that tears even welled up in her eyes!

“Exactly! You wouldn’t do such a thing!”

Punk firmly cut off Lotalan’s explanation!

“But what choices certain people might make isn’t something you can control, even if they are truly loyal to you!”

Punk remained as expressionless as ever.

“However… it’s perfectly normal to disagree with your subordinates. But if you’re easily swayed by their opinions, then you lack what we call independent judgment! This is another lesson you must learn.”

Pale blue magical energy swirled deeply around Punk’s pupils as he gazed toward the car door behind Lotalan, where the Old Butler who had just stepped out stood frozen in place.

The Old Butler could confirm this was the first time in his life he had ever been so frightened. He had to admit he had misjudged things this time.

His secret calculations perfectly matched the “conspiracy” Punk had just described. In his mind, persuading the young lady to agree to his “scheme” would be effortless. Not only could they free themselves from the control of a foul-tempered Formal-Level powerhouse, but they would also gain an intimidating reputation! This plan would effectively secure a powerful tool for reviving the family while avoiding the risk of becoming mere pawns. The strategy had instantly formed in his mind the moment he heard Punk mention the test!

After all, in his view, Punk was just a “little boy” pretending to be profound. But now, his carefully laid plans had been effortlessly dismantled by Punk, shattered into pieces!

(End of Chapter)