“Your company’s already a member. Alice made sure of it when she filed the application for creating your business.”
Isaac’s eyes widened slightly. “She did?”
“She handled the paperwork thoroughly,” Leora nodded. “However, only the council leaders attend meetings. Regular members don’t get a say unless invited.”
He was quiet for a moment, then gave a thoughtful hum.
“I’ll talk to Alice later. She’ll know what to do.”
Leora gave him a small nod. “Until then, your only option is to free up space.”
Isaac didn’t respond. He simply gave a brief nod, collected the grains, and prepared to head out to the shop.
At the shop, Vax was behind the counter today. He looked up as Isaac entered, holding a crate of freshly harvested grains.
“Ah, boss. You’re back,” Vax greeted with a grin. “Delivery again? I thought you would hire someone for it by now.”
“Well, I do it by myself since it gives me an excuse to visit the market,” Isaac replied, placing the crate on the counter. “Besides, I need to bring Tyr to shop either way.”
Vax nodded. “I figured.”
The two exchanged a few more casual words before Isaac turned and headed out again, this time returning his house.
After he reached his destination, he completed his gym routine, took a bath, and had a breakfast before the class began.
Today, Alice joined them for the first time.
She sat beside him with a calm, focused expression, dressed in the Sanctum uniform – they were told to wear uniforms during the classes.
Seeing alice here eased the small worry he hadn’t even realized he’d been carrying.
He had feared she might choose another university, believing it was more suited for her growth. But she had chosen the Sanctum of Masters.
She had chosen to stay close to him.
’She’s staying for me,’ Isaac thought quietly. A warm feeling stirred in his chest. But it was quickly followed by resolve. ’If that’s the case, I need to make sure her growth doesn’t suffer because of it.’
He had seen stat-boosting potions in the system shop earlier today.
Each one gave a permanent +10 to a stat and cost 10,000 AP.
They were expensive, but nothing he couldn’t afford as long as he saved up. He made a mental note to buy them for Alice and Emily.
Professor Catherine cleared her throat. “From tomorrow onward, we’ll shift our focus more toward combat training. You’ve built a foundation. Now it’s time to put it to use.”
Isaac noticed the way her tone sounded different. It was slightly more serious.
He couldn’t quite place it, but something about her felt… tense.
He didn’t comment, though. Professor Catherine didn’t seem like she would explain it even if he asked. He’d just have to stay alert.
During the class, Emily, sitting next to him, seemed more cheerful than usual.
Isaac realized it was because Professor Catherine was focused on Alice today.
Since Alice had just joined, she had a lot of material to catch up on. Professor Catherine gave her a stack of notes, explained several concepts, and ran her through some fast-paced revision.
Impressively, Alice kept up.
By the end of the lesson, she had already covered half the syllabus the rest of them had spent over a week learning.
Emily’s cheer faded steadily as this became clear. She was, once again, the slowest learner. By the time class ended, she had returned to her usual sulky silence.
After the class, Isaac found out that halfway through the session, Selene and Chairman Lucius had left.
Chairman Lucius had sent a message to Isaac, reminding him of the party today.
Later, Isaac had lunch before he completed another harvest.
The crops glowed faintly as they were gathered, a clear sign of their growing potency. He stored everything efficiently, then met Leora and Alice who waited near the jeep.
Emily wasn’t with them.
She had ’chosen’ to stay back and get extra lessons from Professor Catherine, likely trying to close the gap again.
The three of them set off toward the market.
The jeep bumped along the stone roads, tires crunching softly over the gravel. As they passed through the busy districts, Isaac glanced at Alice in the rearview mirror. She was quiet, and her gaze was fixed on the passing buildings and wreckages.
Isaac told her about the issue with Economic Council and asked for advice.
Alice didn’t look surprised. “I expected they’d try that eventually.”
He raised a brow. “You did?”
“Yeah. That’s why I already took some steps to deal with it.”
That got his attention.
“What did you do?”
“I asked my uncle to give them a little pressure. They can’t ignore that. No matter how important those organizations think they are, they’ll listen when the Calloway Conglomerate speaks.”
Isaac blinked. “You called in your uncle?”
Alice gave a small nod. “He was more than happy to do it. Supporting you lets him show everyone that the Calloway family has a good relationship with the rising talent of the stronghold. It’s a win-win.”
Isaac glanced at her with a smile. “Thanks.”
She shook her head. “You don’t have to thank me. I’m doing this because I want to.”
Soon, the jeep turned into the market and began to slow down as traffic increased. The market had doubled in size compared to the first day Isaac came here.
Isaac found a parking spot near the market and pulled in.
As they stepped out of the jeep and walked towards the shop, Isaac noticed people staring at their group.
Several pedestrians had stopped mid-step, their gazes locked on Alice. Some turned their heads as they walked by, others paused and pretended to look at shop signs while sneaking glances.
It was subtle. But not that subtle.
Alice had always been pretty, but now, she was on a whole different level.
There was a cold, elegant sharpness to her appearance, and those horns, protuding from her head, made her look like an otherworldly goddess.
No one seemed to recognize which demihuman race Alice belonged to. That only made her more of a mystery.
Alice didn’t react to the stares.
Instead, as they began walking toward the shop, she quietly slipped her hand into his and interlocked their fingers.
+0.4 AP
+0.4 AP
Isaac’s eyes flicked to the system notifications. The AP was slowly dripping in again.
Curious, he checked her status.
[Status 1: Horny]
[Status 2: Happy to be with you. Pissed as to why so many women are turning to look at you.]
Isaac chuckled, seeing the familiar screen.
At the shop, Vax was standing behind the counter, already halfway through assisting a customer. He noticed Isaac and Alice walking in and gave a small wave.
Isaac returned it. “Take a short break, Vax. We’ll cover the counter for a while.”
“Seriously?” Vax looked surprised, but didn’t argue. “Thanks, boss.”
He stepped out from behind the counter, grabbed a bottle of water, and disappeared toward the backroom.
Alice moved beside Isaac behind the counter. Together, they managed the line of customers that had started forming.
It was a smooth process. Isaac had done this enough times now that he didn’t need to think about it much.
But he noticed something odd.
More girls were showing up than usual.
He didn’t have hard numbers, but the sudden increase in female customers—most of whom made small talk and smiled a bit too much—was definitely noticeable.
He didn’t comment on it.
He could feel Alice watching each interaction with calm, cold eyes. She didn’t say anything, but her expression was enough to remind him not to get too friendly.
They worked for about half an hour. Sales were strong. The Vitality Grains, even the Tier 0 ones, were continuing to draw attention from small explorers and adventurer teams, and the Tier 1s sold like hotcakes.
A lot of customers had been waiting for Isaac to come with the Tier 1 Vitality Grains since the stock had emptied.
Everyone wanted something that could restore stamina and mana without needing to rely on expensive potions.
Eventually, they finished up.
Isaac glanced at the time and nodded. “Let’s head back.”
They left the shop, waved goodbye to Vax, and returned to the jeep. Once everyone was in, Isaac started the engine and checked his balance through the system panel.
[Credited (Last 24 Hours): 3,073,600,000 Obols]
[Balance (Total): 10,277,710,000 Obols]
He had earned the target money of 10 billions before the sixth day was up.
Alice noticed him staring at his device. “Why are you smiling?”
He showed her the account balance. “Now you belong to me, my mad princess.”
Alice blinked. The faint color rising to her cheeks was nearly invisible unless someone was looking closely.
She turned her head and faced the window.
“…Congratulations.”
Isaac glanced at her but didn’t push it.
The jeep hummed down the road as they left the market district behind and rolled back toward the house. The late afternoon sun cast slanted shadows across the uneven stone road, and the scent of dust and dry leaves drifted in through the open windows.
By the time they reached the gates, Isaac had already started mentally going over the training schedule.
It had been a while since they’d done serious combat drills.
The house was quiet when they entered. Emily was still out with Professor Catherine, though from the tone of her earlier message, she’d be back soon.
Isaac washed up quickly, changed into training gear, and made his way to the combat grounds behind the house.
The training area wasn’t fancy. Just a wide stretch of reinforced ground, some automated dummies at the edges, and the occasional rune-lined slab for defensive exercises.
The evening light gave it a dull bronze glow, but that didn’t make it feel any less dangerous.
Professor Catherine was already waiting. She wore the usal black combat gear that clung to her figure, emphasizing her bust and wide hips.
Her hair was tied into a firm bun, and she held a faint smile.
She glanced at Isaac, gave a small nod, then turned toward Alice who had just stepped onto the field behind him.
“Today,” Catherine said, “we’ll start with you, Alice. Let’s see what your skills can do.”
Alice met her gaze without flinching. “Alright.”
She stepped forward, walking until she stood in the center of the training circle. Her boots made a quiet tap with each step.
Isaac folded his arms and moved to the side, watching her with Emily.