"Show off" Gaya mumbled under her breath and opened the doors to the customers waiting outside.
"What are you doing?" Elder Sandra frowned. After taking the pills he gave her, Elder Sandra's complexion looked better and she seemed healthier than before.
"Multitasking, Elder Sandra. These people are waiting for me from early morning and you're here for an explanation, I can't make either of you wait any longer" Michael calmly explained and conjured the flame on one hand while sitting on the sofa to concoct the pills.
"It's dangerous not to solely concentrate on what you're doing Ghost" The Elders were genuinely concerned because if he made a mistake, not only him but they would also get burned by his mistake.
"Trust me, this is a walk in the park for me. Now, where was I?"
"Rejecting the Guardians" Elder Mark said as Michael started to tell everything that happened in the restaurant except the fact Gaya's sister is a Guardian.
"Look, he's concocting pills while talking to the Elders!"
"I've never seen an Alchemist concoct pills so casually"
"Yeah, I heard even the Alchemy king wouldn't let anyone inside his work hall as concentration is crucial in making pills and brewing potions"
"Are you saying that Ghost is better than the Alchemy King?"
"He might be because Alchemy King Gabriell is fifty years old but look at him, he's not even twenty-five. Imagine where he would be in another twenty-five years" Just like Michael planned, the people were stunned by him multitasking and murmured among themselves.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 700 badass points]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 500 badass points]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 900 badass points]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 800 badass points]
….
Inside the house, Michael heard the continuous ringing of the system notification. His heart jumped in joy looking at the Badass points increasing.
Eventually, Michael finished telling the Elders what happened with the two Guardians. The Elders and Claire let out a deep breath. Because they were immersed in Michael's story, they failed to notice the money he just made but Jack was more interested in the money than Michael's story.
He slowly walked to Gaya's counter and looked at the pay cubes over her shoulder. At the same, the next customer came to Gaya's counter and placed his order
"Miss, I'd like to order, 2 Revitalizing pills, 2 Arch Energy boosters, and 3 Healing potions"
"81,000 gold"
"What do you think you're doing?" Gaya turned back to see Jack's eyes sparkling at the amount of gold she just took from the pay cube.
"Can I... touch it?" Jack had never seen a pile of gold coins before and in front of him, a huge pile of gold coins lighting the room with their shine.
"No, you can't touch it you little shit, go away" Gaya shushed him away from the stack of gold coins.
Michael noticed this scene but didn't say anything. After being shushed away by Gaya, Jack went to Ricky who was busy taking the pills and potions from Michael's hands and delivering them to the Customers.
"Do you need any help?" Jack asked Ricky
"No, my lord. I'm doing just fine"
"I'm not a lord, I'm just like you, a commoner. I'm Jack Reuban, what is your name?" Jack reached his hand out as Ricky reluctantly shook his hand because lord or not a lord, Jack was a cultivator at the Foundation stage level 4 while he was just at the Arch sensing level 3.
"Ricky, Ricky Mervan"
"So Ricky, how much are you earning working for Brother Ghost?" Ricky was surprised by Jack's sudden blunt question but he sighed inside and answered
"120 gold, Jack"
"Per year?"
"Per month"
"Oh? Wait..what?!" Jack's body shook for a second hearing Ricky. He was barely able to send ten or twenty gold coins once a year to his home but Ricky was earning way more than he ever could. What disturbed him more was Ricky was just a mortal while he was considered a cultivator.
"I wasted my life cultivating, oh god!" Jack mumbled continuously and went to join Elder Miles on the sofa.
*******************
"Alright people, we are closing the shop for today. We'll open again in two days and we will have more varieties of pills and potions. Spread the news, if I see anyone knocking on my door tomorrow, I won't be responsible for killing the one who knocks "
"Oh come on, we didn't get to order anything"
"This is unfair!"
"I need Healing potions to save my grandma"
"If you love your grandma so much, come before anyone else!" Gaya yelled at the person who tried to use his dead grandma to buy pills.
The ones who got to buy pills and potions left the mountains with a wide grin while the people who didn't get the chance walked away with gloomy faces.
After she shut the doors, Gaya started to count the gold coins under the shocked gazes of the Elders and Claire. Jack still tried to touch the pile of gold as Elder Mark swallowed a mouth full of saliva looking at the scene.
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Debts of the Base of Operation are increasing!]
"What the?" Michael's smile disappeared hearing the warning beeps inside his mind. He then entered the system to see what's going on and why is the system yelling at him.
Host: Michael
Cultivation Level: Body Refining stage, level 6
Experience Points: 5000/300000
Badass Points: 16000
Skills & Spells:
Wind Blast - LVL 2
Responsive Shield - LVL 3
Environment Scanning - LVL 2
Ignitia - LVL 1
Lightning Dash - LVL 1
Energy Devouver - LVL 1
Occupation: Disciple of Sunrise sect
Status: Healthy
Goals: Control the world
Utility Function: Banker - LVL 2 (Ratio - 1000 gold coins: 5 badass point(s))
Wealth: 440,000 Gold
Special Trait: 5-Star Alchemist
Subordinates: Gaya (loyalty level 47%)
Base of Operation: Sunrise Sect
"Seriously, you're giving me warnings about Base of operations and showing me my stats ?! open the Base of Operations"
Base of Operation: The Sunrise Sect
Current Leader: Claire Marigold
Level: 1
Debt: 3,057,543 Gold Coins
Number of Members: 34
Status: Declined
Legend: 20 / 1000 (Crappy old sect where a 5 Star Alchemist resides)
"What the fuck is that debt amount? Is there a bug or something in you System?!"
[Nope]
"Then how the hell did the amount of debt go from 450,000 to 3 million?"
[The host should ask the Sect Leader. The Sect took a debt with variable interest rate. Considering the sect hasn't even paid their interest and just a minute ago, they crossed a two-year time limit. Hence, the System calculated the total debt amount and showed it to the host]
"Variable interest rate? Two-year time limit? Fuck!"
[The System recommends the Host to pay the debt sooner than later or the System would deduct the host's badass points on a regular basis]
"Oh come one, why would you do that? What's the connection between debt and you deducting me Badass points?" Michael was really frustrated by the System's blackmail and wanted to punch the system in the face. He was planning to buy new swords and renovate his house using the gold coins he earned through hard work but now, he had to pay the debt as soon as possible.
[The answer is simpler than you think Host. You are not a badass if you are neck-deep in debt] He really tried to calm himself by closing his eyes but what the system said next almost made him lose his cool.
[Host, when are you planning to upgrade the System?] The system's robotic voice sounded like it was messing with him.
"Let me first deal with the debt, jerk"
He exited the system with a gloomy face and Gaya noticed the change on his face. But before she could ask what's wrong, Michael turned his gaze towards Claire
"Sect Leader Claire, I need to ask you something" His voice brought Claire front the daze of looking at the shining pile of gold.
"What is it, Ghost?"
"How much debt are we in?" The question surprised the Elders and Claire. His face didn't have his usual smile as he looked quite serious.
"Why are you asking that?" It was quite an embarrassing subject for Claire to speak in front of the disciples and outsiders like Ricky and Aelia.
Knock! Knock!
Suddenly someone knocked at the door and turned everyone's gaze at Michael's door.
"Because of that," Michael guessed the ones knocking on the door are the debt collectors.
"Can I have one peaceful day without someone trying to kill me or take my money?" Michael sighed inside and prepared to give all his money because Badass points are harder to earn than the gold coins and Badass points were more valuable compared to gold coins.
"The fuck?! Didn't I say we closed the shop? Prepare yourself to get wrecked you asshole outside the door" However Gaya had zero ideas about the ones outside as she thought it's someone who came to buy pills or potions ignoring her order. She clenched her fists and rushed angrily towards the door
"Stop Aelia, it's not who think it is"