Hearing Daniel’s words, the general manager’s face lit up with joy.
Initially, when Daniel casually opened the box, the manager had been ready to call for help. However, to his astonishment, the fire crystal, which had already manifested a physical form, was effortlessly slapped back into the box by Daniel.
Just as the manager worried that Daniel might not want the item after seeing it, the latter directly asked for the price.
The general manager quickly replied,
“A single fire crystal costs one billion superior mana stones.
“Of course, at Dragonscale Bank, we also accept other treasures as a form of trade. We always provide the fairest valuation.”
He explained that very few people could carry such an enormous amount of mana stones, so Dragonscale Bank offered a bartering option.
The bank’s reputation for fair evaluations had remained impeccable over the years.
Daniel, however, waved his hand dismissively.
“I’ll use mana stones.”
Over the years, Daniel hadn’t had many opportunities to spend mana stones, and forging didn’t consume much.
“How many of these… fire crystals do you have here?”
The general manager promptly answered,
“We currently have thirty-one fire crystals in stock.”
“Only that many?” Daniel frowned.
If that was all they had, it wouldn’t be enough for Rose.
The general manager was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Daniel to think that thirty-one fire crystals were “too few.”
Thirty-one fire crystals… Thirty-one billion superior mana stones…
How could that be considered a small amount?
Any organization capable of purchasing so many mana stones in one go must be immensely powerful.
In his mind, the general manager began silently listing prominent forces, trying to associate Daniel with one of them.
“Sir, the truth is, most people who acquire fire crystals keep them for personal use rather than selling them to us. These thirty-one pieces are already hard-won treasures!”
“If you truly need more, you might consider heading to the Fire Abyss. The abyss is currently experiencing a flame tide, which causes a surge in fire crystals.”
“However…” The general manager hesitated, looking embarrassed.
“Many powerful mages have recently returned to compete for those fire crystals due to their immense value.”
Hearing this, Daniel understood.
“Here’s what we’ll do: pack up all the fire crystals you have, along with every pure fire stone. I’ll take them all.”
The general manager froze for a moment, then his face broke into an uncontrollable grin.
“Understood, sir! Please wait a moment—I’ll fetch everything right away.”
He could no longer contain his excitement. Never in his career had he encountered such a generous customer.
The pure fire stones and fire crystals had been sitting in Dragonscale Bank for a long time, with few willing to spend such exorbitant sums to buy them. But today, a single customer had swept them all up.
The general manager couldn’t help but feel a thrill of satisfaction, smiling all the way as he walked to retrieve the items.
…
Meanwhile, Daniel returned to the first floor, where Rose and the others had dispersed to browse items of interest.
Even Rikki, the bear, was happily munching on honey-based treats it had picked up.
Suddenly, two hands covered Rikki’s eyes.
The bear instinctively glanced around but found itself in total darkness. Shoving the rest of the snack into its mouth, it panicked and shouted,
“Brother Ryze! I can’t see! There must be an enemy nearby! Save me!”
As Rikki shouted and ran blindly, the darkness remained.
Daniel sighed and waved his hand, causing Nina to drop from a spatial fold.
Ryze, looking exasperated, glanced at Nina while reassuring the bear.
“It’s fine now. See? You’re okay.”
Rikki lifted its head and looked around. Its vision was restored, and it laughed happily—until it noticed Nina, who was just getting up from the ground nearby.
“President? When did you get here? I didn’t see you!”
“I just arrived. I heard you were here, so I came to visit,” Nina replied before walking over to Daniel.
“Headmaster! Everything over there is settled, so I came to have some fun.”
“Fine, just be careful,” Daniel replied.
For the past few days, Nina had been guarding Nora. If there had been any danger, Nina would have evacuated her immediately. Her presence here indicated that Nora was safe.
Letting Nina explore Sunken City for a while seemed harmless.
…
From the entrance, a commotion arose as Dragonscale Bank guards entered, maintaining order in the area.
“This is Dragonscale Bank—no disturbances allowed! Who is causing trouble here?”
The guards scanned the crowd sternly.
All eyes turned to Rikki, who had been shouting earlier and even bumped into several customers while running around.
Fortunately, Ryze had been there to prevent any damage; otherwise, Rikki might have smashed into the counters.
Ryze glanced at Nina, seemingly blaming her for teasing the bear and causing it to get caught by the guards.
“What are you doing here? Return to your original spots!”
At that moment, the general manager descended from upstairs, reprimanding the guards.
“What’s going on here?”
“General Manager, someone was causing a disturbance in Dragonscale Bank!”
The guards reported, their eyes fixed on Rikki.
Sensing their hostility, Rikki quickly ran behind Daniel, clinging to his leg for protection.
Seeing this, the general manager immediately understood.
“It’s fine. There’s nothing for you to handle here. Return to your posts.”
“Yes, sir.”
The guards retreated to their positions.
“Esteemed customer, here are the fire crystals and pure fire stones you requested. They’ve been carefully packaged.”
The general manager handed a storage crystal to Daniel.
After confirming its contents, Daniel left with Rose and the others.
Watching Daniel’s departing figure, the general manager turned and ascended to Dragonscale Bank’s upper floors.
A customer so mysterious and powerful, who could casually produce such an astronomical number of mana stones, must belong to a significant force. This had to be reported to the administrator. Your journey continues with empire
…
At the highest level of Sunken City’s Dragonscale Bank, the administrator’s office managed all affairs of the bank in the city.
Had Daniel been present, he would have immediately recognized someone in the room—Elise.
The same Elise who had once disguised herself as a diamond knight, fooling even Daniel.
Currently, she stood before the Sunken City Dragonscale Bank’s head administrator.
The meeting room’s atmosphere was tense, verging on explosive.
Bang!
A middle-aged man slammed the table with his palm.
“Elise, what is the meaning of this?” he demanded.
The man, Reno, was the head administrator of Dragonscale Bank in Sunken City. Years ago, he had been assigned here to prepare for the upcoming Battle for Dominance.
After years of planning, the battle was now imminent, and victory seemed within reach.
But now, Elise had arrived, demanding they abandon the fight.
“Do you even know what you’re saying?” Reno asked angrily.
“I know exactly what I’m saying, Administrator Reno,” Elise replied calmly. “Lake City is not a place worth pursuing… I’m thinking of Dragonscale Bank’s best interests.”