Rise Of The Infinite Sovereign-Chapter 375: Final Arrangements

"Actually, there’s one more thing"

With the first speaker fumbling, another council member took his place.

Raising his brow, Ezra spoke. "And what would that be?"

"Mr. Sylvester, we have taken note of your potential and would like to invest in you"

"And what do you expect to gain?"

"While Mr. Sylvester is still a rank two Transcendent-

"Rank three" Ezra corrected.

"Sorry?"

"I’m now a rank three Transcendent, I broke through during my battle with the astral beast"

"Noted" the spokesman intoned.

"When Mr. Sylvester reaches the Nascent-rank, we would like you to retrieve artifacts for us from a secret realm of our choosing"

"Sounds dangerous. Let me guess, only Nascent’s can enter this secret realm?" he guessed.

"That is so"

"Alright, I will do it" Ezra nodded offhandedly. "How much will you be investing?"

"As you are still a rank three Transcendent, we will be investing nine million for starters, per month of course. If you fail to advance your rank in a year’s time, it will go down to eight million but if you do advance in rank before a year elapses, the amount will be doubled"

Ezra revealed a wide smile for the first time during the start of their meeting. He almost burst into laughter.

"Wonderful"

Ezra was delighted, he didn’t think there was a more advantageous deal for him.

"Does that mean you consent?" the spokesman inquired.

"Hmm..." Ezra rubbed his chin. "Increase it to ten million and you have a deal"

"Ten million it is then" the spokesman concedes. "Now then, we have to measure your rank for proper documentation, I hope Sir does not mind?"

"Not at all" Ezra replied, having concealed his smile.

The spokesman snaps his finger. Two men walk in, holding a device consisting of a black platform with a palm print outlined with a combination of colours on top of it connected to a fairly large scale marked 1st to 6th.

"This is a measuring tool designed specifically for Transcendents. Simply place your hand on top of it and release your energy"

On his feet, Ezra simply nodded.

With his hand correctly positioned, Ezra let off his energy, lighting up the device.

White light filled the black scale, shooting past the 1st, 2nd and 3rd markers before stopping just below the 4th marker.

The council members watching were surprised.

"Seeing as you’ll soon reach the fourth rank, the investment amount will be adjusted to fifteen million"

"I’m thankful"

In no time, both sides signed the contract and fifteen million was subsequently wired into Ezra’s account, making a total of a hundred and sixteen million.

He had profited from this meeting more than he could have imagined.

That got him wondering if he made a mistake giving away all that fame to Evanol, before dismissing such thoughts.

But that brought something else to light.

"Sirs" Ezra called, capturing their attention. "I would appreciate it if you make sure word about me doesn’t spread"

"We were going to do so anyway" the spokesman replied. "You are our secret weapon, we don’t want more people knowing about you"

"Thank you"

"You’re welcome"

"Now, I assume this was your last agenda?" said Ezra.

"Yes. Yes, it is"

"Then I will see myself out. It’s a pleasure doing business with your Excellency’s"

With that, Ezra promptly exited the hall and then the building before unleashing a robust grin, jittery from excitement as he reorganized his plans once again.

Walking a distance, Ezra teleported and reappeared in front of Mr. Sidal’s base.

Shaking off the after effects, he entered, meeting Sidal on the way.

"Mr. Sylvester. Shall we talk in my office?"

In The Office

"Mr. Sidal, the plan has changed. Now, I want to create only elixirs and weapons of top-tier quality. How much will it cost me?"

"In terms of needed ingredients, it won’t cost you beyond twenty million. But you must understand that very few are able to comfortably create top-tier items and artisans of such calibre can usually only be hired because of how packed their schedules are. Do you still want to go through with it?"

"Hmm...What is the price difference between normal and top-tier astral elixirs?"

"Normal elixirs could sell anywhere from two to thirty million, top tier elixirs cost at least fifteen million"

"And only these costly master artisans are capable of such feats?"

"No, but if to left a lesser artisan, there’s a good chance everything could end in failure"

"I see, and how much will it take to hire a master artisan?"

"Twenty million should do it"

At this point, Ezra did not even have the energy to be surprised.

"How many top-tier elixirs should I be expecting?" Ezra questioned.

"You don’t have to worry, if the alchemist can’t guarantee thirty elixirs, I won’t even bother with him"

"Alright. What about the blacksmith?"

"Now that you mention it, he arrived an hour ago" Sidal remarked.

"Is he a master artisan?"

"He’s at the cusp of becoming one, just needs a little push. Which is why he’s very eager to craft those weapons for you, the opportunity to work on the remains of an astral beast is very rare one after all"

"What is his rank?"

"He’s a rank one Transcendent"

On that note, it turns out that masterful control of one’s energy was more important than energy capacity for alchemists, blacksmiths and the likes.

Albas was only at Mythic rank, yet he could craft Astral elixir, though only normal tier one.

"Sounds capable. How much did it cost you to hire him?"

"He requested only five million to gather supplementary materials. He’s fine not been paid"

"Give him six"

"Yes sir"

"My biggest concern is that this base’s defences can’t withstand the attack of a Transcendent, processing the body of an astral beast in such a place is out of the question. How do you intend to remedy this?"

Sidal replied. "I’ve rented a workshop located inside a secret subspace"

"That puts my heart at ease"

Ezra didn’t exactly know what that was, but feigned acknowledgement for the sake of his credibility. He instead made an educated guess based on the description Sidal gave, and skipped to another topic.

"Your account number"

On the spot, Ezra transferred seventy five million, seventy million was the joint cost of buying all the supplementary materials, hiring master artisans, and of course, payment to AlphaNova as the intermediary.

The extra five million acted as a buffer in case any unexpected events arose while he was away.

This instantly diminished his wealth to forty million, slashing it beyond half point.

All this just to process a single astral beast.

From this, one could easily understand why only clans and large organizations dive into astral beast processing.

The expenditure costs alone went beyond common sense! And how many people would even be willing to spend money so extravagantly?

"Do you know how long it would take to produce the top-tier elixirs?" Ezra inquired.

"I believe it shouldn’t be longer than four months"

"Hmm" Ezra went into contemplation.

His original idea was to call Evanol to reschedule, but Ezra didn’t want to do that.

It would harm his image and credibility.

So, he brainstormed an alternative, and one came to him after a minute of deliberation.

’This could work’

Confirming the feasibility of his plan, Ezra spoke.

"Let’s have the alchemist to prioritize creating three top-tier elixirs in two months"

"But that will push back the creation of rest of the elixirs even further"

"It doesn’t matter. We’ll use the first three as samples and stir up the market in preparation for the rest. One will go to the red dragon clan, you will auction off the second one and as for the third elixir, I have plans for it"

"Understood," Sidal nodded. Having read Ezra’s intentions, he gives ideas of his own. "On that note, I will send invites to the richest people I know and leak the existence of the elixir to them, luring them to the auction house"

"Good thinking"

Once those samples are sold, news of it will spread and the value of the elixir will naturally increase ahead of time.

This was what Ezra was aiming for.

"I have to head somewhere to take care of some matters, I cannot tell you where, but I suspect I won’t be able to maintain communication during that time"

"How long will you be gone?"

"I should be back in three months"

"Understood" Sidal didn’t pry further.

"In the meantime..."

Ezra quickly brought him up to date on the investment he would be receiving from the council members.

Ezra then calls the number the council had given him, reaching a high ranked personnel, he gives them directives to hand the monthly investments to Sidal in his stead, citing that he would be going to be cultivating in a closed space to break through to the fourth rank and consolidate his cultivation.

A very reasonable excuse.

Stating that although he intends to use only two months, in the case of unforeseen circumstances he might end up using seven or even eight months, and if so, the investments should be forwarded to Sidal in his stead.

Thus, inadvertently making Sidal his representative.

Of course, when presented with such words, the personnel could only comply.

This way, even without him, the investments would act as ample extra funds to support Sidal.

Such directives would be unthinkable if they hadn’t tied their interests together with the exclusive contract.

On that note, Ezra explicitly ordered that every transaction concerning the investment funds be recorded.

As for whether Sidal would flaunt this order? It didn’t matter.

The next time Ezra would come, he planned to bring many others along. After all, it would be unfair to keep the outside world for only himself to experience.

At that time, he’d have them crosscheck the records to ensure there was no foul play.

Anyhow, after making final arrangements to ensure things would flow as intended even during his absence, Sidal led Ezra to see the blacksmith.

Galvan Zilopinn.

As a dark skinned dwarf with small ears, thick brows, and massive muscles, even from afar, the fellow looked like he was ready to fight anybody.

This assessment was not too far off the mark...

"Sidal, where have you been?!" the dwarf hollered with a hammer in his grip. Almost steaming "And why haven’t I caught sight of the astral beast you promised yet?!"

His voice was unusually deep as well.

"Galvan! Will you stop shouting?!" Sidal hollered right back, shocking Ezra. "I’ve brought your employer!"

It was a side of Sidal he had never seen before.

Upon hearing the last words, Galvan seized his shouting, hastily hiding his hammer behind his back like a meek little fellow.

On the other hand, Sidal sighed before straightening his glasses. "I apologize for such unsightly display"

"It’s fine. But why didn’t you tell me the dwarf was your acquaintance? Did you think I would reject him if I knew?"

"I apologize. I simply believed that it didn’t matter since his skills were certified"

"I’m not angry. But next time, remember that I’ll like to be the one deciding what matters and what doesn’t" Ezra intoned, exuding a formless pressure.

"I will keep that in mind" Sidal responded, his expression remained impassive, but the beads of sweat forming on his face told a different story.

In fact, Galvan wasn’t a blacksmith in contract with AlphaNova, Sidal had called him upon Ezra’s request because the blacksmith that was actually contracted to his branch was of a low skill-level and because he was the cheapest.

What? Galvan had the required skill level and was willing to work for free! Sidal would be a fool to not hire him.

After all, the less money he paid them, the more money he-the intermediary-earned.

Additionally, he had coaxed Galvan to sign a deal with him that tied him to the AlphaNova Company for next twenty years by dangling the opportunity to work on an astral beast or from Galvan’s point of view, a potentially breakthrough to the master rank.

It was nothing immoral nor illegal.

Galvan vehemently declined working for AlphaNova, as that was half the reason why he had yet to become a master artisan-he was against working under clan’s or people in general.

For the most part, that was because he didn’t want to be taken advantage of, as there were many sad stories of unfair contracts. freewebnøvel.com

Beyond that was that he didn’t want to be restricted.

If he joined a particular organization, he would only be able to take orders the organization permits him too, and this in particular was a cause for stagnation for many blacksmiths.

Instead, the contract entailed that Galvan would simply prioritize not AlphaNova, but Sidal’s requests above others for the next twenty years.

This would give him an even larger standing and influence within the company in the says to come.

He would’ve done the same for the elixirs, but while he did know an independent master alchemist, they were neutral parties.

Meaning he wouldn’t be getting any special price cuts or discounts, hence the twenty million price tag.

Though, the fact the item for refinement is astral blood would give him some room to maneuver in the negotiations.

The duo reached the blacksmith, who looked straight at Ezra.

"You are my employer?"

"What of it? You don’t like humans?"

"No, not at all. I like all races" the dwarf hurriedly absolved him of the allegation, before then lowering his head.

"I would like to thank you. I’m very grateful for this chance"

"I’m glad you are" Ezra replied. "But I you prove it through your craftsmanship rather than just words"

Those words set off his crafting spirit as eyes blazed with conviction. "Understood. Prepared to be amazed! I will forge you a masterpiece!"

’A peculiar personality, but he seems reliable’

"I look forward to it" Ezra remarked.

Raising his hands, he summons Skyfall into his palm using , giving the dwarf quite a spook.

Right now, Skyfall wasn’t letting off its usual gleam.

Its blinding silver coating was filled with purple spots, and one of the blades had even begun to rust.

"Astral Corrosion" Galvan commented. He’d instantly deciphered Skyfall’s current state.

Ezra nodded. "Yes. It started after my battle with the astral beast"

"Hmm...who made that weapon?"

"I do not know" Ezra lied. "Would you like to hold it?"

"Please" Galvan held out his hand.

Holding Skyfall, Galvan’s gaze changed, inspecting the scythe as he felt its texture, his expression changing multiple times.

"What is its name?"

"Skyfall"

"Skyfall. That’s a good name"

"It is" Ezra nodded in agreement.

Then, the dwarf flinched. "Oh, it even has a soul? Remarkable. This makes things easier"

"So you can fix it?"

"Yes I can" the dwarf nodded. "I’ll reinforce it with the astral beast’s leather after purifying it to build up its resistance, but the weapon is made of completely different materials, a few of which I’m unfamiliar with. So the special ability I sense within might be lost"

’Special ability? Oh, he must be talking about its ability to extend’

"That matters less. When can you begin, I would like you to proceed as fast as possible"

Whilst Skyfall could lose a special ability, if nothing was done, the weapon would practically be done for.

"I can begin once I gather all the needed materials"

"Wonderful. I would like to forge spears and a bow with whatever the remains of the astral beast"

"That much I can do" the dwarf affirms. "But seeing Skyfall’s state. I would need to get more materials than I originally estimated"

"So, how much more would that cost"

Making hand signs and murmuring all sorts of gibberish, he eventually replied "Nine million. That much would get it done"

"Alright. Mr. Sidal will take care of that" Ezra concurred, nodding offhandedly as he pointed at Skyfall. "Take good care of it"

The dwarf bowed in response, "You have my word"

Ezra gave a slight nod.

"The rest can wait. I want you to prioritize fixing Skyfall. How long will that take?"

"Five weeks" the dwarf affirmed. "Five weeks is enough"

"Alright. I will look forward to it"

Sidal transferred nine million to Galvan right away, and Galvan took a quick exit, humming a jolly tune as he did.

Done with that, all that remained was for the alchemist to arrive, and then Ezra would be free to leave.

But the alchemist was scheduled to arrive only after three hours at the very least.

Till then, Ezra had found something else to do.

Out of the blue, the realization that forty million lay in his bank account struck him.

’Right. I’m not poor anymore’

Spontaneously, Ezra decided to do a bit of shopping.

Thinking about it a bit more...wouldn’t his mom put up a lovely smile if he came back bearing gifts?

Ezra suddenly became energized, having found a hidden objective!

Now that he thought about it, though, he initiated the creation of Black Sky; the mall owned by Black Jaw in Traxford...he’d never actually been inside of it before!

He made a mental note to tour the place once he returned to Orion.

With other matters to attend to, Sidal assigned an attendant to Ezra rather than follow himself.

Ezra had no qualms about it, he didn’t want Sidal following him everywhere either.

Arriving at AlphaNova’s many establishments, Ezra feasted his eyes on all sorts of things, from beautified wooden figurines with clothes on to neatly packaged artificial hair.

The latter shocked Ezra as he hadn’t ever thought of such a product, neither did he think there was a market for it.

Well, he was a man. So there was that.

Beyond there were many other things that Ezra surmised as technological miracles.

To buy anything, Ezra simply scans it with his communicator and it would be added to a list with the total amount written below to be paid for at a counter located in front.

Ezra fumbled a bit at first, but was soon proficient at it.

Scanning with little consideration, he had grabbed many, too many things, for his mother.

Upon reaching the book section, Ezra’s brain was again jolted.

’Why was I only thinking of bringing people here? Can’t I take things to them as well?’

From this moment, Ezra started scanning all the educational books, making sure to set his preference to hard copy.

What started as gift hunting for his mother became a hunt for knowledge to advance Orion as a whole.

Along the way, he remembered that already made a mental note to do exactly this.

What a weird turn of events.