The shadow of that slap still loomed overhead. When Xiao Yan forced himself forward through his fear, his calves were still a bit wobbly. Yet the Dreadclaw Bear only glanced at him blandly, hung the milk tea on a razor-sharp claw, and let Xiao Yan take it with trembling hands before looking to the next customer. "Is this some inner court senior's pet?"
Xiao Yan was stunned by the bear's steady temperament.
"Or… beast-taming?"
A bold guess flashed in his mind.
No wonder the Academy arranged such a fierce beast in the trial zone—it turned out to be a pet, or perhaps a detached martial soul under tight human control.
"Shrek is truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. An inner court senior who can control a creature like this…"
Admiration rose in Xiao Yan's eyes.
He took a pull on the straw.
His eyes lit up at once.
"Huh???"
"Three more!"
Little Gold looked his way, flipped the placard hanging from his neck, and pointed to the writing with a sharp claw, expressionless.
"Limit one per person?!!" Xiao Yan stood dazed in the wind.
…
They closed at dawn.
Not because Shrek City has a curfew—the lights outside still blazed, and the commercial street's high-rises shone with bright signs, brilliant even at night.
But because Su Wen's supplies… sold out.
After apologetically sending away the customers who had queued all day only to leave empty-handed and cursing, the crew collapsed to the floor.
After brief goodbyes, a few inner court seniors headed home with dozens of cups of milk tea, their arms full.
Ma Xiaotao handed the ledger to Su Wen. Exhausted, she demanded another kiss to recharge, then left satisfied.
"Clack-clack-clack~"
The Gale rattled at high speed, like a seasoned bookkeeper. Its nimble fingers flew; in its hands, the accounts were sorted in mere minutes.
"Roar~"
It turned and growled at Su Wen.
"Total income: five million and seventy thousand gold soul coins?" Su Wen was dumbfounded. How could it be that much?
He knew exactly how many cups the kitchen could make and how many cups they had. At one gold soul coin per cup, at most it should be a few tens of thousands. So where did the extra five million come from?
"Roar~"
Gale shrugged.
No idea.
Wait—Ma Xiaotao?
Su Wen froze, then his furrowed brow eased. Only Ma Xiaotao had handled the money; she couldn't possibly be unaware of the extra five million…
"Roar~"
Suddenly, Gale growled and handed Su Wen a slip of paper.
It was Ma Xiaotao's handwriting—bold and brash like her: "Zhang Yi and the others chipped in with me. We know you're short on money—take it first. Zhang Yi grumbled that his dowry is in there, haha…"
Su Wen's mouth twitched.
Looks like his money troubles were already public knowledge.
Five million gold soul coins is no small sum. Even for those inner court seniors and Ma Xiaotao, you could say they emptied their little coffers.
A smile tugged at Su Wen's lips.
It felt good to be cared for. He'd been on this continent for over four years now and had built a circle of friends.
"Transfer these funds into the black-gold card." Su Wen gave Gale a storage ring filled with coins and a black-gold card. "There's a soul-bank on the next street. Go there."
"Roar~"
Gale nodded, took the items, opened a third-floor window, and vaulted out.
Those were Lin's people; they would know what to do. Gale was already registered within the Treasure Pavilion's network.
"Seventy thousand a day, that's over two million a month…" Su Wen mused.
Two hundred thousand? No—over two million. It's not little, not much.
Enough to let three soul beasts live a tight but workable life. With the five million chipped in by Sis Xiao Tao and the others, things would be much easier.
But this was only the beginning. Day one is the peak—plus herd mentality—bringing in lots of traffic. Over time, revenue will decline. Once the novelty fades, the momentum will weaken.
Still, opening branches is a good option.
Su Wen nodded slightly.
Leverage unique innovation early; later, prices can drop—down to a silver soul coin, even a copper soul coin. After all, the cost is less than a tenth of a copper soul coin. How much can eggs and sugar cost?
Once stable, he could hand operations off to the Treasure Pavilion and just sit back to collect dividends. He believed Old Lin wouldn't shortchange him.
But the pressing issue was labor!
Su Wen glanced at Little Gold, collapsed like a hill of meat; and at the Ice Emperor, lying on his back, swinging tongs and foaming at the mouth pretending to be dead. The two little fellows were worn out.
"Post job notices. Hire people."
While Su Wen was plotting the future, a black shadow slipped in through the third-floor window—high heels clicking. A figure in black robes appeared before him; the curtains billowed in the wind. Su Wen was surprised. "Sister Lexuan?"
Judging by her hurried entrance, she must have just finished a mission and returned to the Academy.
"Mhm."
A gentle female voice came from beneath the robe.
Slender jade fingers lifted the hood, revealing a fair, pretty face. She smiled tenderly at Su Wen. "You've grown taller—and more handsome."
"Ding~"
A soul-communication device at her waist lit with a red indicator.
The beauty stroked Su Wen's cheek with reluctant fondness. "Sorry, Xiao Wen. Graduation's near, and I still have a pile of missions to handle."
She handed him a soul-guide storage ring. "There are four million gold soul coins inside. Big sis's birthday gift to you. I'm sorry I missed this year's birthday. I won't next year."
Then she leaned closer to his ear. Su Wen thought she was going to say something and leaned in—but warmth brushed his cheek. A fragrant breeze. Her soft lips touched down like a dragonfly skimming water, leaving Su Wen stunned.
"How old are you now? Still blushing…"
Zhang Lexuan's tinkling laughter echoed by his ear.
"Gotta go~"
The shadow vanished,
leaving a gentle breeze.
Su Wen came back to himself, the corner of his mouth twitching. She really was… coming and going without a trace.
Zhang Lexuan had been absent from the inner court for over a year. It seemed she'd been running missions all over the continent. The inner court's requirements are many; unless you're a cheater, even geniuses have to give it their all to graduate.
"Whew…"
The ring felt heavy in his hand.
It wasn't easy for Sis Lexuan to earn that money…
Though there's a monthly stipend, unless it's something urgent—like a must-have item at auction (suitable herbs, soul tools, etc.)—the Academy will reimburse. But as for hard cash, inner court students don't actually carry that much on them…
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Advanced chapter here: p-atreon.com/Sajaboyzzz
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