But she immediately frowned again. She had recommended herself as Brand’s staff, and the young knight did not object. However, it was hard to say if he would let her handle such a large sum of money as she pleased.
Brand saw the change of expressions on the face of his new subordinate and couldn’t help but ask, "Miss Antitina?"
"What?" Antitina was stunned and looked up.
"Are you considering our funding problem?" Brand asked.
Antitina blushed slightly but quickly returned to normal. The girl seriously nodded and replied, "Yes, as your staff. I feel it’s necessary to consider this issue."
As she spoke, she looked somewhat unconfidently at Miss Roman. After all, as Brand’s nominal fiancée, it seemed she had more say in these matters.
However, this Merchant Lady simply smiled as sweetly as ever.
Brand, after listening, showed a thoughtful look. He glanced at the others before replying, "If you have an idea, I will divide this money into two parts. One for you and one for Roman. You both can use these funds as you see fit. But—"
He hadn’t finished his sentence when Antitina showed a look of disbelief, "Sir Knight, are you serious?"
Brand nodded as a matter of course. This was his habit as a squad leader in the ’Amber Sword’ — always trusting his people or rather, assessing a person’s ability through letting go.
The girl took a breath, nodded earnestly, and said: "I assure you I will use this money wisely, Sir Knight. I already have a plan that can increase this fund’s value in a short time..."
Brand interrupted her, saying, "No, I give you this money to tell you. I entrust Little Roman to make money for me, and Miss Antitina, I want you to spend money for me."
"Spend money?" Antitina was stunned.
At that moment, the bell of the trading hall below chimed. Brand turned his head and replied, "You will understand soon. Of course, if Miss Antitina is willing, you might as well help our Merchant Lady with her upcoming big plan!"
Brand first thought about the territory issue. If Little Roman establishes a business association, it shouldn’t be directly tied to the territory. In that case, he would need a housekeeper.
Since Antitina volunteered, he was happy to let things take their course.
"Big plan?" Antitina was stunned. She couldn’t imagine what kind of plan this seemingly ever-energetic Merchant Lady could have—truth be told, she had some reservations about Brand handing over the important task of making money to such a lady, but it wasn’t the right time to voice them.
However, she quickly dismissed that thought as something suddenly came to mind.
Her eyes sparkled slightly as she quickly connected the details shared by the Merchant Lady over the past few days about the history of festivals held in Brags—she almost instantly pieced together the general outline from the details.
She thought carefully, turned her head, and quietly asked Char beside her, "Mr. Shire, before you entered the city, where was Madara’s army?"
"They’ve been stationed in the Drage region for almost half a month," Char answered casually. He was startled and immediately asked, "Did you figure it out? Miss Antitina?"
The Wizard Apprentice couldn’t help but be amazed. She deduced the entire situation’s context from a few words, proving that the Lord’s chosen staff was quite something.
"If Miss Roman’s plan works, the profit would be at least eighty percent!" Antitina couldn’t help but look at the smiling Merchant Lady talking to Brand ahead, seeing a different side of her for the first time.
"Miss Roman’s previous calculations were a hundred percent," Char replied.
"That’s because they didn’t account for the channels," Antitina bit her lip slightly, feeling a bit shaken in her confidence. She thought for a moment and said earnestly, "But with our efforts and Mr. Limp Man’s help, reaching a hundred percent shouldn’t be impossible..."
Up ahead, Brand naturally didn’t notice his two subordinates’ quiet conversation. At that moment, the highlight of the underground trade fair—the auction—had begun. What he didn’t expect was that the first item already piqued his interest.
The sheepskin scroll lay flat under the light, written with an ancient contract in the Elemental language of the four races. Its four corners curled slightly upward under the influence of wind, ground, fire, and water elements’ magic powers, causing the edges of the mana scroll to bend towards the center.
This scroll existed to open the path to becoming an Elemental Mage for those lacking talent. Many nobles used such items to open the door to the Magic World for their family members.
Undoubtedly, it was worth a fortune.
But for Brand at this moment, this item was priceless.
Because, in his eyes, it only had one name:
’Elemental Pool Activation Scroll’
(PS. Went out for medical insurance today, spent half the day, but was told to return before the 20th. Sad. Due to the delay, only this Chapter today. I’ll write more tomorrow to make up for it.
Regarding Monthly Ticket, I will ask again tomorrow. Now Qidian is giving monthly tickets for mobile verification, you can try. Save the monthly tickets for now and see my performance tomorrow.)(To be continued, for more details, please visit www.qidian.com. Support the author and read legally!)