After calming down the boy in front of me and ordering him a pastry to display my kindness, I reassessed the situation.
The boy's name was Raven. He looked like he was on the verge of starvation due to his slender body, and he was the epitome of poverty with torn clothes and ungroomed hair.
In three years, he would be the undisputed leader of the black market, and his businesses would even expand into the real world. All alone and at rock bottom, he climbed and scratched his way up to the top.
That was the person I needed for my business.
But... who the hell was this boy in front of me?
The Raven I know was fierce and power-hungry, unwilling to kneel on the ground and pray to god for salvation!
As a sigh unknowingly escaped my mouth, I realized I was already too far in. As future comrades in business, we needed to trust each other, and there was not even a semblance of that right now.
I could theoretically force him to join me, as I have blackmail on him, but that would just lead to the business failing, as he would do the bare minimum.
As Raven grew up in the slums, where trust was nonexistent, there was only one way to gain his faith.
A Mana Contract.
As Raven stared at the pastry sitting in front of me, various thoughts flooded through his head.
Is he trying to butter me up?
This is some sort of scheme, right?
Carefully picking up a fork, Raven, who had used utensils to eat maybe 3 times in his entire life, awkwardly maneuvered his silverware to the cake and picked up a small piece.
So what if it's a trick? At this point, I might as well enjoy it!
As the strawberry cake entered his mouth, an immediate sense of euphoria washed over Raven. His taste buds began to dance in joy as the piece of cake sat on his tongue, and all he could think about was the sweet taste of the cake.
More... I want more.
Rather than saving and conserving the food like usual, Raven immediately went in for another bite.
...Is this heaven?
In less than a minute, the entire cake slice was gone, and all that was left was an empty plate.
As Raven stared at the empty plate with unimaginable sorrow, he noticed the noble slide over a seemingly normal piece of paper.
However, glancing at the paper a second time, Raven immediately understood what it was.
Having done business in the black market for over 2 years, there was no way he couldn't know what a mana contract was.
The black market was dark and treacherous, so mana contracts were often signed to ensure both parties held up their side of the deal.
But for Raven, mana contracts were his archenemis, weakness, and enemy.
He couldn't sign those; he was a fraud! He couldn't sign a contract saying that the weapon was real!
[Party B will work under Party A and obey all requests from Party A]
[In exchange, 10% of all profits will be handed to Party B]
The contract was simple and straightforward, so simple that someone like Raven, with no education, could understand it with one glance.
However, that actually had the opposite effect on Raven; he was even more confused than ever now!
Raven understood his situation; the other person had all the leverage, but he had nothing.
So, then, why in the world would the other person offer him a mana contract when they could just blackmail him..?
Seeing the hesitant Raven, the noble spoke up.
"If you sign, I'll buy you another slice of cak-"
Raven immediately signed the contract using his mana. One might think that his signing was hasty and premature; however, it was an easy decision for Raven.
Pick the better of the two evils!
Either deny and possibly be handed over to the black market for fraud, or just accept!
The decision was a piece of cake!
After a moment, the contract shined white, signifying that both parties had voluntarily and non-forcibly signed the contract, before disintegrating into pieces and disappearing.
" *ahem,* Sir, the cake."
"Call me boss, and it'll be here in a second."
While Raven anxiously awaited the arrival of the cake, Ren used the opportunity to start explaining his idea.
The idea was actually quite simple, but of course, it could only be done by someone who knew information from the future.
Healing circles were currently the most popular magic amenity, as within seconds, you could instantly heal any minor injury with only a bit of mana.
So, shouldn't Ren's healing circle with better effects and healing times sell amazingly in the market?
"Boss, if these magic circles can be created just by drawing on a piece of paper, why are they worth so much..? Can't you just redraw one you buy?"
"A magic circle can't be replicated by just looking at it; you need to learn each fluid and specific motion from someone to replicate it."
"... wait, does that mean. I have t-"
"Yep, you'll be learning starting now!"
Fortunately, I had already drawn about 100 of the advanced healing circles, so Raven could start selling them immediately while also learning how to draw them.
After sliding over a backpack filled with the circles, the two of us exited the cafe.
"Boss, I don't know who you think I am, but I can't just sell these circles to people. They'll need evidence and credibility."
"Then, make evidence and credibility."
Raven, who had lost all hope in escaping this situation, decided to accept his circumstances, so he inwardly began planning.
For evidence, he could hire people to get hurt and then display the effectiveness of the circle and the credibility he could build up over time.
Of course, Raven had no idea whether the circle was effective, but he had no choice but to trust his boss.
After planning everything, only one problem remained.
"Boss, I'll need some money to get the business started."
They needed a vendor's license, an exquisite stand to attract customers, some employees, and materials.
However, Raven wasn't considerably worried about that. After all, his boss was a noble—and not just any noble, a direct descendant of a hero family—and he had to have tons of money!
At those words, Ren froze for a second.
He had just spent the last of his money buying the cake.
"How much will you need?"
"25 gold coins should be enough for the first month; however, more would be better."
This kid... how can he ask for 25 gold coins like it's nothing?
Ah, right, I'm noble in his eyes. This last name of mine brings more trouble than good.
As Ren approached the bridge to the academy, with Raven following close behind, he decided on a plan.
He had completed the Sea God's Blessed quest in the dream, so shouldn't the Sea bless him with money!?
So what if my debt to the serpent increases by 50 gold coins? Would it really make a difference?
Of course, the river surrounding the capital was well-known for the sea crystals and various treasures that were hidden inside, so it wasn't a complete gamble.
Also, he could see underwater perfectly, so his chances of finding a sea crystal were increased.
Standing at the ledge, Ren stared down into the water, examining each inch of the water carefully to find a crystal.
Crystals can be found in a variety of habitats and are expensive due to their usefulness. Since they contain mana inside them, they can be used to make mana potions or artifacts with special attributes.
On the other hand, Raven confusedly walked to the ledge beside Ren, trying his best to ignore the awkward silence, and looked down as well.
However, all he could see was the dark blue surface of the ocean.
What exactly was this noble looking at?
"uh Boss, what a-"
"Quiet."
Shutting his mouth, Raven gave up on trying to discover whatever hidden motive this noble had.
Was the world always this complicated? Can't I go back to just scamming idiots in the black market?
Wait... but then the cake, would I have eaten it..
Disrupting Raven's thoughts, he looked to the side to see that his boss had finally made a move, but it was in the wrong direction!
Ren, having finally found a crystal, had no hesitation as he jumped off the ledge and straight into the water.
"BOSS, IF YOU DIE, CAN I HAVE YO-"
Ignoring his annoying subordinate, Ren embraced the coldness of the seawater and used the momentum from his jump to fall all the way to the sea floor.
Countless fish immediately encircled him, however, Ren payed them no attention and swam towards the glistening crystal in the distance.
After reaching the crystal, Ren attempted to pull it out, and it came right out despite being lodged in the rough sand for who knows how many years.
That wasn't the only peculiarity Ren noticed. He realized that despite being underwater for more than two minutes, he hadn't felt the need to get air at all, and maybe the most obvious sign was the countless fish encircling him like a shield.
Even the bitter coldness of the water didn't affect him; in fact, it almost made him feel more comfortable.
Is this what a Sea God's blessed is...?
After swimming up to the surface and climbing back up to the ledge, Ren handed the crystal over to the bewildered Raven.
"Boss... aren't you cold...?"
Looking down, Ren saw that all his clothes were drenched and his hair dripped with water. It was evening, so the temperature was cold as well. Despite all that, Ren felt perfectly fine.
In contrast, Raven felt cold by just staring at the dripping Ren; however, he didn't question further as he had already given up on understanding his boss.
After exchanging contacts, Ren returned to the academy, still dripping with water. The portals were all closed by now, so he opted to walk on the bridge to head back.
Ren reentered the academy after receiving a couple of glances from the guards due to his drenched appearance.
Having skipped dinner, Ren decided to grab a quick meal before heading to his dorm room to dry up.
Even though the water didn't affect his comfort, he didn't want to be seen roaming around completely soaked.
Far too many rumors were circulating around him, and he didn't plan to start anymore.
However, as he neared the cafeteria's entrance, three figures could be seen standing nearby.
A girl with red hair, a girl with white hair, and finally, a girl that almost immediately evoked countless emotions from Ren.
Irene, Alya, and Lily.
Calming himself down, Ren took a step back.
What reason could these 3 have to meet..?
Alya and Irene don't have connections to Liam yet, so there should be no reason... right?
Those 3 had absolutely no similarities aside from their relations with Liam.
A plot change...
Who changes the plot? That's me!
Don't tell me...
A similarity between the 3 immediately popped into my head.
All 3 of them dislike me!