A Huge Sum of Money

Colin and George VIII had an agreement: on the first of every month, George VIII would send someone to Will City to bring materials and take away the finished Basic Strength Potions Colin made.

July 1st was a Wednesday. Colin specifically asked for leave from school and stayed home. Smith and Linda had both gone to work, leaving him alone in the house.

Morning. Colin sat in a living room chair, waiting. On the coffee table in front of him was a cup of black tea and a plate of round cookies made by Linda.

The Empire's nobles put sugar in their black tea, but Colin didn't have that habit; he drank his plain. Suddenly, Colin heard the sound of carriage wheels, followed by the carriage stopping and a knock at the door.

"Is Mr. Colin here?" a middle-aged man's voice called out.

Colin put down his black tea, got up, and went to the door to open it. Before him stood a tall, middle-aged man with brown eyes and brown hair.

"Are you Mr. Colin?" the middle-aged man asked, taking off his black cap and bowing.

"Yes. Are you the one Mr. George sent?" Colin nodded first, then asked.

"Yes. My name is Rhode, and I will be responsible for liaising with you from now on." The middle-aged man, Rhode, placed his hat over his chest and bowed humbly. Colin nodded and glanced outside. An inconspicuous carriage was parked by the roadside, with a driver on it.

"Please come in." Colin retracted his gaze, moved aside, and invited him in.

"Yes, Mr. Colin." Rhode remained very humble. Colin bent down, took a pair of guest slippers from the shoe cabinet, and placed them down. Rhode took off his shoes and put on the slippers. The two of them went into the living room, one after the other.

Colin asked Rhode to sit down and said, "It must have been a long journey, and you must be thirsty. I'll make you a cup of black tea."

Rhode was already aware of the Russell family's situation. He wasn't surprised that Colin would personally attend to a guest. Of course, he didn't dare to drink black tea.

Let alone Colin being an apothecary, even a common noble would be too much for him to dare. He was just a commoner.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir. I'm not thirsty." Rhode, who had just sat down, immediately stood up, placed his hat over his chest, and bowed very humbly.

"Alright then. I'll go upstairs to get the potions." Colin didn't insist and said with a smile. Rhode bowed again, then sat down with trepidation.

Colin went upstairs to the attic, retrieved eight Basic Strength Potions, and brought them to the living room, arranging them in a row on the coffee table.

Rhode looked at the potions but didn't examine them. He stood up, bowed to Colin, and said, "Please wait a moment."

"Okay." Colin nodded politely. Rhode then left the Russell residence and returned shortly. When he came back, he was carrying two wooden boxes, one large and one small, and a black cloth bag hung from his waist.

Rhode placed the two wooden boxes on the ground, took out the black cloth bag from his waist, and bowed to Colin, saying, "Mr. Colin. Here are thirty sets of materials. After deducting the cost of the materials, this is thirty-four gold coins. Please accept it."

According to the agreement, each set of materials cost one gold coin, and each finished potion sold for eight gold coins.

A reserved smile appeared on Colin's face as he reached out and took the black money bag. The beautiful gold coins made a pleasant clinking sound inside the bag.

Although Colin appeared reserved on the surface, he was inwardly very pleased. To put it bluntly, this was the first time in his life he had seen so much gold. The Financial Officer Smith and the House Tutor Linda, their combined annual income was roughly the same amount of gold.

Seeing this, Rhode bowed to Colin again, then carefully opened the small wooden box. Inside were pre-made wooden compartments, just the right size to place the round potions upright. Soft hay was packed around them. Rhode carefully placed each potion upright, then closed the wooden box and picked it up.

"Mr. Colin, I'll take my leave now. I wish you a pleasant day." Rhode bowed carefully. The contents were too precious; he couldn't afford to drop them.

"I wish you a safe journey as well." Colin stood up and nodded slightly.

Colin then saw Rhode off, closed the door, and then happily went to the living room. He opened the bag of gold coins, and a burst of golden light flashed, causing Colin to squint involuntarily, a smile spreading across his face.

Immediately, Colin carried the gold coins and materials upstairs to his bedroom. He then opened the ladder to the small attic and carefully placed them inside to hide them.

Afterward, Colin sat down in a chair facing the desk and window. The glass window was open, and a gentle warm breeze blew in. Colin stared blankly out the window, and the System interface appeared before his eyes.

Colin Russell

Profession: Novice Knight.

Vitality: 5 (+1)

Intelligence: 7

Strength: 6 (+2)

Agility: 6

Bloodline: Black Bear Bloodline (Normal) [Note: Requires 1 Bloodline Point to upgrade]

Bloodline Influence: Strength +2, Vitality +1

Skills: Roer Military Swordsmanship (Perfect), Riding (Mastered) [Requires 1 Skill Point to upgrade], Basic Alchemy, Basic Strength Potion Crafting (Perfect)

Unallocated Attribute Points: 0 [Note: 1 Energy can be converted into 1 Attribute Point.]

Unallocated Skill Points: 0 [Note: 1 Energy can be converted into 1 Skill Point.] [Note: Skill Points can also be used to learn skills.]

Unallocated Bloodline Points: 0 [Note: 2 Energy can be converted into 1 Bloodline Point.]

Energy: 4 [Note: Energy can be converted into Attribute Points, Skill Points, and Bloodline Points. Unused Attribute Points, Skill Points, and Bloodline Points can also be converted into Energy.]

[Note: All items with magic power can collect Energy.]

Status: Healthy.

Colin looked at the System interface that appeared before him, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. Out of the thirty sets of materials, he failed to craft two sets. The remaining twenty-eight sets were successfully crafted into Basic Strength Potions. Eight were sold to George VIII, and the remaining twenty were all used to collect Energy.

Previously, with six points, he allocated one to Strength, one to Agility, two to upgrade his Bloodline, and two to upgrade Roer Military Swordsmanship. The remaining 14 points were used to raise Roer Military Swordsmanship to Perfect, and he distributed points to Vitality, Intelligence, Strength, and Agility respectively, with 4 points of Energy remaining.

"With my current physical condition, I can completely contend with Brian. And just over a month ago, my physical condition was considered third-rate in the class."

Colin happily closed the System interface.

After thinking for a moment, Colin took a gold coin, put it in his pocket, and went downstairs and out. Soon, he left Wright Street, arrived at Marquis Kent Street, and entered a market. He bought a large chicken that had already been killed and plucked, and had it wrapped in paper. After returning to Wright Street, Colin went to a wine shop near his home and bought a bottle of red wine produced in Veil.

Having money in hand felt great; he could buy whatever he wanted. Colin hummed a little tune, his steps light and brisk.