Little Duke Boss

Saturday.

Duke chose to take a day off. He had four days of vacation each month at Little Sam's Card Shop.

He took this day off because the Spirit Society was holding a public lecture, open to all Spiritual Apprentices. The lecturer was Mudis Black Snake, a 1-Ring Arcane Master from the Black Snake Family.

"Mudis Black Snake is a young elder of the Black Snake Family and a strong contender for the next High Priest," Old Sam said as he walked with Duke on the way to the lecture.

Old Sam had been a Spiritual Apprentice for many years, but he never missed a public lecture at the Spirit Society.

Duke asked, "Does a lecture by an Arcane Master benefit us Spiritual Apprentices?"

An Arcane Master is a type of Arcane Mage.

Spiritual Arcana encompasses the universe. All cultivators who have successfully opened their Spirit Sea are called Arcane Mages. Based on their different cultivation paths, Arcane Mages are divided into two major directions: Arcane Masters and Arcane Scholars.

Arcane Masters study powerful arcane arts for combat, with destructive power that can shatter heavens and earth.

Arcane Scholars study the secrets of arcane arts to create Spirit Cards, potions, puppets, and so on. Their titles vary depending on their direction of study, such as Card Making Scholars, Apothecary Scholars, Puppet Scholars, and so forth.

"Why wouldn't it be useful? Young Duke, whether an Arcane Master or an Arcane Scholar, they are pioneers in the field of Spiritual Arcana. If you can absorb even a little of their experience, you will benefit for life... Perhaps you and I will never be able to advance to the First Ring in our lifetimes, unable to solidify our spell models and cast arcane arts, but listening will always do some good!"

"I understand."

"It's good that you understand. Don't miss any future public lectures, especially those by 1-Ring Arcane Masters. They are powerful individuals who carry the Black Snake surname, and opportunities to be taught by them personally are rare!" Old Sam said with longing.

The Black Snake Family is a noble family, a newly emerging Baronial noble family.

According to noble customs, one can only bear a noble surname after reaching the First Ring in the cultivation of the Three Seas. Otherwise, it's just an ordinary name. The noble surname of the Black Snake Family is naturally "Black Snake."

"Hey, Old Sam, you're here." A middle-aged man waved.

"Of course I had to come. This is a lecture personally given by Lord Mudis." Old Sam exchanged pleasantries with the man. "Winston, how's business lately? Made a fortune?"

"If I could have made a fortune, I would have already," Winston replied, glancing at Duke. "Who is this?"

"Haha, this is a Spiritual Apprentice I trained. He's learning card repair from me now," Old Sam said proudly. It was rare for one Spiritual Apprentice to emerge from thousands.

That Little Sam's Card Shop could produce a Spiritual Apprentice was clearly a great honor.

They walked into the Spirit Society together.

Three to four hundred Spiritual Apprentices had come, filling almost the largest auditorium of the Spirit Society. Familiar faces chatted together, and the air was filled with noise.

Duke found a seat next to Old Sam.

He was new here. Scanning the auditorium, he noticed there weren't many young people like him.

Few people could open their Spirit Sea by taking potions. Those geniuses who could open their Spirit Sea on their own were either from prominent families or had already been recruited for secret training, so they didn't need to attend public lectures.

Public lectures were for ordinary Spiritual Apprentices.

"Teacher Mudis will be here shortly. Everyone, please be quiet!" The president of the Spirit Society, who was personally hosting the public lecture, maintained order in the auditorium.

A moment later.

A black-robed man, about thirty-four or thirty-five years old, entered the auditorium surrounded by many people and walked onto the stage.

He revealed a gentle smile and said warmly, "You all should know who I am, so I won't waste time introducing myself. Today's public lecture will focus on the structure of the Ring and its relationship with spirituality."

Mudis got straight to the point in his lecture.

Soon, he was speaking eloquently on stage, starting with the structure of the Ring and then combining it with the Spiritual Arcana system. His general discourse was filled with enlightening details.

Duke couldn't understand many parts.

But it didn't matter. Xiao Yi was recording the entire public lecture, and it would become part of its database.

Before they knew it, the two-hour public lecture ended. Mudis left the auditorium surrounded by people, without leaving time for questions.

The Spiritual Apprentices who attended the lecture left in small groups.

Old Sam said goodbye to his friends and called Duke to go back together.

"Young Duke, what did you gain from today's public lecture?"

"To be honest, I didn't understand much."

"Haha, it's normal not to understand. The level of understanding of Arcane Masters is certainly different from ours as Spiritual Apprentices. You've only just stepped into the Spirit Sea, you'll understand gradually."

As they reached the fork in Second Vertical Street, Duke prepared to say goodbye.

Old Sam suddenly said, "Don't rush, Young Duke."

"What is it?"

"Are you interested in taking over Little Sam's Card Shop?"

"Huh?"

Duke was stunned.

Old Sam took out a box of cigarettes, lit one, and looked towards the street ahead. From here, they could see the sign of Little Sam's Card Shop, which was quite conspicuous.

"If nothing changes, I plan to move to Chen Jiao City. I found a big buyer for the Continuous Sealing Paste Technology I bought from you, and made more money than I could have in my entire life running Little Sam's Card Shop," Old Sam exhaled a smoke ring. "But I only paid you 10 gold dragons, which is too little."

Duke couldn't guess how much Old Sam had resold it for.

He naturally felt a pang of envy, but quickly let it go and replied earnestly, "Boss, we signed a contract, it was a fair transaction. I got the 10 gold dragons I desperately needed, which was enough. How much profit you made on the resale is your skill, it has nothing to do with me, so you don't need to feel like you owe me anything... You gave me a job back then, and I'm very grateful."

"You are a good child who knows gratitude, but I have already decided to give Little Sam's Card Shop to you."

"You really don't need to..."

"Listen, little Duke, I've already earned enough from you. Little Sam's Card Shop is nothing compared to that. And I don't want to pass it on carelessly. After all, it carries my dreams and livelihood from my youth until now. It helped me earn money to support my family and raised my children to go to the big city."

Old Sam said with great emotion, "Now I want to choose a suitable owner for it. I believe you, little Duke, are the right person. So, accept Little Sam's Card Shop. Consider it my contribution to a future Erudite... Also, I have one request: do not change the shop's name."

"This..." Duke was not a pretentious person. Since Old Sam had already said this, he had no reason to refuse, "Then I accept."

"Haha, that's right, boss Duke."

Old Sam immediately took Duke to Little Sam's Card Shop. The three Card Masters were inside, as were Bob and three apprentices. One of the apprentices was newly hired.

"Everyone, stop and listen to me," Old Sam said, clapping his hands.

Everyone put down their work and gathered around the counter.

Old Sam glanced at his old colleagues and slowly said, "I'm preparing to retire. My children are all in Chen Jiao City, and my wife is also there helping to look after my grandson. So I thought about it and decided to transfer Little Sam's Card Shop to Duke... Don't be surprised. Duke has a clever mind, and he has also opened his Spirit Sea. I believe he will manage Little Sam's Card Shop well."

As soon as he finished speaking.

Card Master Best exclaimed, "Old Sam, have you lost your mind? How could little Duke have the money to take over your shop!"