Hicks Has Seen Through Everything

Mason accepted 30 silver coins and a promissory note for 19 gold and 70 silver coins from Old White. Only after verifying the authenticity of the note did he hand over a single Nether Orchid to Old White.

Although Mason did not utter a single mocking word, nor did his eyes carry any hint of ridicule, Old White felt completely uncomfortable.

Watching the smile on Mason's face, he couldn't help but feel that the other man was laughing at him.

But he couldn't afford to care about that anymore.

After learning of the effects of the Nether Orchid, he had immediately emptied his savings of many years, combined with the pocket money he had scraped together over the last few months, just to barely reach the amount required to purchase a single Nether Orchid.

Now that he was already here, he couldn't just return empty-handed.

He had been stuck at the level of a Tier 2 Mage for over thirty years and had long since despaired of ever advancing.

And now, with hope right before his eyes, how could he possibly give up?

He had even prepared himself mentally for Mason to heap scorn and sarcasm upon him.

Yet, to Old White's surprise, Mason didn't say a single sharp word; he simply completed the transaction calmly and saw him out of the shop.

From start to finish, there wasn't even a single sound of mockery.

This, in turn, made Old White feel even more uneasy.

In truth, Mason hadn't thought much of it.

He was currently minding the shop for Prince Ron, so he couldn't very well be rude to a customer.

Moreover, Old White's sharp-tongued nature was well-known; if he were to get into an argument here, setting aside the impact on the shop's business, it would be a grave offense if he disturbed the transaction taking place upstairs.

Besides, there was no need for him to confront Old White on the spot; letting Old White buy the Nether Orchid could be considered a lesson in itself.

As far as Mason knew, a batch of the Nether Orchids purchased by Professor Hicks would be sent to the Magic Tower to set up independent meditation rooms for mages within the academy who lacked the means to purchase Nether Orchids on their own.

Given Old White's connections, he would naturally find a way to sneak into those meditation rooms later.

So, strictly speaking, Old White was actually taking a significant loss by buying the Nether Orchid.

However, Mason was under no obligation to remind him of that.

Thinking this to himself, Mason's mood instantly brightened.

Just then, another customer walked into the shop, and he immediately went forward to greet them.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

"Pleasure doing business with you."

Ron and Professor Hicks shook hands, both wearing satisfied smiles.

After a round of friendly negotiations, they had reached several agreements.

The most important of these concerned the supply of Nether Orchids.

Ron and Professor Hicks reached a preliminary agreement that Ron would prioritize supplying the Magic Academy with 200 Nether Orchids per month for a period of three months.

After three months, if both parties were satisfied with the cooperation, they could continue the arrangement and adjust the quantity of Nether Orchids sold.

Hicks was quite satisfied with this; the primary purpose of his visit had been fulfilled, and he was in a very good mood.

Although Harper had already created a type of meditation potion, further testing and improvements required more resources.

Therefore, these 600 Nether Orchids over the next three months were the preparation for that work.

Since some of these Nether Orchids would need to be set aside for the Magic Tower and provided free of charge to academy professors, 600 was not actually an excessive amount.

However, according to Ron, the monthly yield of Nether Orchids was inherently scarce, so prioritizing 200 per month for the Magic Academy was already an extra favor.

Professor Hicks accepted this, understanding that he had already gotten the better end of the deal, so he did not haggle and even offered that the Magic Academy could pay the full monthly amount in advance.

In his view, with Ron backed by the Empire and acting under the instruction of Andre III, it was entirely reasonable for the Magic Academy to make these concessions.

Beyond this, Ron also put forward several other requests.

For instance, the transactions would take place once a week, with 50 Nether Orchids delivered each time.

For instance, Ron requested that the Magic Academy issue a Supplier Badge that could be hung at the entrance of his shop.

And for instance, he wished to pursue advanced studies at the Magic Academy and hoped to be personally tutored by a mage proficient in both Water and Earth magic.

None of these were excessive requests for Hicks, so he agreed to them one by one.

Regarding the third request, Hicks indicated that he was more than qualified to handle it himself.

As a Cyan Mage, Hicks specialized in Water and Earth magic and was perfectly capable of teaching Ron in these areas.

Furthermore, Hicks had already learned of Ron's talent from Mason, so he naturally agreed with pleasure.

From this, Hicks began to form many speculations.

In truth, before coming here, he had been puzzled as to why the Empire, having developed a plant like the Nether Orchid, did not research the corresponding meditation potions themselves.

But the series of requests Ron made afterward led Hicks to a conclusion.

Perhaps, this was Andre III extending an olive branch to the Disode Magic Academy?

Was he using Prince Ron as a bridge to win over their group of neutral mages?

As the center of the continent governed by four races, Chaos City attracts a large number of magic geniuses who yearn for freedom and comfort.

At Disode Magic Academy, they do not need to be bothered by worldly trifles and can focus on delving into their own fields of magic.

The dean and the two vice-deans of the academy are all seventh-tier legendary mages, which is enough to guarantee the safety and interests of the magic academy.

The intention behind Andre III sending a magic genius with such peerless talent as Ron here is actually quite obvious.

Otherwise, why would Ron not stay at the Imperial City Magic Academy, but instead run all the way to Chaos City?

Not to mention coming to study at Disode Magic Academy!

Are those powerful court mages not good enough?

Although Hicks would not belittle himself or feel that he is worse than others, he also understands that there is absolutely no need for Ron to look far for what he could find nearby.

Therefore, Hicks's speculation at this moment is completely reasonable.

The temptation of the Nether Orchid is too powerful; the magic academy could not possibly resist such a lure.

However, wanting to win over the entire magic academy with this alone is also unrealistic; at most, it can only make Hicks and the others lean a little more toward the human race.

After chatting with Ron for a while longer, various thoughts flashed through Professor Hicks's mind.

And Ron is still completely unaware of this.

He wants the Supplier Badge from the magic academy simply because he wants an additional, solid backer.

After all, his imperial background is all for show; his cheap father only sent him to Chaos City to retire, not to mess around with a flower shop.

Since the magic academy possesses great strength in Chaos City, having a badge issued by them is enough to ensure that his flower shop will not be harassed by anyone.

As for going to Disode Magic Academy to study... it can only be said that Hicks is really overthinking it.

Ron just doesn't want to waste his wealth points in the System Shop and intends to go to the magic academy to learn magic in person...

Winning people over or anything like that, it doesn't exist at all...

Failure Diary: A big shot in the group is about to launch their book—Gou Di Heng Tui San Qian Jie—and I managed to get a recommendation spot in the big shot's launch announcement, hehehe.