Usurious Loan

Wang Sheng thought for a moment before answering, "At our academy, Tool Spirit masters are already far rarer than Beast Spirit masters, let alone those with powerful Blade Sword Type spirits. Looking across all of Notting Academy, only the dean has a Battle Blade Spirit. Oh, right. I heard the new Dean of Instruction's spirit is also a sword. I don't know if that's true."

Ning Chuan nodded. He had seen Louise's Sword Spirit before.

"Then do you know where I can borrow money?"

Aside from learning the sword, Ning Chuan also needed to solve his immediate needs. After all, Old Tom was not well-off.

"No one would lend money to us Work-Study Students, unless you go borrow from a casino. But if you borrow from a place like that, it's practically no different from signing a Deed of Sale. They charge usurious loans. I've heard the interest can be several times higher than the principal. If you can't repay on time, they'll take you away and sell you as a slave. Even the academy's teachers won't be able to save you..."

Wang Sheng seemed to have witnessed such a thing before. He spoke with lingering fear.

"I see..." Ning Chuan fell into thought, considering how to maximize his gains and get more money. Someone else would bear the Side Effect anyway, so what did he have to fear?

Notting Academy infirmary.

Tang San had already awakened.

Tang San had no idea what had happened. For no apparent reason, it felt as though someone had punched him, and then he had passed out.

When he woke up, he found that his entire body hurt terribly.

Though he did not understand what had happened,

fortunately, fortune and misfortune went hand in hand. In this infirmary, he not only met the Grandmaster who had been injured by the Dean of Instruction again, but was also won over by the man's "vast" knowledge and took him as his teacher.

"So, it really was Ning Chuan who touched that female Dean of Instruction's butt?"

Yu Xiaogang learned from Tang San about Ning Chuan secretly touching the female Dean of Instruction.

Of course, neither of them knew about the System. They merely assumed that after ruling out the two children and the two elderly people without soul power, Yu Xiaogang had been the man closest to the female Dean of Instruction, which was why he had been misunderstood.

Tang San nodded, then heard Yu Xiaogang say, "It seems that child's intentions aren't quite right."

"Teacher, don't worry. I'll definitely seek justice for you."

Killing intent flashed through Tang San's eyes. Before, he and Yu Xiaogang had been strangers, so it had not mattered much. But now that they were master and disciple, as the saying went, a teacher for a day, a father for life.

Ning Chuan had framed his teacher. He had already stepped onto the Path to Death.

Yu Xiaogang thought Tang San intended to clear his name. He helplessly shook his head. "There's no need. Even if you explain it to others, no one will believe you. Instead, you'll only completely anger that Dean of Instruction. Besides, it's not the first or second time your teacher has been misunderstood by the world... After all, in this world ruled by the Law of the Jungle, Strength is Paramount in the end. Xiao San, I hope you always remember that."

"I'll remember it, Teacher."

Tang San was utterly absorbed in Yu Xiaogang's teachings.

Just then, a crisp voice came from outside. "Is this the infirmary?"

As the words fell, a pretty little girl with a Scorpion Braid stood at the doorway. She looked to be around six years old, slightly taller than Tang San. Her lovely little face was rosy and fair, soft and tender like a ripe peach. Though she had quite a few bruises, they did not diminish her overall beauty, making one want to take a bite out of her.

Tang San looked at the girl, and his eyes immediately went blank.

Just as Tang San and Xiao Wu encountered each other, Ning Chuan had changed into a blue student uniform and arrived at the largest Underground Casino in Notting City.

Great Profit Casino.

Students from Junior Soul Master Academies were the most welcome at casinos like this, because they could often be sold for a good price.

Thus, the owner of Great Profit Casino, Brother Dao, the infamous Life Ender Three Thousand of Notting City's Underground World, personally received him.

"You want to borrow one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins from me?"

"That's right, one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"One hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins is no small sum. What do you have for collateral?"

Ning Chuan put on a foolish grin. "Brother Dao, I urgently need the money. The Grandmaster at Notting Academy said that if I don't pay one hundred thousand in tuition, he won't accept me as his disciple."

"So it's that Grandmaster." As the local tyrant of Notting City, Brother Dao had naturally heard of Yu Xiaogang.

He was a man whose talent was terrible, yet who thought highly of himself.

He just had not expected that fellow, who sought fame and reputation, to demand a Disciple Fee of one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins just to avoid taking this child as a disciple. Wasn't that obviously making things difficult for him?

But that was fine. If the other party did not make things difficult for this child, how could the child have come to them?

With such delicate skin and Soul Master talent, if he were put up for auction and sold as a slave to those noble ladies, he would definitely fetch a good price.

Following the principle of fooling whoever he could, Brother Dao feigned difficulty. "You can't borrow one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins."

Ning Chuan asked, "Why?"

Since he planned to make Tang San bear the Side Effect anyway, he might as well borrow more and make the Side Effect stronger.

He had not expected Brother Dao to refuse.

Brother Dao adjusted the Gold Thread Glasses that made him look like a refined scoundrel and began lecturing the child before him.

"You said it yourself. You're only a student at Notting City's Junior Soul Master Academy. When you entered, your Innate Soul Power was tested. It's only rank five. We price by rank here. So you can only borrow five thousand. But don't worry. That so-called Grandmaster won't really charge you one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. Five thousand will be enough."

Ning Chuan said, "Five thousand isn't enough, Brother Dao. It's not enough. At the very least, lend me a little more."

Brother Dao hesitated. "Fine, for your teacher's sake, I'll add another five thousand. I'll give you ten thousand."

Brother Dao opened his office drawer. Inside were Gold Cards marked with one thousand, five thousand, and ten thousand. He took out a Gold Card worth ten thousand.

"I won't say anything more. Remember to repay it on time."

Ten thousand was far from enough.

Ning Chuan said, "Brother Dao, I'll sign a Deed of Sale if I have to. Lend me a bit more. I want to buy my teacher another Storage Soul Tool. If I have ten thousand Gold Soul Coins plus a Storage Soul Tool, I'm sure the Grandmaster will accept me as his disciple."

A Deed of Sale?

Brother Dao's eyes lit up. His original intention had been to lend the boy money first, then collect the debt. If the kid could not repay it, he could sell him.

But there would certainly be plenty of obstacles along the way.

After all, the dean and teachers of Notting Academy were no pushovers.

"Fine. It's rare to see someone as filial as you. This Soul Tool Ring can store quite a lot of things. Brother Dao will be a good man to the end today. I'll let you have it for a bargain price of ninety thousand Gold Soul Coins."

As Brother Dao spoke, he opened another drawer and took out a black gemstone ring. In truth, this ring was not worth ninety thousand, not even nine thousand. It was merely the lowest-grade Storage Soul Tool, with only one cubic meter of storage space inside.