When the Wall Falls, Everyone Pushes

"Are you all right?"

Sheila looked at Rainer and Claire. No one had expected Pilam to be so ruthless.

"Uh, I think I'm fine."

Rainer checked himself. All the acid had been blocked by the invisible barrier, and not a single drop had fallen within the circle. He then looked at Claire. The teacher's face was somewhat pale, but she could still remain standing.

"Claire, what's wrong?"

He hurriedly supported Claire. Her body temperature was a little low, and she looked especially haggard.

"I'm fine. It's just mana exhaustion."

Claire did not refuse Rainer's support. She was indeed weak at the moment and had no mind to worry about propriety between men and women.

"If I'm not mistaken, that was a Third-Circle Spell, the Wall of Sighs of Isaris?"

As Leslie arrested Pilam with mana-suppressing handcuffs, he spoke to Claire.

Claire nodded slightly and looked at the silver pendant in her hand. It was a silver bird perched upon thorns. After thinking for a moment, she continued.

"It was all thanks to this magical item. It let me forcibly cast that spell."

Once magic was inscribed into an item in the form of a magic circle, mana could be directly infused into it to cast the spell without preparation. It could even allow someone to cast magic beyond their level at the cost of exhausting their mana. However, such an act placed a great burden on the body. Mana backlash was already the mildest possible consequence.

Rainer naturally knew about this as well. He looked gratefully at Claire, but when the teacher noticed his gaze, she hurriedly turned her face away.

"N-No, don't misunderstand. I didn't do it specifically to save you."

Hearing Claire's explanation, Rainer said nothing and merely smiled knowingly.

"Magical items carrying Third-Circle Spells are quite expensive. Last time, I was fortunate enough to see a longsword imbued with the Third-Circle Spell, Pluto's Flame Burst, at an auction. It sold for a staggering two hundred gold coins."

Leslie recalled this, seemingly quite curious about the origin of Claire's pendant.

"When I was little, a noble who had once bullied me gave it to me as compensation. Of course, I forgot his name long ago."

Claire put away the pendant, clearly unwilling to mention these matters.

"Speaking of which, this guy really panicked and chose the worst possible path."

Sheila kicked the unconscious Pilam.

"Assaulting a peace officer, attempted murder, stealing magic, and plotting a bombing attack—the evidence is conclusive. Although he hasn't undergone a formal trial yet, I think he'll spend the rest of his life in prison and exile."

Compared to assaulting a peace officer, stealing magic was the far graver crime. No wonder Pilam had revealed his true colors at the end and resorted to every possible means.

"I have a question, Officer Leslie. What will happen to Pilam Alchemy Workshop?"

Rainer looked around. Because of the commotion just now, most of the workers and alchemy apprentices did not dare make any rash moves and were trembling in the corners.

"According to the law, those who steal magic must pay substantial compensation to those they stole from. Given its current scale, I think Pilam Alchemy Workshop may become your property in the future, Mr. Ian Gray."

Leslie smiled, seemingly taking pleasure in Pilam's misfortune.

Antoine was greatly shocked upon hearing this. Previously, he had always thought Rainer's measures were merely normal business competition intended to oppose Pilam. But now it seemed that Rainer had targeted Pilam Alchemy Workshop from the very beginning. Now that Pilam had fallen, all his assets would belong to Rainer. He had become rich overnight.

With that in mind, Antoine's gaze toward the young Rainer gained a few more traces of admiration.

Of course, Rainer knew nothing of this. He had only wanted to defeat his competitor, never expecting to stumble upon such a huge windfall.

"Ahem. If that's the case, then it's not a bad outcome."

He put on a calm front, though inwardly he was already overjoyed.

This was Pilam Alchemy Workshop! Not only did it have numerous businesses, it also had a sales network covering several major surrounding cities. With this as a starting point, I'm going to make a fortune.

Leslie and Sheila immediately escorted Pilam to prison. After Rainer and the others finished giving their statements and waited for Claire to recover a little, they set off to leave. The moment they stepped outside, they encountered visitors.

Several robed men were anxiously waiting outside. The moment they saw Rainer, smiles immediately appeared on their faces.

"Mr. Ian Gray, we are the owners of several alchemy workshops that were previously annexed by Pilam Alchemy Workshop. Word of Pilam's affairs has already spread. The unequal agreements he forced us to sign will also be voided. According to the law, if we can come up with enough money, we can redeem our own alchemy workshops."

The leader spoke. His temples were streaked with gray, and he appeared to hold the highest status among them.

"Uh, so you want to redeem your own alchemy workshops from me?"

This was somewhat troublesome, Rainer thought. Although these alchemy workshops could bring in a large cash flow, Pilam Alchemy Workshop's assets would also be reduced considerably. If possible, Rainer still hoped to sign new cooperation agreements with them.

"That isn't it, Mr. Ian Gray. What we mean is, could we become partners of Crescent Academy, like Antoine Alchemy Workshop, and produce Cola together? You see, Cola is gradually becoming popular throughout the southern part of the kingdom. One or two alchemy workshops alone are far from enough to meet market demand."

The workshop owner shook his head and continued.

It seemed they too had their eyes on Cola's profits and wanted to catch this wave of prosperity.

This was exactly what Rainer wanted. He considered it for a moment before slowly speaking.

"How about this? First, those unequal agreements should naturally be abolished. On that basis, after each of you pays a certain fee, I will provide you with Cola production lines and authorization to make it, and we will share the future profits from Cola. What do you think of this proposal?"

This could be considered the simplest franchise model. The alchemy workshops' technological costs for producing Cola would be reduced, while Rainer would not need to spend extra money purchasing production lines. It was a win-win deal.

"That's wonderful, Mr. Ian Gray."

The workshop owner had originally thought that Rainer would take the opportunity to demand an exorbitant price, or use his capital advantage to suppress the other alchemy workshops like Pilam had. Yet he had chosen such an ingenious method, allowing both sides to obtain the greatest profit at the smallest cost. He had long heard that the Ian Gray Family's methods were extraordinary, but only after seeing them with his own eyes today did he become completely convinced.

"We can discuss the specific contract later. For now, I must take my leave."

Rainer gestured with his eyes toward the Claire he was supporting as he spoke to the workshop owners.

"Of course, of course. We'll discuss it in detail another day."

The workshop owners watched Rainer and the others board the carriage, the smiles on their faces lingering for a long time.

They had finally regained their freedom.