The Windfall of a Lifetime

Asuna's offer to let Li Yu earn some extra money was actually pretty simple: he just had to set up a Magic Array—the same one he'd been working on.

"Since you know how to set up Magic Arrays, Li Yu, could you set one up in my home too? I can pay you," Asuna said sincerely, extending the invitation.

Li Yu was a little surprised. He couldn't help asking, "Will you prepare the materials, or do I have to?"

If that was all there was to it, Li Yu certainly wouldn't refuse. He really hadn't expected he could make money this way!

Hearing his question, Asuna smiled and replied, "Just tell me what materials you need, and I'll get them."

"So I'd just be earning a labor fee, then? How much does this usually cost?" Li Yu scratched his head. He didn't know anything about this sort of thing, so he wasn't sure what to charge.

"As far as I know, setting up a small Position Magic array usually costs at least ten thousand. You could probably look up the exact price," Asuna said, sharing what she knew with a blink.

She wasn't trying to deceive Li Yu. That was more or less the going rate, and this stuff was expensive. Generally, few people went out of their way to have one set up unless they were a large organization, let alone in their own home.

The larger the Magic Array, the more expensive it was. Something like the one at the school would probably cost hundreds of thousands to have installed.

Li Yu's eyes lit up. He couldn't believe this stuff was so expensive. What a windfall!

"Great, I'll look it up when I get back!" If Li Yu hesitated for even a second, it would be disrespectful to money. He was desperately short of cash right now.

He didn't even need to prepare the materials for setting up the Magic Array. All he had to do was show up and do a little work, and he'd earn a fortune.

How could Li Yu possibly turn down an opportunity like that? He'd already decided that once he got back, he'd study this stuff carefully and learn more Position Magic.

Position Magic didn't require a great deal of magical power. What mattered was how well you could control the Magic Array and whether you could draw it.

Drawing a Magic Array was the hardest part. You couldn't simply copy it; you also had to adjust it to the local environment. To put it in more mystical terms, you had to adapt it to the local feng shui.

Otherwise, if you only copied the design, it wouldn't work at all. Position Magic was a major field of study, so setting it up was quite difficult.

After the two had settled everything, a group of people suddenly arrived. They took one look at the scene and froze.

Li Yu and Asuna looked over as well. They noticed the badges on the newcomers' uniforms: they were the Patrol Squad.

"Hello. Did you kill these Goblins?" the leader asked as he came over.

"Yes. We came here because of that Minotaur, and then we found them." Li Yu quickly explained what had happened.

The group understood at once. After looking over the Goblins, the leader spoke again. "You look like students. Head back early, and don't go wandering around again."

After giving them a reminder, he told the others to clean up the scene. Li Yu and Asuna exchanged a glance, then turned and left.

When they passed the Minotaur's battleground, the creature had already been killed, and the Patrol Squad members were clearing the area.

They really were fast. It hadn't been long since they'd gone over and dealt with the Goblins, and the fight here was already over.

"Let's go home. Do you live nearby too?" Li Yu asked Asuna as they headed out.

Asuna pointed in one direction. "I live in the apartments over there. Is your home nearby too, Li Yu?"

She did live nearby. The moment she mentioned the place, Li Yu knew which apartments she meant.

"Oh, that high-end apartment building? I know it. Well, I'll be going this way." Li Yu headed off in another direction.

"See you at school!" Asuna didn't say anything more. After saying goodbye to Li Yu, she headed back to her own place.

On the way home, Li Yu activated Presence Concealment again. It wasn't long before he was back at his house.

Once home, Li Yu rinsed the Magic Stones with water and put them away. He could set up the Magic Array after getting the rest of the materials tomorrow.

It was already late, so there was no time to go out and buy anything. Besides, he had school tomorrow, so there was no need to rush.

After that, Li Yu washed up, dried his hair, and lay down with his phone to look up the cost of setting up Position Magic.

He would've been better off not looking. The moment he did, Li Yu's eyes lit up. Even a single Magic Array cost at least ten thousand to set up.

Formation Mages also seemed to have a very high status in this world. Was that because it was so hard to learn? Li Yu couldn't help grinning. None of that would be a problem for him.

Li Yu browsed for a while, then started searching for books on Position Magic and downloading them to his phone.

Once the downloads were finished, he tried turning on the read-aloud feature, set it to triple speed, and left it playing beside him.

He'd see if he could learn just by listening. If it worked... Li Yu would be in for a treat.

With that thought, he plugged in his phone to charge, then lay down and went to sleep.

As he drifted off, he silently practiced the Meditation Method he'd learned that day. Before long, Li Yu's breathing steadied, and he fell asleep.

The night passed without incident. In the blink of an eye, it was the next day. Li Yu opened his eyes, feeling refreshed, and the first thing he did was check how he was doing.

After meditating all night, he felt full of energy. What's more, he'd gained a great deal of knowledge. Everything the read-aloud feature on his phone had read the night before was now clearly fixed in his mind.

Li Yu's eyes brightened. His understanding of Position Magic had advanced even further.

He'd clearly memorized the Magic Array at the school before and knew how to set it up, but he hadn't understood much about how it worked.

He'd only known how to set up that one array. After studying all night, he knew much more.

Li Yu washed up, then headed to school first. He'd worry about buying the materials that evening.

He bought breakfast on the way and soon arrived at school. The patrols along the road were still just as heavy as they'd been the day before.

It seemed the situation still hadn't been completely resolved. Otherwise, the Patrol Squad wouldn't still be on such high alert.

Li Yu made his way to his classroom with practiced ease. Asuna was already sitting in her usual seat. She sure had arrived early.