Wealth without limits

Kronos chose not to take credit for it, but instead handed the letter to Gner.

That was the only time in his life that Kronos saw Gner cry. That evening, Gner drank himself into a sodden heap, sobbing and shedding tears as he kept muttering, "General, I let you down."

The general must have truly valued Gner. He simply had not expected Gner to lose faith in power and the military. Yet he had protected Gner to the very end, though neither of them had known that would be their final meeting.

The next day, neither Kronos nor Gner mentioned the matter again, as if by unspoken agreement.

After taking the Warrior potion, Gner had grown stronger, but Kronos could now hold his own against him. It was not just because Kronos had learned more techniques, but also thanks to the help and enhancement of the Nine Secrets.

Since everything had been settled, Gner applied for discharge that very day. Leaving the military was different from resigning from a company, however. The application had to work its way up the chain of command, then pass through reviews all the way back down.

On the day Kronos left the Navy Base, he arranged with Gner that once his discharge became official, Gner would come find him at the Argel Family's villa in the West Borough.

Returning to Backlund once more, Kronos did not enter the city, but headed instead toward the estate in the outskirts.

The best choices for practicing combat against Beyonders were the two bodyguards at Marquis Argyle's side. Moreover, after organizing his thoughts over this period, Kronos had developed a few ideas for his plans and needed financial support from his family.

When he arrived at the entrance, a petite figure darted out the moment he stepped down from the carriage and threw herself straight into his arms.

"Big brother, you finally came back to see me! Annie missed you so much!" Little Annie stared at Kronos with an aggrieved expression, as though he had committed some unforgivable crime.

Unfortunately, Kronos was especially susceptible to this approach. Filled with guilt, he apologized to Annie over and over.

His mother, Audrey Argel, came out after her, looking torn between laughter and exasperation. "The little girl is just putting on an act. You're the only one who still plays along."

Kronos chuckled. "I really haven't spent much time with little Annie. If playing along makes her happy, why not? It doesn't cost me anything."

"All right, your father is waiting in his study. Go on. Little Annie and I are heading out. Did you think we came out especially to welcome you?" Lady Argel rolled her eyes at Kronos.

"No, no! I don't want to go out anymore! I want to stay home with my brother!" Annie protested.

Lady Argel readily agreed. "Fine, stay home, then. But you won't get the present I promised you."

Little Annie instantly dropped her act, wriggled free of Kronos's embrace, and hurried over to Lady Argel, obediently taking her mother's hand.

Kronos was dumbfounded. That switch between being in character and out of character was truly masterful.

Lady Argel laughed. "Now you see, don't you? She's an ungrateful little thing. Whoever gives her something gets her affection. You're the poorest, so you can't compete with me. And she's abandoned me for your father plenty of times, too."

Kronos said nothing. He merely clutched his chest and walked into the estate with a heartbroken expression.

Little Annie felt a little bad, but after thinking about her present, she ultimately stood firm beside Lady Argel. She even raised her little hand and waved at Kronos's retreating back.

Lady Argel was so exasperated that she laughed, then gave the girl's little head a sharp rap.

Kronos soon reached Marquis Argyle's study, where the marquis was already waiting for him.

"How is your potion digestion coming along?" Marquis Argyle asked without preamble.

"More than halfway done, but ordinary sparring no longer helps me digest it. That's why I'd like to try borrowing your bodyguards. Once that stops working too, perhaps I'll have to try fighting with my life on the line." Kronos had already devised a complete plan.

Marquis Argyle did not stop him. Every generation of the Argel Family went through this process. In a life-or-death fight between Sequence 8 Beyonders, he was still capable of keeping his son safe.

"How is that Gner fellow doing? Is he digesting his potion quickly?" Marquis Argyle asked.

Kronos looked envious. "It's downright enviable! He'll finish in fewer than ten more days, taking only fifteen or sixteen days in total. I feel that if he picks up the pace, he could even finish digesting his Sequence 8 potion before we set sail."

"There's nothing you can do about that kind of natural compatibility. You'd be better off thinking about how you'll keep him under control if he becomes stronger than you while you're at sea." Marquis Argyle went straight to the heart of the problem.

Kronos answered confidently without hesitation. "If he becomes stronger than me, we'll be partners. But the resources and potion formulas the Argel Family possesses are what he needs, so I'll still be the one leading that partnership."

Marquis Argyle said little, merely nodding. Whether this approach succeeded or failed, he had no intention of intervening. This was a trial for his heir.

Then he pointed at a stack of notebooks on the desk. "These are the notes passed down through the family. You may take them back to read, but you must ensure they aren't lost. Otherwise, read them here on the estate."

There were around ten notebooks on the desk, none very thick. Kronos estimated that he could finish them by tomorrow, so there was no need to take them back into the city.

"Once you return to Backlund, go work at the trading company. Learn more from Benjamin about the various places along the shipping routes, so you won't be completely lost once you set sail."

"As for sparring, don't trouble my bodyguards. They wouldn't dare strike you properly anyway. This is the address of a bar that holds boxing matches after ten at night. Beyonders occasionally participate. You can go have a look." As he spoke, Marquis Argyle handed him a business card.

"All right," Kronos agreed as he took the card. Then, seeing that the marquis seemed to have nothing more to say, he added, "Dad, I need some money."

"What for? How much?" Marquis Argyle asked casually.

"I'd like to try investing, and I have some ideas about technology that I'd like to put into practice. How much do you think would be appropriate?" Kronos tossed the question straight back to Marquis Argyle.

Marquis Argyle looked up at Kronos. Young people his age all wanted to prove themselves, and he knew his son had a talent for scientific research, so he had no suspicions.

"If you have ideas for research and technology, a small sum won't be enough. How about this? I'll put five hundred thousand pounds into the trading company. The shares there are all in your name anyway, so spend it as you please. If it isn't enough, come ask me for more."

Seeing that Kronos seemed to want to say something but hesitated, Argel continued advising him, as though afraid he might object. "You must understand that money means nothing to our family. Don't worry about saving face over something like this, and certainly don't let it saddle you with burdensome debts of gratitude."

In truth, Kronos had no intention of refusing. What he wanted to say was, I only wanted thirty to fifty thousand pounds to buy a couple of houses. I didn't expect you to be this obscenely rich.

But since he had been given so much, he would naturally take it and enjoy it. How could he possibly turn it down?

Moreover, as a project manager who had weathered the trials of working life, Kronos knew the art of "requesting funding" inside out. Since his father had so much money to spare, might there be a chance to squeeze out a little more?

"Father, how about this? Let me explain my ideas, and you can estimate the minimum expenditure!" Kronos began with a deliberately excited expression, throwing the problem straight to Marquis Argyle. It was not as though his father understood technology anyway.

"Mechanical structures have now entered a period of steady development. That means most new mechanical designs are really just a matter of coming up with an idea. Unless they involve precision construction techniques, they're easy to copy."

"So my approach to technological breakthroughs focuses more on the materials used in mechanical structures. This is also Professor Portland's main area of interest."

Over the next hour or so, Kronos gave Marquis Argyle a detailed explanation of the development of materials science. Although he had studied chemistry at university, he still knew something about the more basic aspects of materials science.

This body of knowledge left Marquis Argyle's head spinning, and he nearly fell asleep. When Kronos finally stopped talking, he let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Good. I think everything you said was excellent." Marquis Argyle's eyes were glazed over. "You have my full support for these groundbreaking ideas. I'll have someone establish a brand-new company and invest two million pounds in it, with you in sole charge. We'll put the trading company under it too. All of it will be your property."

People said a man was at his most handsome when spending money on a woman, but Kronos would certainly have disagreed at that moment. A man was clearly very handsome when spending money on another man, too.

Next came discussions of the company's staffing. Managing the trading company was already enough for Benjamin, so Kronos needed capable assistants. As it happened, he knew two suitable people, though both were trusted aides of Marquis Argyle.

In the end, Marquis Argyle held his throbbing head and chased Kronos out of the study. He had lost one of his right-hand men, and a third of the secretarial team he had painstakingly trained had been poached as well.

But this was his own son. What could he do? A wry smile appeared on Marquis Argyle's face.

Meanwhile, Kronos wore the sly grin of a fox that had stolen a chicken. He had originally expected thirty to fifty thousand pounds, yet his funding request had netted him two million pounds and an entire professional management team.

It also indirectly demonstrated just how wealthy the Argel Family was. Even Miss Justice of the Tarot Club had only four or five hundred thousand in assets after coming of age. Having a dad felt wonderful!