"Phew...these should be enough..." Hal muttered, scanning his eyes over multiple large boxes scattered all over his workshop as he wiped his face with a towel. Eager as Hal was to increase his strength and test his Aethersight Goggles in combat immediately, he had no intentions of ruining his business relationship with Wanzin’s Arcane Emporium, since this would be his ticket to ensuring his mother and aunt’s safety should the fell apocalypse decide to begin marching towards the Imperium. It would be difficult for him to go all out in a fight if the two weren’t in the capital. And there sadly was no more free space there, as the aristocratic clans had long taken and embedded their roots deeply. He had to have enough money for alternatives just in case. This wasn’t the main reason why he decided to delay heading to the location indicated on the ancient hide map, though. While it was good to earn money, his main agenda was to increase his mana capacity first, as his Aethersight Goggles consumed quite a lot when activated, and it would be fatal to run out of steam in such uncharted locations He had to make sure he had enough to use his high-tier spellcards. And so, for the past month, all he did was eat, craft arcane artifacts, and absorb cores while meditating inside five-star meditation rooms in the academy. He could go and attempt to explore the location on the hide map after delivering this batch to Manager Maximus. Hal stored the boxes inside the system’s inventory, heading over to Wanzin’s Arcane Emporium Aeloria Branch once he was done to sell the artifacts and a majority of the items he obtained inside the Midnight Pixie’s lair. The manager was naturally elated at the transaction, as everything Hal sold to him was valuable, and he got them for quite a steal in business standards. So, Hal left the emporium with a total of 1,800 gold coins in his pockets. He would’ve fed the S-tier core to Loki, but strangely, the pup suddenly lost interest in consuming cores, so Hal decided to just sell it for one thousand and eighty gold coins—the absolute maximum price Maximus could offer. He naturally was beaming after obtaining the huge amount of money. He could send an extremely small portion to his mother and aunt, and it would still last them an entire year. Hal was officially rich! However, being rich and being Aetherforth-rich were two different matters. In any case, he was satisfied with his progress, and he could wholeheartedly focus on growing stronger in the next few months. Hal planned to immediately begin his preparations once he returned to his suite, when, suddenly, his Manatech Communicator vibrated in a unique tone. Only eight people knew his unique code: his mother, his aunt, the midget, his master, the stubborn old man, Liora, Vyse, and Hao. Latest content publıshed on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽 Hal didn’t dare give his code to any other Chaos Platoon member, as he would shudder every time he thought of the possibility of Rocky obtaining his communicator’s unique combination. Only Hao could be trusted to handle matters that required extreme discipline. Hal retrieved the device from the small, fashionable bag slung over his shoulder, checking who the caller was. Rarely did Ennya contact him, as she, too, didn’t dare slack off again after her experiences at the eastern battlefield. Perhaps the loss of two underlings scarred her way deeper than Hal imagined. "Let’s watch a tournament in the capital." "Huh? Why? Shouldn’t you focus on training instead? If your master catches you again..." "Hmph! You think I’m dumb? She was the one who told me to watch, and that I should bring you along with me like you’re some sort of profound chaperone when in reality, you’re nothing but a smelly brat! It’s a tournament to decide who would replace Lord Targon, apparently..." "Says the one who rarely takes a bath." Hal retorted while thinking. This would delay him, but he also kind of wanted to witness how strong the Magna Prospects in contention were, somewhat of a way to gauge his current self. How far was he from being qualified as a Magna? From what his master told him, the manabound artifact passed down through the imperial lineage is the only thing that can awaken a Magna’s mark, so only those deemed worthy by the emperor and the artifact could take a spot among the Magna Novem—the nine strongest wizards of the Imperium. The urge to watch the imperial event gnawed at Hal. While his master didn’t inform him, likely due to his strange way of improvement, there should be a reason why Ennya’s master wanted her to watch. "Hey, come on! Come with me, okay? I-I’ll treat you to a meat bun, how’s that?" "Hmph! Two, then I’ll agree." "You cheapskate! You have a lot of money, yet you’ll take what little I have? Shame on you!" "Then find someone else to go with you." "Aihh, I didn’t disagree, did I? Fine, you can even have three if you want!" "On a second thought, four." "Y-You heartless fox!" Hal was naturally only messing with her, ultimately accepting the invitation. He could also test the limits of his arcane artifact this way. As Magna Prospects in contention for a spot among the Magna Novem, they should at least be on the level of that fell lord, right? Hal couldn’t help but wonder how old the guys in the running would be. Are there youngsters only slightly older than him? Excitement coursed through Hal’s body. He quickly rushed back to his suite to prepare, mainly to just fetch Loki and get some clean clothes he could use, along with a few emergency meals and drinks. Around thirty minutes later, he left the academy, riding his motorcycle with his wolf companion and heading to the bank to deposit his money. It would be unwise to bring such an amount on a long journey, though Hal made sure to bring more than enough. He then headed to the Solbrand Residence to fetch the midget with an excited smile on his face.