Chapter 44
The students’ reactions varied.
Some grumbled it was dirty and cheap, insisting they’d process themselves; others didn’t care about the cost.
Only the wealthy nobles remained as main clients.
…Somehow, Sigrin ended up serving mostly aristocratic kids.
She gave tickets to those who joined.
The ticket’s name…
Lemaos Study Group
Killing beasts for others was cheating, but there was no rule against processing items for them.
Still, since money was involved, a new rule might be made if caught.
Hence, it was called a “study group.”
It wasn’t buying or selling items but paying tuition for supplementary item processing lessons.
Sigrin wasn’t processing for them but demonstrating and giving them the results.
She visited the Credit Exchange to gather credit values for Cardia hunting ground items.
Then, she made a neat catalog, avoiding the “study group” name to avoid suspicion.
『 [♨Lemaos Item Catalog♨]
#New Member Discount Event#
[Spirit Sprout]
[Epurl][☞50 Credits]
[Ether Root (100g)][☞10 Credits]
[Seed Pocket][☞5 Credits]
[Wisp]
[Bongan Jade][☞50 Credits]
[Wisp Essence][☞30 Credits]
[Thread of Illusion][☞15 Credits]
[Pebble Golem]
[Golem Rune Stone][☞50 Credits]
[Golem Crystal][☞30 Credits]
[Golem Core][☞10 Credits]
♣Prices upon inquiry♣
Discounts for donated beast corpses.
Have a happy day~♥ 』
Sigrin gave copies to Apple, Luca, and Bilha.
“What’s this?”
Luca, eyeing the heart at the catalog’s end, asked with great interest.
“I think it’s time we started collecting guild funds.”
“…Guild funds?”
“Money for library operations or our living expenses.”
“…Can’t we just call it living expenses or dues?”
“Whatever.”
Sigrin waved her hand to stop the conversation from dragging.
“Item processing is part of the curriculum, so it’s review, and earning money while reviewing is great, right?”
“Sounds fun. I’m in.”
“If we save up and go somewhere together during summer break, even better.”
“…?! Super in.”
Luca’s face lit up at the idea of a summer break trip.
“Uh, Miss, I’m not good at item processing. I always end up cutting out just the excretory organs…”
Apple, reading the catalog, blushed and hung her head.
“It’s okay. I’ll teach Bilha and Apple slowly. 5-15 credit items are doable with practice.”
Sigrin comforted the disheartened Apple.
“Everyone takes what they earn from their work, and just 10% goes to guild funds.”
“Nice.”
“Also, blue-text special items require purchasing other items, so don’t worry about requests piling up on me.”
Sigrin’s fair policy was surprising. They’d expected mafia ruthlessness.
“And Luca manages the guild funds.”
“What??”
Luca frowned, startled.
“What if I run off with the funds?”
“I’d starve with an empty spoon, I guess.”
“…”
‘She really trusts me.’
Luca, touched, avoided her gaze.
But Sigrin had another thought.
‘Luca… Now that we’re financially tied, even if my weaknesses are exposed, he won’t kick me out or mistreat me.’
Lately, she’d been relying on Luca a lot and worried he might rebel, but this eased her mind.
Hahaha!
“Miss…”
“Yes?”
As she laughed inwardly, Apple’s gloomy voice came from beside her, making her turn.
Whoosh.
Apple glanced between Luca and Sigrin before speaking cautiously.
“…What do you think of me? I’m not good at anything, no core yet… Help…”
“Out of nowhere?”
Sigrin looked puzzled.
“N-No, never mind.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Was it the clear demand?
Or the deadline for assignment submissions next weekend?
For a makeshift business, Lemaos Study Group tickets sold well.
[Epurl? Why’s it 50 credits?]
[Did we learn to process Wisp Essence? I don’t think so.]
[Insane, a mafia secret recipe?]
Word spread, and students eager for good grades flocked to Sigrin.
Study group tickets sold briskly.
They worked late until the deadline but earned decent guild funds.
The small amounts from students’ pockets were a bit disappointing.
If only they could scale up.
“By the way, Miss, what’ll we do with these beast corpses we got from others for discounts?”
Sigrin rolled her eyes.
“Hmm? I have ideas, but nothing solid yet.”
Luca pulled out his well-maintained items.
“How about the Lemaos Night Market? I’m putting stuff there soon.”
“The night market’s opening??”
Apple, overhearing, yelped, startling Luca.
“Jeez! It’s opening soon, but I don’t know details. You buying something?”
“Yup…! I came to Lemaos for the night market!”
“Didn’t you come following Sigrin?”
Apple mumbled.
“Miss was a freshman and didn’t even know Lemaos existed. I wanted to come, so she tagged along…”
“…Liar. You followed her and ended up living in a tent?”
“Ugh. I’m super grateful.”
Luca, incredulous, looked at Sigrin, who shrugged.
They thought she came to Lemaos for power struggles, but she’d lived in a tent with pure intentions.
“It’s romantic. I’m coreless anyway, nowhere to go.”
“…”
Luca nodded after staring at Sigrin.
“Living in Lemaos does increase your chances of getting night market tickets. So, what do you want to buy?”
Since Lemaos was tied to Panoplia Academy, you’d expect many students at the night market, but outsiders dominated.
Located between two cities, Lemaos was a meeting point for merchants.
A Lemaos student named Kiriki Dasnelly started the “night market,” and merchants eagerly brought goods.
As Lemaos was a closed village, the night market featured rare items not found in regular markets.
Apple likely sought something rare.
“A temporary core generator. I’ll use it to form a core in my dantian for training.”
Luca snorted.
You dragged Sigrin to Lemaos for that pipe dream?
“Where’s your latent core?”
“Me? My heart.”
“Don’t waste money and effort on useless stuff. Invest in high-probability areas. Even pouring everything into a promising spot might not be enough.”
“…”
“Think heart cores are easy?”
Apple’s expression darkened.
She knew it was foolish but had ignored it, making Luca’s words sting more.
“I’m not belittling heart cores. Separately, I need a dantian core. Absolutely.”
“Must be nice to have the luxury to mess around~ Well, good luck.”
“You don’t get it! With two cores, you’ve got no right to talk!”
“I said good luck.”
“…”
Huh? What’s this?
Why the sudden tension?
Sigrin stepped toward Bilha, who was blankly watching a butterfly flutter by.