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Path to Prosperity - B3 Chapter 2
🕑 Added 2024-10-15 10:00:11 +0000 UTC“Why won’t you take them?” Percy held the young blacksmith with an iron tight grasp and tried to push something into his hands.
“I cannot take any more. You have already given me way too much. Your excellency…” Percy glared daggers at Bert, “Percy…I can’t accept this. All of this is already too much!”
Bert pointed at everything around him. The room was nothing like his old smithy used to be, but that was only obvious. They didn’t meet up at the old smithy.
There was enough space in the room for several people of Bert’s size to work simultaneously. A massive anvil was anchored in the room with a massive working table made of metal attached to it. Countless tools, Artifacts made by none other than Percy, covered one wall, while a high-quality smithy was docked to the wall next to it.
The entire room was a treasure trove. A forging room with various tools – Forging Artifacts –and several baskets filled with various rare ores and metals.
Percy had provided all of it. He created more than a dozen forging artifacts with various enchantments for Bert, including a runic anvil, a runic forge, and so forth. At this point, Percy didn’t even know how much gold and Prosperity he had invested into the forging room, but it didn’t matter. The young blacksmith has been improving rapidly, but his development speed accelerated drastically the instant he offered him this room.
“I am investing in your growth. You shouldn’t think too much about it. Just accept it and work like usual. You have been progressing rapidly, which is amazing even to the Grandmaster Blacksmith in the royal palace. He has been bragging about you. How could I stop investing in you, if he is bragging about your growth like that? I want to witness your growth and be part of it,” Percy responded and shrugged lightly.
The forging room was indeed great, but it was only one of many rooms in the building Percy acquired recently.
His parents didn’t gift him the building or anything like that, but they helped him procure it. The paperwork to procure buildings in the capital was way too complicated for Percy. He understood a few things but he was never prone to anything related to bureaucracy.
Percy paid for the building with the fortune the Old King had given to him. Even though the Old King said the money was the monthly allowance he should have received from a young age, Percy knew better. The Old King tried making up for the two assassination attempts with a pile of gold coins. And Percy had to say…it worked.
He’d looked at the whole situation from the Old King’s point of view and acknowledged it. That didn’t mean Percy was willing to die or that he would allow the Old King to keep hunting him down, which his grandfather stopped after realizing his mistake, but the money was a great way to apologize.
Unfortunately, Percy was great at both earning money and spending it. Even though the building wasn’t too close to the capital center and closer to the Dragon Lair shop, it cost him a great fortune. Still, Percy never thought it was a waste of money. If anything, he considered the price more than acceptable after learning about the real estate market in the capital – that had been a big shocker for the young boy from the countryside.
Once renovated, the building transformed into the perfect place to concoct potions and forge various goods. Enchantments were not as important to Percy, but he could only engrave certain enchantments on forged goods, which was why he needed enchanters to bring some variety into his Artifacts. He had yet to hire enchanters, but the Minister of Finances had been very helpful in searching for all kinds of Gifted apprentices.
The building had been renovated, and ten forging rooms, six brewing chambers, and three enchanting halls were installed. Of course, none of the forging rooms were like Bert’s forging empire, but that was mostly because Percy was still hiring trustworthy blacksmiths with decent potential. They didn’t have to be as extraordinary as Bert turned out to be, but they had to be Gifted, thus capable of using Artifacts and Monster Cards, and needed to be both loyal and hard-working.
Finding blacksmiths like that was easier said than done, which was why Percy was even happier to have Bert around. He wanted to keep him and make sure he would become the best of the best.
Can’t he see his potential and the pace at which he is growing?
“I think you don’t understand how much more you could grow by accepting just a bit more nurturing from me,” Percy grumbled and ruffled through his hair, “Then how about this? I will loan you these two Cards and you return them to me when I want them back. We will write down a contract to ensure the Monster Cards will always belong to me and that I will never give them to you,” Percy smiled as Bert’s resistance crumbled.
“I don’t need these two Cards right now, and they would be wasted lying around, don’t you think so?”
Percy held two Monster Cards in his hands. They had been ordinary Monster Cards a while ago, but Percy Ego-enhanced them quite a bit. He’d invested more than two million in Prosperity to unlock a bunch of interesting Augmentations that would help Bert become an even better blacksmith.
[Monster Card – Lesser Elemental (Mortal–⭐⭐⭐/Mutant) – [Flame of Purity ⭐⭐] – [Minor Energy Boost ⭐⭐⭐⭐] – 108,935 Prosperity]
[Monster Card – Hobgoblin Blacksmith (Elite –⭐⭐] – [A Smith’s Sight⭐⭐⭐] – [Basic Strength Boost ⭐] – 436,923 Prosperity]
Bert reached the Elite Tier not long ago. His forging affinity was higher than expected, so he progressed his Tier as he focused on forging. That kind of affinity was rare to find, but it was perfect for someone like Bert. His progress was slow at first, but it accelerated as his forging skills improved.
“Take them.”
The Cards would help Bert become a Master Blacksmith in no time.
“I…” Bert crumbled slowly, “I will only accept them as a loan. Using the method you said earlier, or something like that.”
Percy agreed without hesitation. Loaning the Monster Cards and the Artifacts he’d invested was much better than gifting them away since his Ego would still consider them as his property. That way, Percy could Ego-enhance them even though he would never use them again. He sure hoped this would work for the Monster Cards as well. After all, it would be much easier to Ego-enhance the Monster Cards whenever he considered it necessary rather than being forced to tell his employees to return the Cards and accept them again once the upgrades had been completed.
It might not be important to others, but Percy researched something about the bond between Monster Card and Cardist that changed his mind. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult to strengthen the bond between Monster Card and Cardist. It was not something that could be done easily since a strengthened bond would increase the Monster Card’s intelligence and potentially create a bridge between the Cardist and the Monster Card. A bridge that allowed both to learn from each other’s understanding of various things, including the understanding and mastery of their Augmentation, but also combat and various other aspects.
The Blueflame Hawk was a perfect example. At first, the Blueflame Hawk was a normal summon monster. It wasn’t anything special. However, as Percy strengthened it while still being bound to the Monster Card, the bond between Cardist and Blueflame Hawk improved drastically. At this point, the bridge with the Blueflame Hawk was strong enough to sense what the Blueflame Hawk felt over a long distance.
It could warn him of dangers with a mixture of emotions and images, and Percy was certain he could watch the mortal realm from above through the Blueflame Hawk’s eyes if their bond continued growing.
And that was certain to happen as long as the Monster Card stayed bonded with him while the Coin of Prosperity would enhance it using Prosperity.
As long as I can upgrade the Monster Cards while they’re bonded with Bert, I will be happy. If it works…There will be so many opportunities to transform ordinary Gifted Ones into proper powerhouses in no time.
It required some more extensive testing, but Percy was confident.
All he needed was more time
“These Cards…” Bert gasped in disbelief as two interfaces popped up before him, “Are you sure it’s fine to leave Cards like this to me?”
I created them for you.
Percy smirked at that thought
“Of course. They’re all yours.”
Bert’s hands trembled violently as he accepted the Cards, and tears welled in his eyes.
His life turned upside down – in a good way – when Percy appeared in his little shop. It hadn’t been that long yet, but Bert knew one thing for sure.
He owed Percy everything.
If Percy hadn’t been…would I be slaving away for the creditors or living on the streets?
Bert wondered, his eyes lingering on the man who made everything possible for him.
Maybe I would be dead now.
Bert smiled sadly for a moment before the sadness was replaced with fierce determination. Percy noted the intensity in Bert’s blazing eyes but didn’t think much about it.
He didn’t know what Bert was thinking or that today was the day the blacksmith decided to stay by Percy’s side no matter what the future had prepared for him.
Even the gates of the Seven Hells weren’t frightening enough to stop Bert. If Percy were to walk through them, Bert would follow him.
