Subordinate: Gaya.
Cultivation Level: None.
Race: Demi human-Naga Race.
Current Skills: None.
Status: Meridians repaired - 10%
Loyalty towards the host: 25%
"Look at that. She became twenty-five percent loyal to me," he remarked, observing the increase in loyalty on the subordinate interface.
"System, open my status window."
Host: Michael.
Cultivation Level: Body Refining stage, level 5.
Experience Points: 65000/300000
Badass Points: 7000.
Skills & Spells:
Wind Blast - LVL 2.
Responsive Shield - LVL 2.
Environment Scanning - LVL 1.
Ignitia - LVL 1.
Lightning Dash - LVL 1.
Energy Devouver - LVL 1.
Occupation: Disciple of Sunrise sect.
Status: Healthy.
Goals: Control the world.
Utility Function: Banker - LVL 2 (Ratio - 1000 gold coins: 5 badass points.)
Special Trait: 5-Star Alchemist.
Subordinates: Gaya (loyalty level 25%).
Base of Operation: Sunrise Sect.
"Hmm, looks like my goal has changed." Previously, his goal was 'Be the Strongest Predator in the world,' and now it had changed to 'Control the world.'
Obviously, one had to be the strongest to control the world.
So, as his first step towards controlling the world, he decided to establish an empire of pill businesses to create a steady income flow. At the current level of the system, he could turn Gold coins into Badass points, but not the other way around. Since he couldn't use Badass points anywhere except in the system, and gold coins were the universal currency in this world, he chose to earn himself some coins.
With a rough plan in his mind, he exited the system and saw Gaya licking the porridge bowl clean.
"Don't eat the bowl."
"Fuck you!" She cursed as she kept picking up the rice grains at the bottom of the bowl and putting them into her mouth.
"Come on, let's go. We need to choose a suitable place to set up my shop."
"But I only ate three bowls." Yes, she had eaten three bowls of porridge and demonstrated her hearty appetite. Her need for substantial food stemmed from her inability to cultivate like others, as the Arch energy kept her body hungry. Additionally, Raylene's culinary skills, coupled with the Arch energy-infused ingredients Michael had purchased, significantly enhanced the taste of the food.
"If you keep eating like this, you're going to become fat." The moment these words left his mouth, Gaya coughed, spitting out the food in surprise.
"What did you just say?!" Her face turned red with anger, and he realized that, even in this world, girls didn't appreciate being called fat.
"You heard me." He could almost see the puffs of smoke coming out of her ears and nostrils if he looked closely. However, her sudden burst of laughter surprised him.
"Hahahaha." Her laughter caught him off guard.
"Alright, I'll bite. Why are you laughing?" asked Michael. She continued to laugh. After a few seconds, she stopped and looked at him.
"Even with all your talents, because of your mouth, you're going to end up dying a virgin." She paused for a moment and then added, "unless you pay for a girl to do you, hahaha."
"Hahahaha." This time, it was Gaya who was taken by surprise as Michael burst into laughter.
"Why are YOU laughing?!" asked Gaya.
"It's just... even if you pay, no one would do you, ugly. Hahahaha."
"Hahaha, great comeback, hahaha." said Gaya. Their laughter echoed through the house, and both felt refreshed to laugh like this after a long time.
**********
Michael and Gaya finished their lunch and left the house when the sun reached the middle of the sky. Because the sect only had a few disciples, the mountain seemed lonely.
"How far is this Bradford?" asked Michael.
"If we start walking now, we'll reach Bradford in six or seven hours." said Gaya.
"Any other options?"
"We could go to Rivertown, which we can reach in thirty minutes using your speedy spell. From there, we can rent a pegasus and fly to Bradford in two hours." Gaya answered Michael.
"Flying on a pegasus, cool!" Michael could barely contain his excitement from showing on his face when he heard the words pegasus and fly.
Although he had flown in airplanes countless times, how could that compare to actually riding a pegasus, those magnificent, feathery horses!
"Let's go!" He was about to take Gaya's hand and use the Lightning Dash spell when he saw two familiar faces walking towards them.
The two familiar faces were none other than Daniel and Ricky, the two guards Michael had met in Rivertown. They looked rather tired and drenched in sweat, their light brown clothes turned dark brown from the perspiration.
"Young Master Ghost!"
"Why are you guys here?" This was the second time he had asked that question today, as both Daniel, the older guard, and Ricky, the younger one, were breathing heavily.
"Young Master, we came to make sure Mrs. Agner and the children reached here safely and to ask whether they need anything from Rivertown," Daniel explained, while Ricky stared at Gaya as if he had never seen a girl in his life before.
"Seriously?" Gaya questioned Ricky with an annoyed voice as he didn't even try to hide the way he was looking at her. Michael had no intention of stopping Ricky, as even with the mask on to change her face, she looked pretty. Hence, it was natural for a youngster like Ricky to be mesmerized by her beauty.
"Ricky!" Daniel pinched Ricky and brought him back from his stupefied state.
"It's nice of you two to do that, but don't you guys have to be at the gates all the time?" Michael asked. In response, Daniel sighed shaking his head.
"The higher-ups transferred us, Young Master Ghost. We are going to Larton today."
"Larton?! What did you two do to deserve that? Hehehe," Gaya chuckled sadistically, piquing Michael's curiosity. According to Abras's memories, Larton was a desolate desert region in the Bredia Kingdom with a sparse population.
Listening to her sadistic laughter and seeing the terrified expression on Daniel's face, he understood that Larton was not a desirable place.
"If Larton is that bad, can't you guys ask your higher-ups to reconsider? Besides, why are they transferring you?"
"It's…" Daniel seemed like he was hiding something, so Michael turned his attention to Ricky, who was typically more talkative.
"It's a punishment, Young Master Ghost," Ricky replied with a hint of anger in his voice.
"Punishment? What did you do?"
"It's because of what we did not do, Young Master. The letter we received from the higher-ups stated that we should have stopped you from burning Ralphy alive at the gates." Michael frowned upon hearing Ricky's complaint.
"They also said we won't get any promotion in the near future."
"You really messed up the lives of these two, Ghost. Weaklings like them won't survive very long in Larton. If the beasts and poisonous creatures don't kill them, the scorching sun will," Gaya took pleasure in pouring salt into the guards' wounds by describing the harsh conditions of Larton, making Michael feel slightly guilty for the two of them.
But soon, he realized that he could use these two as his henchmen. Gaya was obviously not someone who would run errands for him, and he couldn't always rely on Jack. Daniel and Ricky seemed like good candidates and perfect henchmen material.
"Forget about your higher-ups. How much do you guys make?" His question shocked Ricky and Daniel. "One hundred and twenty gold coins."
"Per month?"
"Yeah, they wish. It's per year, human," Gaya snickered.
"Forget your jobs; come work for me. I'll pay you what you get in a year every month." Before Daniel and Ricky could respond, he retrieved two pouches and tossed them to the two guards.
"This is your hiring bonus. From now on, you two work for me." Ricky and Daniel trembled in surprise and shock. Just by feeling the weight of the pouches in their hands, they could tell that there had to be more than one hundred gold coins inside.
Ricky was the first to fall to the ground and hug Michael's leg. "Forget those old bastards in the capital; I'll work for you, Young Master Ghost!"
After witnessing Michael's generosity and learning about their monthly salary under him, Daniel also knelt down and shed tears of joy.
"Alright, get up, you two. Be loyal to me, and you'll experience what it's like to be rich."