Soon, they swarmed around Kent, requesting to assist him. Kent felt bewildered as the ladies swarmed like flies.
"Shut up! ... don't you know how to behave with customers?" Fatty Ben shouted angrily as he approached Kent. The girls became silent and took a back step as their jobs were more important.
"Young Master Kent, please follow me." Fatty Ben replied with a wide grin.
Kent picked up his sky orb and hurriedly followed Ben, avoiding the sticky girls who were rubbing their bodies against him.
As Fatty Ben led the way, Kent followed him closely.
"What a gluten... I want to punch his belly with my fists." One of the girls uttered while staring angrily at Fatty Ben.
"Leave it. That young master is way above our league." Li replied in a consoling tone.
_
Kent continued to ascend the third floor along with Fatty Ben.
"Young master Kent, you have purchased a lot of combat clothes; by any chance, are you participating in a competition?" Ben questioned with a curious face.
"Yeah… I'm preparing for the annual secondary maze competition of the Sky Family Magus School." Kent replied without thinking much.
"Oh, then, what is your chance of winning the competition?" Ben asked again, with an interesting look.
"I don't know. This is my first time participating in the competition, and I don't have much information about my opponents." Kent replied honestly.
"Young Master Kent, do you really have any chance of winning this competition?" Ben stared at Kent, waiting for his reply.
Kent felt something wrong with Ben's questions. "Why are you asking me all these questions? You are not even a member of Sky Family School." Kent questioned in a serious tone.
"Young master, please don't get offended. Along with my manager job, I had a side hustle. Do you ever hear the name Gold Rat?" Fatty Ben questioned with a proud smile.
Kent stopped in his tracks after hearing Ben's question. "Are you talking about the absurd fat guy who opens the betting counter at every competition in Silver Leaf City?"
"Hahaha… yes… yes, young master. I'm that gold rat." Fatty Ben announced with a loud laugh, exposing the two front gold teeth like a house rat.
Kent stared at Fatty with a bewildered gaze. Even though he never saw Gold Rat, he heard several stories about him in the school forum. Several kids wrote about Gold Rat, who always bets on the losing side.
"Wait, are you really a gold rat?" Kent asked with a doubtful gaze.
"You don't need to doubt me, young master. If you want, I can show you my pictures in the betting store." Ben replied assuringly.
"No need. Just answer one question. Why does Gold Rat always bet on the losing side?" Kent asked while staring at Fatty Ben with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Hahaha, that's my trade secret, young master. Throughout history, all rich fellows were people who took great risks in their lives. Bigger the risk… returns will be much bigger.
Also, people always flock to my betting store, as I will choose the losing side in any situation. All I need to do is win one battle, and it will cover all my losses. I call it, the 'Loading Gun' theory." Ben explained with a proud face.
Kent was stupefied after hearing his reply. All forums describe Gold Rat as a brainless, rich kid. But in reality, he has a reasonable tactic to attract everyone to his store.
"So, if you are the popular Gold Rat, then how much have you earned till now through betting?" Kent asked curiously, as Gold Rat set up his store where ever competition happens in Silver Leaf Town.
"Minus 69 gold." Ben replied with a depressed face.
"What?!..." Kent cried out in surprise. "Didn't you speak so highly about your method? Then why did you lose your money instead of earning it? What did you call it? A loading gun! Right?"
Kent asked while controlling his laughter. Now he understands why Gold Rat is called a brainless rich kid in forums.
"Young master, I called it a loading gun because it is still loading." Ben replied with a sheepish smile. "But my gun will fire one day, and I will earn immense wealth." He added without losing his spirit.
Kent didn't speak after that. He is still trying to control his laughter after hearing the real truth behind the Gold Rat.
"Manager Ben, why are you standing outside? Come in." A lady in a black outfit with curly hair interrupted Ben who is boasting about earning big in the future as gold rat.
"Miss Anna, please take good care of our VVIP customer." Fatty Ben spoke while gesturing towards Kent.
Anna stared at Kent from top to bottom, analyzing his style and body type. "Please come in, young master. My name is Anna. I'm the chief beautician of this Idol parlor." Anna introduced herself as she welcomed Kent to sit on the porcelain chair before the mirror.
"Please call me Kent."
After exchanging formalities, Kent sat before the mirror. Anna inquired about what type of makeover he needed.
"I just need a haircut." Kent replied in a modest tone.
"Mr. Kent, you seem to have never been to a parlor. Why don't you let me do a makeover for you and create a unique style of appearance? I promise, you will really like your new look." Anna said assuringly while staring at Kent's image in the opposite mirror.
"Sorry, Miss Anna. I don't like flashy and overboard styling. In fact, I even despise people with heavy makeup." Kent tried to politely reject her offer.
"Mr. Kent, you misunderstood me. Let me show you a few decent, suitable styles for you. Every man should always maintain his charm by showing his style and elegance." Anna added as she tapped on the mirror after reciting a strange spell.
Instantly, Kent's image on the mirror changed with new looks. While explaining details, Anna swiped one image after another. After seeing a few samples, Kent felt the real meaning in her words.
After a long time, Kent chose a decent hairstyle with the help of Anna.
After measuring his features with a glowing thread in her hands, Anna began styling Kent. She didn't use any equipment. Every time Anna snapped her fingers, changes happened to Kent's hairline.
Ben, who stood by the side, stared at Kent's image in the mirror without uttering a single word.
Anna took five more minutes to finish the final adjustments. "Mr. Kent, how is it? Did you like your new look?" Anna asked with a curious smile.
"What could I say? You turned me into an aristocratic scholar. I'm worried that my schoolmates can't recognize me in this look." Kent replied with a smile as he stood from the chair.
Anna felt happy after hearing his feedback. Kent transferred 20 gold to her account and left Idol Plaza after thanking her.
Fatty Ben followed Kent outside the plaza. "Mr. Kent, it's my pleasure doing business with you. We will soon meet again in the annual competition." Fatty Ben replied with a chuckle as he waved good-bye to Kent.
Kent hurriedly walked towards the property dealer store, as he was already late to sign his property document with Stella.
"He is my magic bullet. I must earn big in the next competition by betting on him." Fatty Ben muttered in a determined tone.
(Fatty Ben has a long narrative in the future story. Please remember his character. TQ.)
Note: Thank you for the Power Stones.