Maybe it was because Lady Isolde's frustration was too obvious.
Daniel gave her a small hint.
"Upgrade the school facilities, improve the quality of student supplies, and upgrade the food quality for students," Daniel said. "If you really can't spend it all, go shopping. I think our academy is already Claire's favorite customer."
"Dragonscale Bank has many treasures. If you come across something valuable, buy it and store it in the school's collection. It'll come in handy eventually."
"If you find something truly precious, the budget I've given you won't be enough. You can come directly to me."
Isolde nodded repeatedly, diligently jotting it all down in her notebook.
She now admired Daniel deeply.
However, Daniel seemed to have forgotten something.
"Apologies, I also wanted to shop at Dragonscale Bank, but when I went last week, the staff said they were out of stock."
"They said that after you bought everything last time, they haven't restocked since."
Daniel shook his head.
Such inefficiency.
After all this time, they still hadn't restocked.
It seemed that this world's service industry had a lot of room for improvement.
"Here's this month's budget." Daniel dropped two bags of mana stones. "Give an extra hundred mana stones to each of the students who went on the support mission. This is a great opportunity for them to strengthen their abilities."
"Understood."
Daniel's generosity earned him the admiration of several teachers.
With such cost-free cultivation of students, once these little ones matured, they would be powerful whether they liked it or not.
…
"Who exactly is that mysterious big client?" Lady Tina had been in Riverside City for some time now.
She had been secretly tracking Claire, using Mr. Dick's connections to meet several influential people in the city.
She initially suspected that the mysterious big client might be the Moonstone family or the House of Windwhisper.
But after getting to know them, it didn't seem to be the case.
"It couldn't possibly be that nearly bankrupt Crossbridge Academy, could it?"
Tina found the thought so ridiculous that it made her laugh.
She had no idea about the current state of the academy.
According to her information, the academy's new headmaster was a tier-iron "failure." All the teachers had left, and the students were orphans—a poor and miserable place, through and through.
She decided to focus on tracking Claire. Once she found out who the mysterious big client was, she was confident that her beauty and charm would help her win them over.
"Lady Tina, we have new information."
An assassin in charge of surveillance brought the latest news.
"We've noticed that Claire used a magic scroll and disappeared in Garden Street."
"Ha! I knew it!" Tina was thrilled. "Let's go! To Garden Street! I'm going to find that mysterious big client."
Meanwhile, in Garden Street, Daniel and Claire were chatting in a flower shop.
"What a peculiar place to do business," Daniel said. "Why not trade at Dragonscale Bank?"
"The surroundings here are more pleasant," Claire couldn't possibly tell him she was being followed. She didn't want to cause Daniel any displeasure, so she came up with another reason.
"I heard that Lady Isolde from Crossbridge Academy is planning to purchase a batch of deep green jasmine. This shop is where I prepared my gift for her."
"That's thoughtful," Daniel said with a slight smile.
He could already imagine the outcry Isolde would make when she received such a large pile of flowers.
Her hard-thought-out spending plan had been thwarted by someone gifting the flowers ahead of time.
"So, what about the new treasures?" Daniel asked directly.
"They're all here." Claire produced a delicate golden box, intricately carved with a magic array. Daniel immediately recognized it as a large spatial storage box.
However, the contents left Daniel somewhat disappointed.
They were similar to what he had purchased before.
Although the categories were different, the highest-grade treasure was only 3-star.
"I'll take everything," Daniel said. "But I expect to see higher-quality items."
"Whether it's raw materials, mana cores, weapons, or consumables—the rarer, the better."
Claire apologized, "I'm terribly sorry. Since the Riverside City treasury was emptied last time, new items require assessment by Chief Steward Dick before they can be gradually released. These are the best I could secure."
"What a hassle," Daniel frowned.
They didn't even know how to make money.
This Dick fellow must not be too bright.
"Daniel, the total value of these items is 150 billion mana stones. However, since you're my valued customer, I can offer you a 20% discount, bringing it down to 120 billion mana stones."
"That's fine." Daniel readily paid.
He didn't mind the mana stones, but he appreciated the attitude.
It was rare to find a capable merchant who wasn't greedy.
"Thank you, Daniel. If you need anything, feel free to contact me directly," Claire said with even more respect. "I'll do my best to get it done."
"Next time, just come to the academy," Daniel said. "If I'm not there, talk to Lady Isolde."
"Understood." Claire breathed a sigh of relief.
Success.
Daniel was willing to work with her long-term.
With this transaction completed smoothly, her promotion was no longer in jeopardy.
"I'll continue to search for more treasures—anything 3-star or higher, or even SS-grade, is what I'm after."
Claire took note of his requests seriously.
She planned to make a trip to Lake City soon. If Chief Steward Dick continued to make excuses, she would bypass him and submit the request directly.
After all, a straightforward customer like Daniel was a rare and high-value client.
Daniel was busy.
After finishing his business, his figure turned into a gray breeze and vanished.
Claire was left speechless.
What kind of power was this? She hadn't even sensed a trace of mana fluctuation. She resolved to be even more cautious around Daniel in the future. Not only was he a golden goose, but also a formidable expert.
At that moment, the flower shop door suddenly opened.
"Hello there! I'm Tina from Dragonscale Bank. So nice to meet you." Tina, drenched in perfume and dressed in a luxurious magic robe with a high slit, strutted into the shop, exuding charm with her perfectly alluring makeup.
"..." Claire was speechless.
"Hmm? Why are you the only one here?" Tina asked in surprise. "Where's that mysterious customer?"
"Which customer?" Claire asked. "I'm here to buy flowers. Who were you talking to just now, Lady Tina? You weren't secretly following me, were you? You know the bank prohibits poaching clients."
Tina glanced around and confirmed that the only person in the shop was Claire.
"Hmph, I'm also here to buy flowers," she said, unwilling to directly violate the bank's rules. With that excuse, she left, though not without giving Claire a condescending glance. "Heh, don't say I didn't warn you—no matter how much you sell, you won't get promoted!"
"Thanks for the reminder," Claire replied with a slight smile. "But Dragonscale Bank doesn't belong to you or Mr. Dick. Headquarters will decide my promotion."
The two women exchanged a sharp look, the tension between them palpable.
After Claire left, Tina's expression turned vicious.
"Promotion? Dream on!"
"As long as I have Dick's support, you'll never get promoted."
All this undercurrent of conflict, Daniel was unaware of.
And even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
Even that Chief Steward from Lake City was insignificant to Daniel.
…
Today, Crossbridge Academy was filled with the scent of deep green jasmine.
The deputy headmaster stood at the school gate with several teachers, eagerly awaiting.
"They're back. There they are," they said, spotting the returning students from afar.
In the time they'd been away, the once immature students had undergone a complete transformation. They returned with confident smiles, their bodies stronger.
Even the youngest children had a new determination in their eyes.
They had ventured out, facing numerous dangers—not only battling fierce spell beasts but also engaging in all kinds of power struggles with other factions.
It could be said that before they left, they were chicks. Now, they were fledgling eagles.
"The kids look amazing," Deputy Headmaster Aldric marveled. "Isn't that Rose leading them? She seems to have grown a lot taller. They say girls blossom when they grow up."
Carrying her giant sword, Rose looked at the familiar academy, breathing a sigh of relief.
Throughout the journey, she had fulfilled her duties, working hard to protect her fellow students. In every battle, she led the charge.
Several times, she even came close to getting injured.
These actions had earned her the respect of her classmates.
In their eyes, she was no longer just the headmaster's daughter—she was truly Big Sister Rose.