Claire's mouth opened, but before she could say a word, Daniel made a slight gesture with his hand.
Two pure mana stones appeared on the table.
The usually calm and composed Claire couldn't help but gasp in shock.
Is this a dream?
"I'll arrange to transport your goods immediately," Claire said, her voice trembling with excitement, her eyes glistening. "We'll provide free magical scrolls to carry ordinary items, and though we don't have magical chests for transporting priceless treasures, we will personally escort them to the academy.
All of our Tier-gold mages, including myself, will participate in the escort to ensure your safe return to the academy, Professor Daniel!"
Daniel had now become an extremely important client for Dragonscale Bank. Claire had to ensure, by any means necessary, that he was completely satisfied.
All the treasures stored in Dragonscale Bank, along with everything in Silverscale Store, were now essentially sold to Daniel. Transporting everything would take some time, and security was non-negotiable.
"No need for such trouble," Daniel gestured for everyone to step back.
He snapped his fingers.
A sudden gust of wind swirled around them, even knocking the experienced high-level mage Claire slightly off balance.
When she regained her composure, she was astonished to see that all the resources and treasures, which had been stacked in multiple layers across nearly a quarter of the store's first floor, had vanished into thin air!
"W-What just happened?"
As a high-level mage who was just a step away from becoming a Tier-diamond mage, Claire stood wide-eyed, stunned.
While Claire was still frozen in disbelief, Daniel had already taken his equally speechless and confused Logistics Director, Isolde, and left.
...
On the way back, Daniel noticed Isolde struggling, clearly full of questions but unsure how to express them.
"Speak freely," Daniel said.
Indeed, Isolde's mind was racing with various thoughts and questions, all colliding and competing for attention. Finally, she decided to voice the most recent one that had surfaced.
"Your wealth and your power... How did you..."
Isolde stammered, gesturing with her hands as she tried to find the right words to articulate her confusion.
Daniel had anticipated this. "You can think of it as part of the old headmaster's plan. You, as the logistics director, are part of that plan."
A simple explanation—one that left plenty of room for imagination.
This, ironically, made it feel even more plausible.
Moments ago, Isolde had been dazed, still processing everything she had witnessed. But now, with her responsibilities brought up, she quickly pulled herself together, her expression firm as she said,
"Don't worry, Headmaster! Leave it to me, I won't let you down!"
This was exactly what Daniel liked.
At Crossbridge Academy, there were no internal power struggles. After all, only with a united team could they achieve great things.
Upon returning to the academy, most of the magical materials, tools, spell scrolls, and theory books were handed over to Isolde to organize and store properly.
Daniel, on the other hand, returned to his room.
He took out the staff that Claire had called "a defective item."
"Defective? Not at all." Daniel ran his hand over the staff's surface, brushing away the dust to reveal its true form.
While Claire couldn't identify its origins, Daniel's vast knowledge had allowed him to recognize it the moment he saw it.
"The Solis Staff—also known as the Star Sun Staff!"
This staff was incredibly rare—there was likely no other like it in the world.
"The unfortunate part is that powerful stellar mages who controlled celestial forces have long disappeared, which is why no mage can use it today."
But even so, this Solis Staff was still an exceptional tool for channeling other types of mana, making it a top-tier magic wand.
The mana patterns within the staff unfolded clearly before Daniel's eyes, as if bowing in submission to a king.
In some ways, simple humans were not as sensitive as magical artifacts or magical creatures.
While Daniel's "Mana Core Engraving" allowed him to carve magic patterns within his own body to forcefully improve his magical talent, it didn't do much to enhance his physical strength.
Though Daniel's magical talent had been transformed through his vast knowledge of mana manipulation, his body remained weak. When harnessing vast amounts of mana, his physical form couldn't handle the strain.
He still needed to rely on external tools.
By absorbing and devouring magical artifacts, he could gradually strengthen his mana core and increase his body's capacity to withstand greater mana.
This had been part of Daniel's plan from the beginning.
His visit to Dragonscale Bank, aside from his extravagant shopping spree, was aimed at finding suitable magical tools to absorb and use to reinforce his mana core.
And this Star Sun Staff was perfect for him at this stage!
Daniel stored the staff, deciding to use it at the first opportunity.
Now, he was ready to check on Rose.
In the backyard.
"Hah!"
Even before entering the gate, Daniel could hear his daughter's spirited shouts as she trained.
Thud! Thud!
The sounds of wooden training dummies and straw targets being struck followed.
"Father! You're back!" Rose was practicing her swordsmanship.
Like her father, the young girl had no significant talent for magic.
But unlike him, she had chosen not to follow the mage's path. She was determined to become strong through hard work.
She had to be strong.
Only then could she protect her father and the academy.
Rose loved her family, loved the atmosphere of the academy, and cherished the place she called home.
The girl knew that after her grandfather, the powerful archmage who had kept the academy afloat, passed away, the academy's situation had become precarious.
She had to work even harder.
While other students were still asleep, she was already up training; and long after they had gone to bed, she continued her evening practice routines.
All of this had not escaped Daniel's notice.
Seeing Rose run over to him, a smile crept onto Daniel's face—a genuine smile, one even he didn't realize he had.
"The academy hasn't been able to hire a magic swordsman instructor, and you've been practicing basic swordsmanship on your own. I'll find you a suitable teacher soon."
"Father, that's not necessary!" Rose quickly shook her head.
"Really, you don't need to worry about me! Even if I only practice the basics, it's fine!
"After all, even those who trained in basic swordsmanship became great figures like Paladin Fernandez!
"If I work hard, I should be able to..."
Rose's voice trailed off, her words cut short as her eyes widened. Her mouth hung slightly open, her wide eyes locked on what Daniel had just drawn from his robes—a massive knight's sword, nearly 180 centimeters in length, with a blade over 120 centimeters long, requiring both hands to wield.
The sword was taller than Rose herself!
Its blade was straight and unadorned, with a simple hilt wrapped in white cloth. No gemstones decorated it—just plain metal.
Yet despite its simplicity, anyone with knowledge could see that this Knight's Sword was no ordinary weapon.
"This... is..." Rose's eyes were glued to the sword.
Daniel said, "This is my gift to you."
"But... I've seen this sword somewhere before..." Rose thought for a moment before suddenly letting out a scream. "This is the sword of Paladin Fernandez from the Chronicles of the Top 100 Knights! It looks exactly like it!"
"Ahhhh—!"
No matter how mature or sensible she might be, Rose was still a young girl at heart.
Ecstatic over such a gift and overwhelmed by the news, she could only scream in delight, throwing her arms around her beloved father in a tight hug!