The man before Charlie was the mastermind behind his near-death experience at the hands of Ferdinand in the Inspection Department. He was smarter than Peter, who was exposed in the open; this man hid in the shadows. If it weren't for Qianjue's reminder, Charlie wouldn't have realized some of his actions.
Given Charlie's character, he wasn't interested in engaging in pleasantries; he felt disgusted and couldn't pretend to like him.
Weining frowned, "What do you want with it as a magic apprentice?"
"Isn't Your Highness also a magic apprentice?"
"I like to collect interesting things; it's my hobby," Weining said with a proud smile. "Besides, unlike you, I can afford to splurge. I've heard your family is quite wealthy, but unfortunately, you have no status in the Pavel family right now."
"No matter how strong Your Highness's purchasing power is, the item is in my hands, and you are the one asking me to sell it," Charlie replied, tapping the sealing box on the table with a calm smile. "If you really want it, I'll consider 500 points per drop."
Weining's face turned slightly angry as he threw a box onto the table. "You've browsed the gullet of the Thunderwind Serpent, haven't you? As a bonus, I'll add 50 points per drop on top of what I just offered. In just ten minutes, you can walk away with 400 points and a gullet of the Thunderwind Serpent. That's my bottom line!"
Weining emphasized the last sentence heavily.
Charlie chuckled lightly, "Do you have a hearing problem, Your Highness? I said 500 points per drop, and I'm considering it. Do you want me to repeat that louder?"
"Charlie!" Weining shouted angrily, drawing curious glances from surrounding students. "Don't get too carried away just because you just got your golden badge! There's nothing to be proud of! You just offended Peter, which led to you attracting the attention of Master Ferdinand. Now you're being ungrateful and angering me?! Don't forget who saved you from Master Ferdinand; it was my teacher, Ms. Angelina!"
This was Weining's cunning side; even in anger, he had his logic and a well-structured argument.
"It sounds like you saved me," Charlie laughed and asked, "Let me ask you this: can you represent Ms. Angelina? If you can, then take it as a gift. If not, why should you flatter me? Is your face what prompted Ms. Angelina to help me?"
With so many eyes on him, if he dared to say yes, he would likely be called in for a talk by his teacher that night.
"Well said!"
A voice from the crowd exclaimed, "I hate it when people keep talking about their teachers! The strength of your teacher can't mask your own weakness. What good is an apprentice who can't even be raised by a master?"
"A prince means nothing! This is the Magic Kingdom, not a place for you to show off wealth!"
Weining's face slightly twitched; this was the most embarrassing moment he had faced since enrolling. In his memory, he had never encountered such an ungrateful apprentice!
Weining stepped forward, his face twisted with anger, and in a lowered voice said, "Charlie, don't forget that the dukedom of the Pavel family was signed by my father. Each year, 30% of the taxes from Haines City go directly into the royal coffers, and you're mocking the future ruler of this country! I want to ask you, do you even think before you leave the house?!"
He used threats and intimidation without hesitation. It seemed the essence of Hydra's blood was indeed a valuable item that he could not let go.
"Let's talk about that when you become His Majesty! It's still too early!" Charlie didn't hide his voice, allowing it to reach everyone's ears.
The onlookers erupted in cheers. This group, eager to watch the drama unfold, continued to tease Weining, which only deepened the animosity between the two.
Of course, Charlie didn't care; ever since he learned of Weining's scheming against him, he had mentally marked him as an enemy for life.
Weining was furious, his disheveled hair losing all semblance of composure. He spoke each word with intensity, "Charlie, if I become king, I will repay the humiliation of today a hundredfold!"
"Great! I'll be waiting for the day you become His Majesty!" Charlie shot back coolly, showing no fear.
Amid the laughter of the crowd, Weining stormed off in anger.
Someone laughed and said, "No wonder he insulted a master; a mere prince means nothing!"
"I wondered why this freshman was so tough; turns out he is Mr. Charlie!"
Charlie had recently become a hot topic, and many had given him the nickname "Mr. Charlie." There was even a widely circulated catchphrase: "Mr. Charlie isn't afraid of you!"
It had become synonymous with "headstrong" and though some wanted to approach Charlie to greet him, he declined, fitting perfectly with that image.
Charlie continued to browse the points market, and half an hour later, he bought a bunch of items: ribs of the Angoroo Magic Rhinoceros, a blind white sturgeon, the egg of a bipedal dragon, the heart of a thunder elephant, and more—all materials aimed at boosting strength and physical attributes.
In addition, he got a bottle of fortifying elixir that would increase strength, agility, and physique for a certain period, with the first use notably enhancing physical attributes. He also purchased a longbow named "Dusk Longbow," which came with two quivers of arrows: one of standard arrows and the other of armor-piercing arrows.
The total cost of all the items came to 2275 points, with some products at 20% off, resulting in a final payment of 1925 points. Charlie kept over 200 points to maintain a recharge opportunity for his apprentice badge.
Carrying two large bundles, he left the points market under the astonished gazes of several seniors.
Upon returning to the laboratory, he happened to find Anthony instructing Eileen on some tasks. Seeing Charlie come in with two huge bundles, he quickly helped him unload.
"What did you buy from the points market?" Anthony asked.
"Yeah!"
"Let me see the list of what you bought."
Charlie handed over the transaction slip from the points market.
"1900 points! You spent 1900 points?!" Anthony nearly jumped up, his eyes wide open.
Eileen gasped in disbelief.
"Yeah! What's wrong with that?"
"How much did you earn in points from this new student activity?"
Charlie replied honestly, "I got some loot and exchanged it for a bit of points."
Seeing Charlie's nonchalant demeanor, Anthony couldn't help but feel a sense of "regret for not being able to mold him," "That's not just a bit of points! Do you know the value of these points?! In the auction house at Sky Harbor, one point is valued between 4000 and 4500 imperial gold coins, and it's hard to even find a buyer! You went out for a bit and spent something worth tens of thousands of gold coins! Do you realize that?!"
Holy moly! Points are that precious? Converting to gold coins gave Charlie some perspective, and he did indeed feel he spent a bit too much, but it felt good nonetheless!
Then, Anthony carefully reviewed the list, and seeing the first few lines, he couldn't help but curse, "Charlie, you idiot! What junk did you buy?! Were you scammed?! Why is it all just beast meat?! Are you that hungry?! Doesn't the teacher feed you every day?!"
Charlie quickly explained, "Teacher, I feel my physique isn't good enough, so I bought some things to make medicinal dishes to nourish my body. Maybe I bought a bit too much, but it doesn't matter; I'll eat slowly, and you can have some too to restore your health."
"Eat what, you fool!" Anthony was so angry he was puffing his cheeks, scolding, "That's just stupid!! Why does a mage need such a strong physique? Is your magic just for show? Are you going to brawl with those strong brutes? You're insulting the identity of a mage! You're also insulting the intelligence of a mage!
Clearly, a powerful force spell could solve things easily; you just need to use your brain! Why didn't you assess your affinity for combat jobs back then? Ah! Ah! Ah!! You're going to drive me mad!!"
Anthony yelled three times.
Charlie felt quite speechless; he couldn't explain to Anthony his fighting style or the three super-magic techniques he had grasped. This was a strategy formulated by his chip to optimally enhance his current combat power.
"Teacher, don't you remember? My bloodline is stimulated by certain factors. I want to invest in this aspect to activate my bloodline abilities as soon as possible." Charlie thought quickly of a reasonable excuse.
When Anthony saw the first item on the list, his attitude softened, "You should have asked me! How to activate a bloodline? I can provide some good advice, and I've been researching this topic recently. The potion you used yesterday was for stimulating bloodlines, wasn't it? Why buy things randomly?"
"That's not entirely random! I mentioned to you that my hometown has a culture of medicinal cuisine that can effectively enhance
physical attributes."
"Can medicinal cuisine compare to alchemical potions? Hmph! I'd like to see what effects you think this medicinal cuisine has, relying solely on this pile of meat and bones?" Anthony sneered. Then, upon seeing the last entry on the list, his eyes widened again, and he asked, "You still say it's not a random purchase? A distinguished magic apprentice like you, instead of finding ways to enhance your mental strength, practicing meditation, or building spell models, chooses to spend hard-earned points on meat and bows? I think you should just transfer to the combat school instead!"
Eileen couldn't help but chime in, "Teacher, Senior Charlie's bow is really powerful! He never misses, and at the Sogo Marshes, he killed a lot of fishmen with just a bow!"
"Shut up!" Anthony snapped, causing Eileen to immediately fall silent.
Seeing Charlie's determined expression, Anthony sighed and said, "Fine! These points are yours; I won't interfere anymore. Anyway, you have Master Nahl looking after you now, so you shouldn't need to worry about magic.
You made a good purchase with the essence of Hydra's blood and the heart of the thunder elephant. If I can use these in my new potion, the effect will likely be even better. If you give these to me, I'll help you concoct the potions, and all the finished products will belong to you.
Don't worry; I'll first experiment with other materials to find the best formula and then use it to create the final potion. How about it? Are you willing to trust me with this?"
Since it was worth 600 points, even though Weining was willing to pay 1000 points for it, there was still some trust between the teacher and student.
Charlie nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble you with this, Teacher. If there's a chance, I'd like to learn how to concoct potions from you. I've been looking at your notes in my spare time, but I really lack knowledge in alchemy, and there are many parts I don't understand. Would you be willing to teach me?"
Anthony contemplated, "I won't have much time recently. Let me finish developing the best formula for the new potion first, and then we can discuss it. Don't worry, I will keep my promise."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher." With that, Charlie handed the heavy sealing box over to Anthony.