Bear School Astartes

”That hardworking little cat?”

Margaret asked, making a gesture as if casting a spell, probably informing the kitchen.

The Elu Cat’s appearance and personality were hard not to like, and Margaret was no exception.

”Why isn’t it coming up?”

”Rong Buqiu is sorting through its treasures. It seems quite absorbed.” Lann explained, beginning to remove his armor.

This was Margaret’s room, so he always took off his armor here.

Once Lann was seated, Margaret was the first to raise a glass of Aphrodisia red wine.

Seeing the teasing smile on her face, Lann sighed, already knowing what the toast would be.

Sure enough.

”To our near-bankrupt Demon Hunter Master, cheers!”

Margaret’s seductive figure twisted with laughter, like a bewitching snake.

”Oh, please... haha, please forgive me, Master.”

”Forgive me, as perhaps in your future life of wind and exposure, such wine will no longer be available.”

Margaret swirled the red wine glass, the interior displaying a magnificent red color, along with the ”legs” of the wine.

”This glass costs several Oren, you know.”

The golden-haired, large-waved female warlock winked at the Demon Hunter.

With her looks, even a gesture devoid of flirtation would seem very charming.

”Ha~ha~thank you for your generosity.”

Lann grinned at Margaret, responding to the female warlock’s teasing with a forced smile.

Truthfully, since acquiring Valerian steel techniques and developing production technology, he hadn’t really felt the need to pinch pennies.

But now, even with assets intact, the broken cash flow chain... actually made him feel like he was back at the beginning of his contact with Margaret.

A beautifully shaped and attractive, high-status, wealthy female warlock, with a Demon Hunter having nothing but a face?

How does that sound so familiar?

Lann quickly shook his head; he was not the self-tormenting type like Geralt!

”Alright then, now that you know what kind of trouble I’m in, just speak plainly.”

After messing around with Margaret, Lann briefly talked about his interaction with Taler, the dark water intelligence chief of Temeria.

Margaret listened as if it were a story, occasionally sipping from her wine glass with interest.

Meanwhile, Tishaya remained disciplined and meticulous, even slicing her steak symmetrically.

Only occasionally lifting her eyes or nodding to show she was listening to Lann’s narration.

”Taler, I haven’t interacted with him much.” Margaret’s face was slightly flushed from the alcohol. ”I only heard he was Veltrest’s right-hand man and quite foul-mouthed.”

”That’s normal.” Tishaya nodded indifferently, ”Those managing intelligence can’t afford to be close to anyone, except their master.”

”But aside from that, what he said was true.”

Margaret confirmed that what the Demon Hunter heard was indeed true.

”The personal fund you had Shilton manage is on the verge of breaking. The academy’s findings are similar to Taler’s, suspecting a group of somewhat renowned information peddlers and speculators within the Merchant Guild.”

”And Taler is also right. It’s highly possible to get screwed over by financial means and not even know who did it.”

”Tsk tsk, in my opinion, those merchants playing finance are no different from us playing magic. At least when we cast a curse on someone, we have to make some grand gestures or gather some spellcasting materials, but those people...”

”Quietly and without a trace, they can wipe out an entire company’s shareholders, and all that shows is a few numbers exchanged on the exchange board.”

”So,” Lann traced the rim of his wine glass with his finger, smiling. ”Is that it? That’s so simple?”

”A gang of financial speculators and information peddlers wanting to rake in profits, merely targeting a fund. Just an ordinary, natural financial speculation technique?”

”And was my personal fund just unfortunate enough to catch their eye?”

That seemed a bit too abnormal.

Lann was even finding it a little amusing.

”That’s certainly not normal.” Tishaya said nonchalantly from the side.

She skewered an olive with her fork and bit into it, chewing and swallowing before wiping her mouth to continue.

”Airetusa conducted an inspection of Shilton, finding no supernatural meddling, including hypnosis, suggestion, or magic potions.”

”His investment actions were a result of natural consciousness and choices.”

”The same goes for the Merchant Guild personnel he dealt with. After that... we ceased our investigation.”

Tishaya looked seriously at Lann’s face.

”You should understand our actions, right?”

”Of course.” The Demon Hunter nodded.

The difficulty of financial investigations lies in compliance with rules.

Magic is certainly useful, and so is power.

Both can manipulate financial activities that are supposed to follow business logic.

Who is behind the equity, who is the financier, who is the beneficiary... Under pressure and tactics, these can be figured out.

But the key is the consequences after figuring it out.

Financial activities being interfered with by violence and supernatural forces can certainly uncover and prevent some things.

But inevitably, such violent interference will affect business development and capital infusion.

It can destroy the trade development of a country or region.

After all, merchants with vast resources in their hands are not inclined to invest in a country where local assets invested in might be interfered with at any moment.

If you want to enjoy the development opportunities brought by finance, you must also endure financial crimes, speculation, and fraud.

For a power group, this is a reality that must be recognized.

Therefore, when Airetusa uses magic means to verify some people’s background, it cannot act unscrupulously.

Before the impact spreads and becomes uncontainable, the academy immediately halts the investigations conducted with supernatural forces.

Taler’s intelligence department represents the power of the kingdom, so their investigation must be rule-abiding... Of course, if they can control the situation, rules can be ignored.

But this time, it was only Lann’s personal fund that had issues, and he himself did not show hysterical rage, seeming not to care much.

So Veltrest’s intelligence personnel naturally wouldn’t go all out.

After all, the resources to manage the situation and the difficulties endured afterward all come from their intelligence department’s funds.

”Alright... ah~”

The Demon Hunter covered his head with his hands, drawing out his tone as if in resignation.

”In the end, we can’t find out anything!”

It is unrelated to personal ability; to investigate such matters, what is needed is a deeply rooted, massive power in human society and a strong control over it.

And without a doubt, there likely is no such role currently.

Even in Lann’s homeland, the nation’s telecommunication and financial fraud amounts exceed the annual GDP of many small countries.

Countless cases can’t be recovered.

Here, where administrative efficiency and enforcement resemble those of the medieval times... Lann holds no hope for this.

Margaret watched Lann cover his head and complain with a mischievous smile, while Tishaya appeared much calmer and more rational in comparison.

Completely different from her student who enjoys appearance.

”The missing money in those financial operations isn’t the problem.”

The former headmaster spoke calmly, adjusting the used cutlery to be symmetrically and neatly aligned.

”In fact, in a few days, the dividends from your Valerian Commerce Association will come in, and over thirty thousand Oren is just a small amount.”

Lann shook his head.

”But the issue with the financial chain breaking is that time and money don’t align, and a few days could collapse all my assets.”

”So, you need timely and abundant capital infusion.”

Margaret took a small sip from her wine glass on the side.

At the same time, Lann, sitting next to her, felt a smooth and plump body part quietly crawling onto his lap.

The Demon Hunter glanced sideways at the blonde Female Warlock.

There’s a hidden meaning in her words!

What? You want a brother to sell himself?

Across the table, Tishaya subtly pursed her lips, clearly knowing her student’s character well.

However, the amount for the funding gap isn’t a big issue even for the academy that has added Valerian Steel business.

The Valerian Commerce Association is a golden egg-laying swan, earning daily.

Claiming the Demon Hunter is about to go bankrupt, in reality, even if he liquidates all his current assets.

The dividends from the Valerian Commerce Association could allow him to regain similar wealth within a year.

Thirty thousand Oren between Lann and Margaret could at most spark a new ’play’ and ’entertainment adjustment’.

Therefore, the topic coming from Margaret’s mouth has always been teasing her little lover, never taken as severe.

”Ahem, the money issue is easy to solve.”

Tishaya pretended not to see her student’s small actions, unknowingly becoming part of Margaret’s ’play’.

”But the key issue is, what I’ve mentioned to you, Lann.”

The returned-from-vacation former headmaster maintained a serious demeanor.

”You need a dedicated asset management team.”

”This time, Shilton proved to be a loyal friend; only his decision was wrong, causing a loss. Given your personality, you certainly don’t blame him. But what about next time? And others?”

”Don’t use Airetusa’s people or Giancardi Bank’s people. Your status is different now, Lann. You need someone capable of managing your assets and whom you can trust.”

”I’ve been talking about this since Valerian Steel’s business started, but you didn’t care. You need to take this opportunity seriously and get this done.”

Tishaya’s words made Lann recall scenes from his student days, being pulled out by the class teacher for a reprimand.

Unconsciously, the Demon Hunter sat upright.