The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 192. Offer

Chapter 192: 192. Offer

Inside the rented mansion, Tyler watched as Zuzia, the little dragon in loli form, lay sprawled on top of a pile of gold coins, treasure chests, shiny pearls, and various other glittering items. Among the treasures was a fish with a metallic gleam. It had died, but its body remained encased in a silver sheen, harder than most materials Tyler had ever seen. Its skin wasn’t just colored silver—it was silver.

"Only now do you actually behave like a dragon," Tyler muttered, half in amusement, as he observed the scene. According to his readings, dragons had an instinctive love for hoarding shiny objects, a behavior Zuzia had rarely shown until now. Most of the time, the small dragon spent her days lazily sleeping or lounging around the ship. But this was the first time she’d gone out of her way to collect treasures like a true dragon.

Tyler approached the pile, curious about her newfound trove. Zuzia, sensing him drawing near, growled softly. Her growl, however, was more cute than threatening, because she is in young girl form, a far cry from the intimidating roars of full-grown dragons.

"Are you really going to act protective of this junk?" Tyler teased as he reached out his hand, aiming to ruffle her head.

Without warning, the little loli dragon opened her mouth and bit down on his index finger.

Bite

Tyler barely flinched as her teeth clamped down on his finger. Instead of pain, what followed was a bang as a puff of smoke rose from Zuzia’s head. Tyler rubbed his fist which he used to bonk her head.

She tilted her head in confusion, her golden eyes blinking as if trying to understand what just happened . Tyler smirked, shaking his head. "You are tough as iron even in humanoid form." he remarked, not even surprised anymore by her strength.

Zuzia let go, distracted by the smell of food. Taka, the octopus fishman, walked into the room with a tray of fresh-cooked seafood. The second she caught the scent, her eyes lit up, and she eagerly leapt off the pile of treasures, abandoning her hoard in favor of the food. She bounded toward Taka, snatching a piece of fish right off the tray before he could even offer it.

Tyler chuckled, turning his attention back to the ’treasures’ she’d collected. Some of it looked valuable, but a lot of it was just shiny junk. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in Zuzia’s little dragon instincts kicking in.

Just then, Mana appeared beside him, phasing into view like a wisp of air. "Mana, did you find anything interesting?" Tyler asked casually, still examining the treasures.

Mana’s eyes sparkled with a bit of intrigue. "The sword cut of that legendary warrior. Mana can see the traces even in the ocean."

Tyler paused, raising an eyebrow. "A sword cut? The same one that divided the Triangle Islands?"

"Indeed," Mana confirmed. "If you look closely, the slice is so precise that even the natural flow of the ocean has been disrupted. The traces of power linger."

Tyler widened his eyes, impressed. "That’s some sharp intuition."

"However," Mana continued, her voice more serious now, "there’s no sword resonance left. It appears that many warriors in the past have already harvested it. Normally, a slash that powerful would leave a resonance that others could absorb and cultivate. But not here."

Tyler nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense. If warriors have been visiting these islands for centuries, most of the valuable resonance would have been taken. Not that it matters much to us—we don’t really have any swordmasters in the crew, do we?"

Mana shook her head. "None. Even Lily prefers the whip arts."

Before they could continue their conversation, a servant entered the room, bowing politely. "Boss White, there’s a lady by the name of Hawk who is requesting to see you."

"Hawk?" Tyler muttered under his breath. He quickly stood up, intrigued by the unexpected visit. "Invite her to the guest room."

As Tyler made his way to greet Hawk, he didn’t notice the small virtual screen that popped up next to her when she entered the room. Hawk’s Big Sis appeared in the projection, her face partially hidden behind a helmet. Hawk, fully aware of the silent exchange, nodded slightly, acknowledging the words from her Big Sis. Tyler, however, remained oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.

"He’s really young and cute..." Big Sis commented through the screen, her voice only audible to Hawk.

Hawk gave an inward nod of agreement, her eyes settling on Tyler. And though Tyler couldn’t hear it, Hawk agreed wholeheartedly.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

"The tea is so tasty," Hawk commented as she sipped the cup Taka had served.

Tyler grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Glad you like it."

"Cute..." Hawk blurted out without thinking, her eyes darting toward Tyler’s boyish grin. Realizing her slip, she coughed awkwardly and quickly moved on. "Ahem, Mr. White, I hope you’ll consider choosing our branch college and use your medal to join the main branch."

Tyler arched an eyebrow, his tone curious yet cautious. "Same question. What’s in it for me?"

Hawk straightened, a serious expression crossing her face. "I noticed you were interested in my hoverboard. If technology catches your eye, you should know we were once the leading academy in that field."

"Once?" Tyler caught onto her choice of words immediately.

A bit flustered, Hawk stammered, "Yeah... uh, not now... actually—"

Before she could continue, her Big Sis sighed in the virtual screen, shaking her head. "Connect him with me."

"Huh... alright, Big Sis," Hawk responded, fumbling to hand Tyler a pair of sleek, advanced glasses.

Tyler blinked, looking around as Hawk handed him the glasses. "Who are you talking to?"

"Just wear these. My HOD is on the line," Hawk explained, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Intrigued by the new technology, Tyler’s eyes lit up as he accepted the glasses. As soon as he slid them onto his face, a virtual screen appeared in front of him. On it was a woman wearing a helmet, her messy green hair spilling out in all directions. She had striking purple eyes, accentuated by deep bags beneath them, making her look exhausted but sharp. With a smooth motion, she removed her helmet and offered a tired but genuine smile.

"Hello. I’m Serena, Head of the Elite Academy of Magic and Science, which is a branch of Starfire Academy," she introduced herself.

Tyler, still impressed by the sleek tech in front of him, nodded politely. "I’m Tyler White," he replied, his tone reflecting his intrigue.

Serena’s smile widened, though the exhaustion in her expression remained. "Such a polite kid," she commented with a chuckle. "I hear you’re a merchant at sea. Did you know that in the North, merchants are a hundred times faster when it comes to delivering goods?"

Tyler leaned forward, interest piqued. "A hundred times? How is that possible?"

Serena’s tired eyes glimmered as she leaned into the screen, waiting for his reaction. "Teleportation portals," she said, letting the words hang in the air for effect.

But Tyler’s expression remained unchanged. His previous world was full of advanced formations, and teleportation wasn’t an unfamiliar concept to him. Serena blinked, surprised that her big reveal didn’t elicit the shock she’d anticipated. She quickly masked her surprise and continued.

"Well, our academy can help you build teleportation portals," she added confidently.

"Don’t other branches build teleportation portals too?" Tyler asked, curiosity still evident in his voice.

Serena leaned back, the fatigue in her expression deepening as she explained, "You could try, but the teleportation portals my academy builds are exclusive. Other branches use different types of arrays, but none come close to our technology. Ours is patented, otherwise, they would’ve stolen it long ago." She sighed heavily, reflecting on the decline of her once-prestigious academy. "We were at the top because of this invention. Now... we’re at the bottom of the rankings."

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Exclusive, huh? So I’d be the only merchant using them?"

Serena nodded. "You’d have access to the most advanced teleportation system available, something no one else could offer. But..." she trailed off, biting her lip.

"But?" Tyler pressed.

"Building even one portal requires immense resources," Serena admitted, her tone filled with regret. "The materials are rare, and the construction process is... complex. It’s not just something we can set up overnight."

Tyler fell into deep thought, his mind running through the logistics of it all.

Finally, he spoke up. "I might consider it," Tyler said cautiously, "but I need to discuss it with my crew first."

Both Serena and Hawk’s eyes lit up, realizing there was still a chance. Tyler hadn’t turned them down outright, and that meant they were still in the game.

Serena’s tired smile returned, though this time there was a glimmer of hope. "Take your time, Mr. White. I’m sure once you see the potential, you’ll realize how much this could change everything."

Tyler nodded. "We’ll see. I’ll reach out once I’ve made a decision."