Chapter 557 - When Times Are Tough
Ascent soon became one of the most discussed guilds among the people, but its popularity was very close to infamy. It was mainly seen as a troll by a lunatic Jerano student, which brought the college and students great shame, which then morphed to anger at the culprit.
Alexie has always been the target of hate and love from his classmates for the policies he created. Hidden Gems was as the name implied, but it was an expensive discovery for the top rankers who were taxed on every purchase.
This became the reverse scale of the stronger students, who were angered when weaker students exhibited similar abilities to theirs using the artifacts. The loss in the hierarchy among the students brought chaos to the campus, but the college board couldn't lift a finger on Hidden Gems.
Their policy brought losses to the shop, and there were no guidelines for the discounts given to students. In addition, many rankers filed for discrimination because of the taxes imposed, and the buildup resulted in Jerano breaking the owner's anonymity.
"I don't like them."
This was the answer given in court when asked about the taxes imposed against the top rankers. Silence descended on the grand hall, and even the judges were left speechless by the childishness of his antics.
"You refuse partiality because there are customers you don't like?"
"I believe in equity, as the top rankers can pay more for the artifacts, opposite to the weaker students. Therefore, I welcome any top ranker who wants to forsake his academic benefits for a discount at my shop."
The complaints about discrimination were then ceased, as no one wanted to lose their ranking for a discount for artifacts. However, Hidden Gems created a tide effect that pushed lower-ranking students higher, regardless of their identities.
Of course, the top students never lose their ranking, or some of them would have created a scene against Alexie, who was weaponizing commoners of the lower rankings. In the end, the case was closed after an agreement that the shop belonged to Alexie and no one else to decide how he wanted to sell his artifacts.
However, many of the students believed there was a great injustice against Alexie, who started being harassed by the top rankers after his identity was revealed. It reached astonishing levels where his shop was sabotaged at night, but the college never did anything.
This made an excellent headline for many articles that rose after his last leap in fame. The world ridiculed Alexie Linan as a madman, but those that had no relation to power soon got wind of his good deeds.
The losses that Hidden Gems suffered because of their policy were immense, but it decreased the death rate of commoner students by over fifty percent compared to last year.
"The Artifact Genius Who Believes in Equity!"
"Hidden Gems, A Hidden Refuge for Weaker Students!"
"When Times are Tough, Rely on Alexie Linan!"
This was a different take on the stories that painted Alexie as an arrogant brat who did not know his limits. It pushed against the stories that defamed him as arrogant and condescending.
"This world is not as blind as it used to be," muttered Emma with a smile as she read them. Her afternoon was filled with these kinds of articles, and she did not hold back forwarding them anonymously into a lot of platforms. "This is childish..."
Emma coughed with embarrassment while pressing forward once again. Despite knowing that these antics did not contribute a lot as a whole, it was one of the few things that she could do for her friend.
"I need to apologize to him," she paused before sighing. "I am so pathetic for doing these things," she knew that it was her selfish attempt to feel better about herself. "I need to make it up to him somehow."
Emma was conflicted about what to do since doing anything with Alexie while the prince monitored her would result in more problems for the runemaster. However, even with a problem as big as this one, Alexie managed to handle it.
"I never thought he had such a side," she muttered while resting her chin on the table. "Alexie was always a character that fades into the background. However, this time, he even overheard my conversation with the prince and interrupted it."
Emma snickered as she recalled the face of the prince, fuming with anger that veins almost popped from his face. However, his appearance as Alexie declared the guild was a sight to behold, releasing some of her frustrations.
This brought her another sense of guilt, as she knew that Alexie would suffer the consequences of upsetting an unforgiving man who happened to lead a nation. Emma thought harder about what to do, but she was left without any exist.
"Meow~"
As the meowing of a cat came from her window, Emma turned toward the balcony with confusion. Outside was a black cat with three eyes, and it made her snap her eyes open and jump to her feet.
"You are back!" she called out with shock. "I knew you were still around, golden eyes!"
"Meow," the cat called again as her tail wiggled. Emma was alarmed as it had never stayed for this long before in real life. This compelled the runemaster to run toward the balcony and open it, but the cat was gone.
Emma looked around and realized it had disappeared once again. Again, her heart sank, but this time, she was relieved. It was because she received another message that her friend was still alive somewhere out there.
"I wonder where you are, Arthur," her eyes looked upward toward the starry sky. "And I wonder the reason you never visit me. Is it because I never realized how important you are to me?"
Arthur was gone for over a year now, but she knew he was still there because her ability was still activated. However, there were times when she hated that even though she knew her power was still working its magic out there, it could not be used for communication or guidance to his location.
Emma walked toward the balcony with a nostalgic feeling. She had friends who died years ago and spent countless years of her childhood with her, but she did not remember them as much as she remembered him.
Before she realized it, Arthur was the person she had fun with the most in her life. His responses always left her giggling, and his kindness always left her feeling safe. However, she never told him that, and he disappeared without a trace.
There were days when she wondered if he stopped caring about her, but he would have visited her. However, the same reason that made him fake his death must be preventing him from meeting her.
His family still lives in Kera, but when she visited, they were distrusting of her intentions and in grief over their lost son and brother. Emma ran her fingers through her hair while having the urge to pull it out.
"Your hair is too beautiful to be messed up," a voice said from behind her, which made Emma flinch. And when she turned around, the boy with golden hair was looking at her with a smile. "Hey," he waved his hand.
"Alexie!" she muttered with surprise, and her body leaned back against the railing. "You should not be here. Prince Caleb will not like this."
Her words were not explicit, lest she finds herself breaking their contract. However, it was enough for Alexie to know that the prince was watching them. However, the blonde man did not waver and walked toward her instead.
"This brings me to the gift I have for you," he said while taking out a ring from his pockets. It was thin but golden in color, lined with numerous runic lines. "Professor Yuvan and I were working to create a great illusion barrier. I created this from the knowledge I gained."
"An illusion barrier?" she muttered with surprise before shaking her head. "His Highness can see through everything."
"The illusion has been activated already. Otherwise, I would never talk to you. I have no intentions of harming you," Alexie said with such a gentle voice that she didn't doubt it. "I promise that he cannot see us anymore."
"I... cannot believe that your attainment has reached this level, Alexie," she said with frustration while pushing her back against the railing. "I understand, so there is no need to stand so close."
"I have to make you wear it, after all," said Alexie with a smile while offering her his hand in demand. "May I have a finger of yours?"
His phrasing made her laugh, and she found herself complying with his request. The ring slid on her index smoothly before fitting into it, wrapping her finger safely.
"This artifact will create an illusion barrier around you for a few minutes that make anyone watching from outside believe you are doing the same things in random order. It also has a prediction function that can analyze your earlier movements. Thus, the prince thinks you will be bald soon."
"You!" she laughed again while pounding her fist on his chest, and she realized how inappropriate it was. "I never thought a ring like this existed."
"I am the son of a genius family, after all," he said with a dazzling smile. It was then that Emma saw her long-lost friend in him, and it made her heart churn.. The resemblance again scared her, and a question arose from a slight doubt she had.