Chapter 384: Keeping a Fox Girl, Education from the Chaotic Big Sisters
Chapter 384: Chapter 384: Keeping a Fox Girl, Education from the Chaotic Big Sisters
[Follower "Felix" possesses Skills: Mineralogy LV2, Pharmacology LV2. Has compensated for a portion of the material science Knowledge requirement.]
[Follower "Julius" possesses Skills: Enchanted Weapon Recognition LV2. Has compensated for a portion of the manufacturing-related Knowledge requirement.]
Line after line of compensation notifications flashed by.
But Lance had too few followers at the moment, and none of them were high-Level.
’It’s still not enough...’
Lance sighed to himself.
Just then, Baldwin, who had been rambling on about how to overcome these Profession thresholds, suddenly fell silent.
"Wait... If I don’t use Star Realm materials as a medium, but instead directly use Ethereal Node reversal for the Resonating Engraving..."
Baldwin shot up from the sofa, rapidly muttering a string of technical terms that Lance couldn’t understand at all, then frantically made a dash for his private laboratory on the second floor.
He had only taken a couple of steps before he seemed to remember there were two other living people in the living room.
He slammed on the brakes, turned his head, and shouted to Charloie, who was huddled in the corner:
"Little Charloie! Take Lance to the Enchantment Room on the first floor and teach him Ether Material Analysis and basic Alchemy Form Transformation! I’ve just had a stroke of inspiration, so I’m off!"
And with that, the old man scurried upstairs.
Downstairs in the living room, Charloie and Lance stared at each other, speechless.
"Is he always this spontaneous?"
Lance asked helplessly.
Hearing his question, Charloie’s entire body tensed up again at the thought that she was now responsible for teaching this man new Skills.
"Mhm."
She replied in a barely audible whisper, then kept her head down and shuffled along the wall into a small workshop on the first floor.
She didn’t call for Lance to follow. Only after she was completely inside the room did she peek out from behind the doorframe, revealing half of her blushing face. "You... you can come in."
Her voice was so pitifully quiet that if it weren’t for Lance’s incredible Perception Attribute, he wouldn’t have even heard her in the large hall.
Lance sighed and followed her into the workshop.
When Charloie saw him enter, she shoved a book titled *Basic Analysis of Ether Material* into his hands, took two steps back, and began teaching him how to use the Skill in a halting, unconfident stutter, all while telling him to look at the illustrations in the book.
’This is what passes for teaching?’
Lance groaned inwardly. With zero interaction like this, how long would it take for him to grind the Skill to Level 3?
But just as he was looking at the Fox Girl, who was so nervous she didn’t even dare to twitch her tail, an idea suddenly struck him.
He remembered the Effect of Hundred Crafts Convergence.
"Um..."
Lance interrupted her "tutoring" and asked tentatively, "Charloie, are you a little short on money right now?"
Charloie’s beautiful fox-like eyes flew wide open, and her ears shot straight up with a SWISH.
In a single second, the words her older sisters had drilled into her head flashed through her mind:
[’Little sister, you have to remember, if a man takes the initiative to ask if you’re short on money, that’s him offering to be your sugar daddy! You must consider it very carefully!’]
Charloie’s heart suddenly started racing, and she snuck a glance at Lance’s handsome face.
In her family, girls of the Fox Species were taught that growing up meant learning to rely on others. It was a kind of racial "survival wisdom."
’If I’m destined to pick someone anyway, why not pick one who’s easy on the eyes?’
At this thought, she swallowed nervously and replied timidly, "Mhm."
From that point on, the conversation took a bizarre turn.
Having gotten her confirmation, Lance continued to build his case, paving the way for her to sign the covenant. "Studying Alchemy is expensive, isn’t it? I heard from Teacher Baldwin that you don’t seem to have money for materials. Have you been worried about that lately?"
But as these words fell on Charloie’s ears, her brain automatically translated them into something else entirely.
She once again recalled her sisters’ words:
[’If he asks about your troubles, he’s actually hinting that if you just stick with him, you’ll never have to worry about these things again.’]
"Mhm, yes," she nodded, her face red.
Hearing her reply, Lance grew more confident.
Just as he was about to propose sponsoring her financially in exchange for signing the covenant, Charloie couldn’t hold back any longer.
Her hands twisted together as she asked in a tiny voice, "Lance, are... are you going to give me money... so that from now on, I’ll follow you?"
"Yes! That’s exactly it."
Lance, delighted, quickly responded.
’I didn’t expect this Fox Girl to be so sharp. This saves me the trouble of going to great lengths to explain the sponsorship terms.’
Hearing his affirmative answer, Charloie’s mind once again conjured her sisters’ teachings: ’When you find a meal ticket, make sure it’s a stable, long-term one.’
So, she summoned her last ounce of courage and weakly added another question, "So... is it for life?"
Lance was taken aback for a moment by the question, but he quickly remembered—this was the Mechanical Witch!
’With talent like this, if I don’t lock her down with a long-term venture capital investment while she’s at her lowest point, when would be a better time?’
’Forget one lifetime, I’d sign for ten lifetimes if I could.’
"As long as you’re willing, this relationship of ours is for life!"
Lance answered the question with great sincerity.
With that guarantee, the nervous, fluttering feeling in Charloie’s heart finally settled.
She lowered her head and made one last request in a soft voice.
"Then, in the future... you won’t bully me, right?"
"Of course not!"
Lance promised.
After this exchange, Charloie fell silent.
She was still processing the fact that she had suddenly found a meal ticket, wondering how she would break the news to her family.
Lance was also silent, thinking about how to word the sponsorship covenant.
After a long while, Charloie finally looked up, her face flushed, and asked, "So what do I need to do next?"
"We just need to sign the covenant directly."
Lance quickly extended his right hand, gesturing for a fist bump.
Charloie extended her small hand and gently tapped Lance’s fist.
Immediately after, under the power of the Bronze Jade Decree, a covenant quietly formed.
This covenant was, in essence, a talent sponsorship agreement, and its terms were very simple.
Charloie would officially join the Red Dragon Ring. In the future, she would be required to use her Talent to create related Alchemy Products for the Red Dragon Ring.
In return, Lance would pay her a salary and fully fund all her tuition and material costs during her time at the Truth Academy.
In any case, the toy dividends from the Royal Capital would be rolling in batch after batch soon enough. That money would be more than enough to sponsor Charloie.
But during the process of signing the covenant, Charloie didn’t even look at the contract terms. Her mind was completely filled with the "Seduction Techniques" her sisters had taught her:
[’When a man signs any kind of agreement with you, you must show absolute trust. Don’t even look at it; agree immediately. Only by doing this can you show your reliance on him, which will instantly trigger his protective instincts and make him completely devoted to you.’]
So, the moment the covenant formed, she simply said in her heart, "I agree."
She established the contract without a moment’s hesitation.
The Bronze Covenant was successfully forged. Feeling another connection form, Lance opened his panel and checked the information on the Red Dragon Ring’s newest member, his eyes scanning straight to the talent assessment section.
[Talent: Research & Development (SSS+) — Possesses reality-defying creativity and analytical speed in R&D fields involving Alchemy, Magitech Engineering, and Enchantment.]
’Holy crap!!!’
Lance screamed internally, so excited he almost jumped out of his skin.
SSS+!
’I pulled a golden Legend!’
He continued reading.
[Current Core Intention: Take the money Lance gives her, avoid starving, and properly finish learning Alchemy.]
"Hm, I like this kind of simple, unpretentious wish. Much better than that dangerous element, Felix."
Lance nodded in satisfaction.
What shocked Lance the most was her loyalty score: it was currently at 98 points.
He sucked in a sharp breath. Her loyalty had skyrocketed the moment the covenant was signed, a number second only to Nieve’s.
’Isn’t she a little too easy to trick?’
Lance looked at the girl fidgeting with her fingers, her face bright red, and couldn’t help but sigh. ’It’s a good thing she ran into me today. If it had been someone Heartless, this silly girl, who trusts so easily, would have been scammed for everything she’s worth.’
Lance sat in his chair, continuing to study her information on the panel.
Meanwhile, Charloie, standing to the side, looked a little anxious and restless.
"Um, should we continue studying?"
She asked, her face red, her gaze flickering toward the dazed-looking Lance.
’Since I’m being kept now, shouldn’t I work harder to show my worth?’
"Mhm, let’s continue."
Lance’s mind was still engrossed in the panel, so he answered casually.
Because he had just discovered that after Charloie joined, he now perfectly met the requirements for the Alchemist Profession, which had been unattainable just moments before!