“The training you’re undergoing right now is part of my advance investment,” said Luke, only to see that the expressions of the three girls were blank, as if they didn’t quite understand.
He could only choose to explain more simply. “For example, I’m the boss of a record company, and I realize that the three of you have the potential to become singers. However, I would only be wasting money if you started recording right away when you don’t know anything about singing. So, I have to train you first. When your abilities reach the basic level for a singer, that’s when I let you record songs. Only then will I make money.”
The three girls immediately got it.
In America, the first dream most people had was to become a star.
Even the most ignorant person would know the basic “procedure” for becoming a celebrity.
Catching the eye of a talent scout, undergoing training, and finally becoming famous – this was the classic “American dream.”
Stephanie subconsciously asked, “Can… can we really become singers in the future?”
The other two girls raised their eyebrows.
Luke wasn’t surprised at all. He replied, “You do have the talent. I don’t deny the possibility, but you have to work hard.”
Wasn’t it just an analogy? Can she really become a singer? Stacy and Artemis’s jaws practically dropped as they looked at him again.
Artemis was a straightforward person, and had never directly clashed with this “wizard.” At that moment, she asked decisively, “What about me? Can I be a singer, too?”
Even Stacy held her breath.
If they could become celebrities, who would f*cking want to hoodwink lecherous men for money?
Luke said, “I’m not sure if you’re talented enough to be a singer or actor, but as long as you meet the requirements after training, you can give it a try.”
Both Artemis and Stacy sighed in disappointment.
Luke added, “Don’t think too much. My investment isn’t limited to making you singers. You can work in other professions. As long as you meet the requirements after training, I’ll support you.”
He wasn’t here purely to do good and save these lost girls.
He was investing in talent for the future.
How could they become big stars if they didn’t work hard? Unless he was their biological father… or a sugar daddy… cough cough.
He looked at Stacy and met her eyes. “I’ll provide you with basic training and money for your regular living expenses. That will last until the day you succeed or give up. After you succeed, I’ll contact you when I need you. At that time, you can pay me back as much as you like.”
The three girls looked at each other for a moment, as if they couldn’t believe that the terms were so casual. It sounded like this guy was doing a good deed.
Luke chuckled. “This is just a business transaction. You’re not victims, and I’m not the bad guy or sadist some people say I am.”
He was talking about Stacy.
She had cursed this “wizard” for being a pervert more than once during training, and had even furiously pounded the sandbag like it was the “wizard.”
He didn’t want her to lead the twins astray.
Luke waved at Stacy and Artemis. “Come here and bet on this coin.”
The two girls were bewildered, but in front of this strange smiling mask, they swiftly surrendered and nodded in agreement.
He instantly tossed the coin up and covered it when it landed on the back of his hand, indicating that they take a guess.
Stacy, who had excellent dynamic vision, had clearly seen the coin face when it fell. She said, “Heads,” and Artemis naturally followed suit.
Luke moved his hand away, and it was indeed heads.
Chuckling, he played with the coin for a moment before he flicked it at Stacy.
She caught it reflexively. “What?”
Luke said, “That’s your good luck. Remember to keep it.”
He then got up and walked out of the house.
When he reached the door, Stacy pondered over the “good luck.” She suddenly came back to herself and shouted, “Wait, what’s with that curse?”
The conversation today had given them too many surprises, and Stacy had even been targeted by Luke. She was so traumatized that she had forgotten about the big problem that had to be resolved.
Luke said, “That was just punishment for all your past offenses. Don’t worry, you’ll know tomorrow.”
Stephanie couldn’t help but ask, “Um… how long will basic training take? Will there be more professional training in the future?”
The other two girls glared at her again. We said we would be together, but you secretly want to be a singer?
Luke was amused. “Like I said, as long as you have a proper plan for your future, I won’t stop investing in you. Work hard, girls!”
At that moment, Artemis finally asked the most serious question. “What’s your name? A wizard… is just a job, right?”
Luke chuckled. “Names are just codes for things, and what I am is a man in a mask.”
Looking at the baffled expressions on the three girls’ faces, he sighed regretfully. Sigh*, girls, you really have too little learning and culture! Can’t you understand the mystery in these words?*
“It’s an honor to meet you. You can call me V.” With that, he walked out of the house and quickly disappeared into the night.
On the way home, Luke pondered the three girls.
They were indeed very capable.
Stacy’s Elementary Replication was a cheat, and Stephanie’s Elementary Sound Wave was very practical.
Luke couldn’t learn Artemis’s energy explosion, but he could potentially dig deeper into this type of ability.
It was for these reasons that his objective was to bring them in as teammates, in line with his “casting the net” policy.
He wouldn’t stint on his promise to train them since it didn’t cost much.
Even at the very most, he had spent less than two days on setting things up for the three girls.
Most of the subsequent training would still be arranged by the smart program, Butterfly. Luke only needed to provide some money regularly and adjust their course subjects occasionally.
With his skills, he was definitely the most qualified tutor in the world.
It just so happened that he had a lot of money in his inventory as well. If he used it on them, nobody would know where the money came from.
This was also the reason why Luke had never offloaded this dirty money in the development of his phone company.
With the appearance of the team module, this dirty money was now best used to train potential teammates.
Money earned aboveboard could be used openly, but it couldn’t be spent on things like these that needed to be kept confidential.
A lot of his enemies would be able to track him via this money trail, and it also went against his first safety rule.
This dirty money whose sources couldn’t be verified were most suitable to be used by his numerous sockpuppet identities.