Goddamn it. The Walkers' suggestions became more and more ridiculous every time they opened their mouths. Instead of brainstorming it resulted in brains being stormed on instead. Their ideas of starting businesses with no capital could keep an economist up all night and the ideas they gave were not only despicable but they even originated from Earth— and who was the one who talked about 'word count'? Hey, I know, why not also suggest ways to tamper with the suggested content algorithm, get viral and make everyone 'hit that thumbs-up button', hmm? 1
"Well, maybe I will! Open your eyes, guys— the aristocrats here will absolutely adore these light novels. So what do we do? Step 1, we can publish those stories from Earth here. Step 2, ??? Step 3, PROFIT!" The Painter retorted. "We don't even have to pay those pesky copyright holders from Earth to publish their stories!"
Even if they were to look past that obviously disingenuous act of plagiarism, it was still too slow to be quick money making scheme! And the other guy who kept going on about Kickstarter and GoFundMe. Would you like to also come up with a goddamned QR code that freaking works in this world?
"Oooh, my apologies for going on and on . It's just— making people part with their money using their faith in your promises and dreams, it is just... bursting with the beauty of capitalism!" The Merchant's eyes watered. "I really liked the idea of being the pioneer of such a divine technique here, really…"
Seriously? Are scams the only thing a bunch of Demigod and Holy Spirit tier beings could come up with? Even stock market investments or real estate businesses or freaking discounted games on Steam would be better than what we have so far! Or even if you are really set on swindling people, at least do it legitimately like those microtransactions in a lackluster finger-tapping mobile game! All the ideas was as low as the Bard's idea of telling your girlfriend you are soul-searching while eating and living in her apartment.
"Alright, alright! Here's a legitimate suggestion: sponsorships— from the upper class. Specifically, the top 1%." The Merchant said suddenly, "The thing about industrialists, aristocrats and billionaires are they fear the loss of fortune. They fear for their personal safety. They long to expand their influence. Because of that, most of them wouldn't bat an eye at giving a load of money to those that they deemed to have potential . I, myself had been there— I was the patron for a lot of heroes and powerhouses back when I was alive. Sure enough, all of those investments paid off in the end! All of the upper cruster knows that. And that's why I think that's the quickest way to get funds, Sir Hope. Quick and convenient and secure!"
That is really not a bad idea but are you sure I can actually succeed in getting funded with my current unremarkable ability? Baiyi sneered. If you were alive, would you even dare to invest in a Soul Armature who is only wearing a crappy Militia armor?— Yea, that's what I thought.
"Well, well, well! I'm quite hurt to be so quickly forgotten." The Charlatan's slick voice cut through their conversation as the Silence Spell expired.
You?... Hmph. Suddenly this is becoming quite feasible.
The Charlatan— he was the oddest one among the thirty three Voidwalkers. His real strength was abysmal in the Walkers' opinion— it was not even at the Legendary level— and that really made him incredibly 'squishy' among those warriors. But yet when it came to playing the system and cheating his way out, that man's skills were peerless.
Back when he was alive, the Charlatan had invented a whole set of godtier illusion techniques, allowing him to mimic various levels of power auras and energy vibrations. He could even perfectly mimic the presence of a Holy Spirit level fighter. The man was also an Academy Award winning actor whose acting could even convince veterans of his 'strength'. Back then, his nemeses completely fell for his act that in retaliation they spent their life savings on a scroll containing a ninth-grade upper magic of Soul Banishment and had that man banished to the Void.
They must have regretted their decisions for wasting what amounted to thousands on a jerk who had nothing behind those acting. It was just like thinking that you have found the real Elvis in Las Vegas and then spending money to bribe the bouncers to take a photo.
Anyway, the point was that the only real ability the Charlatan had was... being a charlatan. Baiyi knew that if he were to use that guy's technique, he would have no problem disguising himself.
"That settles it then." The Archmage finally spoke. "There is no doubt that there will be more situations in the future that would require you to adopt different aliases. The Charlatan's techniques may be despicable, but they are useful. It might do you some good getting used to it first."
I know, I know. But still— this is just weird. I mean, I'm actually powerful but I also have to pretend to be powerful? Talk about irony.
The next day came and Mia had gone to her class while Mr. Hope had stayed behind. The first step of his plan roused the housemother into shouting in her booming voice.
"WHICH BRAT STOLE MY CURTAINS?"
At that time, Baiyi had already climbed over the Celestial Fortress Academy's big and beautiful wall, wearing a cloak that was made out of a big grey curtain. He wrapped up his entire body from his head to his toes. The fact that he was sneaking out of the Academy was not as suspicious as the fact that he was completely hidden by the grey curtain that he had fashioned into a cloak.
Walking down the streets of the city of Arfin, Baiyi found himself completely disinterested in seeing the city's layout and sceneries. He did, however, saw the growing suspicions among the bystanders. Within minutes he was forced to take the alleys instead of the open roads. Even then he was so conspicuous dressed in a big, grey cloak shuffling past trash cans and cats that people still noticed him. In the end, he was forced to use the stealth techniques that he inherited from The Assassin.
Fortunately, the stealth techniques did not require high amount of mana or innate capabilities. His current power as an Intermediate Level being did not hinder his ability to cloak his presence from the public.
Of course, he could always use the techniques inherited from the Hitman… which may just result in him turning into a 'Being' HitMan. Maybe he should hold back from using that technique.
You know what? I feel like I'm essentially a bloody thief already, Baiyi said as he navigated through the rooves of the city with extraordinary parkour skills. Remind me again why I shouldn't just change plan and just get the money from doing what thieves do best?
"Because you'll have to get used to this very soon, Sir Hope." The Archmage chuckled. "There are going to be a lot more instances when you'll have to do this again. After all, with your skills, you're probably considered a Super-Super-Rare assassin character."
Baiyi rolled his eyes.
He knew his own circumstances and mission very well. The distance between him and Mia would eventually lessened and they would become closer. It would be an advantage to his mission to rescue everyone from the Void. But that one advantage alone would not be enough— he would also need connections. He would need to amass a force for himself.
The rich men district of the city lay close to the Academy so it did not take long before Baiyi reached a part of the affluent district. Eyeing the ostentatious manors, mansions and villas, he murmured, "Which of these fat cats should I pick?"
"The second one on the right with two guards on post. Judging from their uniform, I'll bet that they're one of the wealthiest here," The Merchant chimed in helpfully.
Biayi spied the emblem that was embellished on the three-story residence and smiled wryly. That emblem seemed kind of familiar, don't you think?
"Alright! That's my family emblem, yes. This is most likely a property owned by my family," The Merchant confessed. "From the looks of it, at least those kids did not embarrassed me by squandering away my estate."
Do you really have no qualms with your family having relations with the likes of us? You do know what the general public thinks of us, yes?
"To be a successful businessman is to have the nose for success itself. I will not turn away from someone as worthy of my time and resources as the great Fifth Walker. Plus, you, sir, are the key to our liberation," The Merchant replied with sincerity. "The Dole family had always been a patron to people with potential, so you'll most likely not be disappointed."
Alright. You'd convinced me. Baiyi gave a slight nod. He leaped from the roof and landed on the street agilely before he changed his appearance and disguise to look like a normal passerby.
He approached the two guardsmen. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were wearing gleaming brigandines made from pure steel and their belts were equipped with high end blades that emitted subtle waves of magic.
His attention was drawn further back to the garden surrounding the mansion. It was professionally designed and installed, the flowers might look average to untrained eyes but those who appreciates such fine things, they could tell that the flowers were anything but average. To those who understood, the garden was a show of the family's immense wealth.
The guardsmen tensed up when Baiyi approached, their hands immediately moved to the hilt of their swords. One of them took a step forward and bellowed, "Stop right there, mister. This is the private residency of the Doles. Uninvited guests are advised to leave."
Baiyi did not back down. A deep, mature voice that seemed to belong to an old soul came out from his mouth. "Report to your butler, please— the wandering sorcerer Andrew seek patronage from this respectable family."
As he was saying that, he let out a little of his true aura— the same aura that he had been concealing from Mia and the people in the Academy. It seemed to electrify the air around them and immediately made the guards vigilant.
"Look, the butler is occupied at the moment." The guard standing further to the back replied in his calmest voice while struggling to maintain his composure. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "Besides, the Doles can't be giving out money to everyone that comes here seeking for patronage."
He watched the odd man before him intently. He looked average and did not appear to be aggresive. He was just standing there.
Yet there was something really wrong about his presence. His presence was making the guard feel uneasy and his body was in fight or flight mode.
His instincts told him that neither fight nor flight would give him an upper hand. If a fight were to break out, he would not be able to stay alive for long.
The other guard was not feeling any better, either. The hand resting on the hilt was already soaked in sweat. He had been serving the family for years now, having met with many formidable warriors the Doles were a patron to. But none had ever come close to emitting this level of crushing pressure.
All Baiyi did was unleashed his true aura. Coupled with the Charlatan's refined illusionary tactics, he was already pushing the two guardsmen to the edge.
Well, someone was clearly smashing their keyboard writing this part. I taste the saaaaaaalt.