Orion made his way smoothly through the establishment, ascending toward the third floor without any obstruction, as his employees discreetly nodded or bowed in quiet acknowledgment as he passed by.
Reaching the third floor, Orion gently opened the elaborately decorated wooden door, stepping calmly inside before heading towards the room at the far back.
The lavish room contained shelves lined with old paintings, fine furniture, and a polished desk positioned centrally.
Seated comfortably behind the desk, Magi lounged leisurely with his white rabbit perched on his shoulder, inspecting documents spread messily across the surface, a half-filled glass of alcohol within easy reach.
At the sound of Orion’s arrival, Magi raised his head sharply, his eyes widening with surprise as he saw who had come. "Orion! You finally woke up."
He quickly rose from his seat and approached Orion while looking him up and down at his changed features. "Though I must say, you have changed a lot now, nearly as handsome as me."
Orion’s lips twitched hearing him shamelessly praising himself.
[Let him wear the maid dress, Master!!! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ]
He inwardly exhaled, "Yes, it’s been a few days since I woke up. I’ve been recuperating back inside my home."
Magi heaved a heavy sigh, his usually carefree face turning serious as he recalled the events from eight months prior. "The events of that day were truly intense, Orion. To think you ended up so severely injured fighting off that high-ranked kidnapper... I honestly didn’t expect you to recover in just eight months. From the way Lord Eldric and Lady Selene described your injuries, I feared you’d need several years to recuperate fully."
Orion nodded slowly, his expression turning subtly somber. "Indeed, I’m still not fully recovered. What you’ve seen today is mostly due to the evolution I underwent recently. It allowed me to regain consciousness, though my injuries aren’t entirely healed yet."
Magi immediately fell silent at Orion’s admission. Despite his easygoing personality and bold behavior, he knew better than to pry deeper into Orion’s mysterious draconic lineage.
Understanding the need to shift the conversation away from sensitive matters, he smoothly changed the topic.
"Well, anyway, Boss," Magi leaned forward slightly, a curious gleam returning to his eyes, "what brings you here today? I didn’t expect you to come here so soon after waking up."
A playful smile tugged at Orion’s lips as he looked at Magi. "To see if you’ve been slacking off or not, of course."
Magi’s smug smile instantly returned as he swiftly moved back behind his desk, clearing away the scattered documents and glasses.
He opened a drawer, pulling out a neatly folded map and spreading it carefully across the polished wooden surface. Curious, Orion stepped closer to examine it, Edgar silently watching from behind.
Orion raised an eyebrow in recognition as he realized what he was looking at. "Isn’t this the entire map of Thunderpeak Kingdom?"
Magi chuckled confidently, tapping his finger on several cities marked prominently with bold red circles. "Exactly, Boss. Do you recognize these cities?"
Orion’s gaze sharpened, studying the marked locations carefully. "Yes. They’re the major trade cities of our kingdom, including Silverfall, Emberlyn, Blackrock, and several others."
Magi’s smile broadened into a proud, triumphant grin as he continued, clearly relishing the moment. "Limitless Haven has expanded significantly over these past eight months, Boss. We’ve established a solid presence in all these major cities. Now, we’re officially one of the largest chambers of commerce in Thunderpeak Kingdom."
Orion’s eyes widened dramatically in genuine shock, disbelief evident in his expression. "What? In only eight months? How the hell did you manage that?"
Magi smugly leaned back in his chair, folding his arms confidently across his chest. "Naturally, it’s all thanks to my exceptional business strategies, your resources, and, of course, the firm backing of House Helstorm. Without such powerful support, those greedy business tycoons would’ve squashed a rising competitor like us. But lately, things have turned surprisingly favorable for us."
Orion raised a curious eyebrow, intrigued. "Favorable? How so?"
Magi’s expression turned subtly more serious as he continued, "Recently, there was an incident involving a noble house, Boss, a major one, too. After that, all the noble families have grown cautious, limiting their movements and activities. It created a unique opportunity for our establishment to quickly gain a foothold."
Orion leaned in, eyes narrowing slightly. "Tell me more about this noble house. What was their rank, and did anyone find out why it happened?"
Magi paused thoughtfully, rubbing his chin before explaining further. "The house involved was House Delmire, a Marquess-ranked family. What I heard was quite disturbing, apparently, in a single night, their entire younger generation was wiped out. Boys, girls... none survived. It was swift and brutal."
Orion’s expression instantly hardened, his gaze turning grave. "Did the kingdom not investigate such a severe matter?"
Magi shrugged lightly, his own expression showing clear confusion. "Surprisingly, the Delmire House itself requested the King to halt the investigation, and strangely enough, King Reynold complied immediately, ceasing all inquiries the very next day."
Orion’s brow furrowed deeply in thought as he absorbed this unsettling information. "How strange... Edgar, did you hear anything about this incident?"
Edgar shook his head slowly, speaking calmly. "I haven’t looked deeply into it, Young Master. My attention was primarily focused on ensuring your safety and investigating threats related directly to our house and the Insanity Creed."
Orion nodded thoughtfully, storing this information for later consideration before turning his attention back to Magi. "Well, that matter is interesting, but it doesn’t directly concern us right now. What I really need from you today are Mana Crystals. How many can you spare?"
Magi’s face immediately reddened in embarrassment, shifting awkwardly. "Boss, why do you always have to empty my coffers every single time you come here? I’ve been carefully using our profits to expand and reinvest in the business!"
Orion raised a calm hand, stopping Magi’s complaint mid-sentence. "Enough whining. I know you always keep an emergency stash somewhere for unforeseen situations. How much have you hidden away?"
Magi’s lips twitched visibly, clearly reluctant. Eventually, he sighed heavily in resignation, reaching under his desk to a hidden compartment.
Pulling out a well-concealed storage ring, he placed it hesitantly onto the table, pushing it toward Orion with obvious heartache. "Here, Boss. Please handle this carefully, it’s all I have saved up to fund the opening of our next major shop."
Orion swiftly snatched the ring, quickly scanning it with his mental senses. His eyes widened immediately in shock and satisfaction as he witnessed several small mountains of Mana Crystals, carefully piled within the storage space.
At a rough estimate, the count easily exceeded 25,000 crystals.
With a pleased smile, Orion nodded appreciatively. "Not bad, Magi. Don’t look so depressed, I promise I’ll send over a fresh batch of goods for you to sell soon enough. You’ll easily make back what I’m taking now."
Magi slumped dramatically back into his chair, sighing in exaggerated despair. "You’re ruthless, Boss. Absolutely ruthless." NovelHub
Orion chuckled lightly, shaking his head as he turned toward the exit, Edgar quietly following behind him.
As they reached the doorway, Orion paused briefly, glancing back toward Magi with genuine appreciation in his eyes. "Good work, Magi. You’ve truly exceeded my expectations."
A faint smile returned to Magi’s lips, clearly satisfied with Orion’s sincere praise.
As Orion stepped calmly out into the corridor and made his way downstairs, Magi’s voice echoed playfully from behind, "Make sure to visit again soon, Boss! Preferably without taking everything I’ve saved!"
Orion chuckled quietly, shaking his head as he exited the building alongside Edgar.