First Move, Checkmate: How Will You Respond?

Victor calmly looked over the bill and gently put it back on the table.

“Lia, what are the income sources for the territory?”

Hearing Victor’s question, Lia tilted her head and squinted at him.

It was as if she was looking at an idiot. She let out a soft laugh, and her tone even carried some mockery.

“As a lord, you don’t even know the income sources of your own territory?”

Although Victor really didn’t know, that didn’t stop Lia from mocking this ‘incompetent’ lord.

“Listen up, our Clayvinna territory’s main income comes from grain and mineral trading!”

Through Lia’s explanation, Victor gained a general understanding.

The Clayvinna family owned a territory named ‘Clayvinna’ under their name.

The land was fertile, surrounded by lush forests.

The territory was about 100 kilometers away from the royal capital, and it would only take a day’s carriage ride to get there.

That’s why the empire’s second largest bustling town was located here.

Clayvinna territory had a very abundant mineral vein that could still be mined for over fifty years even until now.

With its geographical proximity to the royal capital, fertile land, bountiful harvests, and minerals at home.

It would be difficult for the Clayvinna family to not have money.

“But recently, mineral production has decreased a lot, and now is not the season for grain harvests either. The grains we sold before were stored in granaries from last year.”

Lia faced Victor with an indignant tone.

“We have to ensure enough grains for consumption within our territory. We can’t possibly sell them all. With such low income for the territory now, how could you still dare to spend money so lavishly!”

After hearing Lia’s words, Victor nodded with an expressionless face, appearing rather calm.

“Don’t you feel any remorse at all?”

Lia looked at Victor incredulously. She knew her brother was an absentee, but he couldn’t be completely unaware of everything right?

Victor thought for a bit, stroking his chin and responded:

“Go hire a few mages, then acquire a storefront at the busiest area in the royal capital and open a magic shop.”

Upon hearing Victor’s suggestion, Lia immediately bristled, yelling angrily:

“Victor! Did you not listen to my advice at all!”

“Do you think such shops are rare in the royal capital!?”

“Even if you open a shop, what can you do!? Do you think your name carries more weight than all the other businesses!?”

“Victor, do you even know how to do business!”

Lia got more and more agitated as she spoke.

She thought about how after her parents passed away, she had started learning how to manage the territory since young, maintaining it for over ten years until now, and the territory could still remain well-off.

No matter how much Victor squandered, she never complained.

But now, this brother of hers who knew nothing actually wanted to interfere with the family business!

What exactly was he trying to do!

As she spoke, she felt more and more aggrieved.

Seeing that he couldn’t appease Lia’s emotions with words, Victor didn’t want to say anything more. With a wave of his hand, dozens of bottles of blue magic potions appeared on the table between them.

Lia was stunned as she looked at the potions with a blue color like the sea on the table. Her rising anger somehow settled down.

“What is this?”

She blinked.

No one had seen such a magic potion yet at present.

Items that replenished magic power did exist, but they all had one thing in common.

Rare, and extremely expensive.

And the only potions that could be found on the market were for healing injuries, with very different effects compared to players’ [Health Potions].

One was like taking medicine for gradual recovery, while the other restored health instantly upon consuming it.

That was the difference between reality and game items.

To put it simply, bringing game items into reality would be pure bug exploitation.

Even a small instant-recovery magic potion could become a god-tier item.

So Victor did not explain further, as it would be too unbelievable coming from his mouth.

Seeing is believing.

Victor lightly instructed:

“Go find a few mages and have them cast spells until they are exhausted. Then let them drink one bottle, and you’ll know what to do.”

Lia was full of suspicion, but she still took all of the potions.

“Right, do you have any helpers?”

Hearing Victor’s question, Lia sneered contemptuously, “Oh, our great lord has finally learned to care for his underlings?”

Victor was indifferent to her cold ridicule, and simply repeated his question since their poor sibling relations was also due to Victor’s incompetence.

“I’m serious, do your merchant groups have guards or helpers like that?”

Lia let out a cold snort.

“No, I don’t trust others.”

In other words, Lia had been handling Clayvinna’s business matters alone all this time.

“No dangers encountered on the road? Although the territory isn’t far from the capital, it still takes a full day of travel.”

Lia was very surprised that her unreliable brother was actually concerned about her day. But she felt somewhat uncomfortable with such concern.

She leaned against the table, circling her finger around her hair strand, and awkwardly turned her face away.

“Uh…no, we have our own trade routes. If we run into bandits or something, just showing our Clayvinna family crest is enough for them to know better and leave. Nothing really happens usually.”

“At least there hasn’t been any danger so far from the past until now.”

Having said that, she didn’t look at Victor either, but took out a potion bottle to examine closely.

Victor nodded, then took off the Mage’s Hand on his right hand.

“Lia, listen. Going to the capital to open a shop this time is no trivial matter. Such precious goods can easily attract the covetous desires of others. Wear this and you’ll be able to handle some contingencies.”

Lia looked at the glove Victor handed over, put down the potion bottle, and struggled internally for a bit.

“Don’t mind it, this is just a mage’s gadget that will automatically fit your palm size.”

Lia thought that she wasn’t concerned about that, but didn’t explain further and reached to take the fingerless glove, still feeling the residual warmth on it from Victor’s palm.

She touched the gems on the glove, and immediately felt a surge of resentment.

As a merchant, she naturally knew what these were.

Conduit gems that could channel magic, each worth millions…

He actually put six pieces on a single glove!

With some murmuring complaints in her heart, she unusually did not lash out at Victor.

Lia put on the glove, and like Victor said, it automatically adapted to her hand shape.

“Face your palm towards me, focus your thoughts on wanting the gems in the glove, any will do.”

She followed the instructions, opening her palm towards Victor.

There was a green gem, she thought the color of this gem looked very nice.

‘Is this enough?’

A trace of doubt flashed through her mind, when suddenly, the green gem emitted a faint glow. Then…

Whoosh!

Like ripples exploding, a magic circle rapidly formed in Lia’s palm!

Almost instantly, a fierce gale filled the entire study, with papers rustling noisily from being blown around.

The whirlwind above the magic circle kept growing bigger!

Victor lightly tapped on the desk, a teleportation circle quickly taking shape in the air.

When the gale swelled to a certain degree, it got sucked into the teleportation circle.

The wind then immediately died down.

A few seconds later, a shocking loud crumbling sound could be heard from nearby.

Lia stood petrified.

“Just now…what was that?”

“2nd Order Spell: [Raging Gale], powerful enough to flatten a mountain.”

“Don’t be so shocked.”

Seeing the stunned Lia, Victor tapped the desk again and the lingering magic circles in the air dissipated.

How could Lia not be shocked? She wasn’t a mage, only having seen others cast spells before.

And that spell just now came from her own hand.

She felt dizzy now.

“So…this is what it feels like to cast magic.”

She stood foolishly in place, even forgetting to retract her hand.

Victor refilled the glove’s magic power and continued telling the shocked Lia: “Pay attention, I had you cast not only to let you get the knack of it, but more importantly, don’t get out of control. You’ve seen its power.”

“Note the usage limit, each gem can only be used once.”

“Come back to me when they’re used up and I’ll replenish them.”

Lia knew the preciousness Victor gifted her, priceless treasures that she had never even seen equipment capable of allowing commoners to use magic before growing up.

Just as she thought about how they could definitely sell for sky-high prices, she suddenly recalled Victor’s solemn attitude and stopped that train of thought.

These were things that could save lives after all.

Lia hesitated for a bit before awkwardly saying to Victor: “Thank you.”

Then she hurriedly took the magic potions and left.

After the study room door closed, the crow on Victor’s shoulder spoke:

“You’re not heartache to give this to others?”

“It’s just an item, I can make them anytime. Besides, I don’t really need this stuff.”

The Mage’s Hand didn’t have much use in daily life, only extremely useful in PVP to seize initiative or emergency defense as equipment for instant burst spells.

It was practically a must-have item for mage players when PK-ing.

He didn’t really need it for now.

Hearing Victor’s words, Veega didn’t say anything more, but started planning in her mind.

‘Gotta think of a way to trick him into making one for me to play with.’

…

Early next morning, Victor finished breakfast and got up to head to the academy. Just as he finished tidying up, a servant came in.

“Milord, there is a lady outside claiming to be your teaching assistant, saying she has come to deliver notes and lecture scripts.”

Victor’s actions stilled briefly as he dressed.

Hennie came?

He didn’t seem to have told Hennie to send things to his residence.

Still, he had the servant invite her in.

The result was Hennie’s haggard face with two dark eye circles.

“Why do you look like this? Didn’t rest well?”

Hennie seemed to jolt awake, saying to Victor:

“No Professor, I forgot to sleep last night and was writing scripts the whole time.”

This reason really left Victor speechless.

“After Erica sends the notes, I remembered you said to send them here, so I came with the lecture scripts as well.”

Seeing the drowsy Hennie, Victor really couldn’t admonish her.

Should he say she was a bit silly?

He was silent for a while before asking:

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

Hennie shook her head. She rushed over early in the morning without sleep or food.

Victor beckoned and told the servant to take her for breakfast, then arrange a room for her to rest properly later.

Hennie let out a flustered “Eh”, about to decline but heard Victor’s tone that brooked no rejection.

“Fill your stomach, then rest.”

Hennie instantly withered, not daring to defy Victor. She lowered her head like a frosted eggplant as the servant led her away.

As for Victor, he had intended to go to the academy early morning, but seeing Hennie come changed his plans.

Class was in the afternoon, so he decided to look over Erica’s homework and his lecture script to pass time in the study for the morning.

While reviewing Erica’s assignment, Victor asked Veega without turning his head:

“What do you think of that girl?”

Being asked like this, Veega was taken aback for a moment. It knew Victor was talking about Hennie.

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you say to recruit followers for you?” Victor stretched leisurely and tapped the lecture script on the desk, the narrowed eyes conveying shrewdness and danger as he looked at Veega.

“This silly softie is perfect to trick.”