Chapter 139: Ajef Again [Two-in-One]

After selling the goods, Tony eventually withdrew the money.

It’s not that he didn’t trust the Internet Bank, but most of the money the caravan earned had to be given to the family.

He couldn’t exactly transfer money to the family, could he?

In the Grand Duchy of Gregor, the internet was still a clandestine affair.

The nobles were secretly using the internet, and he believed the Wisdom Church surely knew about it too.

Yet, to maintain stability, everyone turned a blind eye.

Turning a blind eye didn’t mean it could be publicized. If anyone dared to publicize the internet, it would be a different matter.

“Oh my God!”

“What is that?”

While having breakfast, Tony suddenly heard a commotion outside the inn.

Instinctively, he left his seat and went to the window to look.

He saw five floating airships appear over Vis Els, like mysterious dragons, casting vast shadows over the city like dragon wings.

Standing in the shadows, Tony felt a chilling sensation radiating from his tailbone to his head!

In [Conquest], he had seen airships, but they were always separated by magical puppets.

Though shocked, it always felt a bit unreal.

Now, with the airships overhead, the sense of oppression was almost unbearable!

“What’s going on?”

“Aren’t these airships from [Conquest]?”

“Yes, what does the Internet God mean by sending airships? Could they be planning to attack Vis Els?”

“Damn, I still have money in the bank! Hurry, go withdraw it!”

The merchants in the inn were in an uproar.

Many people, panicked, instinctively wanted to withdraw their money and prepare to flee.

Even Tony was swept up in the panic.

At that moment, a loud broadcast came from the trade distribution center.

“Please clear the helipad promptly. Do not obstruct our company’s loading and unloading of goods, or bear the consequences of any loss!”

“Loading and unloading goods?”

Tony and the inn’s merchants were stunned.

“What’s happening?”

“Wasn’t it an invasion?”

They exchanged puzzled looks, noticing no beams or troop deployments from the airships. Their panic was somewhat relieved, becoming more observational.

The smarter ones even accessed the internet to search for information.

“Oh my God, these floating airships are actually freighters used by the Quever traders to transport goods!”

A merchant exclaimed!

“What? Transporting goods?”

“Such an artifact being used for transporting goods?”

“Is it false news?”

“This is unbelievable!”

“I remember that in [Conquest], a floating airship costs at least 30,000 gold coins to buy. It’s still plausible to use them for transport!”

“Can we buy them?”

The merchants exclaimed and discussed animatedly.

Some even gathered friends to go witness the scene.

Driven by curiosity, Tony gladly tagged along.

By the time they arrived, the five floating airships were slowly descending.

As they approached, one of the airships was about to land.

By then, the transaction center was packed with onlookers. Tony stood among them, his mind increasingly awestruck by the overwhelming floating airships.

These floating airships were quite different from the ones in [Conquest].

In [Conquest], the airships were bulkier and rugged, overall elliptical, looking more like deep-sea sharks full of aggression.

These floating airships were much smaller, with a plump body underneath, suspended with metal gondolas. From these gondolas, a lot of machinery could be seen, emphasizing an increasingly clear sense of creation.

As the airships landed, shouts came from the Quever merchants organizing workers to load and unload goods.

For a while, the crowd became increasingly lively.

Some wanted to get closer to observe the floating airships;

others were concerned about the transported goods.

Suddenly, a frightening thought popped into Tony’s mind.

— If these floating airships reached the city skies of the Grand Duchy of Gregor, how would they resist?

A few high-ranking magicians?

Or the Wisdom Church?

Tony didn’t know. Recalling the Internet God’s retaliation in Khazad-dûm, a feeling of reverence emerged from deep within him.

When the Five Prime Gods attacked, Quever didn’t even have these weapons, yet their military prowess was already world-shocking.

Now there are guns and airships; their military power must be even stronger!

For a moment, Tony felt a bit envious of the Kewell Empire.

Under the light of the Internet God, this realm seemed like a utopia, full of hope!

Even the lowest commoners, as long as they could read, could freely discuss or even learn magic online.

Even illiterates could use voice calls, openly play music, and fall asleep with soothing lullabies.

If only the Internet God could replace the Wisdom Church as the state religion of Gregor, even Karman… Tony suddenly pondered.

The idea was so rebellious, yet he felt no fear.

…

…

Tony envied the people of Kewell since the arrival of the Internet God brought hope to everyone’s future.

How could Quever’s people like Xi Ze not feel the same lucky?

After assisting Manancy to pass the apprentice magician assessment, Manancy’s words of encouragement, though unintended, planted a seed in Xi Ze’s heart.

The more Xi Ze thought about it afterward, the more tempted he felt.

He still remembered how his first encounter with the internet began with a “try-it-and-see” attitude.

Since there was nothing to lose, why not try?

As for disdainful looks from others?

Honestly, that’s the least of Xi Ze’s concerns. He’s experienced so many disdainful glances in life, he’s already numb to them.

Ultimately, upon his request, his father took him to the magic tower to enroll in the magic academy.

As expected, he faced many disdainful glances.

Countless people looked at him, sitting in a wheelchair, as if he was a fool.

Not until his soul power results came out during testing did everyone fall into stunned silence!

Xi Ze clearly remembered the wannabe apprentice magician beside him, who just had his soul power tested, looking at him.

Amazement, dumbfoundedness, eyes wide in disbelief!

His expression was like drinking ice in midsummer, refreshing from head to toe!

Ultimately… he was accepted.

And into the best magic academy, the Felix Magic Academy in the capital of Quever, Vis Els!!

After leaving the magic tower, his father called his mother first thing, and the two chatted the whole way back.

They were both ecstatic that Xi Ze had a promising future as a Mage Lord;

yet quite worried about his academic life ahead.

After all, Xi Ze wasn’t normal. It wouldn’t be as bad if he was only slightly disabled, but he was completely paralyzed, making things difficult.

In the end, the Xi family decided the whole family would accompany him.

They heard Vis Els was full of factories, wasn’t labor scarce or wages low?

If necessary, they’d sell their ancestral home and land to support Xi Ze’s studies.

Having a Mage Lord in the family was generations’ worth of fortune they couldn’t let slip through their fingers!

That night at the Xi house, they set up 20 tables, borrowing round tables and chairs from neighbors, to feast the whole village in celebration.

“The Xi family has made it big! Call him ‘Lord’ next time you see him!”

“Yes, indeed!”

“Uncle Xi, don’t forget about us when you’re on top!”

“They say pearls come from ugly shells, I’ve finally witnessed it!”

In Big Ridge Village, words of praise poured in, and Xi Ze’s parents blushed with joy!

As the feast was at its height, a red-robed Magic Instructor’s arrival plunged the Xi house into silence, though inwardly everyone was buzzing.

Local guardian magician Parker actually came personally to congratulate Xi Ze!

“Congratulations, from now on you will walk a completely different path!” Magician Parker walked smilingly to Xi Ze slumped in his chair: “I have a gift for you, hoping it will help you!”

Saying this, he lightly gestured to the ground. The earth rose, and a magical Earth Puppet struggled out.

Watching this, the villagers of Big Ridge were both shocked and awed.

“I don’t know about the human body and can’t cure your condition. But this Earth Puppet can help you live like a normal person. As a prospective magician, you must learn to independently handle all difficulties. This is one of the magician’s principles.”

Parker smiled as he handed over a roll of parchment.

It was a contract, with the magical Earth Puppet being summoned from the earth as its subject.

Xi Ze looked baffled.

As a [Conquest Sub-Dimension] pro, he immediately recognized the Earth Puppet as an advanced Earth Puppet.

It could charge the front lines;

or turn into fine sand, attaching to the body as armor.

In [Conquest], it was definitely a top-tier puppet.

Without a massive amount of Merit Points or gold coins, forget about getting it!

As a [Conquest] expert, Xi Ze swiftly grasped the “live like a normal person” method from Parker’s words.

“This is too valuable! I… I can’t accept it.” Tempted as he was, Xi Ze still gritted his teeth and refused.

“Then consider it a loan, how about that?” Parker said with a kindly smile.

“This… alright!”

Heart pounding, Xi Ze finally nodded, accepting the parchment from Parker.

“Then I won’t disturb you any longer, I look forward to seeing you again!” Parker gave a slight smile and left.

“Wait!”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for accepting me, I will live up to your expectations!” Xi Ze said in a deep voice.

“Don’t thank me; if you must, thank Lord Ajef!” Parker turned to him and said frankly.

This was also the reason he visited Xi Ze and gave him an advanced magical puppet.

Those personally named by Lord Ajef must have something special.

Building a good relationship now, although Xi Ze might guess the real reason, wouldn’t undermine this goodwill.

“Lord Ajef?” Xi Ze froze.

…

…

“Welcome home!”

Kesan, the 11th Monarch of Quever, stood by the ring-shaped magic tower’s teleportation magic well, greeting his sister Clementine with a gentlemanly hand gesture.

Standing in the well, Clementine smiled softly and stepped out of the teleportation array.

“You seem to have changed a lot!”

Not seeing each other for months, his sister had changed quite a bit.

Her hairstyle was no longer elaborate, styled into a bun like a bank teller from Vis Els.

Her clothes were no longer luxurious, now a simple, refined casual attire.

“Experience leaves marks on a person, doesn’t it, brother?” Clementine smiled.

Kesan, looking at his sister’s smile, felt mixed emotions.

Her transformation left him with feelings of both joy and sorrow!

He still remembered months ago when she secretly bribed Hardy, Dundar’s assistant, to gain teller training at a bank, where he had strongly opposed it.

He couldn’t accept a princess of the royal family appearing publicly.

Facing his opposition, she stubbornly did as she pleased.

Following the training, she truly became a bank “bartender,” publicly as a spectacle in a foreign city, even pursued by low-class noble offspring.

Back then, Kesan had been furious.

He had yelled at his sister for the first time.

He was even willing to pay Ajef compensation for breaching the contract to bring her back, regardless of the royal family’s dignity.

However, the chain of events that followed not only dazzled his eyes but also profoundly shocked him.

Free savings, daily interest, cross-city transfers… the convenience displayed by the Internet Bank overturned traditional paying methods across the Empire almost overnight.

More and more people were depositing their money in the bank.

Including nobles.

Even the royal family deposited part of their assets in the bank.

Moreover, as Dragon Factory settled, bicycles sold massively, production lines were sold off, and great nobles hauled cartloads of gold coins to the bank for deposit.

The importance of the Internet Bank grew simultaneously.

Back then, anyone could see the importance of the Internet Bank.

Indeed, the Internet Bank was constantly expanding!

Staff was being recruited.

But no one else received personal training from Lord Ajef.

Those first bank tellers trained by Ajef, aside from a few who violated rules and were removed, became the pillars of the bank.

They no longer needed to work publicly at the counter; their duties shifted mainly behind the scenes.

Especially after the Internet Bank launched its loan service, the status of these individuals skyrocketed!

Why?

Because whether you could get a low-interest, high-amount loan depended on them.

In the past, most nobles weren’t destitute, so loans were nearly unthinkable.

If one sought loans, it meant the family was on the decline.

Yet when Lord Ajef established the Dragon Factory through bank loans, it set a precedent for all grandes.

The term “make money with others’ money” regarding the Internet Bank’s loan service became entrenched.

In today’s Kewell Empire, opportunities for wealth are everywhere.

Minor nobles took over major nobles’ discarded traditional industries;

Major nobles shifted to industrial manufacturing;

The Internet God declared war on Khazad-dûm, starting a wealth-raid war.

To get a piece of the pie, investing in a few floating airships is inevitable.

Wow, which of these changes doesn’t require money?

Apart from grandees who could sustain it, regular nobles who weren’t good at managing affairs didn’t have much capital.

Seeing grandes trying to make huge profits in Vis Els;

pillaging wealth in Khazad-dûm;

who wouldn’t be tempted?

Didn’t they want a piece of the pie?

But they felt poor, or had too many fixed assets taking up funds.

What to do?

This is where the significance of the Internet Bank loan service shines.

Internet Bank employees naturally benefited!

Through personal tenacity and great connections, Clementine became the head of the Internet Bank, a position of incalculable influence!

“How long do you plan to stay this time?” Kesan changed the topic.

At this moment, the siblings had exited the magic tower, boarded a royal carriage, and were being escorted by court magicians and knights.

“I heard Lord Ajef will give a speech at Felix Magic Academy’s opening ceremony this time, I plan to leave after hearing it.”

Clementine smiled.

Ajef again… Kesan now felt profound fear and oppressive pressure, not hatred, when he heard this name.

“That’s fine, good to rest at home for a few days!” Kesan nodded silently.

“I can’t rest. Lord Ajef said the bank branches must expand overseas. I’m back to report this time!”

Clementine shook her head, withdrawing her gaze from the window’s view and looking at her brother: “Brother, our family should have some people overseas, right? Can I borrow them?”

Kesan’s pupils dilated: “You want to use family connections to assist the Internet God?”

Clementine smiled: “It’s not assistance; it’s a statement of loyalty! The Internet Bank will be the Internet God’s cathedral. When bank branches cover every city on Azaea Continent, it will be the day the Internet God unites the continent.”

Hearing this, Kesan was shaken!

He noticed, in his sister’s clear eyes, there was definitely a flicker of ambition!

If the Internet God united the continent, wouldn’t his sister, wielding Internet Bank power, become the priestess guarding the world for the god?

Gasping heavily…

Kesan couldn’t suppress the rapid breathing.

Before he could come to a conclusion, his sister shifted the subject, perhaps knowing the gravity of the matter, giving him time to ponder.

“Knight Captain, detour to the Dragon Factory!”

“Do you want to see Ajef now?”

“No, I’m going to taste the offal noodles praised by Lord Ajef.”

Kesan was stunned.