As the VIP seats were partitioned, one couldn't enter without the door being opened from the inside.
"Who...?"
He was about to ask who it was.
But, as Baek Yu-Seol turned his head and looked out the window, he was startled and his eyes widened.
Creak! Creak!
Even amidst the shaking train, it wasn't difficult to recognize that person.
"That person, could it be...?"
A brown-haired man with a bicorn hat, pointed elf ears, and golden eyes behind gold-frad glasses, stood not far away. He was dressed in a sophisticated suit, and his mysterious smile didn't reveal his true intentions.
... President of the Starcloud Guild, lian.
When the ga's episodes progressed and the ga world expanded beyond the academy boundaries, and the protagonist, Edna, beca a full-fledged adult, the number of playable characters naturally increased.
At that ti, it was possible to freely pursue all the characters of various ages and genders within the ga world according to different branches. However, there were still four characters that players were particularly obsessed with.
The guardian of the Glacial Spine Mountains, the Great Duke Selpharm.
The heart of the Southern Hawol Plains, Chairman of the Starcloud Guild, "lian."
The commander of the Eastern Sea's Dragon Peak Fleet, Admiral Samuel Stormfield.
The pillar of the Western Desert, Lord of the Manwol Tower, "Ethan."
Among them, lian, also known as the heart of the Southern Hawol Plains, had the special attribute [Fate of Fortune], which gave him the setting of being the "richest person in the ga world."
"Co, could it be...!" As Alterisha recognized him, her mouth opened wide in shock, while lian grinned in response.
"I apologize, but could you spare a mont of your ti?"
"... Yes, um, what brings you here?"
"I have so business with all of you, so I ca here despite the intrusion."
Baek Yu-Seol tried to remain calm as he opened the door.
"Please co in."
"Thank you."
With a height surpassing 190cm, he seed like he would hit his head on the ceiling if he didn't slightly lower it.
"Nice to et you. Alterisha the alchemist, and... you must be the alchemist who hasn't revealed your identity, right? Both of you are extraordinary individuals. It feels like my eyes are being purified. Oh, if it's not too much to ask, may I know your na?"
"I am Baek Yu-Seol, a first-year student in Stella Academy's Combat Departnt, Class S."
"Oh, you're a student from Stella? Nice to et you."
Although he already knew everything, lian still asked Baek Yu-Seol for his na and pretended to be ignorant.
"W-What brings you here?"
Alterisha asked with a mixture of anticipation and surprise. In fact, she had expectations that her discovery would turn the world upside down.
But, she didn't expect that a giant like lian would co directly.
It felt that the encounter with Alterisha would be slightly postponed until the performance of the giant corporation or the Great Tower.
But, Starcloud.
lian!
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her anxious heart.
It wasn't easy.
"Perhaps, you already know... Alterisha the alchemist, I would like to establish an 'exclusive' contract for your skills with Starcloud."
'Oh, you've co!'
With that thought, Alterisha did her best to hide the smile that wanted to escape.
"Of course, if you already know , you must have heard that I am very generous with my conditions. Well, would you like to read the contract?"
Nodding, Alterisha affird positively, and lian took out several pages of the contract from his pocket and handed them over.
She read it with trembling hands.
"Wh-Whaaat?!"
The conditions were trendous, far beyond anything her poverty-stricken self could have imagined. It was truly an overwhelming offer that could make her worries vanish in an instant, explaining why he had a nickna "Cool Deal."
Alterisha cald her pounding heart and finished reading the contract.
The contents included unlimited sponsorship of materials and technicians, as well as an astronomical amount to be paid as an advance.
Of course, there were certain constraints that ca along with it, but...
With these conditions, she could create countless inventions she had dread of using the materials she desired!
A cushion made of gold? A waterfall pouring diamonds? A house adorned with precious gemstones? It would no longer be just a dream.
Perhaps, even more extraordinary things were possible.
"Yu-Seol, surely you would love this!" lian looked at Baek Yu-Seol with a beaming smile, as if he could press the stamp right away.
"Huh...?"
For so reason, Baek Yu-Seol wasn't smiling.
"What could be the problem?"
The exclusive contract with Starcloud Guild was undoubtedly an exciting opportunity, so why was he looking at her with such a serious expression?
'... There must be a reason.'
It was the first ti she had seen the boy with such a serious look. Even when he solved the problem of Delta Augntation Formula or confronted Professor Maizen, he used to smile.
"Let's not get too excited."
After taking a deep breath, Alterisha gently placed the contract down and spoke to lian.
"I'm sorry. Could you give so ti to think?"
"Hmm, is that so?"
Her words caught lian off guard.
"If the conditions are not sufficient, please let know if there is sothing you want."
"It's not that! The conditions are more than enough, even overwhelming... but..."
She looked at Baek Yu-Seol as she spoke.
"I need so ti to consult with the co-author of this technology."
"Oh, I see..."
Co-author.
He thought it was just a hollow term, but maybe it wasn't.
Setting aside such doubts, lian put on a welcoming smile and said to Baek Yu-Seol, "Would you like to take a look at the contract?"
Yes, it was clear that he was an extraordinary genius who had helped solve a 300-year-old unresolved problem as a teenager.
But still, he was just a high school student.
He knew this from experience. No matter how skilled Baek Yu-Seol was in magic and alchemy, when it ca to negotiations, he must be inexperienced.
Moreover, based on the preliminary investigation, Baek Yu-Seol was a commoner who would never reject such conditions.
That was what he thought.
"... Hmm?"
lian couldn't help but stiffen when he faced Baek Yu-Seol's blank expression.
He was thinking about sothing.
Thinking.
Anyone can do it, but it was not sothing one could easily do in front of his proposal.
To gain over such a pile of money. To achieve an amount that could support even future generations.
He still had so doubts even when faced with that.
"This..."
lian changed his mind.
He had t many people, and most of them would give up on their thoughts in front of his wealth. But very rarely...
But, there were cases where it wasn't so. And usually, they would turn the tables.
It left a bitter taste in his mouth and a sense of discomfort, but very occasionally... there were proposals that made his eyes widen.
And now, Baek Yuseo spoke up, "I will decline."
"Oh, really?" lian's mouth curled into a smirk as he heard the words he had anticipated. "I see. Well then..."
He retrieved the contract and clasped his hands together, saying, "Let's start the negotiation again."
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