Free Web NovelChapter 243: Chapter 243 - Lucy makes her decision
The crowd began to thin gradually. With their rewards already collected, there was no further reason to stay. Thus, most of their minds were already thinking about skill point allocation and debating which stats to prioritize with their new levels.
As the last of them filtered away down Elenora’s bridges, one player moved against the current, coming toward Lumi rather than away. He recognized her before she was close enough to speak.
How could he not? Though he had only encountered her once, he couldn’t forget a player as skilled and ballsy as Lucy Lee.
Lena recognized her at the same moment. She stepped forward immediately, putting herself slightly between Lucy and Lumi, gripping her wand tighter. She put on a large smile and was about to speak.
Lumi put a hand out to the side, stopping her. Then he performed a small nod towards Eden. Lena froze for a mere second, before stepping to the left, positioning herself to shield Eden himself.
Lucy stopped a reasonable distance away. Though she wore the same equipment, the vibe she put off was entirely different as she gave him a light smile, lightly twirling.
"I thought about your offer," she said. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Lumi waited.
Seeing no response, Lucy continued. "My condition is simple. All I want is for the pay to be consistent, and to match what I was receiving through Micheal’s contracts. As long as you can match that, then I will entirely abandon taking his contracts, as you asked, and do as you wish."
Those were the words she spoke outloud. Though she said that, her deeper, internal thoughts were obvious enough to Lumi without her needing to voice it.
She had not been here for the raid. How could she? She had attacked Lumi in broad daylight and gotten herself killed. Even if she had respawned in time, which she hadn’t, she never would have been let in.
So imagine her reaction when she saw the system announcement of the raid being complete. If it had merely been that, then she would have merely felt a small sense of regret.
Yet it wasn’t merely that. Soon enough, she began to get information about what exactly had gone on. She learned that over a thousand players had killed a demon alongside Lumi and gained more levels in a single fight than most players accumulated in weeks.
That was NOT a preferable outcome.
That was because at the end of the day, her profits were tied to her capability. For example, with Micheal, all that mattered was that she was strong enough to complete the contract and get paid. If she couldn’t complete a contract, then getting paid was a mere dream.
The floor and ceiling of her payment relied entirely on her power. Which she just lost out on. No matter Micheal or Lumi, the only reason she would get paid was because she was useful.
If following him meant raids like this one, if it meant opportunities that actively made her stronger while also paying her, then the comparison wasn’t complicated. The pay just had to be reasonable enough to justify the switch.
Lumi didn’t mention any of that. He simply nodded. "I accept. Of course, assuming you stay capable."
Lucy’s expression remained even, but something in her posture settled slightly.
Lumi continued. "I’ll have a proper contract drafted for you. It’ll outline the terms, payment structure, and expectations on both sides. Until then you’re free, but stay within Elenora. When I leave, you’ll be coming with me."
"Understood." Lucy said simply.
She didn’t press for further details. She didn’t ask where they were going or what the contract would specify. She had made her decision and she was comfortable with it, which told Lumi something useful about how she operated.
Lucy gave a short nod, then turned and walked back toward the town.
As the woman left, Lena was watching her go with her arms folded. She tilted her head towards Lumi. "You trust her?"
Lumi shrugged. "She could be a spy from Micheal for all I care. As long as she performs and gives me accurate information. There’s something I’ll do with her later.
Lena considered that, then nodded as she accepted it, though the look she gave Lucy’s retreating back didn’t entirely soften.
Lumi pulled up his interface and opened a message to Lucas.
Lucas had been running his business operations within Masteria. He had long since bought his own pod, and now he was a player, though calling him that felt increasingly inaccurate.
He didn’t hunt, level, nor excessively think about stats or skills. He thought about supply chains, profit margins, and who owed whom what favor. By leveraging Lumi’s name and connections, Lucas managed the business side of things reliably.
His message to Lucas covered two things. First, he needed someone stationed at the library entrance for the foreseeable future. There was no way he’d stay at Elonora wasting time himself. He needed to set up a contact point for the players who had died during the raid and were currently sitting through their respawn timer.
They’d be showing up in town over the next several hours, confused and looking for their reward, and someone needed to be there to give them their money. And for a lucky dozen, note down what type of item they wanted as a reward.
Second, he needed Lucas to draft a contract for Lucy. He had informed him of the general situation, and Lucas would fill in the specifics. Though he did note that he would begin doing many of these for future guild members, so he should get started on a standardized agreement now.
Lucas replied quickly, confirming both orders as received.
That was the thing about working with people like Lucas. They weren’t adventurers playing at business. They were businessmen who happened to exist in this world, and they treated their work accordingly.
With that handled, Lumi let out a small breath and leaned against the library wall. He took a look around. Most of the players had left, and even the closest ones were decently far. That was, except, Tora.
Lumi nodded at the man gently. "Your work is done."
Tora immediately gave a visible sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god. Though Currway never came our way, that was stressful as hell." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
"I bet." Lumi completely understood. He had thousands on the line.
The two stood awkwardly, looking at each other. Finally, Tora continued, "So, about..."
"Don’t worry." Lumi knew what the man was worried about. "I’ll give you the rest of your payment the moment I leave Masteria."
"Thank you!" Tora bowed to Lumi. "Seriously, thank you! That amount of money is... life-changing! I don’t even know what to say!"
"No thanks necessary." Lumi put his hand on Tora’s shoulder, giving him a smile. "I’ll make my guild soon, so remember to join."
"Right!" Tora enthusiastically nodded. "Of course!" He was eager to continue. "What should I do now?"
Lumi gave him a good-natured grin. "Whatever you want. See, I need a little bit of privacy..."
"Oh!" Tora straightened his back and saluted. "I’ll get going then, boss!"
With that, he was on his way.
Lumi couldn’t help but lightly chuckle. Money... really changed a man’s personality.
He glanced over at Lena, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground a few feet off, spinning her wand in her fingers and humming something to herself. Eden stood nearby with Sol perched on his shoulder, looking unsure.
The library doors were still open. Merath stood at the entrance, not quite inside and not quite outside, having been watching the dispersing crowd with his hands folded behind his back.
After a moment, the old mage spoke. "Lumi."
Lumi glanced over. Merath was quiet for a moment longer, seeming to gather his words carefully, which was unusual for him. Merath was not a man who needed to search for words.
After a moment, Merath finally spoke. "I need to thank you."
Lumi blinked. "For?"
Merath was quiet again, though this time the pause felt deliberate. He looked out at Elenora’s bridges and trees, at the familiar faint light, at a town he had lived in for decades. "For piling work on me," he said, and there was no sarcasm in it. "For treating me as though I have something useful to contribute. For asking things of me without hesitation."
Lumi gave the slightest nod, but said nothing, sensing there was more.
Merath continued his words. "I taught the new generation. I maintained the seals. I answered questions. I preserved knowledge. What I told myself was diligence had, somewhere along the way, become something else. Sloth."
He lightly shook his head. "The old war had ended, and I stepped back. It would merely be a small break after that intense period, or so I told myself. I thought I would rest, pass on what I knew, and eventually return to active contribution."
He exhaled slowly, the smallest bit of mirth coming through. "A small break that stretched into decades."
