188 Geluo Street.
Inside the study on the second floor.
"A full 3,000 Kruger Gold Coins."
"Based on the current market valuation of Kruger Gold Coins, that's a whole 4,800 gold pounds."
After hearing about the enormous sum of money Young Master Zorn had brought back, the old butler, Glangk, was stunned.
Even when Baron Leon Corick was still alive, a profitable year's income was only slightly more than this amount.
And yet, Young Master Zorn had brought back so much wealth in one go.
However, judging from the danger he had just faced and the shocking injuries on Young Master Zorn's hands, it was clear this fortune had not been easily won.
The old butler, Glangk, had no intention of asking too many questions.
After all, in his eyes, Young Master Zorn had already come into contact with the mysterious Extraordinary World.
And the mysterious Extraordinary World was not something he could meddle in.
Of the 3,200 Kruger Gold Coins he brought back, Zorn planned to put 200 of them—worth about 320 gold pounds—into his personal savings.
The remaining sum, roughly 4,800 gold pounds, was to be used for investments and debt repayment.
At that moment, the maid, Vanessa, was disinfecting and bandaging Zorn's wounds.
As a maid in a noble household, Vanessa had been educated, having even attended maid and nursing schools. She had a basic nursing foundation and was well-versed in first aid.
As Vanessa carefully wrapped the bandages, the freckles on her face had begun to fade, her fair features taking on a charming allure. Although her figure was wrapped as modestly as possible, one could still make out its voluptuous outline.
In the original timeline, this considerate maid had still followed Zorn Corick resolutely, even when he made an enemy of the world. She stayed with him until she blocked a Bishop's flames and was burned to ashes in the inferno.
The searing pain was excruciating, but her final, desperate cry was for Zorn Corick to run.
She had been willing to use her frail, slender body to block attacks for Zorn Corick, until she could no longer stand.
Only at the very end did Zorn Corick finally see this graceful maid for who she was—someone who had always silently admired him, her heart secretly given to him.
Once the wounds were disinfected and bandaged,
the maid Vanessa's voice, as clear and pleasant as a nightingale's, sounded softly.
"For the next little while, your hands can't get wet..."
She paused here, her voice growing much softer.
"I will come and attend to you."
As she spoke, her cheeks flushed slightly and her heart began to race.
Vanessa was well aware of the duties and responsibilities expected of a maid in a noble house.
In fact, when she privately chatted with maids from other noble houses, many of them took pride in having "served" a young master, some even more than one.
Some young nobles with... rather messy private lives would even swap maids.
Previously, the old butler had warned her that the young master was still too young, and if she dared to try anything,
she would be sold to the red-light district in the Old Town District.
But yesterday, the old butler had found her and told her that Young Master Zorn was about to come of age.
And she was to be Young Master Zorn's private coming-of-age gift.
After Vanessa left with the medical kit,
Zorn opened the Monster Treasure Chest, and the old butler began to count the Kruger Gold Coins.
As the old butler in charge of the family's finances, he had numerous channels to exchange these Kruger Gold Coins for gold pounds.
Zorn, meanwhile, picked up today's edition of the "Glan Steam Daily" to browse.
The Glan Steam Daily was a dedicated newspaper for Ogrande City.
It was a partner of the Autanston Republic's national intelligence system, giving it a solid official background.
The content of the Glan Steam Daily covered major events on the Holy Land Continent and in the Autanston Republic, as well as many important affairs within Ogrande City.
Therefore, subscribing to and reading the Glan Steam Daily was practically a required daily task for every noble.
While absorbing a great deal of important information from the paper, Zorn soon noticed a piece of news that seemed ordinary but was actually a bombshell with "get rich quick" potential.
"Uncle Glangk, what do you think of the Beleu Navigation Company?"
"The Beleu Navigation Company?"
Glangk, who was counting the Kruger Gold Coins, paused.
He looked up at Zorn Corick, his already wrinkled and aged face showing a complicated expression.
His voice was slightly hoarse as he spoke.
"The depths of the ocean, shrouded in fog and unknown locations, are indeed full of opportunity and wealth."
"But for the Coric Clan, it is as if we bear the curse of the sea."
"Before, your father, Baron Leon, made five investments in the stocks of shipping companies."
"But..."
He paused, finally mustering the courage to continue.
"But every single time, he lost everything, which is why the family is now saddled with so much debt."
"And your father... he too was lost to the depths of the sea."
"The family cannot bear another curse from the sea, Young Master Zorn."
The old butler Glangk's attempt to dissuade him was already very clear.
Zorn narrowed his eyes, straightened up, and asked with profound meaning.
"Then can these coins, worth nearly five thousand gold pounds, solve the family's debt?"
Glangk shook his head helplessly.
"We need at least forty thousand, nearly fifty thousand gold pounds in wealth to fill the family's financial hole."
Forty thousand, nearly fifty thousand gold pounds.
Hearing this amount, even Zorn, a veteran in his own right, felt his heart tremble slightly.
'That unreliable father of mine really left behind a massive hole to fill!'
After a moment of thought, Zorn slowly began to speak.
"Uncle Glangk, according to intelligence and information I've obtained from some Transcendents,"
"Although the newspaper says the Beleu Navigation Company's Steam Giant Whale merchant fleet was plundered by pirates,"
"The truth is, that fleet is protected by Transcendents. While their crew suffered heavy casualties, and even the captain died heroically fighting the pirates, they will still arrive safely at Ogrande City's Bay Area Pier."
"Because the papers reported the Steam Giant Whale was plundered, the company's stock has plummeted."
"I think now is the perfect time to acquire that stock!"
"It won't be long before the Steam Giant Whale returns. When it does, the stock we bought will multiply in value several times over, maybe even more than ten times."
Zorn's words made Glangk's heart stir with agitation.
He knew very well that if this intelligence from the Transcendents was true, it would be a golden opportunity to increase the family's wealth.
"In that case, tomorrow, when I go out to exchange these Kruger Gold Coins for gold pounds, I'll buy some shares of the Steam Giant Whale."
Faced with a precise explanation from a Young Master Zorn who was now completely different from before, Glangk still chose to believe him.
After all, five thousand gold pounds wasn't enough to solve their current predicament.
"Buy as much as you can. At least two thousand gold pounds' worth."
No less than two thousand gold pounds—the amount startled Glangk.
This was basically an enormous gamble, throwing nearly half of their current wealth into shipping stocks.
Just like Baron Leon before him, who would even borrow money to rush into the great shipping stock market.
However, Glangk didn't know,
that investing in the Steam Giant Whale's stock was a surefire bet.
The only question was whether the profit would be three or four times their investment, or ten times.
And the amount of stock available on the market was only between 2,000 and 3,000 gold pounds.
Although buying up stock on such a large scale could attract some trouble,
for an ordinary noble, it would be trouble.
But for an [Evil Spirit Wizard], it was more like a gift.
"How is Old Nero?"
Zorn asked, his thoughts shifting.
Earlier, Old Nero and Glangk had been terrified while holding down the shaking sewer manhole cover.
When getting off the carriage upon their return, Old Nero had accidentally fallen and taken a nasty tumble.
"Vanessa has already checked on him. There's nothing seriously wrong. He was probably just frightened. A few days of rest should be enough."
"Good."
Zorn nodded.
"Give Old Nero an extra week's salary. Hopefully, that will compensate for his mental distress."
"Oh, and you as well!"
As family servants of a noble, they all received a salary, and it wasn't low.
Old Nero had a weekly salary of 15 Silver Dragons, about 0.75 gold pounds, which was already a high wage in Ogrande City.
The old butler, Glangk, earned even more, with a weekly salary of 3.5 gold pounds.
This handsome salary not only supported Glangk himself but also allowed him to pay for the tuition of his son and two daughters.
The sufficiently high salary was one of the reasons for the old butler's loyalty.
Soon, the old butler finished tallying the value in gold pounds and left the small study.
Zorn, on the other hand, opened the window and quietly watched Ogrande City as it slowly sank into the night.
At this very moment, in Zorn's line of sight,
Ogrande City, now fallen into darkness, slowly unfolded in a strange, luminous form.
The moving life forms, in particular, were exceptionally conspicuous and clear in his eyes.
And at this moment, a ring—a radiant silver double serpent holding a red gem in its mouths—was squirming silently on Zorn's middle finger, like a slender snake clinging to him.
[Ring of the Two Serpents]
A Forbidden Sealed Object from the great Upper Ranker, [Double-Ringeded Snake].
The wearer must feed it with fresh blood every day.
Human blood also works.
The wearer's own blood is even more effective.
But Zorn obviously wouldn't casually use his own blood to feed this Forbidden Item.
Previously, Zorn had asked Bevis about purchasing live gray rats.
His purpose was to use the blood and lives of these rats to feed the "Ring of the Two Serpents".
The blood and life of rats were the best feeding material, second only to the wearer themselves.
The wearer can obtain "Dual Serpent Vision".
"Dual Serpent Vision" provides extremely powerful insightful vision towards life forms and Extraordinary life.
After wearing it for an extended period, the twin serpents' appetites will grow, and the frequency and quantity of their feeding will increase significantly.
The wearer will then obtain a deeper effect, "Dual Serpent Spirit Body".
This grants a body as flexible and lithe as a serpent's, conceals one's own Extraordinary Spirituality, and further strengthens "Dual Serpent Vision".
But the twin serpents will covet the user's blood and life even more.
The Forbidden Item, the "Ring of the Two Serpents".
It possesses a considerably potent Mysterious Power.
For a [Fighting Master] who excels in close-quarters combat, it can make up for a lack of Insight.
At the same time, it can also enhance a Fighting Master's close combat abilities.
But for an [Evil Spirit Wizard],
a Forbidden Item like this, which can enhance both Insight and Spirituality, has always been precious and powerful.
in the hands of an [Evil Spirit Wizard], its effects are far greater than in the hands of a [Fighting Master].
Aside from these conventional uses,
[Players] have developed all sorts of inhuman, completely unconventional ways to use it.
Zorn knew these secret methods like the back of his hand.
With this Forbidden Item now in his possession,
Zorn, as a [Fighting Master], had already seen his strength surge significantly.