Chapter 91: Negotiations (3)

The morning after the unprecedentedly chaotic academic conference concluded, rumors spread rapidly across the continent that Ron’s research on secondary control incantation arrays was virtually unparalleled, further enhancing the reputation of the Glorious Tower.

However, despite this accolade, Ron wore a grim expression. The issue stemmed from a query raised immediately following his presentation at the end of the conference.

How… How did they know?

There was one significant problem with the incantation array Ron had developed: overheating. During his experiments thus far, the only noticeable issue seemed to be a slight decrease in performance due to overheating. However, as these mana sticks incorporating the secondary control incantation arrays were set for mass production, there was a risk of unforeseen problems arising that Ron hadn’t encountered yet.

For instance…

An explosion caused by severe overheating.

This was Ron’s biggest concern, and yesterday, right after his presentation ended, someone raised precisely this issue he had been worried about. The voice mentioned that only mages with high intelligence could use holy magic messages; it sounded like a woman; and they were aware of the secondary control incantation array problem.

Based on these three clues, Ron deduced that the voice belonged to one of the peak lords who had used a mana stick before. Only the peak lords of Wrath and Winsome fit the criteria, but…

If not them, then who could it be?

Immediately after his presentation, Ron approached the two female peak lords, but neither seemed to know anything about the matter. This only deepened the mystery for Ron.

As Ron pondered his dilemma, a voice came from beside him.

“What seems to be troubling you, sir?”

“Hmm… Nothing.” Only then did Ron realize he was sharing tea with the vice tower master and picked up his lukewarm cup.

The vice tower master smiled knowingly at him. “I’ve known you for quite some time now, so I can tell when something is bothering you. Is it about that Louis boy?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Heh-heh, you don’t have to hide anything from me. From what I gather, you seem rather fond of him… It’s understandable to worry about accepting such a young disciple as the apprentice of a peak lord.”

“Oh-ho, what misunderstanding are you talking abou—?!”

Ron abruptly stood up with a nervous grin, his eyes wide as if struck by an earthquake.

Why didn’t I think of this earlier?!

He had assumed it was a woman’s voice, but that premise was flawed from the start.

It wasn’t a woman. Yes, it was…it was a child! A child’s voice could easily be mistaken for a woman’s. Upon further reflection, Ron realized the voice sounded very familiar. There was only one person who fit these criteria in his mind.

“I need to step out.”

“Wh-where are you going?” The vice tower master panicked at Ron’s sudden departure.

Ron cautiously replied, “I have something…to verify.” With those words, he swiftly disappeared through the door.

Creak.

The door of a shabby room opened as Louis stretched and emerged.

“Ahhhh.”

Beyond the doorway lay piles upon piles of scattered papers, with the twins sleeping huddled together amidst them. Leaving the kids be, Louis scanned the hallway when a small shadow dropped from the ceiling.

“Good morning, Sir Louis!”

“Morning, Fin.”

“You were up all night?”

“Yes, I had something urgent to take care of.”

“Hope you didn’t overwork yourself!”

After giving a bow, Fin nestled close to Louis, who then asked:

“How are the others doing?”

Yesterday, after locking himself away in his room, he noticed Pablo hadn’t returned even though they shared quarters. He initially thought Pablo was staying elsewhere for the night, but surprisingly, there wasn’t anyone in the adjacent room either.

Fin answered him promptly. “They’re scattered all over Dexter’s room right now.”

“Why is that?”

“They drank themselves to oblivion last night and passed out.”

“These rascals… Someone else was up all night perfecting magic spell incantations.” Although it was for his own benefit as well, Louis felt indignant knowing others were having fun drinking while he worked tirelessly alone. He stomped off toward Dexter’s quarters.

Slam!

The door opened forcefully enough to nearly break off its hinges.

“Everyone, wake up!” His booming voice echoed throughout the alcohol-infused room.

Empty bottles of liquor and half-eaten snacks littered the floor.

Inside lay Dexter and four of his disciples sprawled like corpses…

“What the—?”

Snore!

Pablo was snoring loudly among them. It was impossible to tell how much they had consumed, but everyone appeared completely incapacitated.

“Hey, wake up already!”

Louis paced around, rousing the residents of the Tower of Wishes household. In a half-drunken stupor, Pablo attempted to hug Louis but ended up getting kicked hard for his trouble—a minor incident. Thanks to Louis’s efforts, everyone eventually came to their senses.

“Ugh… What’s with all the commotion this early in the morning?”

“Snap out of it, old man! Anyone seeing you now would think we accomplished something great. Yet here you all are, gathered together just for a drinking party, huh? A drinking party!”

“O-okay, stop yelling! My head is pounding.”

Seeing Louis with his arms crossed and glaring at him, Dexter couldn’t help but groan softly.

Louis scanned the room sternly before issuing orders. “Quickly, go wash up and get ready.”

”…Get ready?”

Dexter understood the directive to clean himself, but he had no idea what Louis meant by getting ready.

Noticing Dexter’s puzzled expression, Louis nodded and explained. “We might have guests today. We can’t receive them looking like this, right?”

”…Guests? What kind of guests are you talking about?” Before Louis could answer Dexter,

Stomp, stomp.

Footsteps approached from beyond the open door.

Stomp, stomp.

The footsteps grew closer, and Louis smiled slightly.

“I sent out invitations. It seems our guest received one.”

As he finished speaking, an elderly man appeared at the entrance.

Dexter and his disciples’ eyes widened upon seeing him.

“Ron…Gremillion?”

“The peak lord of the Glorious Tower?”

Everyone stared at Ron in disbelief as he made eye contact with Louis, who greeted him warmly.

“Welcome! You came to see me, didn’t you?”

”…?!” Ron’s expression hardened as he looked down at Louis.

It was early morning, yet here was Ron arriving unexpectedly while Louis beamed brightly. The members of the Wish Tower could only gape, feeling like they were still half-asleep.

Since Dexter’s room was a mess, they moved to Floria and Erica’s quarters. Ron and Louis sat facing each other in the middle of the room.

”…”

”…”

A suffocating silence enveloped them as Dexter, who had hastily tidied himself up, along with his four disciples, quietly observed from the sidelines.

After a prolonged pause, Ron broke the silence first. ”…Was it you?”

“You sent messages to the Master of the Glorious Tower?”

“So it was indeed you.”

Ron appeared unsurprised, as if he had already suspected this outcome. Instead, he calmly scrutinized Louis.

“How…did you know about it?”

“You’re referring to overheating phenomena?”

Ron nodded affirmatively.

The others stared blankly, unable to follow their conversation. Ignoring them, Louis replied quietly:

“It just seems obvious to me. Oh, and I thought it might explode if left unchecked.”

”…Explode?”

“Weren’t you aware? Surely, you know that continued overheating can degrade overall performance?”

”…?!”

“After such degradation, further overheating could indeed lead to an explosion.” The lies flowed effortlessly from Louis’s lips.

Well, technically, they’re not entirely false.

Before the introduction of third-stage auxiliary control incantations, mana sticks using second-stage arrays had a one-in-a-thousand chance of exploding due to overheating.

Since they couldn’t fix this issue, Louis simply considered any mage unlucky enough to encounter such a malfunctioning mana stick as unfortunate.

“…” Ron quietly listened to Louis’s explanation, his thoughts swirling with confusion.

He figured all that out just by looking at it once?!

Ron wondered if it was even possible, but there was no denying that Louis had accurately pinpointed the problem with the secondary control incantation array, which no one else had been able to detect before now.

After much deliberation, Ron finally spoke up. “So why…did you tell me about this?”

“I know how to resolve it.”

“How do you mean?”

“…!” Ron looked stunned. “H-how so?”

In response to Ron’s question, Louis smiled mischievously and replied, “Well, why should I tell you?”

”…Didn’t you just say that you knew how to solve it?”

“I do know, but do I have any reason to share it with you? If I reveal this information, only the Glorious Tower would benefit from it, wouldn’t it?”

”…”

Louis displayed a remarkably skilled negotiation ability for someone so young.

“Sigh…” A deep sigh escaped from Ron.

Then, with a slightly stiff expression, he continued, “If your claim about knowing the solution is true…and if you decide to share it with me, I will credit you as a co-developer of my secondary control incantation array. This includes sharing the corresponding profits.”

“Huh?!” Dexter and other onlookers gasped at Ron’s audacious declaration.

Being recognized as a co-developer of this incantation array would not only revolutionize the Autumn Continent but potentially all four continents. It was an offer that promised both immense honor and significant financial rewards.

Despite such a groundbreaking proposal, Louis seemed unimpressed.

“Well… Isn’t it obvious that my name should be listed as a co-developer along with the corresponding revenue sharing? Presenting these self-evident facts as some form of compensation feels somewhat… inadequate.”

“Ah…”

“And frankly, even if my name appears as a co-developer, who would believe that a ten-year-old kid accomplished such a feat? They’d likely dismiss it as one of your whims, Master Ron. In that case, despite being listed as a co-developer, all credit would still go to you.”

“…?!” Ron’s eyes widened, now regarding Louis like he was staring at an incomprehensible monster. He let out a groan-like question, “Just…who…exactly are you?”

“Me? It feels awkward saying this myself, but I suppose you could call me an extraordinary prodigy?”

“…”

“Furthermore, currently…” Louis paused briefly before firmly stating, “I am the peak lord of the Wish Tower.”

Ron’s expression hardened. He couldn’t deny it. Despite Louis’s youthful appearance, Ron realized that something far more mature resided within him. In his mind, he redefined Louis as not just any child but rather an experienced and seasoned peak lord.

With this change in perception, Ron’s tone shifted accordingly. “So what is it you desire, Peak Lord of Tower of Wishes?”

Louis smiled pleasantly at Ron’s altered demeanor. “Before I reveal my wish…let us first reset the board. And there is someone else I’d like to summon.”

As Louis spoke, his eyes twinkled warmly.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Tower of Wishes crew watched from afar, puzzled.

“What is he talking about?”

“How should I know…?”

The bewildered group was left with nothing but questions.