Zero listened to Elara's dark story. He was slightly impressed by her ruthlessness, but when he opened his mouth to speak, he stopped. He looked past her, his glowing red eyes locking onto Prince Caspian and Prince Kaelen, who were still standing in the room, listening to everything.
Lady Elara Valmont was incredibly smart. She saw where Zero was looking and immediately understood. He wanted to talk, but not in front of the royal spies.
"Chief Appraiser Bartholomeus," Elara said, turning to the fat man hiding behind his desk. "Lord Zero and I need to discuss some highly classified business. Can you provide us with a private room where no one can hear us?"
"O-Of course, Lady Valmont!" Bartholomeus quickly nodded, eager to please her. He waved his hand at a maid standing near the door. "Take them to the secure VIP lounge immediately!"
The maid bowed nervously and led the way. Zero, Elara, and Brielle walked out of the office, leaving the two furious Princes standing behind. The Princes were completely helpless; they had no power to stop the Valmont family from taking him away.
The maid guided them into a luxurious, soundproof room down the hall and quickly closed the door, leaving the three of them alone.
Elara turned to Zero with a professional smile. "What did you want to say, Lord Zero? We can speak freely now. There is no one else listening to us"
Zero did not speak right away. Instead, he turned his heavy, masked head and stared directly at Brielle Ironheart, the tall knight standing by the door. His meaning was clear: She is still here.
Elara noticed his hesitation and smiled warmly.
"Do not worry about Brielle," Elara assured him gently. "She is completely trustworthy. She has been by my side since we were children. She is my sworn sister. You can say anything in front of her"
Zero crossed his heavy Abyssal Steel gauntlets, deciding to accept her word for now.
Back in Bartholomeus's office, the two Princes were boiling with anger. They had just lost the most valuable man in the Kingdom to an alchemist.
Suddenly, a Solarian knight wearing red armor rushed into the room and bowed to Prince Kaelen.
"Your Highness," the knight said urgently. "We must return to the Solarian camp immediately. Your father, the King, has summoned you"
Prince Kaelen clenched his jaw. He wanted to wait and see what Zero and Elara were talking about, but he could not ignore a direct order from the King.
"Fine," Kaelen spat angrily, adjusting his royal jacket. He glared at the door Zero had walked through. "I will let you go for today, Zero. But I will get my revenge later. You will regret ignoring me." Without another word, Kaelen and his knight stormed out of the office.
Now, only Prince Caspian and Princess Seraphina were left in the office.
Seraphina stood up from the velvet sofa, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. "Caspian, we should go too. There is nothing left for us here"
"Shut up!" Caspian roared, his face twisted with pure rage.
Seraphina flinched and stepped back.
"That Valmont bitch is putting her nose where it doesn't belong!" Caspian cursed, pacing around the room"She thinks she controls the world just because she makes potions! Let me just become the King. Once I am on the throne, I will show her and her little family exactly what true power is!"
Caspian stopped pacing. He looked toward the hallway, his eyes filled with dark, twisted obsession.
"I must get Lord Zero on my side," Caspian muttered to himself. "If he joins the Valmonts, Oakhaven is finished. I have to make him mine, no matter how far I have to go. I will do whatever it takes"
Slowly, Caspian turned his head and looked at his sister, Seraphina.
A cold, evil smile spread across his handsome face. It was the look of a man who had just found the perfect bait for a trap.
Seraphina's blood ran cold. She hugged her arms, her heart dropping into her stomach. She remembered what he had said earlier—about breaking her engagement and giving her away as a prize.
'No...' Seraphina thought, terrified by the dark look in her brother's eyes. 'Please, tell me he is not planning to do what I think he is planning. He wouldn't offer his own sister to a monster like that... would he?'
Inside the quiet, soundproof VIP room, Zero stood completely still. Lady Elara Valmont and Brielle Ironheart waited patiently for him to speak. However, behind his iron mask, Zero was busy talking to his System in his mind.
"System," Zero thought, looking at Elara.
"She has absolutely zero mana. Is there any item in the System Shop that can grant mana to someone who was born without it?"
Ding!
[Yes, Master. There is an item called the [SS-Rank Mana Awakening Potion]. It forcefully creates high-tier mana circuits inside a normal human body, granting them immense magical power]
Zero's eyes narrowed. "An SS-Rank potion? That must be incredibly expensive. I don't think I have enough points for that. System, show me my current balance"
Ding!
[CURRENT SYSTEM BALANCE]
[Balance: 1,000 SP]
[Spent: 90 SP] (Velkora Fruits) + 50 SP (Rank B Lotion)
[Current Balance: 860 System Points] (SP)
[Cost of SS-Rank Potion: 10,000 SP]
Zero sighed internally. He didn't even have a thousand points left. The potion was way out of his budget.
But then, the System sent another notification.
[Master, there is a new feature! You can now exchange physical world money (Gold and Platinum Coins) directly into System Points!]
Zero was shocked. "What?! Why didn't you tell me this before?!" he asked angrily. If he had known this, he wouldn't have been so careful with his points.
Ding!
[Master, this feature just arrived in the latest System Update. You were very busy dealing with the auction and the Princes. Because updates can take a long time to install and I didn't want to disturb you, I automatically updated the System in the background to save time. I was planning to tell you as soon as you were free]
Zero's anger quickly faded. In fact, he was very impressed.
"You did a very good job, System," Zero praised. "From now on, whenever a new update comes, just install it automatically. Do not wait for my permission"
[Understood, Master. Auto-updates are now permanently turned on]
Zero looked back at Lady Elara Valmont. His mind was racing with a brilliant new plan.
He had just earned 43 Platinum Coins (equal to 4,300 Gold Coins) from the auction. With the new System exchange rate, he could easily buy that SS-Rank Mana Awakening Potion.
"If this woman could make her family a global superpower in potions without using a single drop of mana... imagine what she could do if she had SS-Rank magic," Zero thought, a dark, excited smile forming behind his mask.
He didn't just want a few potions. He was going to build an empire. He was going to have a massive army of monsters and demi-humans, and they would need the best medical supplies in the world.
"I need someone to make endless potions for my future army," Zero decided. "And Lady Elara Valmont is the perfect person for the job. If I give her the one thing she has wanted her entire life—magic—she will be loyal to me forever"
Zero finally broke the long silence in the room. He uncrossed his heavy Abyssal Steel gauntlets and looked directly into Elara's eyes.
"Lady Valmont," Zero's deep, mechanical voice echoed in the room. "You said you would give me whatever I want. Let us make a deal
Elara Valmont looked at the towering black-armored man, her sharp eyes full of curiosity.
"What kind of deal do you want, Lord Zero?" Elara asked softly.
Zero looked down at her. "I can make you powerful," his mechanical voice echoed in the quiet room. "You told me you were born with absolutely no magic. I can give you the mana you have always wanted"
For a second, the room was completely silent. Then, absolute shock hit the two women.
Brielle Ironheart's face turned bright red with sudden anger. She stepped forward, standing protectively in front of Elara.
"There is a limit to your jokes!" Brielle shouted angrily. "Lady Elara trusted you! She told you her deepest, most painful secrets because she thought you understood her hatred for the nobles! And you repay her by making fun of her trauma? Everyone knows it is impossible to give someone mana if they are born without it!"
Behind the knight, Elara looked down at the floor. The proud, confident alchemist suddenly looked very small. She was deeply disappointed. She thought Zero was different, but it seemed he was just like the cruel nobles who mocked her for being "trash"
Zero did not move. He let Brielle finish her angry shouting. Then, he let a heavy, terrifying wave of cold mana fill the room. The air instantly became hard to breathe.
"Look at me," Zero commanded, his distorted voice dropping to a terrifyingly cold whisper. "Does my voice sound like I am joking?"
Brielle and Elara froze. They looked into the glowing red eyes behind his iron mask. There was no laughter. There was no mockery. Just absolute, terrifying confidence.
Elara's heart skipped a beat. 'He... he is completely serious,' she realized, her eyes widening in shock. 'He actually believes he can do the impossible.'
"H-How?" Elara stammered, stepping out from behind her knight. "How could you possibly do that?"
"You do not need to worry about how I will do it," Zero stated firmly. "That is my secret. Just know that I have the power to do it"
Zero crossed his heavy Abyssal Steel gauntlets over his chest.
"Here is the deal," Zero explained. "I am currently building a massive army. And an army needs a Grand Apothecary—a Master Alchemist to brew their healing potions and battle elixirs. If you agree to work with me and supply my forces, I will give you the purest ingredients in the world. And more importantly... I will give you the magic you were denied at birth"
Elara's breath hitched. To have her own mana? To finally be a true, complete mage as well as a genius alchemist? It was her ultimate dream.
She took a deep breath, her sharp business mind taking over again.
"Alright, Lord Zero," Elara said, her eyes burning with intense determination. "If you can truly give me magic, I will gladly work with you. We have a deal. But tell me... how exactly are you going to make me powerful?"