Chapter 8: Exploring Other Investments

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Exploring Other Investments

"You’re awake. I’ve already made breakfast. There’s egg porridge and scallion pancakes, and they’re still hot. Come sit down and eat with me."

The smell of freshly cooked food was the first thing Xavier noticed when he walked out of his room the next morning.

Breakfast had already been arranged neatly on the dining table.

Mira was still in the kitchen, an apron tied around her waist as she moved around, putting away the ingredients she had used and cleaning up after herself.

Xavier stood there for a moment, watching her.

A warm feeling slowly spread through his chest.

They had also slept in separate rooms the night before. Xavier had deliberately made that decision because he knew himself well enough.

He was young, healthy, and full of energy, while Mira’s injuries were still far from healed. He didn’t want to put himself in a situation where his impulses might make things uncomfortable for her.

What he hadn’t expected was to wake up and discover that Mira had gotten up early to prepare breakfast for him.

It was such an ordinary gesture, yet it touched him more than he expected.

Ever since his parents had died eight years ago, Xavier had been living by himself. He had long since grown accustomed to eating alone, taking care of himself, and coming home to an empty apartment.

No one had ever specifically prepared a meal for him.

Now, the woman he had married only yesterday was standing in his kitchen, making breakfast as though they had been a couple for years.

The thought alone put Xavier in an unusually good mood.

He quickly washed up, brushed his teeth, and sat down at the table.

He was just about to try the food when his phone rang.

Xavier glanced at the screen before answering.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Kane, this is a representative from the government matchmaking office."

The familiar voice immediately reminded Xavier of yesterday’s matchmaking ceremony.

"We’re calling to inform you that you’ve been assigned a position at Arcadia Academy. You are required to report there before two o’clock this afternoon."

Xavier paused.

"Arcadia Academy?"

"Yes. Your employment assignment has already been arranged. Please make sure you report before the deadline."

The call ended soon after.

Xavier lowered his phone and stared at it thoughtfully.

So the government had found him a job. He remembered the incentives Marcus had talked about earlier. So it was actually real.

Awakened martial artists could be assigned jobs suited to their abilities, while ordinary citizens had their own occupations. Everyone had to play a role in keeping society functioning.

The government was willing to support its people, but it wasn’t interested in supporting parasites.

What caught Xavier off guard was the location of his assignment.

Arcadia Academy.

It wasn’t an ordinary workplace.

It was a martial arts academy.

And Xavier couldn’t help wondering what exactly someone like him was supposed to do there.

He had only recently entered the Body Tempering Realm. His talent was practically nonexistent, and on the surface, he was no different from an ordinary person.

Still, refusing the assignment wasn’t impossible.

People with sufficient connections could turn down government placements. Those who already possessed a legitimate source of income that could support themselves could also apply for an exemption.

And Xavier certainly wasn’t short of money anymore.

The Tier 2 elixirs alone were worth a fortune. One could sell for hundreds of thousands of crowns.

If he wanted to, he could sell a few of them and live comfortably for quite some time.

So initially, Xavier hadn’t planned on taking a job at all.

But after thinking it through carefully, he decided to accept.

It wasn’t because he needed the salary.

The position itself offered him several advantages.

The first was that it gave him a legitimate source of income.

Selling a handful of medicinal elixirs wouldn’t be suspicious. If anyone questioned where he got them, he could reasonably claim that they were resources left behind by his family.

But that explanation had a limit.

His parents and grandmother hadn’t been wealthy people.

There was no way he could keep claiming that every valuable treasure he produced had come from his family’s inheritance.

If he began selling medicinal elixirs and other rare resources on a regular basis, sooner or later, someone would start asking questions.

Where did they come from?

How had an ordinary young man obtained so many valuable items?

And once the wrong people became interested, Xavier could easily find himself in trouble.

There was an old saying that possessing something valuable wasn’t always a blessing.

Sometimes, simply letting people know you possessed it was enough to bring disaster upon yourself.

A government job might not give him much money, but it gave him something far more important.

A reasonable explanation for his future income.

More importantly, Arcadia Academy itself was an opportunity.

As an employee there, Xavier would be surrounded by martial artists every day.

He could quietly observe how they trained, learn from the academy’s environment, and find opportunities to acquire martial skills without drawing attention to himself.

He could grow stronger gradually, quietly and naturally.

Then, once his strength reached a certain level, he could use his holidays to leave the city, hunt ferocious beasts, or take on other legitimate work that required martial strength.

The money he earned from those activities would no longer seem strange.

Everything would have an explanation.

But there was another reason Xavier found the position especially attractive.

Arcadia Academy was one of the four major martial arts academies in the City.

More importantly, it was the only one directly operated by the government.

That meant becoming an employee there would give him a certain degree of official protection.

It was practically a government-backed position.

And after hearing everything Mira had told him about the Sinclair family the night before, Xavier couldn’t ignore that advantage.

He might have appeared completely unconcerned when Mira talked about her family, but he wasn’t careless.

He knew exactly how dangerous the situation could become.

The Sinclair family was powerful.

If they wanted to cause trouble for him, his current strength was nowhere near enough to resist them.

But working at a government institution changed the equation.

If the Sinclairs wanted to touch him, they would have to consider whether doing so was worth attracting the government’s attention.

Of course, Xavier wasn’t naive enough to believe a government position could make him untouchable.

If the Sinclair family truly decided to eliminate him, there was no guarantee they would care about the consequences.

But there was another factor.

To outsiders, Xavier and Mira were insignificant.

He was an ordinary young man with no remarkable background or talent.

Mira had lost her Celestial Core and had been reduced to a crippled former prodigy.

Would the Sinclair family really be willing to create unnecessary problems with the government over two people who appeared to have so little importance?

Probably not.

At least, they would have to think carefully before making a move.

The Sinclair family might dominate this City, but they were still only a single family.

They couldn’t possibly compare to the authority of the state.

And that was exactly what Xavier needed.

Time.

If he could secure a stable period in which he could develop without being disturbed, everything would eventually change.

For an ordinary citizen, getting a position at Arcadia Academy would have been an opportunity most people could only dream about.

Xavier suspected his parents’ sacrifice for the country had probably played a part in the government’s decision.

Whatever the reason, there was no reason for him to reject it.

Across the room, Mira had been quietly listening to the conversation.

When Xavier put down his phone, she looked at him with obvious concern.

"Xavier..."

She hesitated before asking, "You’re really going to work at Arcadia Academy?"

There was a trace of nervousness in her voice.

The government hadn’t assigned Mira a job yet because of her current physical condition.

Xavier noticed her expression and smiled.

"Why are you so worried? I’m only going there to work."

Mira remained silent.

Xavier reached over and spoke in a reassuring tone.

"Besides, there’s no reason to assume things will always stay this way. What if your injuries recover one day and your talent comes back?"

He continued. "When that happens, maybe Arcadia Academy will be the one begging you to return."

Mira’s eyes flickered. "Do you really think my talent can come back?"

There was a faint sadness beneath her question.

After everything that had happened to her, hope was something she barely dared to hold onto anymore.

Xavier looked directly at her.

"Believe me. If I tell you that it can happen, then it will."

His voice was gentle but firm.

He didn’t need to explain the reason.

With the Investment 10,000x Multiplier System, restoring Mira was only a matter of time.

Mira stared at him for several seconds.

The confidence in his eyes slowly eased the gloom that had settled over her heart.

She finally smiled faintly.

Then, as though remembering something important, she lowered her voice.

"Hubby, when I was studying at the academy, there were quite a few people who pursued me."

Xavier raised his eyebrows slightly.

Mira continued, "So when you start working there, please don’t tell people we’re married."

She looked somewhat embarrassed as she explained herself.

"I’m worried that if they find out, they might cause trouble for you."

Xavier understood immediately.

Mira had once been one of the most talented students at the academy.

She was beautiful, gifted, and had once been regarded as a rising star among her peers.

It was only natural that she had attracted plenty of admirers.

And some of those people might not take kindly to discovering that she had married someone else.

Especially someone who was now working alongside them.

Xavier didn’t mind. In fact, keeping their marriage private suited him perfectly.

"Alright. I understand." He nodded.

He had no intention of announcing their relationship either. He was still far too weak.

Although he had entered the Body Tempering Realm, that was only the beginning. Compared with genuinely powerful martial artists, he had a long way to go.

Keeping his head down and quietly accumulating strength was the smartest choice.

Once breakfast was finished, Xavier said goodbye to Mira and left the apartment.

Instead of heading toward Arcadia Academy immediately, he took a taxi to the Treasure Pavilion.

He needed to see if he could get more treasures and invest in Mira. Getting stronger with the system rewards now felt more urgent than before.

There were so many uncertainties for a weak man like him. These uncertainties could ruin him and Mira’s life.

When Xavier arrived at the Treasure Pavilion, the shopkeeper recognized him immediately.

The man’s face lit up.

"Mr. Kane, welcome back. What can I do for you today?"

Xavier gave him a polite smile.

But unlike the previous night, he had no intention of making another extravagant purchase.

Nor did he intend to sell the four Tier 3 elixirs he had obtained from the system.

There were several reasons.

The first was that he needed to remain discreet.

Selling four Tier 3 elixirs so soon after his previous transactions would inevitably attract attention.

The second was that he had no intention of spending recklessly.

He had gone on a buying spree the previous night because he had been eager to test the system.

Now he had a better understanding of how it worked.

There was no need to waste resources.

Medicinal elixirs were powerful, but they were still medicines.

Even beneficial medicines had their limits.

Taking too many without giving the body enough time to recover could be counterproductive.

Xavier had also already figured out that the Vitality and Spirit Elixirs didn’t seem to do much for Mira.

There was no reason to keep buying more of them.

Instead, he selected a Restoration Elixir.

He intended to keep it for Mira as an emergency reserve.

Once he had finished shopping for that, Xavier headed deeper into the Treasure Pavilion.

His destination was the section containing martial skills manual.

His expression became more serious as he looked over the various manuals.

He had already learned one important lesson.

Having just mama wasn’t enough.

A warrior needed more than strength.

Without proper combat skills, all that physical power couldn’t be used effectively in battle.

A person’s mana determined the foundation of their strength.

Martial skills determined how much of that strength they could actually unleash.

But Xavier wasn’t here merely to find a technique for himself.

His discovery from the previous night had given him an entirely new perspective on how the Investment System worked.

The second Restoration Elixir he had given Mira had provided the answer.

Mira hadn’t actually consumed it.

She had simply accepted the elixir and kept it with her.

Yet the system had still recognized the investment as successful and issued him a reward.

That meant his original assumption had been wrong.

The target didn’t necessarily have to use the resource for the investment to count.

As long as Mira accepted the item, the system considered the investment complete.

That opened up considerably more possibilities.

Standing in front of the martial skills section, Xavier began considering his next move.