Elite Mages' Academy

A horse carriage was already waiting for them outside the station. The driver bowed to An Fumin, opening the door for him as he moved further inside, motioning for Xiao Lin to follow him. That led to the driver glancing over at Xiao Lin.

The inside of the carriage was furnished with soft animal fur. Scented candles were lit up; the fragrance felt like it could even wash away fatigue and the cold. Planet Norma was currently in spring, so it was quite chilly outside.

The carriage slowly started to move; more accurately, it was a unicorn carriage. The carriage was being pulled by two snow white horses with sharp, black horns on their head. Xiao Lin had learned in history class that the unicorns were an animal that mainly came from the elvish country. Since the elves never sold any living creatures, unicorns on the market were often stolen, so the prices were not cheap.

This guy really knew how to enjoy himself! Looking at the extravagant carriage, Xiao Lin could not help but be impressed.

The roads were clean, and various stores were on both sides. This city did not lose to New Washington in any way. Xiao Lin quickly noticed the main difference between the two cities. The races on the streets were extremely varied; he had seen dwarves, elves, native humans, devils and even the occasional orc.

“Why are orcs here?” Xiao Lin asked.

“There are no eternal enemies, only eternal benefits. The orcs are quite backward when it comes to trade, so they require our help on that front.” An Fumin had a greedy look on him, proving that he had done quite a bit of that sort of business as well.

The Century Casino was located at the busiest part of Dawn City. The three-storied, oval-shaped building was quite large. They could originally enter from a side entrance, but An Fumin wanted Xiao Lin to see the casino properly, so they entered through the front.

The first floor was an extremely large hall, filled to the brim with people. Most of the games there were the common ones found on Earth, and from their attires, most of the clients were natives. It seemed like Dawn Academy’s own people did not play on the first floor.

An Fumin’s appearance caused a sudden stop in the noise. Xiao Lin noticed that even the natives looked at him with some sort of respect. An Fumin had a blank expression, turning toward Xiao Lin after a moment before whispering, “If you want to play, head to the second floor. The first floor is a little unsuited for you. We’re nobles, after all.”

The second floor looked quite similar to the first, but it seemed to be a lot better. The second floor served only the privileged, which were the colonists. Of course, there were the occasional natives among them, but it was still dominated by their own kind.

An Fumin discarded his earlier indifference, and his smile was once again plastered on his face. Practically everyone who passed would greet him earnestly. Xiao Lin could tell that An Fumin did not even recognize most of them. Only a small minority would have An Fumin stopping and exchanging a few words, even introducing Xiao Lin.

However, most of them did not seem interested in him at all. At the most, they would congratulate him after hearing he was the victor of the freshman gambling pool.

After some maneuvering, they finally reached the third floor, which was the top. Compared to the second floor, this floor looked much more luxurious. The floors were draped with thick fur rugs and the walls were decorated with valuable jewels. The attendants were all women dressed in thin silk dresses.

“If you want any special service, just tell me. Heh, I have women of many different races here.” An Fumin made a suggestive smile.

Xiao Lin rolled his eyes. “Let’s just move on to official business.”

An Fumin shrugged, heading straight to the private office on the top floor. He took out a crystal card from a drawer, saying, “This is a bank card, it has one-point-two million New Dollars after deducting tax. If there are no problems, please sign here.”

With a pause, An Fumin smacked his head, smiling. “Oh, I almost forgot. This card can be checked with internal energy or mental strength. It can be used anywhere with a bank, since such an amount with cash would probably be way too inconvenient.”

Xiao Lin took the beautiful card and tried pouring a bit of his mental strength inside. The crystal lit up with the numbers 1,200,000.

“How fascinating.” Xiao Lin exclaimed before signing on the document An Fumin offered, verifying that he had received his money.

“With that, this order of business concludes. Congratulations for becoming the youngest millionaire.” An Fumin did not know Xiao Lin would split the money with Song Junlang, and Xiao Lin obviously did not disclose it.

“What are your plans after this. Are you returning to the academy?” An Fumin asked.

“I’ll probably report to the army first.” Xiao Lin remembered that Yu Mei had told him to report to her immediately after reaching the Black Iron-rank.

“Ah, I know quite a bit of people in the army. Do tell me if you encounter any difficulties.”

Xiao Lin nodded in thanks, but he could not help but be suspicious. He was acting way too enthusiastic for someone who was only a freshman.

Xiao Lin had actually understood from the start that the bank card could have just been handed to him at the academy, and it did not even need An Fumin to do it personally. Why did the man want to show so much respect to him?

Probably identifying Xiao Lin’s suspicion, An Fumin slapped his stomach, revealing a deep smile as he said, “When you came in just now, you should have seen how everyone acted. Why do you think they were so friendly with me?”

“Because you’re rich.”

“Ah, that is definitely one of the reasons, but I’m definitely not the richest in the city. Those Epic- and even Legend-ranked folk in the city have riches that even I envy.”

An Fumin sat down, saying, “It’s because I know how to invest. Those people are all influential folk nowadays, but they were nothing when they first graduated. At that time, I gave them a hand, and now I’m just reaping the rewards.

An Fumin did not even try to hide it. He was basically telling Xiao Lin that he had faith in Xiao Lin, and was investing in him, providing various forms of support. Xiao Lin did not need to do anything now, but An Fumin definitely expected his help in the future.

It was no wonder An Fumin was so rich and well-connected now; his acumen was remarkable.

Xiao Lin widened his eyes in realization, but shook his head. “I appreciate your generosity. Even though I don’t know what sort of help you can give me, I still hope to rely on myself.”