[System: Failure Penalty: All current shops will be scrapped. The Host will be randomly teleported to start over from scratch.]

  Kael’s words cut off abruptly. This was the first time he’d heard of a failure penalty, and a jolt of alarm shot through his heart. But as he processed the words, he let out a long sigh of relief.

  So, I won't be obliterated? It seems my System really is different from those "cliché temptress" systems out there.

  Still, knowing the System’s usual MO, if the rewards were this heavy, the quest was bound to be brutal. Especially those "Equipment Set Blueprints"—yet another new concept. Combined with the upcoming Jewelry Supply Pool, it seemed the full suite of gear categories was finally coming together. He had to take this seriously.

  Qin Ming waited for what felt like an eternity after Kael said the word "actually," but the rest of the sentence never came.

  "Manager, if you have something on your mind, please speak freely," Qin Ming said, noticing Kael staring at him with a pensive expression.

  Kael stroked his chin and spoke slowly. "Actually... instead of trying to equip the entire army with premium weapons, it would be better to select an elite force. Equip them fully—armor, weapons, everything—to act as a 'sharp blade' that can dismantle the Beast Tide's momentum from within."

  "What do you mean? Please, expand on that," Qin Ming’s eyebrows shot up.

  "It’s simple. City Lord Qin, if you were to pick the absolute cream of the crop from your City Guard, what percentage would they represent?"

  "Less than ten percent," Qin Ming answered without hesitation.

  "Exactly. You came here for my weapons, but you overlooked my armor and pills. Instead of just handing out swords, why not create a fully armored vanguard?" Kael said solemnly.

  In his mind, this was the most efficient way to maximize sales (and save the city).

  Qin Ming froze, his gaze shifting to the shelves. He realized that the prices for armor and pills were on par with the weapons.

  "I’ll have to trouble you to walk me through these," Qin Ming said. He knew Kael wasn’t the type to make baseless suggestions.

  Kael nodded and, following Qin Ming’s gaze, introduced the items one by one. From the high-end weapons to the protective gear and the medicinal pills. With every description, the surprise on Qin Ming’s face grew, as did his reverence for Kael.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  No wonder Prince Ling Xiao was willing to wait outside. One look at these goods told the whole story. These weren't just "items"—they were masterworks. Many of their functions and effects were completely unheard of. If it weren't for the lack of a god-tier aura in the shop, Qin Ming would have thought he was standing in a room full of Divine Artifacts.

  If he could fully deck out his elites in this gear, supplemented by the pills... each man would be capable of taking on five Brave-rank monsters simultaneously. With such a "surgical strike" unit coordinating with the rest of the army, the difficulty of repelling the Beast Tide would plummet.

  "Thank you for the guidance, Manager. I see the path clearly now," Qin Ming said, cupping his fists in gratitude.

  "As for the rank-and-file soldiers," Kael continued, determined to squeeze every crystal out of this VIP, "you can equip them with the standard-grade gear. I believe they’ll still find it vastly superior to their current issued equipment."

  Kael wasn't lying. Even the "Common-grade" items from the system were better than the mass-produced junk used by the average guard.

  "I will certainly take your words to heart. I’ll return to the barracks now to assemble the elite squads. Tomorrow, I will come in person to finalize the purchase," Qin Ming said before bidding Kael farewell.

  Kael exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. Finally, the big deal is sealed. If all went well, tomorrow was the deadline for "The First Pot of Gold" quest. This should put him well over the top.

  Meanwhile, Chi Yongqiu had returned to Glory Academy in high spirits, his [Ice-Crystal Knight Sword] humming at his hip. Between the combat techniques he’d forged in the Cloud Mist Forest and his new weapon, he felt ready to finally crush Ying Feng.

  However, upon returning to the freshman dorms, he was shocked to learn that Ying Feng and Ying Xue had left for the Imperial Capital days ago.

  "They left?! They must be afraid of me! Hmph, when they get back, I’ll show them what’s what," Chi Yongqiu muttered. He was annoyed but helpless. It wasn't like he could chase them across the empire over a school rivalry.

  "Fine. I’m exhausted anyway. I’ll get some rest."

  He turned toward his room, but before he could even touch the door handle, the door to the neighboring room burst open. A student wearing a white headband rushed out and ran straight up to him.

  "Are you a freshman?" the boy barked.

  "Yeah. Is there a problem?" Chi Yongqiu narrowed his eyes, his hand instinctively hovering over the hilt of his sword.

  "If you're a freshman, get moving! The upperclassmen are back to bully the new recruits again!" The white-headband boy waved his arm and took off down the hall.

  Chi Yongqiu looked around. Doors were flying open all down the corridor. Freshmen were pouring out, their faces set in grim determination. He even recognized a few familiar faces from the entrance trials. They were all following the headband boy downstairs in a massive wave of shared indignation.

  Baffled, Chi Yongqiu grabbed a passing student by the arm. "What’s going on?"

  The student stopped for a split second. "The seniors are using their higher levels to extort Academy Points from us. You know how hard those are to earn!"

  Academy Points were the lifeblood of Glory Academy. They were used to trade for resources at the Treasure Pavilion and were required for promotion to the next grade. Extorting them was an annual "tradition" where seniors tried to squeeze the freshmen. Usually, because the freshmen were too weak to resist, they eventually gave in. The faculty rarely intervened as long as things didn't get too bloody.

  Below the freshman dorms was a wide-open plaza. Right now, it was packed with two distinct factions facing off in a tense standoff.