I found a quiet area to work on some matters. The construction of our new warehouse near the outpost was slated to finish in two to three months time. Most of the heavy weaponry and defense system from Kei had to be put on hold until then.

He offered to store the items until we were ready, which was nice to hear. Now it came down to a matter of transportation if we wanted to continue hunting monsters for a steady income. We purchased the five humvees though unable to use them within city limits.

Mia suggested in the meantime to keep them parked at the outpost and just buy out a lot for use. It was going to have to do for now and to avoid garnering too much attention only the ones driving would come with to pick up the vehicles. Then head on over to the meetup location the others would be waiting at.

Eris contacted via ring to inform of a visitor dropping by. I questioned how Seric was able to find us so fast again. Eris explained that Seric asked for a comms link to get in touch later on. I found it enlightening to hear Eris was making friends and told her I’d be right down.

“Volatis!” Seric ran over after noticing me exit the elevator.

Hey.., What's with the visit today?” Things were pretty hectic and I still had a lot of busywork to finish. Even so, I greeted him with a warm smile.

“I want to join your dojo!” Seric bowed bending his entire upper body parallel to the floor. I guess Eris let him in on more than I thought. I’m sure if she found him trustworthy enough, it should be alright.

“Uh, we are still in the process of being able to open up for the general public.” I grabbed his shoulder to lift him back up since it didn’t look like he was going to stop bowing until I said yes.

“Eris told me you are bad with money. So, I have an idea that will help you out!” I let Eris’s insult slide for the time being as he maintained a high level of enthusiasm. I motioned to the seating area nearby to have him continue explaining.

His money-making scheme consisted of many different ideas. Out of the bunch, he was most insistent on what I felt the most idiotic.

“Why would people be interested in buying rocks gathered from monster territory?”

“It’s all about the marketing. Think, rocks with magical properties to enhance power by merely having it in the room where you sleep.” The way he phrased it, sounded so illegal.

I immediately shut him down from explaining any further and thought aside from that idea, his others were actually pretty smart.

One that I found interesting was his method of improving our public standing. We could offer hands-on training to become monster hunters by providing classes. Sort of like a specialized schooling system. People would pay money to attend an assortment of classes ranging from Combat 101 to Tracking.

Upon successful graduation, they would be presented with a personal magic core that benefits their growth along with the chance of becoming a full-time dojo member. It was a brilliant way to scout potential talents.

Seric wanted to join as a member to become stronger and support his sister so that she wouldn’t have to work so hard for money. That was something I could empathize with since I knew the struggle of being poor. The offer that was given to him was to work alongside Lily as head of a new research and development group.

We called it that, but mainly it was a means to make more money. As long as he showed constant motivation then he was allowed to take part in training together with the others. Of course Lily had her assistants work up a formal paid contract for him.

For the start of his plan, he required an initial investment to begin operations. His voice became unsteady for the first time as he asked for fifty emerald coins. Before I had the chance to respond he stumbled around words trying to justify the cost.

“Don’t sweat it. Lily will provide all the funds you require. Just let her know.” I tapped his shoulder and that seemed to calm him down.

“You won’t regret this!” Seric seemed shocked that I agreed to his plans and overdid it with the excessive bowing.

<>

Household affairs and the construction process began smoothly, after a week out we finally managed to continue monster hunting. This was the first time Tessa joined in on the hunts. She had proven herself during the monster raid and I had no reason to deny her any further. Using the gauntlet let her fight as if she had magic of her own. It provided the ability to swap out to different element cores that were attached to her outfit’s belt. She fought well alongside Rhea and Nathan while Eris watched over everyone in general.

Alexa had set up our new billing address and all the required procedures when moving into a new home. A stack of new resident letters from our P.O. box was placed on my desk. I’ve never had to deal with mail before since my uncle always took care of any.

For the most part, it was all trash except for a strange letter requiring mandatory identification check-up. It gave me two weeks to comply or else further disciplinary actions would be taken. That essentially implied that the police would get involved and the person in question would be liable for breaking the law.

I decided it best to get out of the way as soon as possible since I didn’t like having things loom over me. Alexa called in ahead of time on my behalf to schedule an appointment to avoid having to wait in line upon arrival.

My appreciation for her grew by the second as I passed the waiting queue to my left-hand side. They were up to a two-hour wait time. I dropped by right after lunchtime and it just so happened to be as if everyone had the same idea to come here all at once.