Sensing someone entering the shop, Ron looked up from his book toward the entrance.
Seeing it was Mason, he immediately smiled and stood up from his lounge chair.
Before he could greet him, Mason spoke first:
"Your Highness Ron, that guy just now was so rude—why didn't you teach him a lesson?"
Ron chuckled and replied:
"I already introduced the flower and explained the price. If he's not going to buy anything, why waste energy arguing?"
He gave a casual explanation, then glanced at the man following behind Mason and asked:
"Mason, aren't you going to introduce me?"
"Oh—right!" Mason snapped back to his senses and quickly stepped aside, making room, and said:
"This is Professor Hicks from the Magic Academy, a Tier-6 High Mage."
"Nice to meet you, Your Highness Ron," Professor Hicks nodded with a friendly smile, extending his hand toward Ron.
For someone of Hicks' status—a Tier-6 Mage—even powerful nobles would normally need to show him respect.
If Ron were just a powerless seventh prince, Hicks would never be this courteous.
"Hello, Professor Hicks. I've always admired the life at the Magic Academy. It's a pleasure to meet you." Ron replied with a calm and friendly smile, shaking hands without arrogance or submission.
"If you have time, you should visit the Academy sometime," Hicks said politely, then got to the point:
"I heard about the Nether Orchid from Mason, and came here specifically to discuss a possible business deal. Would Your Highness be willing to talk?"
Ron raised an eyebrow.
Looks like this main quest is about to finish early.
"Of course. Let's talk upstairs." Ron nodded agreeably, then turned to Mason with a slight apologetic smile:
"Mason, could I trouble you to look after the store for a bit? If anyone comes to buy Nether Orchids, just put the payment in the register."
Mason glanced at Hicks and saw him nod, so he replied immediately:
"No problem. Leave it to me."
"Thanks a lot." Ron thanked him and led Professor Hicks up to the second-floor sitting room.
The two sat across from each other on the sofa.
Professor Hicks wasted no time and said directly:
"The Magic Academy would like to purchase a large quantity of Nether Orchids from Your Highness. We hope to establish a long-term partnership with your flower shop."
"In principle, I have no objection." Ron nodded, then added,
"However, the Nether Orchid is a recently cultivated plant, and the conditions for its growth are quite harsh. Right now, our stock is limited."
Of course, for Ron, quantity wasn't really a problem—he could just buy more grow space in the shop system.
But hey, this was business—he had to make his product sound rare and valuable.
Professor Hicks nodded in understanding:
"That's perfectly fine. We're willing to purchase based on your available output."
In fact, hearing that the Nether Orchid was in limited supply made Hicks feel more at ease.
A miraculous plant like this… if it were suddenly available in the same quantity as rice or wheat, that would be suspicious.
He had already come prepared to pay above market price if needed.
After all, the Academy was not short on money—just the annual donations from various noble families were already more than they could spend.
Those families would pour money like water just to get their children into the Academy.
Spending their money? Hicks wouldn't lose any sleep over that.
"There are currently about 100 Nether Orchids in the store," Ron said casually.
"That's a solid number to start with," Professor Hicks smiled.
"Let's consider this our first transaction. These 100 Nether Orchids can be sold to the Academy as a way to kick off our partnership."
Ron raised an eyebrow.
So that's the main quest done.
"Absolutely. You can take them with you today."
"Then this will be our first official trade." Professor Hicks smiled again and reached out.
There was a subtle silver glint from the embroidery on his sleeve, and a deposit slip from the Gold Reserve Bank appeared on the table in front of them, along with a magic pen in his hand.
Ron's eyes lit up with curiosity, staring at the sleeve.
It was likely an enchanted storage pattern, a kind of enchanted clothing that could store small items in a spatial pocket.
Ron had read about such things before, but this was the first time he'd seen one in person.
This kind of integration—directly etched onto a mage robe—was clearly high-end.
Mage robes were already tough, highly enchanted garments, so there was little risk of damage.
Cheaper storage items were usually rings, necklaces, or bracelets.
Of course, some people with unique tastes preferred to embed spatial pockets in intimate clothing for both security and secrecy.
Hicks scribbled "2000" on the slip and handed it to Ron without hesitation.
Ron glanced at the deposit slip on the table, then looked back at Hicks and said with a calm smile:
"Looks like the professor came prepared."
"It's our first meeting, but I trust Your Highness will be a reliable business partner," Hicks said with a pleasant smile.
"Now then, shall we discuss the details of a long-term agreement?"
"I'd be happy to."
First floor, the shop.
Mason accepted 20 gold coins from one of his academy colleagues, chatting briefly as he dropped the payment into the register.
Most of the customers who came to buy Nether Orchids were from the Magic Academy.
After Mason advanced to Tier 4, he was required to submit a promotion report, detailing his insights and experiences—especially the key breakthroughs and what helped him succeed.
At the end of his report, he mentioned the Nether Orchid.
Since it was his fifth attempt and finally successful, the report drew a lot of attention.
Especially from mages who were also stuck at bottlenecks—they clung to any thread of hope.
That's how the story of the Nether Orchid spread through the Academy.
Since all reports were reviewed by the Academy before being shared, the information was deemed credible, and many mages were eager to act.
In particular, Academy instructors and assistants, who had monthly expense accounts, were happy to spend 20 gold coins on the flower without hesitation.
Even some well-off magic apprentices scraped together savings to buy one.
As for those who couldn't afford it, they could only sigh with regret… and hope the Magic Tower would open a room with Nether Orchids someday.
Still, not everyone played fair.
Some, like the student who hired thugs to steal flowers yesterday, had clearly chosen the wrong path.
"Huh? Why are you here!?"
Mason had just finished helping a colleague when a surprised and unpleasant voice came from the door.
He turned to look—and raised an eyebrow.
"Well, well, isn't it the doorman?"
Standing awkwardly at the entrance was the goblin Old White, his expression quickly turning sour upon seeing Mason behind the counter.
Old White had read Mason's promotion report and hesitated for a long time before finally digging 20 gold coins out from under his pillow, stuffed in a sock.
He had steeled himself to come buy a Nether Orchid...
Only to run into Mason right inside the shop!?
Memories of how he used to mock and ridicule Mason flooded his mind, and now here he was—tail between his legs—coming to buy the flower like a fool.
Old White's face burned with shame.