Chapter 61

Here is the English translation:

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Seven thousand six hundred words are presented, seeking your collection and clicks! Additionally, next week, the book will have recommendations, so the daily updates of over 7,000 words will continue. Although Ryan is already very tired, very tired, he will still persist. I hope all the readers can support Ryan, and try to collect the book. Ryan still has to work, and it's really hard to bear!

Cooke stood by the window of the mage tower, which was roughly equivalent to the height of a six-story building. Cooke's gaze swept over the forest, looking at the brilliant lights of the capital, as well as the two other mage towers of similar size and a few slightly smaller ones. Cooke's heart was surging with emotion.

Cooke's soul was that of a thirty-year-old, not a sixteen-year-old. However, in this unfamiliar world, pretending was necessary. Cooke wanted the dragon egg, but he didn't dare to take it. Cooke had already realized what the dragon egg represented—it was like a strategic nuclear weapon, and it could move. Cooke couldn't guarantee that after signing the contract, others wouldn't find a way to strip it from him. Moreover, the dragon egg would hatch into a young dragon, which would have a juvenile period lasting several hundred years. Cooke could imagine that a young dragon would need to eat magic cores to advance, and what about a full-grown dragon? Cooke didn't think he could afford to keep and raise it, which was why he took the dragon egg out.

Moreover, what Cooke cared about most was his family. Perhaps because of the fusion of memories, Cooke found that his feelings for his family in this world were very deep, especially for his adorable younger sister. After organizing his thoughts, Cooke realized that after this period, the owner of the mage tower would definitely value him greatly, and he would have found a strong patron.

After a year of understanding, Cooke discovered that the commoners in this world had no hope. Schools, military positions, and official positions all had a unified requirement: one must be a noble. What could commoners do? They could only rely on these nobles, who would exploit them. Although Viscount Locke treated the commoners well, in the end, he still benefited without effort. Therefore, if a commoner wanted to rise, they had to find a good master and make the master feel that they were valuable. From the looks of it, the patron he had found was quite powerful.

Cooke pondered for a while, then meditated for a bit. Here, Cooke didn't dare to use the earth element stimulation method to quickly restore his magic power; he could only meditate and cultivate martial arts. After finishing his cultivation, Cooke felt exhausted from the three days of travel. After washing up, he started to sleep.

What Cooke didn't know was that every move of their group was being watched. After Cooke, Mike, Mitch, and Conknie fell asleep, Lori was called to the study by Munky. Inside were Cassie, Melif, and Aries. Melif and Aries still had a faint smell of alcohol, and Cassie looked somewhat tired, while Bal was squinting his eyes.

"Who would have thought that little Lili would gain so much this time. I will quickly set up the magic array to incubate the dragon egg. After all, there's only about ten years left. The magic array can definitely hatch the egg without harming the young dragon, but it will take a month. During this period, Lili is not allowed to go anywhere; she must stay in the mage tower," Munky said in a commanding tone.

"Grandpa!" Lori pouted and said in a sweet voice.

"There's no room for negotiation this time," Munky waved his hand and said sternly.

"Uncle Bal!" Lori turned to Bal for help.

"Lili, Uncle Bal won't interfere. It's just a month, it'll be quick," Bal said with a smile.

"Alright! Lili!" Aries said, her face full of displeasure.

"Hmph!" Lori was most afraid of Aries. She huffed and obediently sat down.

Seeing that the first point was settled, Munky stood up and said, "Melif, since you and Aries have promised Cooke the estate and the villa, hand them over tomorrow. This time, our whole family owes a lot to this lucky boy, but we can't make it public. You can give him the deeds, but officially, let his father manage them."

"Yes, father-in-law," Melif quickly replied.

"As for Cassie, you can leave only after reaching the level of a Silver Swordmaster. Until then, you are not allowed to leave the capital," Munky looked at Cassie and said after a moment of thought.

"Yes, father!" Cassie's heart was bitter. She was just a newly promoted Swordmaster, and the Great Swordmaster level was still a high threshold. Clearly, she wouldn't be leaving the capital for ten years.

"Bal, during this period, you need to guard the mage tower. On one hand, investigate to see if you can find out what kind of magical creatures are around the lucky boy. On the other hand, prevent anyone from spying. After all, no one can guarantee that the news of the dragon egg won't leak out," Munky turned to Bal and said.

"What about you?" Bal asked unhappily.

"I need to collect some materials to set up the magic array and find a potion master. Conknie is now a cripple, but she still has great potential. Our family is a magic family, but we also need the support of secular forces. I also need to handle Lili's enrollment procedures and find her a powerful mentor. Even if there isn't a good mentor, as long as Lili joins the Mage Guild, the guild won't abandon such a promising talent," Munky replied irritably.

"Alright!" Bal scratched his messy hair.

When Cooke woke up the next day, Cassie took him out of the mage tower. Cassie handed him a badge and said, "Cooke, this is the badge for entering and exiting the mage tower area through the Mage Guild. With this, you can enter through the Mage Guild. Come, today we'll first transfer the deeds of the estate outside the city and the two villas on Roland Street, and then hand them over. In the evening, I'll take you to meet a few friends."

"Thank you, sir!" Cooke was very excited and prepared to put on the badge.

"If you don't mind, call me Uncle Cassie. You are also my savior. You don't need to wear the badge; just keep it in your pocket. But you are indeed very lucky," Cassie said after hearing about Lori's adventure. He couldn't help but marvel at how Cooke had been favored by the goddess of luck. However, warriors are often straightforward, so Cassie decided to introduce Cooke to his circle of friends.

"Uncle Cassie, where is Roland Street?" Cooke liked Cassie's straightforward personality, put the badge in his pocket, and asked excitedly.

"Hehe, let's go, it won't take long," Cassie said with a smile.

"Uncle Cassie, am I dreaming? Are these the two buildings?" Cooke stood on the bustling street. The people coming and going were all wealthy or noble, and there were more patrolling soldiers. The street was wider, and there were many tall trees. Two European-style buildings made of an unknown red stone appeared before Cooke's eyes. Each building was about thirty meters wide, with gardens and lawns. Cooke walked around and realized that if these buildings were on Earth, they would be worth nearly ten million, even in a less desirable location. On Earth, some villas in remote areas had sold for ten million. In a bustling area, the value would be at least ten times higher. Not to mention the second and third floors, which had over twenty large transparent crystal windows, each of which would be priceless on Earth.

"Hehe, of course not, this half of the street is our family's property. I live over there, and my sister and brother-in-law live here. These are just from my sister and brother-in-law. I also have a few shops on the square, and I'll give you two of them!" Cassie pointed and said.

"Uncle Cassie, no, no, that's too much," Cooke quickly waved his hands. He saw that this half of the street had dozens of such buildings, and on the other side of the street was a river, with more villas on the opposite bank. The river divided the street in half. When he heard that Cassie was going to give him more shops, Cooke quickly waved his hands.

"Kid, do you know how much the annual maintenance cost for these two buildings is? At least 15,000 gold coins. Do you have that much money?" Cassie was amused by Cooke's reaction and asked with a smile.

Cooke's face turned green, and he asked in disbelief, "Uncle Cassie, 15,000 gold coins? How can it be so expensive?"

"Hehe, the lawns need to be trimmed, the garbage needs to be cleared, the houses need to be maintained, and the river needs to be dredged. There's also water, fuel, and other expenses. 15,000 is the minimum. If you want to hold banquets or parties, it will cost even more, about 150,000 gold coins. See these stones? They are transported from the orc plateau, and each one costs thousands of gold coins. See these roof tiles? Each one costs hundreds of gold coins," Cassie pointed out.

"My goodness, Uncle Cassie, does the estate outside the city need maintenance too?" Cooke remembered the estate.

"Of course, but the estate only has a net income of 10,000 gold coins a year. It's outside the capital, so it needs more guards. A skilled butler earns thousands of gold coins a year. Do you know how much the butler of the first prince earns? 100,000 gold coins! And the guards need to be loyal. Adventurers these days will do anything. Even in good weather, you might still need to spend money. If the weather is bad, you'll have to spend even more," Cassie added.

Cooke was drenched in sweat. He counted on his fingers and realized that with all these things, he would need to spend at least 5,000 gold coins a year, and he had never even seen 500 gold coins. Cooke smiled bitterly and said, "Uncle Cassie, a butler who earns 100,000 gold coins, I want to be one too!"

"Hehe, no one would want you. They know the etiquette and languages of fifteen races on the continent, as well as hundreds of dietary cultures. They can also taste hundreds of wines and make clear judgments every year. That's just part of it. It's a crazy profession," Cassie said with a smile.

"Uncle Cassie, forget it, forget it!" Cooke quickly waved his hands. This was a crazy profession, knowing the languages of so many races, and the etiquette and hundreds of dietary cultures. Cooke could only think of one word: crazy, and another: very crazy.

"Hehe, so, just take the shops. You don't need to manage them. The staff and business will continue as before. With these two shops, your cultivation should be fine," Cassie said with a smile.

"Uncle Cassie, does cultivation cost a lot of money?" Cooke asked, as he hadn't felt the cost yet.

"It costs a lot in the early and mid-level stages. In the mid to late stages and advanced levels, money doesn't matter much. For example, the unremarkable magic cleaver in your hand usually costs about 100,000 gold coins. But magic items have a wear rate, and once they are worn out, they need to be repaired. A repair costs about 30% of the original price. As a mage, you need magic cores, magic crystals, and magic arrays for cultivation, as well as equipment. You also cultivate martial arts, which requires magic cores, magic crystals, and a specialized martial arts instructor, all of which cost money," Cassie explained in detail.

Cooke was dazed and asked after a while, "So, how much gold coins do I need in the early stages?"

"Hmm! A good set of magic stones and equipment costs about 30,000 gold coins. This includes two sets of mage robes, a magic staff, blank scrolls, and explanations of magic languages, magic runes, and basic magic arrays, as well as books on the recognition of basic magic creatures and the identification of magic materials. The most valuable are the books and some experimental materials. Mages don't just cast spells; they also need to make scrolls. Making scrolls involves channeling magic power through magic arrays and writing magic runes to achieve the effect of attack spells. So, making scrolls is essential. Accumulated magic power can be stored this way, and magic scrolls are fast and essential for mages. Blank scrolls are made from the skin of magic creatures. An apprentice-level blank scroll costs only three to five gold coins, but considering your success rate and the cost of magic materials, it's...," Cassie said, spreading his hands.

"So, do warriors need less?" Cooke was speechless, 30,000 gold coins for just one year.

"Hmm, warriors can be cheaper, but they can also be more expensive, depending on you. Basic attack scrolls, defense scrolls, healing scrolls, and healing potions are essential. Hunters also need to replenish arrows. A fine iron arrow costs fifteen silver coins, and a dwarf-made armor-piercing arrow costs hundreds of gold coins. A magic explosive arrow costs thousands of gold coins, and a legendary magic-piercing arrow costs millions of gold coins," Cassie said while introducing the estate, which was managed by a few servants.

Cooke's face turned green. After Cassie finished introducing the servants to their new master, Cooke didn't care about the servants and weakly asked, "So, Uncle Cassie, how much does the shop on the square earn in a year?"

"About 100,000 gold coins. The business is a fixed supplier for the Imperial Mage Corps, so you just need to count the money. You don't need to worry about it, as my brother-in-law is the court mage and the head of the Mage Corps," Cassie said, spreading his hands.

"100,000 gold coins!" Cooke sighed. He realized that 100,000 gold coins a year barely covered his cultivation costs, and he was speechless.

"Hehe, I heard you have three pets. With these expenses, you might not have enough. Kaka is a non-elemental magic creature, right? Magic pets are the biggest expense. You'll understand later. Read more books about magic creatures. I don't know much either," Cassie said with a smile.

Cooke, reminded by Cassie, remembered that Kaka had eaten at least three magic wolves and a magic bear. Although there were nearly ten magic wolves, not all magic creatures produce magic cores. So, four third-level magic cores cost hundreds of gold coins, but Kaka showed no significant changes. Cooke swallowed hard.

"Alright, don't worry. If you don't have enough, you are still Lili's guardian knight and part of our family. We won't abandon you. However, you do