I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 182: Power and Greed

"Teacher, this is Arthur Montrose."

"Arthur, this is my teacher, Jonathan Ludwig."

Maeve makes the formal introduction.

Arthur shakes Jonathan’s hand firmly.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Ludwig."

"Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Montrose." Jonathan returns the firm handshake. He likes what he sees.

Arthur appears to be a very easy-going, yet capable young man.

Appearance-wise, he is much easier on the eyes than that Barlett kid.

"Please, call me Arthur. Mr. Montrose is for my father."

They both take their seats.

Once they are seated, Maeve leaves immediately.

Jonathan is meeting Arthur outside his office, in a café not far from the Library. He’s actually not sure how to open the conversation. He’s a scholar, not a businessman. Even though Maeve has told him a few times that Arthur is as nice as they come, he still doesn’t feel comfortable enough. He has this idea in his head that all businessmen are sharks and shrews.

Arthur included.

Sitting opposite Jonathan is Arthur. His posture is the opposite of Jonathan’s. He’s relaxed and at ease. He orders his coffee with such fluency that it fascinates Jonathan.

"Do you often come here, Arthur?" Jonathan can’t help but ask.

Arthur smiles. "No, sir. This is my first time."

Arthur has decided to take the "lower" stand. Maeve gave him a tip that her teacher likes to be acknowledged as a scholar.

Jonathan nods, then falls into silence again.

Arthur realizes Maeve was right. It’s not that he doubted her, but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

"Mr. Ludwig," Arthur begins, deciding to take the initiative.

"Maeve told me you might be in need of a team to clear dungeons?"

Jonathan looks stunned, but he appreciates Arthur taking the lead.

"Yes... not exactly. What I need is a team to help Maeve clear dungeons."

Arthur nods.

"Then I take it you hold exploration permits for several dungeons? Or at least one dungeon for us to clear?"

Jonathan looks stunned again.

Arthur continues calmly, "In order for a team to clear a dungeon, we must hold an exploration permit for that particular dungeon. Otherwise, it would be difficult to track who cleared which dungeon. And then chaos would ensue when it’s time to claim the mining rights."

Jonathan lets out an awkward laugh.

"I’m sorry. That makes it obvious I have no experience in this, doesn’t it? I must look like a greedy and foolish old man."

Arthur smiles reassuringly.

"Not at all. Heartstones are today’s must-have. Everyone wants them. Clearing dungeons and mining them are the only ways to obtain them. Thankfully, our governments already have a fairly tight system in place. We just need to follow it."

Jonathan nods slowly.

"So first, we need an exploration permit. Then a clearing team. Then we claim the mining rights?"

"That’s the gist of it, sir," Arthur replies. "But it’s not easy to obtain an exploration permit. One of the requirements is already having a clearing team. And hiring a team is also tricky. Most teams want to see the permit first."

He gives a faint grin.

Jonathan is stunned for the third time.

"Then how can...?"

He trails off, genuinely confused. It feels like a chicken-and-egg problem. Which comes first?

"Look, Arthur," Jonathan says, leaning back in his chair, defeated.

"All I want is to hire a team to help Maeve clear dungeons. Ideally, more than one. The heartstones, we’ll share with the team. That’s it. I didn’t realize it would be this complicated."

"I can help with all of that. I want to be honest with you, sir. I already have a team to clear dungeons. Adding Maeve into that team will not be difficult." Arthur starts.

Jonathan leans forward. "I’m listening."

"We will take care of everything. Clearing, logistics, even mining. As for the heartstones, I believe you already know about the percentage split?"

Jonathan nods.

"The sixty percent allocated to the clearing team will be divided fifty–fifty between us. Each side gets thirty percent of the total heartstones. The remaining forty percent will go to the local government, as per regulation."

Jonathan frowns slightly.

"We’ll be getting the same share as you? But you still need to divide yours among your team members."

"Yes," Arthur replies calmly. "But that part is between us."

Jonathan hesitates.

"Listening to your proposal, it sounds like you’re the one getting the short straw. What else do you need from me?"

Arthur leans back in his chair.

"We’ve seen what Maeve is capable of," he says slowly, watching Jonathan’s reaction.

Jonathan pales, just slightly.

"What we want," Arthur continues, "is access to your knowledge."

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Isabelle and Nathaniel are holding the King Heartstone, a pale yellow crystal the size of a grown man’s fist.

They are grinning like greedy fools.

Ethan smiles as well, still riding the euphoria of clearing a level four dungeon in half the usual time, with half the manpower.

"This is all thanks to you, Teacher."

Isabelle nods, her fingers lingering on the heartstone.

"You’re a very good apprentice."

After a moment, she reluctantly returns it to Ethan.

But he shakes his head.

"It’s for you, Teacher. To show my gratitude. Without you, I wouldn’t have achieved this. It’s only right that it’s yours."

Isabelle looks at Nathaniel, then back at Ethan.

"Are you sure?" she asks, even as her eyes shine with greed.

Ethan nods firmly.

"But I do need your help with something."

Isabelle places the heartstone on her lap.

"Tell me."

"I want the rest of the Hunters to learn magic."

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"That’s absurd!" Richard snaps.

The Arcanus are already in a video conference, less than an hour after Ethan leaves.

Lucien and Paul react similarly.

Isabelle remains silent.

She places the King Heartstone onto the table.

Thud.

Silence.

"I don’t believe I need to explain," Isabelle says calmly. "The results speak for themselves. There are twenty people in Ethan’s team. With just one magus, they cleared a dungeon using half the resources of a professional Sentinel force."

She looks at each of them.

"Now imagine if all twenty were magi."

She continues, "Didn’t we agree that we need our own people? That we need our own magi? The opportunity is right in front of us."

"These nineteen others are already trained. Some are former Sentinels. Some are ex-military or special forces. Their success probability is extremely high."

"And imagine the speed. One dungeon after another. More of this."

Isabelle taps the King Heartstone lightly.

"For us."