"Selling like crazy?"

Allen was dragged into the office by Vera, but he remained unfazed upon hearing those words.

"Over a hundred orders! All for the basic edition of the ’Spider Slayer’!"

With a BANG, the door shut out the noisy crowd outside, and the office instantly fell silent.

Vera was about to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

She let go of Allen’s arm and subconsciously took half a step back.

’Something’s wrong.’

’Something is very wrong.’

Downstairs, amidst the chaotic crowd, she hadn’t noticed. But here, in this enclosed space, a heavy, formless presence clearly permeated the air.

A... powerful sense of presence.

Allen just stood there casually, yet the surrounding light, the air, and even her own heartbeat seemed to be influenced by his rhythm.

It was a disparity in their level of existence.

Like an ant suddenly standing at the foot of a mountain.

It couldn’t see the mountain in its entirety, but it could feel its towering and immense weight.

"Allen, you..." Vera’s throat felt a little dry.

Colin, who had just walked in with a stack of files, also sensed that something was off.

He looked up, his gaze meeting Allen’s.

CLATTER. The folder in Colin’s hands fell to the floor, scattering papers everywhere.

"B-Boss..." Colin’s voice trembled. "S-Sir... You..."

He stammered on for a while, unable to form a complete sentence.

Allen saw their reactions and understood.

’It seems that while the Mechanical Mind allows for precise control over Magic Power, the ambient Magic Power I unintentionally release after my promotion to a First-level Wizard still affects those around me.’

"I just got promoted," he said calmly, answering the question they hadn’t dared to ask.

’Just... promoted?’

Vera and Colin exchanged a look, both seeing the same utter shock in each other’s eyes.

’Promoted?’

’Not to an Advanced Apprentice... but to... a First-level Wizard?!’

A BUZZ went through Vera’s mind.

She and Colin were considered top performers among the apprentices of their year.

Even so, they had spent over two full years fighting tooth and nail just to become Advanced Apprentices a few months ago.

But Allen?

From his enrollment to now, it had been, all told, three years and one month.

He had gone from an apprentice just learning Meditation to an official First-level Wizard?!

Colin thought about all the Spiritual Potions he had drunk and all the days he had woken up at the crack of dawn to study just to become an Advanced Apprentice.

And then he looked at Allen...

’Comparisons are just maddening.’

As they looked at Allen’s unnaturally young and calm face, the little bit of pride they held in their hearts was instantly crushed to dust.

All that remained was an awe like that of gazing up at a towering mountain.

"Alright..." Vera let out a long breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

"The ten units you gave me sold out in less than a month. After that, I had no choice but to start taking pre-orders, telling customers the production cycle was long and that they had to pay a deposit to get in line. But it’s been months, and I couldn’t get in touch with you. I’ve been mobbed at the door every day by people demanding their orders. I’m almost out of excuses!"

She took a breath and pointed outside. "This morning, two buyers nearly started a brawl on the first floor!"

Allen walked over and sat down across from her, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk.

"What’s the profit on each unit?"

"After deducting sales costs, the net profit is about 120 Low-Level Magic Stones per unit." Vera immediately reported the figure, which she knew like the back of her hand.

’One hundred and twenty... a hundred orders would be twelve thousand.’

Allen now had a clear picture.

"Don’t worry," he reassured her. "I’ll head back to the workshop this afternoon and rush out a batch overnight. You’ll have the first shipment by tomorrow morning."

"That’s great!" Vera breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a huge weight had been half-lifted from her chest. "How many units will there be?"

"Ten."

"That’s enough, that’s enough! At least it’ll shut some of them up!" Vera nodded repeatedly, but then she remembered something, and her expression turned troubled.

"There’s one more thing... About a dozen people have specifically asked to buy the model you used in the competition. The one that can... turn invisible."

She carefully watched Allen’s expression. "I told them it was a custom version and not for sale, but they wouldn’t listen. They even said they were willing to pay extra. Most of them are Advanced Apprentices or come from major families. They aren’t short on money and just want the best."

The core material for the "Shadow Travel" module was the gland of a Shadow Demon Spider. This item was inherently rare; Allen had just been lucky to find one last time. There were none on the market now.

"I can make them," Allen said.

Vera’s eyes lit up.

"However," Allen’s tone shifted.

"The original version relied on a special material. Since that material is gone, I’ll have to use a more advanced Rune Array to simulate the effect. The cost will be much higher, and the process more complex."

He looked at Vera. "Tell them this: it’s an ’upgraded version,’ a new design I created after my promotion to a First-level Wizard, and its effect is even better. Delivery in one month. The price for each unit... is three thousand Magic Stones, with a twenty percent deposit."

"Three thousand?!" Vera sucked in a sharp breath.

The basic version was only seven hundred. This was more than four times as expensive.

"Will they buy it?"

"People who want high-end goods won’t care about that amount of money."

Allen’s tone was placid. "You just need to tell them my exact words: ’a new design by a First-level Wizard.’"

Vera paused for a moment, then understood.

’This is a brand premium, and more importantly, a technical barrier.’

Allen’s champion title, combined with his status as a First-level Wizard, was the most solid brand endorsement possible.

"I understand!" she nodded emphatically. "I’ll go make the arrangements right away!"

"Aside from the ’Spider Slayer,’ how is ’Ah Fu’ selling?" Allen changed the subject.

At the mention of this, the worried look on Vera’s face vanished, replaced by a grin she couldn’t contain.

"Those are selling extremely well too! You have no idea how much the apprentices from noble families need an ’Ah Fu’!"

She began to describe it vividly. "The academy doesn’t allow servants, so many of their rooms are as messy as a pigsty. ’Ah Fu’ is their savior! And the tuxedo design and butler etiquette you created are perfectly suited to their aesthetic tastes. Now, the custom version of ’Ah Fu’ has become a status symbol in the apprentice district."

Allen recalled his thought process when he first designed "Ah Fu" and couldn’t help but smile.

’It seems that in any world, serving the lazy and serving the rich are the most profitable businesses.’

"How are the books? Were there any profits while I was in seclusion?" This was his primary concern.

"Of course!"

Vera, as if presenting a treasure, took a terminal from her drawer and activated it.

A screen of light projected between them, displaying dense rows of accounts and data charts.

"Look, this is our ’New West’s’ monthly profit,"

She pointed to a steeply rising curve. "In the beginning, with academic tutoring and information sales, we were making over two thousand four hundred a month. After the Mechanical Body business went online, profits began to soar. Last month, they broke three thousand six hundred!"

Her finger swiped to the bottom of the light screen, where a bolded number appeared.

"This is the net profit accumulated over the past three months or so, after deducting all operational costs and staff salaries. The total is..." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"10,745 Low-Level Magic Stones."

Allen looked at the number, and a ripple went through his otherwise calm heart.

’The estimated cost for a mass-produced PX-1 is 31,000 Magic Stones.’

’I have over ten thousand in the account now, the profit of more than twelve thousand from the Spider Slayer orders will be in hand soon, and if I add an interest-free loan...’

’I can almost see the main cannon of the first truly mass-produced model firing already.’

"Well done," Allen praised sincerely.

Vera and Colin had truly exceeded his expectations.

They not only executed his plan but also made many optimizations and expansions, turning the Apprentice Service Center into a vibrant and thriving business.

"Hehe," Vera scratched her head, a little embarrassed. "It’s mainly because your products are so solid. Oh, by the way, Colin is our gold-medal lecturer now. His ’Study Planning’ class is booked out until next month."

Allen nodded.

’Everyone is shining in their own role. This is the start of a good business organization.’

"Leave two thousand as working capital," Allen decided. "Transfer the rest to my account."

"Okay!" Vera immediately began the transfer.

Watching the Magic Stones being transferred to his account, Allen stood up.

"I’m heading to the Central Library next. You two can get back to work. Just remember not to neglect your own studies for the sake of making money. That would be putting the cart before the horse."