Chapter 155: Chapter 152: Dividing the Family Assets? No, This Is an Equity Incentive

「One month later.」

Workshop F-37.

Twenty brand-new Mechanical Bodies lay quietly on the floor, packing the spacious assembly area to the brim.

Their appearance was no different from the "Spider Slayer I," but the armor covering their entire bodies was a deeper, darker shade, as if it could swallow light itself.

This was the result of Allen’s tireless work over the past month—the "Spider Slayer II."

On the foundation of the original "Model I," he had abandoned the rare Shadow Demon Spider Glands, instead using a complex Rune Array and materials to painstakingly replicate the "Shadow Travel" effect.

The cost was a steep increase, with each unit requiring 2,200 Low-Tier Magic Stones.

But the profit was just as considerable. Selling them to apprentices who weren’t short on cash, he could easily clear a net profit of four to five hundred stones per unit.

According to simulated tests, two "Model II" Spider Slayers working in concert had an over eighty percent success rate in killing a lone Advanced Apprentice. They were well worth the price.

And behind these "spiders," shrouded in shadow, stood three even more massive figures.

Three Steel Giants, each nearly four meters tall, stood side by side. Their heavy Magic Steel Armor reflected a cold metallic gleam under the workshop lights. The muzzles of the "Divine Punishment" main cannons on their chests were pitch-black, exuding a deadly aura.

The Mass-Production Model Pacifist, PX-1, was almost complete.

"Ah Fu, tell Vera and Colin to come to the workshop."

Allen’s voice echoed in the spacious workshop. He himself was standing on the shoulder of a PX-1, continuing his adjustments.

...

「Half an hour later.」

"Allen! You finally replied! The clients have been blowing up my personal terminal demanding their orders! Also, did you get robbed? This place is so cluttered you can barely..."

Vera’s complaints preceded her arrival.

She walked briskly into the workshop as she spoke, but her voice died mid-sentence.

Colin, who was following behind her, also froze at the entrance, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

Inside, it was still the same familiar workshop.

And yet, it was completely different.

If it was once a spacious, high-end laboratory, it was now an armory preparing for war.

The floor, the shelves, and the corners were all piled high with metal parts and materials of all sizes, leaving almost no room to walk.

The "Fubaos" scurried about like industrious worker ants, weaving through the piles of parts.

Twenty new Spider Slayers lay prone on the floor like a pack of iron beasts ready to pounce. The mere sight of them was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

But what they found most suffocating were the three newly assembled Steel Giants.

The overwhelming pressure they exuded made it hard for Vera and Colin to even breathe.

"G-Gods..." Colin subconsciously dodged away from the direction of the main cannons.

"Boss... wh-who are you planning to take on?"

Vera’s mind went completely blank.

She knew Allen spent money like water, and she knew he was working on a big project.

But she never would have dreamed that Allen could actually build a small Golem army in such a short time!

"Come and sit."

Allen’s voice came from the shoulder of the PX-1. He leaped nimbly from a height of five meters, landing steadily before the two of them.

The two finally snapped back to their senses. Not knowing what to do with their hands and feet, they carefully navigated around the parts on the floor and sat down on the sofa in the rest area.

"Allen, these... did you make all of these?" Vera’s voice still trembled slightly.

"Yes." Allen sat down across from them as Ah Fu served three cups of steaming hot black tea.

"Those black ’Spider Slayers’ are the upgraded version we discussed. They have the Shadow Travel ability. There are twenty of them in total. You can take them whenever you’re ready."

"Twenty units?!" Vera’s eyes lit up, but then her expression soured. "That’s great! But... at three thousand Magic Stones per unit, that’s sixty thousand for all twenty... I wonder when the buyers will pay the remaining balance."

"Sell them slowly; there’s no rush." Allen waved his hand dismissively. "I called you here to talk about something else."

Seeing Allen’s serious expression, Vera and Colin couldn’t help but sit up straighter.

"I’ll be leaving the academy soon."

That single sentence was like a clap of thunder, exploding right next to their ears.

"What?!"

"Where are you going?"

They both exclaimed in shock.

"New West" was at the peak of its success right now. Although they knew that Allen, their backbone, would have to leave sooner or later, they still felt a little lost hearing him say it.

"To a very distant place, for advanced studies."

Allen explained succinctly, "I might be gone for a long time. Around twenty years." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Twenty years?

"Then... then what about ’New West’?" Colin said urgently. "Boss, if you leave, the two of us can’t possibly manage an operation this big!"

"Don’t worry, I’m not finished." Allen raised a hand, signaling for them to calm down.

He picked up two Magic Contracts that he had prepared in advance from a nearby table and pushed them in front of the two.

"After I leave, I’m officially handing over the management and operation of ’New West’ to the two of you."

Vera and Colin looked down, and when they saw the terms on the contract, their breathing hitched once more.

It wasn’t an employment contract, but a... share transfer agreement?

"From now on, of all the profits ’New West’ generates, I’ll take forty percent."

Allen extended a finger and tapped the numbers on the contract.

"The remaining sixty percent is for the two of you, split evenly."

"What?! Th-Thirty percent?!" Colin’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He pointed at himself, then at Vera. "Boss, you’re not kidding, are you? We... we each get thirty percent?"

Based on "New West’s" current profitability, with a net monthly profit of over four thousand Magic Stones, thirty percent was more than one thousand!

That was more than ten times what he used to make from toiling away on missions!

Vera didn’t speak. She was thinking more deeply than Colin.

’This wasn’t just about money anymore.’

’Allen was... dividing the family assets.’

’No, it was more absolute than that.’

’He was unreservedly handing over ’New West,’ the commercial entity he had single-handedly founded, to them.’

’From now on, they wouldn’t be employees anymore. They would be true partners—bosses!’

’This trust... it was too heavy.’

’So heavy it felt like a mountain was pressing down on her shoulders.’

"Allen, this... we can’t..." Vera’s voice was a little hoarse.

"There’s no reason you can’t."

Allen cut her off. "You’ve earned it. Without you, ’New West’ wouldn’t have come this far."

’He looked at the two of them before him—one was sharp and capable, the other loyal and dependable. They were also friends he had known for years. They were the best managers he could have found.’

"You can make it bigger and stronger. By the time I come back, maybe it will have become a commercial organization spanning multiple planes, not just a small mutual aid group messing around in apprentice circles."

Allen’s words painted a blueprint for them so grand they scarcely dared to imagine it.

Colin’s face was flushed red with excitement.

Vera, however, slowly calmed down. She raised her head and met Allen’s gaze.

"Don’t worry," she said, enunciating each word. "We won’t let you down."

"Good," Allen said. "Sign it."

No longer hesitating, they solemnly branded the contracts with their spiritual imprints.

The moment the contracts took effect, a flash of light flickered and was gone.

"One more thing," Allen said, putting away the contracts. "Production of the ’Spider Slayer’ must not stop."

Vera frowned. "But if you’re gone, who will make them?"

"I’ve been in talks with a successor for the past couple of days." Allen was already prepared. "A few Advanced Apprentices from the Alchemy School. I will license the production technology for the Spider Slayers and Ah Fu to them for contract manufacturing. You just need to handle sales and profit sharing."

Not a single detail was overlooked.

Vera realized that Allen had already arranged everything.

He hadn’t just given them a bright future; he had paved the entire road for them.

"Alright, that’s everything."

Allen stood up. "You two can get back to work. I need to prepare for my departure in half a month."

Vera and Colin stood up as well. A thousand words were stuck in their throats, but in the end, they could only manage a simple farewell.

"Allen... be safe."

"Take care."

Clutching the contracts that would change their lives forever, the two walked out of the workshop in a daze.

Only when the cold wind hit their faces did they slowly come to their senses.

Colin looked at the contract in his hand, still feeling like it was all a dream.

"Vera, I’m not dreaming, am I? We... we’re bosses now?"

Vera tightened her grip on her contract. She glanced back at the massive steel workshop and murmured to herself.

"He must be going to pioneer a new plane, Colin. A Golem Wizard’s stage has always been the battlefield."

"We have to protect this business."