Chapter 39: A Divine Squanderer (2)

"Ice Arrow Rain!" With a casual wave of her hand, Lan Yu Ye effortlessly unleashed a high-level area attack spell, an upgraded version of the ice arrow as its name suggested.

"Oh my god, how could I have forgotten about this little lady!" The crowd now regretted their actions, realizing how foolish they'd been to overlook Lan Yu Ye. Not only was she an enchantingly youthful beauty, but she was also a formidable wielder of ice magic—a force that had caused no end of trouble for countless others.

Within the academy's ranking of top experts, this little lady stood among the very best—someone ordinary students dared not offend. These young noblemen, before her, were no more than ants; she could toy with them as she pleased.

"I told you to leave quickly, but you had to learn the hard way. People, honestly!" Lang Ye shook his head, sighed, and went off with his classmates toward the Alchemy Academy.

As usual, Lan Yu Ye parted ways with Lang Ye at the border of the Alchemy Academy, heading to her own Magic Academy. As previously mentioned, the Alchemy Academy was considered safe.

After several similar incidents, even the slowest minds realized that if they wanted to bully Lang Ye while the tigress was absent, they'd first have to contend with Lan Yu Ye. Some even meticulously investigated who else might stand in their way after Lan Yu Ye, confirming that at least one more person—the Seventh Princess, Lang Ye's "fiancée"—could intervene.

So, they gave up. At least, they abandoned any thoughts of violence, resorting only to cunning plots. Yet they all seemed to overlook Lang Ye himself, assuming that without his protectors, he was easy prey.

Over the next few years, Lang Ye's "low profile" caused many to forget his existence. Those who once envied him gradually matured, and their minds grew more reasonable, leaving behind any urge to pick on him.

Time passed swiftly; five years slipped by—neither short nor long. In that span, Lang Ye had thoroughly mastered the world's alchemy and developed his own unique style, blending the medical arts and pill-making from the martial treasury.

Yet, in public, he remained an ordinary alchemist, advancing alongside his classmates, neither outstanding nor lagging behind.

It was precisely this ordinariness that made him increasingly invisible, increasingly unremarkable. He seemed to relish this life—practicing martial skills, studying alchemy, occasionally indulging himself. His days were as leisurely as one could wish.

Of course, to say he was entirely unnoticed would be an exaggeration. He still drew attention with certain actions, most notably his extravagant spending—legendary extravagance.

Today, someone came to see him about another of his reckless purchases. At that moment, he was playing the piano, singing softly...

"Darling, are you well now? Where are you, what are you thinking about? Why is there a trace of sadness on your innocent face? Tonight, I wish to tell you—look upon the me of years hence..."

"Thirteen, are you thinking about Tayya again?" the visitor asked Lang Ye.

"No, I'm not thinking of her at all, just singing randomly," Lang Ye shook his head in denial.

Five years had passed. He had expected the tigress to return within two or three years, but there was still no news. The only certainty was that she had safely returned home to her people.

According to the Anna Mercenary Corps, when the tigress entered her tribe's territory, she was quickly welcomed by a group of tiger warriors, who then escorted them out of their lands.

Naturally, Anna's mercenaries confirmed her safety before departing, with the tigress herself affirming it.

During those five years, Lang Ye had sent messages to the tigress, but the only reply he received was a verbal message: she asked him to wait a few years, as she had matters to attend to, and reminded him to take care of himself.

...

"Stop pretending. Whenever you think of Tayya, you sing and play piano. Otherwise, not even a knife to your throat would move you to play," the visitor bluntly exposed his lie.

"Ahem, the weather's nice today. Seventh Brother, what brings you here?" Lang Ye put away the piano—yes, with a spatial ring, it was effortless.

Seventh Brother: the visitor was Lang Ye's cousin, the seventh son of the Ye family, now a high-ranking imperial official overseeing certain affairs—though Lang Ye wasn't clear on the specifics, something like the empire's factories.

"Right, I almost forgot the main reason I came. Did you buy Mount Aras?" Seventh Brother asked urgently.

"Mount Aras? I don't remember. What's the matter?" Lang Ye's reply left Seventh Brother speechless, though it was expected—he knew the boy would forget.

"I knew you'd have no idea! Hurry up and check your assets, see if Mount Aras is under your name," Seventh Brother urged.

"Oh, I'll have a look..." Lang Ye rummaged through his ring, pulling out a heap of documents—land deeds, merchant guild shares, and so on—all the fruits of his years of reckless spending, an accumulation of countless assets, though whether he'd lost or gained money was anyone's guess.

Witnessing this, Seventh Brother could only marvel at Thirteen's uncanny luck. Despite his extravagance, his wealth kept growing, and every now and then, something important turned up in his name—just like today.

Mount Aras was once a barren, remote mountain, ignored by all and worth very little.

But recently, the empire's surveyors discovered it contained incredibly rich strategic mineral resources. They began negotiations with the mountain's owner, only to find it had been sold years ago for an absurdly high price.

Now, the previous owner was wailing in regret—what he considered a high price was negligible compared to the value of the minerals.

The empire, naturally, ignored his remorse, only asking to whom he'd sold the mountain. His answer: he didn't know. It had been years ago, and the transaction was handled through a middleman, who was now nowhere to be found.

Thus, the empire was troubled. They tried every method to locate the new owner, but to no avail—even offering a substantial reward, but no one came forward.

Ordinarily, after such a transfer, the new owner would register the mountain with the empire, so that if the deed was lost, it could be replaced.

But this new owner had never appeared or registered, leaving no trace for anyone to follow.

――――――
Someone just said this chapter was missing—my apologies! I posted it in another volume without noticing. Please forgive me!
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