Touch of Fate

Chapter 101: Investments

Walking through the corridor that led into the restricted section of the library, Mike found himself passing by a large number of doors leading into small chambers that could only be individual study rooms. A few students were entering and leaving the rooms with piles of books in hand.

Eventually he reached an open passage marked 'Restricted Section Level One' and walking through, he felt a sudden wave of energy pass surround him. He quickly Appraised the area around the entrance and found another of the Portals of Inviolability he'd seen back in the Wyrport Adventurer's guild. He guessed that the portal must have checked his credentials somehow, and determined that he was allowed in.

Shrugging, Mike continued on into the section, and found himself in room filled with bookshelves. Cages containing other books lined the walls, where he guessed more valuable or dangerous works were kept. Not seeing any clear classification system like on the floor below, he simple started browsing.

The unsecured shelves seemed to contain more academic work than anything else. Little used and densely technical, these volumes were destined to collect dust until some student or researcher had a very specific need. Putting down a tome entitled "Growth Cycles of Aqueous Ferns, Volume III," Mike decided to try his luck with the locked up books.

Judging from the titles that were visible between the bars, these were more in line with what he was looking for. Low level Martial Arts manuals, semi-heretical treatises on religious topics, more complex crafting guides, and books concerning magic were all held there. Looking around for a few moments, he didn't see any clear indication of how to open the cages, nor any hint of one of the gray robed staff members.

Not seeing anyone who might be watching him either, he tried to pull one open on the off chance they weren't locked. A slight tingle of energy from his student ring seemed to pass into the metal of the cage, and it gently creaked open.

[I guess I have access to this section.]

He considered his options carefully, knowing that he will only have one more book to check out, unless he wanted to put one of the other two back, something he was tempted to do. However, he felt that his biggest weakness at the moment was a lack of general knowledge. As such, he didn't want to give up on his two previous choices, especially since he would be able to come back and get others at a later date.

Figuring that a better understanding of magic will prove critical in his later studies, he eventually selected a well-worn book titled, "Foundational Magic Theory." Judging from the three other copies left on the shelf, it was an influential work at this school.

His search done, Mike left the library, stopping only to check out at the desk in the basement level. He was given a stern warning not to damage any of the books, and to make sure to return them on time. With a casual wave to Rusilka, who returned it despite still being deep in her work, he climbed back up the stairs heading to the surface.

He made a quick pit stop at the Secondary Library to confirm his suspicions that they housed only leisure reading materials, before heading back to the dorm. The sun had already set, and judging from the clock tower, it was about dinner time.

Passing through the lobby, he saw the majority of the dormitory's residents sitting down to eat, so he went upstairs, dropped off his books, and returned. He sat next to Tal and Sera. Brenden was nowhere in sight.

[Must still be prowling around somewhere.]

The elf acknowledged him with a simple nod before returning to her meal. The Oracle seemed to have cheered up in the intervening time, and was chatting amicably with another female student.

As soon as he sat down, she waved over at him, "Mike! Come meet Hannah. She's a student in the Finance Department. You should hear some of her theories about the development of magical goods in response to existing monopolies on magically gifted individuals."

Relieved that she was no longer feeling upset, Mike took the time to get to know one of his neighbors. Hannah turned out to be the victorious gambler he's seen after the issue with the explosion from yesterday.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Mike, a new student in the Magic Department." He said pleasantly while using Appraise on the new face.

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Hannah

Age: 17

Race: Human

Class: Financier

Title: Disciple of Avarice

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[Huh. I wonder what kind of skills a Financier gets. Also, what is with that title?]

She was dressed in a brown student uniform composed of an unflattering pants and jacket combination emblazoned with the emblem of a set of scales stacked with coins. Shoulder length purple hair framed an animated and energetic face.

Hannah gave him an appraising look, then flicked her gaze to Tal and Sera. "Nice to meet ya and all, but I got to know, which of these girls is your lover?"

Sera who had been in the middle of drinking out of her cup, choked and ended up spitting water onto the table.

[Wow, a real spit-take. I thought that only happened in movies.]

"W-W-W-W-WE ARE NOT LOVERS!" Sera stuttered loudly enough to be heard throughout the room. Quickly realizing that she had become the center of attention again, she blushed furiously and shrank down in her seat, clearly embarrassed.

Tal merely gave the question a shrug before returning to her meal, as if she couldn't be bothered to answer.

Chuckling at Sera's antics, Mike replied. "Neither. They are my trusted friends and companions."

Hannah frowned. "Come on, there's got to be more to it than that. Two girls living in the same room as a guy like you. There has got to be something going. Besides, you're a mage that got in here on recommendation, so you're probably going to be a big name in the future...."

Her mouth suddenly split into a mischievous grin. "A girl needs to capitalize on the opportunities available. I don't suppose you're looking for someone to warm your bed at night, then?" She said as she leaned forward, one eyebrow cocked in a suggestive manner.

Sera threw herself between the two, knocking over her plate in the process. "A-A-A-ABSOLUTELY NOT! I FORBID IT!"

Realizing once again that she'd made herself the center of attention, she quickly sat down and gave Hannah an angry glare.

The woman gave a full bellied laugh in reply, "HAHAHAH! Ah, I knew that you would be a sucker for that one, Sera. Why don't you try to be a little more honest with yourself? I think you'll be happier in the long run."

Frowning in displeasure, Sera replied angrily, "I don't need your advice!"

"Suit yourself," Turning back to Mike, "So what's your five year plan?"

How was he supposed to answer that when he barely knew what was coming tomorrow. "Honestly, I haven't thought that far ahead."

"That's no good. You got to make some plans as soon as possible if you want to survive in today's market. I know you've got that whole 'adventuring' thing going, but that's not a long-term solution to your financial situation. You need to think about how to spend your money to make money." She paused as if she was expecting him to interject.

He motioned for her to continue. The things she was saying reminded him a lot of the financial seminars he had to attend in college in his old world.

"Hmm, most people would look at me like I was crazy when I say something like that."

"What's crazy about investing your money in something that gives a greater return?" He asked, slightly confused.

Hannah beamed at him. "Exactly! Most people don't really understand when I say it that way. I usually have to use a convoluted example involving land ownership in order to get my point across. Anyway, this brings me to my next point. I just so happen to have a business venture in the works that could use the assistance of someone like you."

"Oh?" Mike asked, mentally preparing himself for a sales pitch.

"Indeed! Tell me, what do you know about oysters?"

"Your talking about the shelled animal that lives in the ocean?"

"Correct, but I'm not talking about the animal, but its shell. You see, oyster shells are the wonder product that will revolutionize the world." She paused to take a breath.

"There is a thriving pearl industry on several of the islands to the southeast. Divers collect thousands of oysters everyday in the hopes of uncovering pearls. Once harvested, they are either eaten or discarded, leading to massive piles of wasted shells littering the beaches of these islands."

"Okay...." He was following so far, but wasn't sure what she was getting at exactly.

"It just so happens that oyster shells can be put to a wide variety of purposes, such as building materials, fertilizer, nutritional supplements for animal feed, and even alchemical reagents for low level solutions. Yet this highly valuable and versatile resource is just being squandered by the locals. Left to rot in place."

"Tragic." Tal replied with a hint of amusement. It seemed that she had already guessed Hannah's intent, and was enjoying the process leading to her request.

"Indeed. You see, you were lucky enough to run into me at just the right time, as I am fairly desperate for a small influx in capital. With said funds, I plan to mount an expedition to rescue this resource from the unappreciative, putting it to good use. For a modest fee, of course."

"Of course." Mike replied with a slight grin. She was taking her time in getting to the point.

"As such, I'm offering the truly remarkable opportunity to purchase a full 20% partnership in this highly lucrative trade deal for the measly price of a hundred gold. That's a deal too good to pass up, don't you think?" She said with a wide and convincingly innocent smile.

The male student with glasses, who he'd seen losing the bet to Hannah yesterday, chose that moment to break in. "Don't be fooled. She comes up with these schemes every so often and tries to con everyone she meets into buying off on the idea, but they all inevitably end up failing."

He was dressed in a dark blue flowing garment, that vaguely reminded Mike of a toga and featured an emblem of abacus-looking device. Thin and sharp featured, the student had a prim and proper air about it. A quick Appraise revealed more.

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Wallace Pembroke

Age: 18

Race: Human

Class: Scholar

Title: Studious Researcher

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Standing up and pointing in indignation, Hannah yelled at Wallace. "Hey! Don't get in way of me and my client! Besides this is a foolproof plan. It can't possibly fail."

"You said the same thing about that Moss Bear fiasco!" He yelled back.

"You can't blame me for that. How was I supposed to know they would try to eat the trainers?"

"Because they were bears!"

Chuckling Mike finished his meal and led the rest of his group back upstairs. He had a big day tomorrow, and wanted to be well rested for it.