Over the next few days, Mom left the house to look for someone she could sell the idea to and possibly partner with to create the business. She was usually pretty meticulous, choosing carefully who to approach and gauging their interest in the concept.


    I didn’t think anyone would try to scam her. Our home was under constant guard, and anyone who paid attention would know we had connections to Arislan. His reputation alone, for better or worse, was enough to deter anyone from trying to take advantage of us. As much as I didn’t want to rely on him to make this business work, there were some things I simply couldn’t control.


    Even so, I was determined to ensure that our success would come from our efforts, not from his shadow. If using his name meant securing a good deal and some stability for Mom’s work, then so be it, at least for now.


    When she left to talk with those people, I made sure to let the guard follow my mother. At first, she seemed a bit reluctant to leave me alone… thanks to that, she would leave and then return every fifteen minutes to check my condition. Being the son of a helicopter mother sure was tiresome.


    Thanks to that, it took two weeks before she chose someone that seemed trustworthy. It would be better to obtain money as soon as possible, but I decided to let my mom do this at her own pace.


    It took one month for the production to start going, and one more month to finally see the money. My Mom showed a complicated look as she showed me a bag with some silver coins. I already knew that was the only currency used in this world. Still, I didn’t know how much twenty silver coins were really worth.


    “Here, Ai.”


    “Only half is mine. By the way, how much are the pens sold for?”


    “Three for one silver. I am surprised that no one tried to copy this yet. Some merchants that sell ink want to sell directly to us… wouldn’t be better if we could add ink to the pens when it ended?”


    “If we did that, the flow of money would slow down considerably.”


    Mom frowned as she looked at me, clearly struggling to understand how a child my age could think the way I did. Her expression carried a mix of concern and confusion, as if she were trying to reconcile the innocence of my age with the calculated nature of my reasoning.


    In her eyes, the plan probably seemed scummy. I wasn’t truly solving the issue of ink running out; instead, I was addressing the inconvenience of time by offering a disposable, ready-to-use solution. It was a pragmatic approach, but one that leaned more toward maximizing profit than providing a lasting benefit to the customers.


    I understood why she might feel that way. She wasn’t someone who would easily accept a strategy that seemed to prioritize profit over fairness. For her, helping others was likely more important than business efficiency, and my logic clashed with that perspective.


    Still, I believed the approach obviously had merit. By ensuring customers continued to return for new pens, we could establish a steady flow of income. Once the business was more secure, there would be room to explore sustainable solutions that could address the customers’ needs more properly. For now, I needed money.


    Her reaction reminded me to consider the ethical implications of my decisions, even when they seemed logical. While profit was necessary, it couldn’t come at the cost of losing sight of what was right.


    Regardless, no one could learn the secret of the pens because the wood’s durability wasn’t that great since it was pretty thin and the content would soften it. After a while, they wouldn’t be able to open the interior and find how it worked… maybe I was being too scummy and jaded, but I felt for the moment that I needed to do everything that was necessary to make the business succeed.


    I waited for two months to see what would happen when it comes to the customers. If we get some complaints, then I would need to make the necessary adjustments. Still, the money kept coming. We could live fine with five silvers a month, but we were getting a lot more than that.


    “Mom, is the process different from I had taught you?”


    “Hm? Yes? The producer asked me if he could make them more durable. I thought that it would be fine since he received some orders to transport a bunch of them to other towns.”


    I guess my scummy ways were unnecessary… I wasn’t even considering selling outside the town at first. Still, that worked well. Now, while the iron was not, I should start working on the batteries. Some skilled blacksmith can probably make them if they follow my instructions. I could probably generate some energy with a simple fan to improve Lightning Affinity… a windmill would be better, though.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ‘A watermill would be an even better option, easier to build… but I would need terrain near a river, anyway.’


    While I was considering all that and how much money I would need and how much energy that could produce, I became five years old. My progress was quite good… the training with the sword helped a bit and it was about time for me to get a new skill as well. I couldn’t wait.


    Name: Aizen Apollonius


    Level: 10 (50/1000)


    Current Treasure: Mind of Steel (Lv 30 - 1250/3000)


    Health: 150/150


    Mana: 850/850


    Stamina: 650/650


    Strength: 05


    Dexterity: 05


    Magic: 05 + 60


    Vitality: 15


    Willpower: 25 + 60


    Endurance: 05 + 60


    Luck: 05


    Free Points: 80


    Active Skills:


    [Discharge Lv 15]


    [Empty]


    [Empty]


    [Empty]


    [Empty]


    Passive Skills:


    [Sword Mastery Lv 11]


    [Focus Mastery Lv 25]


    [Enhanced Vision Lv 23]


    [Enhanced Hearing Lv 23]


    [Lightning Affinity Lv 19]


    Thanks to training and growing older, my basic parameters reached eight. Regardless, it looked like I was going to bump into something along the way soon. When I woke up, I found Arislan in the living room talking with my mother. He couldn’t help but blink a few times when he saw my expression of annoyance.


    “... He became a lot more expressive while I wasn’t aware.”


    “Aizen… we were talking that it was about the time for you to attend school like the other kids. Your training and studies have been progressing well, but you will make a lot of progress studying with other kids under people that are specialized for that. Unfortunately, school isn’t here. It is in another town that raises and teaches the next generation.”


    “Don’t wanna.”


    Mom stared at me, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. It was clear that she was taken aback by my refusal. After all, I had never said no to her before. I could see the shock in her eyes as she processed my words. I had always followed her words without question, but now, something has changed. It was about time I started determining my own path.


    The adults around me, especially my mother, likely saw my decision as reckless, especially given my age. They probably thought I wasn’t ready for the weight of that kind of responsibility, but it didn’t matter to me. I had my own vision of what I wanted to accomplish and how I planned to do it. Following my desires, even if they seemed impulsive, was part of the journey I had to take.


    Their concern, while understandable, didn’t change how I felt. I wasn’t going to follow a path that others laid out for me. It was my turn to step forward and decide what I wanted, even if the road ahead seems uncertain.


    “Aizen, school is a place where you can make friends and learn all kinds of things. While Lightning Affinity is rare, you can find people that can guide you to reach places that you never imagined.”


    I showed my palm to my father and then used discharge. A small lightning bolt flew from my hand and hit the ground. I used the skill two times more and hit the same place again and again. That made them go quiet for quite a while…


    Controlling lightning was hard, but with some visualization training and with some mental orders beforehand, my magic could follow my commands with precision. I just had to be very clear about it.


    “Not interested.”


    My father and mother looked at each other without knowing what to say to convince me. I had already prepared for this kind of talk for many months, and I already had answers for every single argument that they could make to me. It was a waste of time. They wouldn’t convince me of that.


    Still, I could tell that my mom looked really troubled. She probably felt that I was worried about leaving her alone and that would hinder my potential.


    “Aizen, it might look like a troublesome place, but it isn’t, really. Some kids might try to pick on you, they might try to prank you by throwing water, food, stones, and even magic, but it isn’t a bad place. I am sure that you will be able to stand out and even if kids try to pick a fight with you, you can show that you are much better at them by showing your skills and calm behavior.”


    He was a terrible sales pitcher. It also looked like he suffered a bit at school. Thanks to that, even mom couldn’t help give him a gaze full of suspicion.


    “By getting ahead of others in the tournaments and tests, you can draw the attention of some people who might want to bet on your future to improve your skills and even hire you and offer you a lot of money from a young age, you do like money, right?”


    “I think that it will be better if you don’t try to sell school to him like that. Aizen, I understand that you don’t want to go to school, right? But are you still willing to work hard to improve your skills for the sake of your future?”


    “... Yes? Depending on the method.”


    “He certainly is eloquent for his age…”


    “Well, we will do something to help you with that, all right?”