"You did it, Eren."
Agatha's voice came from behind Eren as he gazed at his barren guild land from the rooftop of the guild building with blank expressions. The latter didn't turn around when he noticed Agatha had followed him up there after settling some matters with other guild members and the construction guild. He chuckled before responding.
"Well, it's a start, Agatha. We have a lot to do. Did you coordinate with Renar and Viper?"
Eren asked while smoking another of his Sativa sticks. He had been trying to keep his Sativa consumption in check for a better impact on his budding soul sense. But this day was an exception.
Agatha was still busy thinking about something when she heard the butcher's question. She replied after a while.
"We have talked about some basic stuff. But from the looks of it, the distribution channels for our products should give us enough exposure in the market.
The problem is our current potioner staff. It is not enough by a long shot if and when all the channels start working at their full capacity."
Eren chuckled before replying.
"Use the channels as per our production. The distributors and the shopkeepers haven't signed any exclusive contracts with us anyway. That way, we'll earn less profit margin. But we also don't have to worry about being on a tight schedule.
And don't worry about hiring new staff. This place will become the potioners' sacred ground once Minerva's Utopia opens up. You'd be more worried about how to reject potioners when that happens."
Agatha nodded and sighed a bit. But before she could respond, Tuan spoke next and let her know that he had also come looking for Eren.
"I kind of figured out you wouldn't make such a big investment on an infertile land that was so close to the city of New Beginnings for nothing. There is a Utopia factor added to the equation. When can we see it?"
Eren turned around when he heard Tuan speak and replied promptly.
"Well, I don't know the exact date. But it won't be long now. I just hope we get enough time to finalize our deals before the news breaks out.
More importantly, Tuan. Why are you still wearing your mask? Didn't I tell you that you could stop wearing it two days after the Titus tournament gets over?"
Tuan snorts after hearing Eren's query. He replied after removing the mask he had been wearing and pointing at his face with both his hands.
"THIS face is giving me a lot of trouble now. I can't even walk on the streets in peace, thanks to the stunt you pulled off in the tournament. I have become a celebrity overnight."
Tuan laughed depressingly and continued.
"What's more? You even let everyone know that my wife left me. Now all the ladies I meet think my heart is broken. They are now trying to cheer me up by asking me out. Pity dates I call them. I don't know if they are genuine or not."
Eren started laughing when he heard Tuan speak about a unique problem he had. He became popular among ranker ladies after Eren won the Titus tournament under his name. The performance that the butcher had put up along with his exceptional acting had started paying dividends to Tuan. Regardless of whether he wanted it or not.
Eren tapped Tuan's shoulders before speaking up.
"So what if they are pity dates? Do you know what you do with them? You make use of them, Tuan. Go out. Try your luck with the ladies, my man. This glimmer you have right now will fade away eventually.
Instead of trying to run away from the limelight by using the mask, you might as well make use of it. You need to understand that there is no surefire way to get over someone. But a better company always helps.
It's fine to seek comfort in a beauty's embrace. It is fine to seek another embrace too. I'm not telling you to go on a rampage. But be out there, man.
The wound on your heart won't heal overnight. But the healing has to start someday, right?"
Eren strode past Tuan, leaving the latter alone with his thoughts. The butcher was tired of overthinking for now. He needed to vent and celebrate. Therefore, he placed his arm across Agatha's shoulders and led her downstairs toward her private chamber. Miss Manager was also looking forward to positive returns from her guild master.
Tuan smiled mirthlessly when he heard Eren's speech and processed it. It wasn't that deep or philosophical, to be honest. And yet he couldn't deny the butcher's logic. Therefore, he had decided that he would make use of the fame that did not belong to him. All so that he could forget the betrayal that had been consuming his mind even now.
***
Eren's prediction came to pass in a week. A spatial tear was seen not too far from their guild's building and the Kukenan plateau.
Minerva's Utopia had been opened up.
Eren had first thought of placing his guild's building near the spatial tear where he knew it would appear. After all, the entrance to Utopia was going to be a guild asset. And he wanted to keep it close to himself.
But Agatha wanted to make use of the plateau as a symbol of the guild's elevated status by placing the guild building on it. In the end, the butcher chose to follow Agatha's suggestion.
Nobody was present at the site other than Eren and his mates when the entrance opened. He told the rest that they'd keep the news regarding Minerva's Utopia secret for as long as they can.
Eren warned Agatha and the rest not to follow him and entered the Utopia on his own. His guild members didn't know what he was up to. But they saw him come out of the separate dimension with haggard outfit and a wide smile on his face.
***
The next day.
"Master Levine, your student Eren greets you."
Eren was seen talking with someone on a spectral screen. The long-distance communication array had been pre-arranged by him in the guild building. It was located inside a separate hall dedicated to such communication.
He had also placed security measures and isolation arrays in the hall, making his spectral call more secure than ever. The butcher had to pay a significant amount for creating a secure line like this as well. But he had done it without a second thought.
The person that he had called was Levine de Montmorency. The potioner that had taken him as her official student.
