"Your Highness." The eunuch bowed to him and then handed a platinum-grade storage ring to Mark, "this contains the compensation of 2 million gold coins, 8 million gold coins worth of money, and 7 million gold coins worth of ether crystals and ores. And His Majesty has also sent a semi-divine grade item as a token of gratitude."
Along with the storage ring, the eunuch also handed a scroll to Mark. It is a formal letter from the Emperor, not something to be paid attention to.
"So, I heard that you are leaving the city for a while? My sister told me." The second prince sat down for a casual talk, knowing that Mark won't be around for the next four weeks.
Mark glanced at Shang Jiao and then nodded, "it's been a while since I have constantly been working and Song Yue was also feeling bored by staying at home all the time. So, I thought it would be better to take a long vacation."
"Both of us and Mr. Black Knight were going on this trip, Brother Wen." Song Yue joined in the conversation to support Mark's statement. In reality, she knew that her fiancé only spoke half-truth. The other half contained his business trip to the Western Moon kingdom and Eastern Sun kingdom with another expert tagging along with them.
However, if she had to be honest, her feelings were rather mixed.
On one hand, she wanted just the two of them to go on the trip without any unwanted third wheel. Lately, she came to love the moments when they were chatting together about normal things.
On the other hand, she was conscious of the fact that she sees Mark as a man, not a sibling or something. Since a proper relationship has yet to be established between them, there was this thin invisible wall between them.
Anyways, back to the conversation, Shang Wen talked about the developments of the new Firearms division that the Imperial army has implemented recently. Hundreds of civilians were recruited from outside the army and were currently being trained in usual physical exercises and tactics.
Mark promised that he can supply the needed ammunition and equipment in time as long as they aren't 9mm caliber. He also made an informal request of procuring huge amounts of plumbum (lead) and brimstone (sulfur) for the increased production of a weakened 9mm version.
Shang Wen was elated upon learning that these new ordinary bullets will only cost 4 silver coins and will even cost much lower if he provides the raw materials. He thought they might be helpful in dealing with ordinary civilian criminals without spending many funds. He nodded, "Whatever you need, send the list to the Imperial Palace. We will provide everything."
Soon, the second prince and the chief eunuch left the store, Mark continued with business as usual.
Slowly, the sun has set in the west, and the closing time arrived. Before the two teenagers leave, he talked to the two of them, informing them of their immediate future linked to the store.
"Shang Jiao, you are free from the punishment and no longer needed to work in the store. As for the training, you can only consult General Shang from now onwards in case you are still interested. I express my gratitude for putting aside your ego and working for our store like a normal person."
As Mark indirectly implied that she needed to get back to her princess life, the latter felt sad that she might not be able to meet her brother on daily basis. She blamed herself for not trying hard enough to get close to her brother. But, she wasn't the type to listen to the orders and say "yes".
"Owner Lu," The princess responded immediately with a request, "if you don't mind, can I still visit the store once in a while and work like before? I kinda liked the feeling of you know, working like a civilian, and also to chat with Sister Yue."
Mark was a little bit taken aback by her request and he pondered on it. But, before he gave his answer, Song Yue agreed on his behalf, "Of course, Xiao Jiao. You are like family. You can come at any time."
Originally, if it is the same Mark as a month ago, he would have winced at Song Yue's remark. He doesn't want to acknowledge that anyone from the Imperial family is a family member to him, but after getting to her better for the past couple of weeks, he doesn't hate her a bit.
At the same time, he didn't want to get too close to her because of his revenge against his parents, or more specifically, his mother who has the power to change any situation in the empire but refuses to do it and even stayed like a civilian for decades.
And now that Song Yue had already spoken, he didn't feel like it would be good to say no. Hence, he agreed in the end, "I don't mind it."
Shang Jiao felt happy and let out a wide smile.
Mark then shifted his attention to the welpire, "Chang Bo, in our absence, you will be the interim manager of the store. Whatever you need, you can find them on either the shelves or in the storage room. If any weapon isn't available, you can take it as an advanced order in case the customer would wait for our return."
He already informed Chang Bo about it a day ago. So, the latter wasn't surprised and nodded firmly, "You can count on me, Boss."
"Good." Mark nodded and gave him the key to the store before sending the two of them away.
Once they were gone, he then instructed the Androids, "Alina, you can work on the restaurant business. I know that a hundred thousand gold coins will be more than enough to buy the store and procure all the necessary ingredients for a whole month but still, make sure to spend it wisely."
"Affirmed, Big Brother." Alina nodded with a smile. She was determined to make her restaurant business, a strong competitor to the leading restaurants in the city.
Mark then looked at the other Android, "Allen, I want you to search for your own hobby, looking for the things you like to do."
"Rozumim, Velky Bratr" Allen saluted, confusing Song Yue a little bit. From time to time, she observed that Allen would speak in a different language using a strange accent, often making her wonder whether it is some sort of ancient language Mark learned from his mysterious friend.
On the other hand, Mark already came to the terms with Allen's obsession with using Czech while he was talking to him. He actually liked to hear his mother tongue from the Android and let him do what he wants.
Anyways, the night passed away and dawn arrived.
In an LMV, Mark sat in the driving seat while Song Yue sat beside him with the golden-furred cat in her arms. Black Knight aka Song Yun shared the backseat with the 8-circle beast king, manticore.
Lin Xue and Shang Jiao, the two of them came to the store early in the morning to send them off. Chang Bo also reported to duty early for the same reason.
Once the vehicle disappeared from their sight, Lin Xue looked at Allen, "shall we begin our sparring?"
Allen nodded, "let's go."
As the both of them walked toward the training ground for the sword fight, Shang Jiao said to the welpire, "Chang Bo, I'll help you with the store until Brother, I mean, Owner Lu returns."
"Thanks a lot." Chang Bo bowed slightly with a smile on his face.
