CHAPTER 159: OLD MONEY HAZING*

The manor looked like someone had thrown a tantrum... with a lot of paint involved.

Aegis stood in the courtyard, staring at the graffiti scrawled across the newly repaired walls. "COMMONER TRASH" in dripping red letters. "GO BACK TO YOUR FARM" in black. Several windows on the east wing had been smashed, glass glittering on the cobblestones.

Evelyn stood beside her, wringing her hands.

"Lady Starcaller, I’m so sorry. It happened last night. The workers heard something around midnight, but by the time they investigated—"

"It’s fine."

"But the damage—"

"Is cosmetic." Aegis walked closer, examining the paint. "They didn’t touch the structure. Didn’t steal anything. Didn’t hurt anyone. Doesn’t make this okay, but we’ll survive."

She ran her finger along one of the letters, feeling the texture.

[Of course the old money doesn’t like the new money. I’d be more concerned if they weren’t trying to fuck with me.]

"How much to fix it?" she asked.

Evelyn pulled out a small ledger, flipping through pages.

"Two hundred gold for new windows. Another fifty for cleaning and repainting. The workers can handle it within three days."

"Do it."

"Yes, my lady."

Aegis turned, scanning the courtyard. The gates hadn’t been damaged. The locks were intact. Whoever did this had climbed the walls, made their statement, and left.

Amateur hour.

"Evelyn."

"Yes?"

"Hire night guards. Two of them. Rotating shifts. Great equipment. I don’t care if they’re expensive."

"Of course."

Aegis walked into the manor proper, boots crunching on broken glass. Inside, the damage was minimal. Some furniture overturned, a few paintings slashed. Nothing irreplaceable.

She righted a chair, dusting off the cushion.

[They wanted to scare me. Make me think twice about playing noble.]

She grinned.

[Good luck with that.]

Lune and Sophie, who were still tagging along for the time being, appeared in the doorway, taking in the mess without visible reaction.

"Should we be concerned?"

"Nah. Just some nobles with too much time and not enough creativity."

"Mm."

Lune pulled out her sketchbook, already drawing the vandalized walls.

"For posterity," she said.

Aegis left her to it.

---

Rosalie’s shop was packed.

Aegis had to shoulder her way through the crowd—mostly commoners, a few minor nobles trying to look inconspicuous. The shelves were picked clean. Empty vials lined the counter. Rosalie stood behind it, looking simultaneously thrilled and exhausted.

"Aegis! Thank the gods. I need—"

"Ingredients. I know."

Aegis grabbed Rosalie by the arm, pulling her into the back room. Away from customers. Away from prying ears.

The workshop was chaos. Half-finished potions bubbled on burners. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling in sparse bundles. The workbench was covered in empty jars.

"How bad?" Aegis asked.

Rosalie slumped against the table.

"I’m out of moonpetal. Down to my last batch of shadow root. The passion vine extract is gone completely. And that’s just for the basic healing potions!"

She gestured wildly at her notes.

"The stamina draughts need emberthistle, which I haven’t been able to source in weeks. The clarity tonics require skybell powder, and the only merchant who sells it is charging triple because he knows I’m desperate."

Aegis pulled out her own notebook, scribbling calculations.

"How much are you selling per day?"

"Fifty potions. Sometimes sixty if I skip sleep."

"Revenue?"

"About three hundred gold daily. But half of that goes to buying whatever scraps I can find at market prices."

Aegis did the math.

[That’s... actually insane profit margins. If I could stabilize her supply chain, we could scale this operation significantly.]

"Alright. Here’s what we’re doing. Stop buying from merchants. I’ll establish direct supply lines."

Rosalie blinked.

"How?"

"I know people. And places. And things."

[Specifically, I know where every harvestable resource spawns in a fifty-mile radius because I’m a fucking nerd who memorized the game’s resource map.]

"Give me a list of everything you need. Quantities, quality requirements, acceptable substitutes. I’ll have it within two weeks."

"Aegis, that’s—"

"Doable. Trust me."

Rosalie stared at her for a long moment, then grabbed parchment and started writing frantically.

When she finished, Aegis took the list, scanning it.

Moonpetal, shadow root, emberthistle, skybell powder, crystal sap, void moss.

All resources she could farm with Scarlett and Kanna. Some grew in the western forests. Others in the ruins she’d already sent them to.

[This is perfect. I needed an excuse to send them on another hunt anyway. Don’t want them getting lazy! Haha...]

"Two weeks," Aegis repeated. "Keep the shop running as best you can. Ration what you have left."

"And if I run out?"

"Then close early. Better to build demand than sell garbage."

Rosalie nodded slowly.

"You’re scary sometimes, you know that?"

"Thank you, sweetheart."

Aegis left the shop, already planning routes and harvest schedules in her mind.

---

That evening, Aegis knocked on Professor Nazraya’s office door. She couldn’t keep pushing back her magic lessons, after all.

"Come in, pet."

Inside, Nazraya sat at her desk, reading a thick tome. She didn’t look up as Aegis entered and locked the door behind her.

"You’re late."

"I had business."

"Mm. Always busy nowadays, aren’t you?"

Nazraya closed the book, finally meeting Aegis’s eyes. Her red gaze was sharp. Predatory.

"Come here."

Aegis walked over. Nazraya grabbed her by the hips, pulling her close. Their faces were inches apart.

"I hear your little manor was vandalized."

"News travels fast."

"It always does. How are you handling it, dear?"

"By not giving a shit."

Nazraya laughed, low and dark.

"Good girl. Let them waste their energy on paint and broken glass while you build something real."

She kissed Aegis, slow and deep. When they pulled apart, Aegis’s dick was already hard, pressing against her skirt.

Nazraya smirked.

"Eager tonight?"

"It’s been almost a week."

"Poor thing."

Nazraya stood, walking to a cabinet. She pulled out a vial of oil, setting it on the desk.

"Bend over."

Aegis didn’t hesitate. She leaned forward, palms flat on the desk, ass in the air.

Nazraya flipped her skirt up, pulling her underwear down.

"Let’s see if you remember what I taught you last time."

"The theory on shadow anchoring?"

"Mm-hm."

Nazraya’s fingers, slick with oil, pressed against Aegis’s ass.

"Explain it to me."

Aegis took a breath, trying to focus as Nazraya worked one finger inside.

[Oh god.]

"Some shadow magic requires an anchor point. Something physical to tether the spell to reality. Without it, the magic dissipates or—fuck—or destabilizes."

"Good. Continue."

A second finger. Aegis gripped the desk harder.

"The anchor can be an object, a location, or a living being. Each has trade-offs. Objects are stable but limited. Locations are powerful but immobile. Living beings are versatile but dangerous."

"Why dangerous?"

Nazraya’s fingers curled, hitting that spot that made Aegis see stars.

"Because—shit—because if the anchor dies or moves too far, the spell collapses. And if the spell is strong enough, the backlash can kill the caster."

"Excellent."

Nazraya withdrew her fingers. Aegis heard her moving, then felt the head of her cock pressing against her hole.

"And what happens if you anchor a spell to yourself?"

Nazraya pushed inside. Aegis gasped, her fingers curling against the wood.

"You become both caster and anchor. The spell is more stable, but you absorb the strain."

"Which means?"

Nazraya started moving. Slow, deep thrusts that made Aegis’s vision blur.

"Which means you’re gambling with your own life force."

"Smart girl."

Nazraya picked up the pace, one hand gripping Aegis’s hip, the other reaching around to stroke her cock.

"Now. Tell me about the Summer Auction."

Aegis’s brain stuttered.

"The—what?"

"Focus, pet. I won’t repeat myself."

Nazraya slammed into her hard enough to rattle the desk. Aegis moaned, trying to gather her thoughts through the haze of pleasure.

"The Summer Auction. It’s in two weeks. Nobles from across the kingdom come to show off rare items, make deals, network."

"R-Right... It’s a good opportunity to make connections. Build reputation."

Nazraya’s hand tightened around Aegis’s cock, stroking faster.

"I—fuck—I don’t know."

Nazraya leaned down, lips brushing Aegis’s ear.

"People will be attending, after all. People you’ll want to meet. People you’ll want to get to know.

Nazraya thrust harder, faster. Aegis’s cock throbbed in her hand. She was close, so fucking close.

"Now. Cum for me, pet."

Aegis did, crying out as she came hard, spilling onto the floor beneath the desk. Nazraya followed seconds later, burying herself deep and groaning.

They stayed like that for a moment, both breathing hard.

Then Nazraya pulled out, stepping back to clean herself with a casual spell.

Aegis straightened slowly, legs shaking.

"So," Nazraya said, "the Summer Auction. Just be yourself. Charming. Ambitious. Shameless."

"Yeah... I can do that."

"I know." Nazraya sat back at her desk, reopening her book like nothing had happened. "Two weeks, pet. Don’t waste them."

Aegis left the office, her legs still unsteady, her mind already racing.

As she walked back to her dorm, her HUD flickered:

EVENT UNLOCKED: SUMMER AUCTION (14 DAYS)

She grinned.

[Two weeks. Plenty of time to prepare.]