Chapter 52: Challenge epted


    "That''s determined by me," the old man smiled calmly before ying with the ten orbs with hands that had membranes covering their nails. "So, one day then?"


    "No, make them five," Jim epted the challenge before taking another forty orbs, making the old man sigh. "Kid, you are new here and didn''t go to Dragon town. You''ll need all the orbs you need out there. One day is fine for someone as poor as you."


    Jim understood what this sneaky man and those behind him wanted. They wrongly thought he had these orbs from his allowance. "Don''t mind me, I can take care of myself. Give me a five days stall, please."


    Despite being yed here, he kept his calm and didn''t show any discontent over his face. He wasn''t stupid to make more enemies or give them the excuse to punish him.


    "Then five days you''ll receive," the old man smiled before giving him a small box. "ce your blood on it and put it where you like."


    "Thanks," Jim politely said and didn''t mean it.


    The next moment he went towards the busiest ce here and made his way among the crowded disciples who just sneered and gave him mocking nces.


    They all thought wrongly he was someone as low as them. Yet he didn''t respond back with any hostility, after all he didn''t know how many of them would join his team.


    The moment he reached the spot he desired he leaned on the ground, put the box before dropping a blood over it.


    In the next moment the box shivered before expanding fast, upward and to the sides until a stall appeared in the middle of the crowdest ce, making it more bustling with more disciples.


    "Interesting," he muttered as he noticed there was a banner with his name, rank, the pantheon he followed, and the amount of orbs per disciple.


    "A fifty orb for a disciple?!" He was surprised to see this number while a y made puppet appeared growing from the center of the stall before taking an exact shape of him in the end.


    "Master, I''m here to serve you," the doll said and Jim turned to nce at the old man in the distance with a smug smile over his face.


    "Damn you," he cursed, as like this he couldn''t ept many disciples. He already paid fifty to this stingy old fish, and now he had to pay another fifty per disciple.


    "Like this I will only gain five!" he was angry and at this moment his team came out of the building with dark faces.


    "What''s wrong?" he went to them while letting the disciples gather around his stall.


    "Those arrogant kids! They all asked for monster orbs in return," Deno was the angriest of all before he sneered. "They didn''t care about joining such a powerhouse like you."


    "Don''t worry yourselves," Jim smiled before taking this challenge more seriously than before, "we need to go first to my inner disciple affairs before heading towards the forest."


    "Forest?" Ashley asked.


    "It''s the forest of the academy," Kor exined before adding, "but isn''t it dangerous to go there in such low numbers of ours? What about here? Shouldn''t we stay to have some followers?"


    "Don''t worry," Jim smiled before pointing towards his stall, "I already have this expensive one here to do the job for us."


    Just as he said this, a voice came suddenly in his mind, startling him.


    "Master, disciples are asking about when will you pay for them?"


    "Can you speak to me directly?" Jim was astonished by this.


    "Sure, I can speak to the master as long as he doesn''t exit this world to another," the doll answered before adding in his own voice, "what I tell them?"


    "What''s the standard procedure here?" he asked before making any decision.


    "Payment can be postponed to the beginning of the academy."


    "Meaning in one week," Jim thought for a moment there before adding, "alright, make the payment at the first day of the academy."


    "But they won''t serve you until they get paid."


    "No problem," Jim said before adding, "select the strongest five and I''ll pay them today."


    "Master can touch his ring and I can withdraw orbs directly from it."


    "Wow, you can do that?" Jim was more astonished.


    "Sure, provided that master isn''t in another world."


    "Great," Jim smiled before touching his ring, "take what''s inside and then I''ll provide you with moreter."


    "Where do masters want these five disciples to be sent to?"


    "To the forest," Jim said before turning to Rick and the other three, "is there a ce like a gate or something for this forest?"


    "There is a big gate at the southern part of the academy," Roo replied while pointing towards a certain direction, "it''s known as the monster gate."


    "Good name," Jim nodded before sending this info to his puppet. "Nice puppet indeed, "he smiled while leading the way of his team towards the direction he came from.


    During the way he asked a couple of times until he reached the inner disciple affairs building. Unlike the outer disciple building, this one looked more majestic with golden and silver statues around it, the golden dome in the center, and the emptiness in this ce.


    "This looks quite deste," Lan muttered.


    "You just wait here, I''m going in to have everything done then we''ll head towards the forest."


    They all nodded while he went towards the empty building to find a couple of other disciples there making some deals with those in charge of the ce.