Chapter 117: First Client

An important thing Terrence had ignored earlier was the identity of this girl who was bringing him to their estate.

She looked so much like Ulyssia, and because of this uncanny resemblance, he couldn’t focus on his thoughts.

Maybe it was just because Ulyssia was helpful and had the potential to be a great captain. But other than that, it was just because of her background coming from the Barren Slum.

Not too long after, they finally arrived before an estate that Terrence couldn’t say was just average. With how extravagant the walls were, detailed with curls and intricate designs, and the massive gate standing before them guarded by two men on duty, he couldn’t help but be amazed.

This was far different from the sleek, flat architecture of the Lee Family and most rich families. Not just that, he had to appreciate the perfectly trimmed and shaped bushes, along with a small maze of hedges off to their right.

When they entered, the two guards bowed without even looking directly at them. It seemed like an established norm that they had to greet whoever this girl was.

"Are you a young lady here?" Terrence asked, glancing down at her.

The girl was looking impatient, wanting to bring him inside right away, but when he asked, she adjusted her focus and raised her head with an innocent look.

"You can say that I am. But compared to my sisters, I am just a speck of dust."

Terrence chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"Don’t be overly insecure. You are just hindering your own growth by thinking that way," Terrence replied without thinking much.

He didn’t notice that the face of the girl suddenly shifted into a somewhat solemn and emotional expression.

"You don’t know that. You are just speculating, maybe," the girl said with a bit of a playful tone.

"You haven’t introduced yourself yet," Terrence reminded her.

Hearing those words, her eyes widened in surprise, and she came to a sudden stop. She looked up at him before giving a quick, snappy bow.

"Forgive me! I am Elissandra Louise!"

Terrence smirked at her sudden reaction.

"Really dramatic. You don’t need to react that way."

Elissandra quickly smoothed out her clothes, shaking her head as she straightened her body back up.

"I am taught with strict etiquette and manners. I shouldn’t have forgotten such an important part."

"That’s right, but there’s still no need to be dramatic," Terrence replied, letting a quiet silence settle between the two of them before Elissandra continued walking, guiding Terrence through the lush courtyard.

When they arrived at the main training courtyard, he saw two people waiting. One was an old man wearing a white tactical set of gear, fit and tailored, with very few items resting on his waist. The other was a female, who appeared to be an assistant to the old man acting as the instructor.

As they slowly approached, the old man took notice of their arrival, a soft coat of arrogance painting his face as he smirked upon seeing Terrence.

"So, you have really brought him here. And how did you manage that?" the old man asked with absolutely no regard for respect.

Whoever he was—a hired instructor or something else—shouldn’t he show respect to his client? Well, they could just have a weird arrangement going on, so Terrence chose not to pry into it.

"I managed. Barely." Elissandra’s face changed, now showing a fiercer edge laced with an attitude Terrence didn’t recognize.

’Just how weird are these people?’ Terrence thought to himself, his brow twitching slightly. ’I want to leave already. But I can’t just let this first client lose. I want to earn more money and use the Gacha Shop again.’

The old man stepped forward, strode slowly with his arms crossed, and analyzed Terrence from head to toe. When he was done, he smirked again, creasing his already-wrinkled face.

Terrence just let him stare and didn’t react, inspecting how old this instructor was in return. Because of the arrogant vibe radiating from the old man, Terrence couldn’t help but reciprocate it.

"What do you need from me?" Terrence finally asked, breaking the silence.

"So you can talk," the old man said, scoffing and shaking his head. "Anyway, I am Oliver, a Grandmaster Tamer. And you are Terrence, a former Lee descendant, right?"

Terrence scoffed, his eyes never disconnecting from Oliver’s locked gaze. He was actively throwing back the exact same underestimation he felt directed at him.

’What’s wrong with this old man? Does he think he knows me?’

"I heard that you have two beasts. One was a flying beast, right?" Oliver pressed, raising an eyebrow.

Terrence gave a short, flat nod. "Why? You want it like the others do?"

The old man scoffed again, shaking his head dismissively. "Why would I? Is it really that good? It’s just another beast, except it can fly."

"Let’s start. Enough with the talk," Terrence cut in sharply, crossing his arms over his chest. "Whatever you want to do, let’s just get it over with already."

The old man turned around, removing the tight fitting of his outer jacket. He gave it to his assistant, who was silently observing with her eyes almost entirely closed.

"I will explain this to you. You are going to fight me with a merchandise you have. One that you think will suit best. Since my good student here said that she can just buy a powerful beast and doesn’t have to train with cultivation of the mind and body, she has to prove it. And you have to prove it too."

Terrence’s eyes naturally looked over at Elissandra, who looked thoroughly ashamed of what her instructor had just exposed.

Sighing in disbelief, Terrence couldn’t believe the situation he found himself in.

’So I was dragged all the way here because of one kid’s tardiness? What an amazing way to start my business. But whatever, a client is a client. My goal is to earn money for the Gacha Shop anyway. Who knows what useful things it can give that will help me progress toward my ultimate goal.’

Terrence sucked in a deep breath, closing his eyes as he mentally recalled all the beasts he had stored inside his Beast Sanctuary.

He still had ten beasts of various kinds kept safely inside the sanctuary space. His previous stay within the Nexus rift had reaped good harvests, allowing him to stock his shop thoroughly in that short amount of time.