Chapter 4: The Failed Investment

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Failed Investment

Xavier noticed almost immediately that Mira still looked weaker than she should have.

The Restoration Elixir had stopped the worst of her injuries and restored some of her strength, but it clearly hadn’t solved the underlying problem.

That was why he had taken another elixir from his storage pouch.

There was another reason, though. Xavier wanted to test something.

The system had rewarded him with several items after his first investment, and if he could use one of those rewards to invest in Mira again, he could potentially create a cycle that would never end.

He could stay home, keep giving Mira the rewards he received, and continue getting more in return. It sounded almost too good to be true. There was only one way to find out.

Mira looked at the Restoration Elixir in his hand, then hesitated. "Xavier, there’s something I want to tell you," she said.

He looked at her, his heartbeat skipped. Did she want to say she regret this marriage and—

"The elixir helped, but it can’t completely heal me." She lowered her gaze as she spoke.

Oh...

This was her worry?

"The damage inside my body is more serious than ordinary injuries. When they removed my Celestial core, it damaged my magical core as well. A Second Tier Restoration Elixir can repair the surface damage, but it can’t restore what I lost."

Mira carefully watched his expression, afraid of what she might see. Back at the matchmaking event, everyone had called her useless.

They had pointed out her weakness again and again, making it clear that choosing her was considered a terrible decision. Even when she heard the subtle rumors about him, it just didn’t matter at all.

All she could remember was his soft gaze, how he had stared at her with so much care. Nobody has ever acted like that to her other than her parents.

These people must have gone dumb calling someone like this cursed.

Now she was scared. What if Xavier had simply acted on impulse, she thought.

Perhaps he hadn’t fully understood what he was getting himself into. Now that they were alone, would he regret it?

"I understand," Xavier said.

Mira looked up. He didn’t seem disappointed.

"If it can’t cure everything, then at least let it help with what it can," he said, extending the elixir toward her. "Take it."

Mira’s fingers curled slightly. "It’s expensive. You’ve already given me one. I don’t want you wasting another on me when I can recover on my own."

"You’re my wife now." Xavier looked at her as though her concern made no sense. "If I have something that can help you, why wouldn’t I give it to you?"

Mira’s heart gave a small, unexpected flutter. She had spent the past week learning exactly how quickly people could stop caring once she became useless to them, yet Xavier hadn’t changed his attitude even after learning that her injuries were worse than he thought. She opened her mouth to argue again.

"I really..."

"You’re overthinking it," he said, and before she could finish, Xavier gently tipped the elixir into her mouth.

Mira’s eyes widened. The restorative energy spread through her body almost immediately, and a faint flush returned to her cheeks.

Xavier, however, barely noticed. A familiar notification had appeared in his mind.

[Investment failed.]

Xavier’s expression stiffened. Another line appeared beneath it.

[Warning: Resources obtained through the Investment System cannot be directly reinvested into the same target.]

So that was the rule. His little experiment had failed. Xavier sighed inwardly.

What a shame.

He had already imagined himself sitting at home while Mira consumed one system reward after another and his wealth multiplied endlessly.

Still, the disappointment lasted only a moment. He had already received the rewards from his first investment; those were real. He simply couldn’t use the same system generated resources to trigger another investment directly. That didn’t mean there wasn’t another way.

Xavier’s eyes narrowed slightly. If the system only prohibited direct reinvestment, then he could simply sell the rewards and purchase something else.

The system wouldn’t be rewarding the same item anymore. He would be investing through a completely different resource. The more he thought about it, the more reasonable the idea seemed.

"I need to go out for a while," Xavier said, already turning toward the door.

Mira blinked. "Now?"

"Yes. There’s something I need to take care of." He glanced back at her. "Stay here. Don’t go anywhere until I get back."

Mira nodded slowly. "Alright."

Xavier didn’t waste another second. He left the apartment and headed toward the commercial district.

*******

Twenty minutes later, Xavier arrived at Westbridge Avenue. The entire street was dedicated to magical resources.

Potion shops stood beside equipment stores, while specialty merchants displayed enchanted artifacts and rare materials behind reinforced glass.

Even from outside, Xavier could see shelves filled with items meant for mages and awakened warriors.

He walked straight into the largest shop on the street: Everbright Exchange. The store occupied several floors and had everything from combat equipment to rare magical materials.

Xavier approached the counter and placed the remaining system rewards in front of the shopkeeper. "I want to sell these."

The shopkeeper looked over the items before raising his eyebrows. "You’ve got quite a collection here. Aren’t you that cursed guy? The one whose wife kept dying?" He eyed Xavier skeptically.

"Are you going to do business or poke your nose in business that doesn’t benefit you?" Xavier almost snapped.

The shopkeeper chuckled warily. "Oh come on, don’t be angry, young man. Come on, I’ll give you a fair price." He said quickly.

Best guess was that he had seen the elixirs, they weren’t just random stuff and he felt he could make a good deal regardless of who he is.

He began to study them and finally raised his gaze at Xavier. "They’re all Second Tier."

"I can give you nine hundred thousand crowns for everything."

Xavier immediately shook his head. "Too low."

The shopkeeper smiled. "Then name your price."

"One point six million."

The shopkeeper nearly laughed. "You’re asking for market price. I’m buying them from you, not selling them."

"Then give me one point four."

"One million."

"One point three."

"One point one."

"One point two, and we have a deal."

The shopkeeper studied him for a few seconds before finally extending his hand. "Deal."

A short while later, the nine remaining elixirs were sold, and Xavier walked away with 1.2 million crowns. It wasn’t as much as they would have been worth if he sold them individually, but he wasn’t interested in wasting time searching for buyers.

Besides, he had already made a ridiculous profit from a single Restoration Elixir.

The shopkeeper watched him count the money and smiled. "With that much money, surely you’re not planning to leave without buying anything."

Xavier glanced around the store. "We’ll see."

The shopkeeper immediately began pointing toward different sections. "We’ve got enchanted weapons over there, spell manuals on the second floor, defensive artifacts, potions, magical materials..."

"I’ll look around myself," Xavier said, walking away before the man’s sales pitch could continue.

The shop was enormous, with separate areas for spell manuals, weapons, armor, potions, magical materials, and miscellaneous resources. Xavier briefly looked through the equipment section before moving on. He couldn’t afford to waste his money.

More importantly, he needed things Mira could actually use.

If he wanted to maximize his chances of triggering another system reward, he had to invest intelligently, and healing and strengthening resources were the most practical choices.

He soon arrived at the potion section.

"Second Tier Vitality Elixir." His eyes moved to another bottle. "Second Tier Spirit Elixir." Then he spotted the familiar Restoration Elixir, and picked up one of each.

The Vitality Elixir could replenish blood and physical vitality, while the Spirit Elixir was designed to strengthen one’s mental power and magical reserves. Both were commonly used by wealthy awakened individuals.

Xavier briefly considered the Bloodrage and Purification Elixirs as well. The Bloodrage Elixir could temporarily increase a person’s combat strength, but once the effect wore off, severe weakness followed.

The Purification Elixir was useful for removing toxins and harmful substances from the body. Neither was particularly useful to Mira at the moment, so Xavier put them back.

He wasn’t shopping just because he had money now; every purchase had a purpose.

After paying for the three elixirs, Xavier continued toward the store’s general merchandise section. Then something caught his attention: a large crystal displayed behind a glass case.

Awakening Crystal.

Xavier stopped. These crystals were among the most popular resources for ordinary people who had never awakened a magical affinity.

A person could absorb the energy contained within one crystal and attempt to awaken their first magical talent, though the success rate wasn’t guaranteed, and once used, the crystal became useless.

Xavier stared at it for a moment. He had already tried this twice in the past. Both attempts had failed. Back then, every failed crystal had felt like another reminder that he simply wasn’t destined to become a mage.

But now, Xavier walked past without hesitation. There was no reason for him to gamble on an Awakening Crystal anymore.

Most people could only awaken a single innate magical affinity during the early stages of their development, and if he awakened some useless affinity now, he’d only be making things harder for himself.

Why gamble when the system existed? If he could trigger a high level return involving magical talent, he could obtain something far better than anything an ordinary Awakening Crystal could offer.

More importantly, Mira had already awakened her magical ability. An ordinary Awakening Crystal would do nothing for her.

Higher grade crystals capable of forcing a second awakening were extremely rare, and this store didn’t carry them. Even if they did, Xavier doubted he could afford one.

He continued walking. Then he remembered something else: the Frost Phoenix Bloodline. According to the system, it was dormant inside Mira. If he could find a way to awaken it, her situation could change completely.

There were specialized magical elixirs capable of awakening rare bloodlines, but the most direct method involved a high tier substance known as a Celestial Awakening Elixir.

It was a Fifth Tier resource. Even in an entire city like Valemont, there probably weren’t many available, and Xavier certainly couldn’t afford one right now.

He frowned slightly. Then his eyes suddenly stopped on a small bottle sitting near the back of the display. A faint blue liquid shimmered inside it.

"What’s that?" Xavier stepped closer.

The label caught his attention.

Bloodline Awakening Water.

His eyes brightened. He had encountered the name in one of his old academy textbooks. This was from Xavier’s memory. Bloodline Awakening Water wasn’t powerful enough to guarantee the awakening of a rare bloodline, but it could greatly strengthen the body, and with prolonged use, it could even increase the possibility of awakening a dormant bloodline.

In other words, it was a cheaper alternative to the Fifth Tier Celestial Awakening Elixir.

Xavier picked up the tiny bottle, then saw the price.

750,000 crowns.

He stared at it for a few seconds. Half of his newly acquired fortune would disappear immediately. But when Xavier thought about the system panel hovering over Mira’s head, his hesitation vanished.

If this could help awaken her Frost Phoenix Bloodline, it would be worth every crown. And if the system considered it a valid investment, the possible return made his pulse quicken.

"Seven hundred and fifty thousand?" Xavier looked at the shopkeeper. "I’ll take it."