Chapter 214 Business, Partnering With The Future Head Of Blackstone

Mr. Blackstone being obviously pleased that Luke completed his review, as this task took quite a long time, and due to the variety of beast species, he thought this work would take even longer.

The review was conducted by Luke through his system, as well as Seraphina and Amigo, to detect the ancestors and determine if they could withstand the knowledge of the beast armour.

Now that everything is complete, the difficult part is over.

After a while post Luke’s entry, the office became quiet and serene again.

"Excellent," Mr. Blackstone remarked. "I was just wondering how long it would take you to wrap this up."

He put everything away and focused intently on Luke, as this was an important moment.

The progenitors were ready, the facilities were in place, and all that was left was to start breeding.

He said with satisfaction, "More importantly, I’m glad you found them compatible with your system. It makes things much easier for us. Now, the next step is to breed and propagate them. Once we start, it won’t take long to produce the quantity you need. You should be able to get this data soon, definitely before the end of this week.

"Let me confirm that I haven’t made a mistake. Five hundred handy monkeys, two thousand worker ants, and two hundred fifty fire lizards. Is that so?"

"Yes, that’s right," Luke answered.

Mr. Blackstone said, "Okay. This is very feasible. Reaching those numbers won’t be difficult, and the costs won’t be too high. Besides, didn’t you mention that you’d compensate us at twenty times the expense? Heh heh. At that rate, I suppose we needn’t worry about the cost at all."

Meanwhile, Lucy was quiet... so quiet that the two men almost forgot she was there, occasionally glancing at them.

Handy Monkeys?

Worker Ants?

Fire Lizards?

Breeding and multiplying beasts?

She was curious about the handy monkeys, worker ants, fire lizards, and the beasts being raised, as this was what her father did at Blackstone Corp.

Lucy knew her father was involved in biological breeding—

But Lucy didn’t understand why Luke would be discussing these matters with him, or why he would be ordering thousands of beasts.

So, why is he here?

Luke noticed Lucy and their eyes met, and they turned inanimate for a moment.

As expected, Lucy was the first to look away, pretending to be busy with her prism shell snail.

But when Luke started walking towards her, she had no choice but to lift her head again, as it would be foolish to sit there pretending not to notice someone approaching.

Her expression became even more awkward because she wasn’t prepared.

"Miss Lucy, long time no see," Luke greeted her with an extended hand.

Lucy reluctantly shook Luke’s hand.

"Hello, Luke. Long time no see."

Luke said, "How have you been lately?"

Lucy replied, "I’m fine, thank you. How about you?"

Luke answered, "I’m doing well too."

An ordinary greeting and small talk between two people, but Lucy took it as a great deal, so she shook hands, trying not to let her embarrassment show.

Meanwhile, Mr. Blackstone placed a hand on each of their shoulders as he stood between them like an officiant at a wedding.

"I trust you two are no longer strangers?" he remarked. "Surely, you’ve grown closer since the last time I saw you together."

Both Luke and Lucy felt a jolt of tension, recalling the last time Loki tried to nudge them toward intimacy—

—which resulted in Lucy leaving the breakfast table in a fit of indignation after Loki announced her dream of having children with Luke and even gave those children special names starting with the letter L.

They didn’t want to relive that incident.

But Luke must be honest.

"Well, we haven’t really been in touch since then, but we are fine..."

Lucy nodded quickly in agreement, and Luke added, "That’s only natural. I’m sure that when the time is right, we’ll naturally find some common ground to share."

"Yes, that’s right," Lucy seconded nervously, hands still clasped with Luke’s throughout this conversation.

Meanwhile—

Loki was outraged by what they said.

"What more common ground could you possibly need?"

"You both attend the same academy! You both hail from the most powerful families, and now you’re even collaborating with her father to build a big enterprise!"

Luke scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

So, they did have this much in common? Wherefore, why is their relationship subpar?

Luke began to worry that he had ignored Lucy’s feelings; maybe Lucy had tried to get close to him, but he had never noticed. He hoped it wasn’t the case.

Luke believes he can bridge the gap between them because he always sees himself as an optimistic and kind person who can bring joy to others, and Lucy seems to be exactly the kind of person who needs that, as she has been stagnant and making no progress for nearly the past two years.

Such a girl should have good friends and support, so she doesn’t have to face everything alone.

Moreover, Lucy was actually his business partner, as she would be the heir to Blackstone and take over the company he was currently building close ties with.

Therefore, becoming friends now makes their future cooperation seamless.

Luke looked at Lucy, thinking that her eyes were not beautiful in the usual sense, but rather more mysterious.

Scarlett’s green eyes were both beautiful and dreamily ethereal, the Kingsley family’s blue eyes could be as warm as gentle waves or as cold as ice, and even his own red eyes were just a contentious colour.

But Lucy’s purple eyes were different—they looked like a lost constellation, and Luke finally released her hand.

"Lucy, I look forward to working with you in the future, especially when you become the heir and take over Blackstone Corporation."

Lucy smiled slightly and said, "I’m also very pleased to be working with you. Your ideas are quite eccentric, and I believe you will need as much support as possible."

"Now, that’s more like it!" Loki praised. "Think about it. You two will have many opportunities to collaborate. Blackstone has its own resources and influence, while Luke has his own ideas and ambitions.

"Of course, you must first overcome your current obstacles. You both are still students at the academy. You need to complete the trials, become hunters, join the confederacy, and establish your legitimacy."

Luke agreed and said, "That’s right. We still have a lot to accomplish." Then he turned to Lucy and said, "Oh, I almost forgot. Sorry, Lucy, about your situation. I heard that you lost a lot of points. I think it’s almost impossible to compete for the Dux or Summa now."

"It’s okay," Lucy replied solemnly, hugging an arm. "I just ran into some problems..."

Lucy did not explain the problems...

It was the incident with Derek Cole.

Derek’s actions indirectly led to the deaths of some students, and she was penalised for being on his team.

In contrast, Luke thought this problem she ran into must be her stagnation, so he offered some help to solve the problem.

"If you want, I can help you with training on certain days. Maybe stimulation and different methods can help you overcome the stagnation."

"Luke..."

Lucy tried to say, but she was speechless because Luke was so kind, even though he wouldn’t gain anything from helping her become stronger.

But stagnation?

Lucy was no longer stagnant.

Lucy had made a breakthrough, but Luke didn’t know that.

So, Luke’s willingness to help Lucy mesmerised her in the midst of his ignorance.

Lucy thought about saying "yes" nevertheless, but—

"Luke, my dear! Lucy, my daughter, is no longer a stagnant summoner. She finally broke through!"

"Father..."

************

Lucy wants to accept Luke’s offer of help.

She was already thinking about how things might develop...

Training together is a reasonable excuse to give them more time together, without her looking thirsty.

Unlike Loki’s arrangements, Lucy agreed this was a more genuine reason to spend time together.

Attending sessions together, training side by side, joking with each other during breaks, and sharing some secrets improve bonds. No pressure.

Then, when the time is right, Lucy will announce that she has overcome the stagnation.

Of course, Lucy has already broken through, but she will keep it hidden until the best time to reveal it, as if Luke’s help was what made it all possible.

His proposal just happened to provide this opportunity, and her "breakthrough" would be the crowning touch to their growing relationship.

Unfortunately, her father ruined everything, and Lucy felt dissatisfied.

Luke’s expression completely changed after this revelation.

He was nothing more than a surprised guest who must be late to this news.

"Really? You broke through?"

Mr. Blackstone enthusiastically replied on Lucy’s behalf, "Yes! She finally succeeded!"

"That’s great! Congratulations, Lucy. That’s really great news!"

Mr. Blackstone concurred, "Indeed! This is an outstanding achievement!"

He looked more pleased than the person being honoured.

Lucy slightly lowered her head and said, "Thank you..."

Her response was far from the excitement around her.

Mr. Blackstone was already thinking of something else...

"This is indeed good news. We have to celebrate! There has been a lot of good news lately. First, Luke is opening his Beast Armour shop, and now Lucy has finally overcome her stagnation. What a wonderful moment! We must find a reason to celebrate all of this together"