Page 649 -- LXXV.

--donation bonus week #1 (day 1/5, post 1/5)--
It took a second for that number to register. “Wait, what?”

‘You didn’t think she’d give us this monstrosity without any funds to get started, did you? This place is probably the biggest money pit I’ve ever seen.’

“But... wha...” He squinted with one eye. “Fucking three million?! You’re telling me I’m a millionaire now?!”

‘Technically.’

“Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?!”

‘I wanted to see the state of things first. And now that I have, I don’t think you should get too excited about your newfound riches. If the rest of Warrenhold is in as terrible a state as everything we’ve seen so far, then three million troas will hardly put a dent in our expenses.’

“But... three million...”

Garovel chortled as they started back toward the ring of towers. ‘Our goal should be to restore Warrenhold in such a way that it will eventually begin to pay for itself.’

“How the hell do we do that?”

‘There are all sorts of ways to make money, Hector, especially when you already have some at your disposal. But first, we still need a clearer picture of everything that Warrenhold has to offer. Hopefully, Voreese will give us some juicy details when she visits. The castle is certainly impressive to look at, but I’m not sure that explains why she seemed so set on it.’

“Hmm. Maybe there’s a secret treasure room.”

‘That’d be nice.’

“So secret that we’ll never find it.”

‘Sounds about right.’


Chapter Seventy-Five: ‘Son of Water, observe carefully...’
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Ever since school let out for the day, Marcos couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he was being watched. It was discomforting, to say the least, like his eyes could see someone recognizable there in the pedestrian crowds, but his brain simply refused to tell him who it was.

He tried to be smart about it and just stuck with his friends. When their basketball game concluded, he asked them if they wanted to come over to his house and play some other games. They agreed but still ended up finding excuses to abandon him along the way. He knew they were just uncomfortable in these fancier neighborhoods, but still. He really wished they would’ve stuck with him a bit longer.