Published at 20th of February 2026 11:14 am

Chapter 1522 Matter of Profits

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Marlow glanced at the twin moons through the carriage window.

With a pondering look on his face and hints of confusion in his eyes, he thought to himself, Why would Berger ask me about Adam Constantine?

Did he think I'd know him just because he shared a relationship with Anna? No, more importantly, why does Berger think he was in Amberfall out of all places?

There were a lot of questions in Marlow's mind, none of which he had an answer to. In fact, those questions gave rise to even more questions.

He didn't know that Berger was Adam's mentor, so he couldn't connect the dots to understand why the gnome was asking about the raven-haired youth so intently.

The questions all seemed so random to him, yet Marlow was still able to find a faint pattern to them.

Judging by how he asked so many questions about Nilrem and Adam, could it be that…

His face subtly twisted into a frown.

Do the two know one another?

It was an utterly wild conjecture, one he didn't have any evidence for. Yet somehow… it didn't seem all that far-fetched.

Come to think of it, he mused.

Nilrem never quite had a bad opinion of the Dark King. He was always quite open-minded whenever the topic shifted to Adam, claiming that there was always more than met the eye.

Could it really be that he knows Adam personally?

Suddenly, he thought of another possibility. It was wild, but somehow made sense.

Is that how Anna learned about Marcus and Father? I'm sure Nilrem was already aware of my newborn son, and I don't see how he wouldn't know about Father advancing to the Mana Core Rank.

Perhaps… he shared this information with Adam, he wondered.

And then Adam might have told Anna about it. I don't see why the two wouldn't write letters to one another, given how deeply Anna cares about him.

But could this really be the case?

Or am I just… overthinking?

Marlow had no way to know. Unless, of course, he confirmed his speculations with Nilrem.

But it is slightly suspicious, he then thought.

Nilrem, a Mana Core Magus, just so happened to visit Amberfall while the Cult was scheming in the shadows to incite a coup.

Coincidence? Or was Nilrem aware of the Cult's schemes and came to Amberfall, hiding his true strength, in order to deal with the Cultists?

I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened to the city if he hadn't stopped the Rank 4 undead knight!

Marlow's conversation with Berger gave him a lot to think about. Although it made certain matters confusing, it did give him a new perspective.

Perhaps I should ask him if he truly knows Adam, he thought as he leaned back in his seat.

I wonder where he is…

***

Westview Archive, Scholar Ward.

Nilrem pushed open the door to the bookstore, the bell above it chiming softly as he stepped inside. The scent of old parchment and ink greeted him at once.

The elderly shopkeeper looked up from behind the counter and broke into a wide smile. "Ah, you're back!" He exclaimed warmly. "I was wondering when you'd show up again."

"Hohoho, my friend!" Nilrem returned the greeting in a happy voice as he stepped further inside.

He walked over to the counter and added with a grin, "It's been a while, eh? So, tell me, do you have any good news for me?"

Of course, the shopkeeper knew what the old man was talking about. "You won't believe this but…" He took out a ledger from under the counter and flipped it open to a marked page. "Your books have already been sold out. Especially Nilrem's Guide to Mabi."

Nilrem blinked in surprise. "Sold out? Already?"

The old shopkeeper nodded, clearly pleased. "Aye. I could hardly keep them on my shelves."

Nilrem let out a soft chuckle. "I never expected that much interest, to be honest."

After all, the role of a travel writer was merely a cover for him so that others didn't question his persona.

"It wasn't just casual readers," the shopkeeper said eagerly. "Students from the academies came first. Then their teachers followed. Word spread pretty fast."

Nilrem was genuinely surprised. "Even the teachers?"

"They were very intrigued," the shopkeeper said with a nod. "Your book doesn't just describe the land of Mabi, it records history. It showcases details pulled from ancient ruins most people have never even seen. That caught their attention."

"I only wrote what I witnessed." The elderly Magus shrugged.

The shopkeeper closed the ledger and looked up at Nilrem. "There's also the matter of profits."

Nilrem's eyes narrowed. "Thought we had already discussed the split."

The shopkeeper shook his head. "Demand is high. Your name carries weight now. I want to renegotiate."

Nilrem sneered. "Go on. Let's hear what you have to say."

"Sixty-forty," said the old shopkeeper. "In your favor—"

"Hah!" Nilrem snorted. "Ninety-nine to one, my favor. Take it or leave it."

The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. "This is even worse than what you proposed earlier!"

"Exactly." Nilrem grinned menacingly as he leaned onto the counter. "Don't get greedy, young man. Continue doing business with me based on my previous offer, or forget it. It's not like you're the only bookstore in the city."

The shopkeeper instantly turned pale. "F-fine, I apologise! We'll go with your initial offer. Ninety-ten, in your favor. B-but… I want exclusivity! Any new copies, any future books, you supply them only to my store!"

Nilrem curled his mustache in satisfaction. "You're confident you can keep up with the demand?"

"I already have orders waiting," the shopkeeper quickly replied. "And I can move more than any other bookseller in the city. So we have a deal, yes?"

Nilrem glanced at the old shopkeeper's extended hand.

He then laughed.

"Exclusive supply it is."

The shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost lost a golden opportunity because of his avarice. "I'll draft a contract. Please wait a moment."

"Sure." Nilrem waved his hand. "I'll go see if you have anything interesting."

He wandered between the shelves, scanning spines and flipping through a few volumes at random.

Some books he dismissed with a glance, while others he lingered over briefly, skimming pages before moving on. He was clearly at ease as he browsed in search of something that caught his interest.

A few books did catch his interest, and he pulled them from the shelf, stacking them under one arm. Then, his gaze landed on a particular book that made his pupils shrink.

The title of the book read:

Odyssey of the Dark King.

He casually picked up the book and continued browsing, as if nothing were amiss.

Then suddenly… a low, familiar voice echoed from behind him.

"Interesting choice of book."

Nilrem suppressed the smile about to bloom on his face. Instead, he turned around with a mildly startled expression and faced the source of the voice.

Standing there was a familiar person.

It was a grumpy old gnome.

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