[Chapter 121: Professional Ethics]
Rachel handed Daniel a delicate box. "These are cookies I made myself. Want to see if you like them?"
Daniel took the box and opened it. Inside were freshly baked cookies.
He tried one. The flavor was decent, not too sweet.
Rachel explained, "I heard that you don't like things too sweet, so I didn't add much sugar."
"It tastes good, thank you."
Daniel closed the box and set it aside.
After inviting Rachel to sit, he brewed a pot of coffee and brought her a cup.
Rachel took a sip, and her eyes brightened. "Mr. Cross, why does your coffee taste different? It has a flavor other coffees don't. It's really delicious."
Daniel smiled.
At first, his coffee-making skills were terrible. No matter what he did, he couldn't brew a good cup. It was far inferior to anything sold outside. Then, a sudden idea struck him: he incorporated Alchemy techniques into it. Instantly, the coffee carried a special aroma.
Rachel asked curiously, "How did you do that?"
Daniel replied earnestly, "With sincerity."
Rachel blinked. "Just with sincerity?"
"Just with sincerity."
"Alright."
She wasn't sure if Daniel was teasing her, so she stopped asking.
After finishing her coffee, Rachel pulled a check from her bag.
"Mr. Cross, this is $250,000."
Daniel took it, confirmed it was correct, then put it away. "Before the luck transfer, there's one thing I need to make clear."
"Please go ahead."
Daniel said, "It's not like once your luck is changed, you can just sit back and win. The transfer only brings opportunities. If you don't seize them yourself, or if you simply pass up this chance, you'll naturally lose out."
Rachel had only recently started in the industry and had no intention of doing that.
She nodded solemnly. "I understand. I'll seize every opportunity and won't give up."
"That's good."
Daniel was just giving her a heads-up, to make sure she didn't squander a great chance.
"Come with me."
He led Rachel to a room set up in advance, similar to the one used when Robert Downey Jr. and Megan had their luck transferred.
...
Candles were lit one by one; Seals and other sacred hangings adorned the walls. Just from looking, a mysterious aura filled the space, something Rachel had never felt inside Cross Hall before.
She felt certain this was how a luck transfer ceremony should be.
Her heart began to beat faster, and her eyes glowed with anticipation.
Daniel's voice cut through the silence: "Lie down in the center."
Rachel calmed her nerves, walked to the middle, and lay down.
"Close your eyes," Daniel instructed.
Obediently, Rachel shut her eyes. Suddenly, her senses sharpened; sounds and light became clearer.
She could feel the flickering candles and a mysterious energy swirling around her.
Then Daniel started chanting a spell she didn't understand.
The spell felt deep and profound, charged with ritual and mystery.
After a while, Daniel said, "It's done. Open your eyes."
Rachel opened her eyes and found nothing visually changed.
Some candles had burned lower, but that was all.
Though she knew the ceremony wouldn't cause dramatic changes, a faint disappointment crept in.
She asked, "Is that it?"
"There's one last step. Come with me," Daniel said.
Curious, Rachel followed him to the basement entrance.
There, she saw a small cardboard box resting on the floor.
Daniel said, "Open the basement door and push this box down."
"Ah?"
Rachel was surprised at the ritual, but she didn't hesitate.
She stepped forward, pushed open the basement door, and then nudged the box inside.
As she did, she suddenly felt something moving inside the box and startled.
She wanted to ask what was inside but saw Daniel's serious expression and swallowed her question.
Just then, her whole body trembled.
Shock replaced every other feeling.
"This... this..."
She opened her mouth in disbelief.
Daniel declared quietly, "The luck transfer ceremony is complete."
"This is truly amazing," Rachel finally managed to say.
Daniel smiled. "How do you feel?"
"Very good." Rachel's face shone with pleasant surprise; her eyes still wide with wonder. "I've never experienced anything so magical. Really, if I told others, no one would believe me."
"Some things are best kept for yourself."
"Yes, of course. I definitely won't tell anyone."
Still smiling, Rachel asked, "Did Amanda get such good resources through this ceremony, too?"
Daniel hedged vaguely, "Something like that."
Rachel's anticipation for the future grew. "Does this mean my good luck is coming soon?"
Daniel considered Rachel's path. Her luck was indeed about to change.
"Yes. But whether you can seize it depends on you."
Rachel asked seriously, "Any hints?"
Daniel's face grew mysterious as he looked into the distance, as if glimpsing threads of fate.
He said, "A wedding. That's all I saw."
"A wedding," Rachel repeated, nodding eagerly. "I'll remember that."
"The luck transfer ceremony is over. I won't keep you for lunch."
"Yes, I should get going."
Rachel went to the living room and grabbed her bag. "Mr. Cross, see you next month."
After she left, Daniel's smile broadened.
'Another one fooled.'
He felt like a master con artist.
But making a large sum of cash just by messing around felt really good.
He'd painstakingly dealt with a ghost for only $100,000, but this luck transfer brought in $2 million.
Robert Downey Jr.'s side was even more incredible.
In fifteen years, it could amount to tens or even hundreds of millions.
No wonder so many of those fake divine quacks existed, it was ridiculously easy money.
Still, Daniel didn't view what he was doing as a scam at all. At least he offered real advice. And sacrificing to the Moth Monster could produce tangible benefits.
He had much more professional ethics than those divine quacks.
...
Daniel went to the bank and deposited all the checks into his account.
He'd originally planned to call Frank Douglas and sell him a few Spirit Transformation Elixirs.
But since Frank had already offered six million dollars recently, Daniel felt selling more elixirs now would seem petty.
So he decided against it.
Once his medicinal ingredients arrived and he refined more elixirs, he'd just give a few to Frank Douglas.
A day later, Daniel finally got a call from UPS.
His package had arrived.
*****
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