Money is Good
Around the same time Xander left the missions hall, an uproar was happening amongst a large number of those important people within Avoma, especially crafters.
You see, steel was something that already existed in the world of Tatonia, and like Gold, it held quite an important place in the world. Like Gold, it conducted mana well, but it was also more durable, which made it far more useful for things related to combat, like armor or staffs...
If it was made well.
An issue with steel in Tatonia was that, unlike earth, the methods of its creation were still relatively new. Sure, magic was involved, but that didn't change the fact that there were many problems in steel making.
However, Xander was someone who excelled in the usage of blades back on earth. What's more, he had an in-depth knowledge on how to make them. In short, he was very familiar with the crafting process of real, refined steel.
The method used by the blacksmiths on Tatonia was something called blooming where iron was just tossed into a bunch of charcoal where it doesn't fully melt and becomes almost spongy. Then they blacksmith would spend a large amount of time hammering out the impurities.
The biggest problem with this method was inconsistency. Too much carbon would make the metal too brittle, too little would make it too soft. As such, it might result in proper steel sometimes and a failed product in others. A hit or miss basically.
The result? Steel was surprisingly expensive in Tatonia, even more than gold. After all, it wasn't a natural resource that could be mined, nor could magic like transmutation easily replicate it.
Xander knew all of this. He also knew how to rectify these problems. Which is what he sold.
The information he gave was by no means revolutionary. Not to him, that it. The methods he introduced were carburizing, where the iron sat inside the charcoal to soak up the carbon properly, introduce better airflow for hotter fire—or just have a fire mage crank up the heat–which reduces impurities.
He also added that they should stop quenching with water and instead use oil since, while slower, it prevents warping and cracking unlike using water.
And finally, the use of tempering, where the metal is reheated. Not till it's red hot again, just enough.
Naturally, what he gave them was more intricate than this, but this was just the gist of it.
Xander knew how to create actual peak quality steel from earth, but even with the secrecy of the Information Club, he worried for his safety, which was why he gave them such a watered down method.
What he didn't know was that even this diluted method was still significant, to the point that almost every significant artisan within Avoma, and even some outside the school, were being called to test the validity of the method he introduced, and the more they tested, the more amazed they became.
Because every test they did resulted in a positive result. Not just that, but the steel produced was of a higher quality than anything ever seen before.
From this alone, it was clear that a lot of things were going to happen soon.
But that was for future Xander to worry about.
***
Unaware of the turmoil he had caused, Xander continued his day as normal, which included training and just observing his seniors to get a feel for how the school worked and its system. He wasn't allowed into a surprising amount of areas, but he guessed he just didn't clearance for those.
It was as he was walking towards what looked like a large gym that he noticed someone approaching him.
'Hm?' He turned, and he was slightly taken aback by who he saw.
'... Very short.' That was the first thought that entered his mind, because indeed, the person who now stood in front of his was very short.
He had jet black hair that was even darker than Xander's, and a pretty lithe figure that made Xander doubt he was a student at the school. His facial features were also quite soft, so Xander immediately clocked that it was either an androgynous male or a female that dressed like a guy.
"Hello there." The person spoke, and Xander tilted his head.
"... Hello to you too?" He sounded a bit unsure as he silently sized them up. Seeing this, the person laughed.
"I can sense your confusion. Yes, I am a male, I get that confused a lot." He said pleasantly, and Xander nodded slightly.
"Okay. So... why did you address me?" Xander asked straightforwardly.
"Straightforward, I like that," The other person nodded. "Well, for starters, my name is Samuel, pleased to meet you." The guy, Samuel, held out a gloved hand. Xander stared at it for a few seconds before taking it, his own hand almost completely covering it as they shook.
'His grip is surprisingly firm.' Xander thought with some surprised.
When they pulled their hands back, Samuel spoke.
"I understand my presence might come as a surprise, however, I couldn't help but want to meet you after your display at the gate yesterday." Hearing thing, Xander blinked.
"Ah, you were one of the spectators of my fight?" He enquired, and Samuel nodded.
"I see. So, what? You want to build a relationship with me because I'm above average?" He asked plainly, and this made Samuel laugh.
"Just 'above average'? I don't think you understand just how significant of a feat that is. After all, virtually all Avoma students are experienced combatants. Yet you managed to defeat him, with a sword, no less." He glanced at the sword sheathed by Xander's side, then he leaned closer and said in a hushed tone.
"In fact, I heard some rumors that you engaged in a duel with a student who excelled at lightning magic, and won." This gave Xander a pause, not because Samuel knew, but because he said it was a 'rumor'.
'Huh, I expected it to have been a lot more widespread knowledge. Did the sergeant purposefully suppress the information? Or something else.' While he was pondering, Samuel backed away.
"Regardless, I indeed find your strength fascinating and would like to become acquainted with you. After all, in a place like Avoma, it's not recommended to be a loner. Connections are just important as strength. So it's best to form them early." Xander pondered over this.
"... I see your point, I guess. But what exactly would being acquainted with you entail?" He raised a brow, and Samuel just smiled.
"Nothing wrong with having a powerful ally, don't you think?" Xander stared at him.
'Well, he's certainly not lying about the powerful part.' He tilted his head like he was inspecting a particularly powerful specimen.
'The amount of mana suppressed just beneath his skin... It's a bit horrifying.' After a moment, Xander reciprocated the smile.
"Alright then, Samuel. It seems we have become... 'acquainted'." This made Samuel beam.
"Wonderful. You will not regret it, I promise." He then slipped his hand into his pocket, and Xander was surprised to see him bring out a Gold card.
"We can exchange our information with our cards. Than way, we can communicate at any time." Samuel explained, and Xander nodded as he pulled out his own card, having already figured out the process of exchanging contacts.
The two of them completed the task, and they both said their goodbyes before separating.
'It's as I thought.' Samuel thought when they were far enough away from each other, his smile turning sharp.
'When he looked at me, he wasn't just considering my stature, he was cataloging possible weak points. And his hand never once strayed from the hilt of his sword. Heh...' He covered his mouth to hide his growing smile.
"Xander Lowell, you are intriguing indeed."
On the opposite side, Xander entered the gym while thinking idly.
'So he was the one who was watching my fight yesterday, huh? I knew I noticed something weird. He was testing me the whole time during that conversation, too. Is he just weird or something else? And he also has a golden card, that means we will both be on the same floor. Hm...' He shook his head.
"You joined a military school. There's bound to be some interesting people here and there." Xander felt a strange mix of apprehension and excitement. What else—or rather—who else would he encounter that would make his stay at Avoma more interesting?
'Guess I'll find out when the time comes.' He hummed and entered the gym.
***
It was only around 8 in the evening that Xander returned to the missions hall. It was less crowded, though not by a lot, and he didn't bother wasting any time as he walked straight to the information area.
It was still the same senior who had attended to Xander before that manned the place, and when he saw Xander, he simply nodded, stood, and gestured for him to follow as his colleague took his place.
'Guess that means it has been rectified. Good. Classes start tomorrow proper so it would have been annoying to try and come here.' He thought as they once more arrived at the simple room with the table, and this time, two chairs which were on opposing sides of the table could be seen.
Xander took a seat without being asked, and the senior followed suit. He exhaled before he started speaking.
"Before anything else. I'd like to say congratulations. The information you sold managed to get you enough points to put you in our top ten Top Earners in the last four years." Hearing this, Xander was taken aback.
'That... That's important, right? But was the info I sold THAT crazy? I mean, I knew it would be significant, but to put me on a leaderboard...?' On one hand, he was excited, being top ten in something involving funds could hardly be problematic. But on the other hand, well, he was pretty concerned.
'Hopefully I didn't screw myself over.' As he mulled over it, the senior continued.
"After reviewing the validity of your information and discussing intently, we decided that your information was worth 350,000 credits."
"!!!"
Xander nearly lost his composure as he gripped the armrest of his chair tightly.
'3-350?!' His eyes widened.
For reference, a single credit was akin to a single gold coin outside the school. 1 gold coin was worth ten silver coins, and 1 silver coin was worth 10 bronze coins. So gold coins were the highest denomination of their category.
Xander received 500 credits upon entering with a Gold card. To put that into perspective, the average student earned about 200 credits coins a month from allowance alone, adding missions and other miscellaneous tasks, the average earning of a student at Avoma was 500-700 credits a month. These were conclusions Xander had come to after his exploration of the school.
So in a year, at a high-ball, that was 8,400 credits.
And yet, in just a few hours. Xander had earned 350,000.
That was over 41 times the amount some students made in a year!
Before he could dwell on this insanity further, the senior continued.
"Actually, this is quite unprecedented, but the information you sold is simply too valuable to leave you as is." Xander immediately snapped to attention.
'I knew it, things won't be so simple.' His gaze sharpened.
"After some back and forth, we decided to present you with some options outside of your payment," He raised three fingers. "You are free to reject all of them and simply take your payment as is, but I encourage you to listen to them first." Hearing this, Xander lingered for a few seconds before nodding.
"Alright, let's hear them." The senior nodded at this, pleased.
"Good. Your options are as follows." He snapped his fingers, and three contracts appeared from thin air, each with a different insignia.
"The first contract is from the Golden Road Emporium. Simply put, for every relevant idea and improvement related to steel, you will be paid a substantial sum if you give it to them, and only them." He gestured to the second contract.
"This one is from the Blacksmith's Guild. The terms are a bit similar to the first. But the difference is that if you sign a contract with them, you will get the chance to have a weapon, crafted for you personally by one of their high-ranking blacksmiths." Then he gestured to the last contract which was noticeably smaller than the two.
"This is from the Prosperity Enthusiasts. Their term is this. If you agree to give them consequent information related to the creation of steel and other relevant methods, you will have receive 10% of their total profit from sales of steel. 5% from simply signing the contract with them." Hearing these, Xander sat there frozen.
He knew these names. Of course he knew these names. Illegitimate child or not, he was bound to know some things, and these three...
'Aren't they like... the big three when it comes to earning cash in the kingdom? And they are all presenting such terms to me?' He didn't know if he should feel honored or terrified.
The senior seemed to sense his hesitation and spoke.
"Rest assured, your identity is not in jeopardy. Unless you choose to reveal it willingly, our Information Club has numerous methods to ensure that you will not be exposed. Even these three groups are aware of this, which is why they are using us as a proxy to interact with you rather than doing it themselves. They can't find out who you are from our efforts." This eased Xander's worries a bit.
'Also, worst comes to worst, I'll write a letter to Xavier for help. Though I'd rather avoid that.' With a sigh, he read each of the contracts slowly.
He already resolved himself to picking one of them. After all, that sort of cash? Who the hell wouldn't want to.
Granted, he already decided from the moment the senior listed out his options.
After reading through the contracts and ensuring there wouldn't be anything too problematic for him in the long or short run, he stared at the person opposite him and said resolutely.
"I choose the terms of the Prosperity Enthusiasts."