140: Chapter 0140 Acquisition Success

Lilith covered her mouth with a soft gasp, then focused intently on his fingertips:

"Can I... can I try?"

She mimicked Li Size's gestures to draw the runes, but her fingertips trembled because she hadn't learned the Meditation Technique yet, and her consciousness space was unstable.

The Demonic Energy scattered into a wisp of light red mist, failing to even outline a complete rune shape.

Li Size took her hand and explained gently:

"Don't rush. You haven't learned the Meditation Technique, and your consciousness space isn't stable yet, so you can't directly cast sorceries right now.

Just follow me in drawing the runes and feel the flow of the Demonic Energy. See, this 'Propel' rune needs to be tilted about 30 degrees here so the Demonic Energy connection will be smoother."

His palm rested against the back of her hand. The warm touch made Lilith's cheeks flush. This time, she managed to draw a fragmented outline of the rune.

But the Demonic Energy still couldn't condense into a complete sorcery, merely dissipating into specks of sparks in the air. Li Size patted the back of her hand comfortingly:

"That's already great. Focus on mastering the Meditation Technique first. Once your consciousness space stabilizes, you'll be able to control the Demonic Energy."

"The principle for modifying the Ice Arrow Spell is similar; you just swap the runes to 'Ice' + 'Condense' + 'Pierce'."

Li Size flicked his fingertips, and a pale blue rune took shape in the air.

"I optimized the condensation step, which can increase the hardness of the Ice Arrow by 20%.

For now, memorize the rune sequence and connection points. Try casting it only after you learn the Meditation Technique and stabilize your consciousness space."

With a slight push from his finger, a miniature Ice Arrow embedded itself into the wooden coffee table, leaving a shallow icy mark.

Lilith leaned over the coffee table, touching the ice mark with her fingertip. A trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by dependence:

"dear, I understand... I will properly study the Meditation Technique first and stabilize my consciousness space before practicing these sorceries!

I will definitely remember all this optimized knowledge!"

Her cheek rested against his arm, her voice as soft and sweet as cotton candy.

Li Size stroked her hair, his eyes full of tenderness:

"Silly girl, take your time. The Meditation Technique is fundamental; learn that first.

All this knowledge is the result of my hard work. Once your consciousness space stabilizes, I will teach you how to cast sorceries step by step."

He picked up a scroll and handed it to her.

"This is the optimized rune diagram for the modified Ice Arrow Spell. You can look through it slowly first. Ask me anytime if you don't understand. We'll start practical training once you make progress with the Meditation Technique."

Lilith suddenly sat up straight. Her previously soft gaze instantly became sharp as a knife—she tapped the coffee table with her fingertip, her voice carrying the crisp competence of a professional elite:

"Oh, dear, I've completed the acquisition mission."

She pulled out two documents with gold-stamped seals from a leather bag hanging on the rack, tracing the lines on the document edges with her fingertip.

"The plantation in the west suburbs of Gele City belongs to Marcus Horn, a long-standing Family that has cultivated Demonic Grass for three generations.

Recently, the Feiting Federation's patrol teams have been crossing the border more frequently. His son's friend in the Imperial Capital mentioned that there might be military action at the border, so he's eager to cash out and send his son to a safe zone.

The grain base in the north suburbs belongs to old John. He said he saw a Feiting reconnaissance airship fly over the base three times last month, and he's afraid that if war breaks out, it will be requisitioned by the military, and he won't even get compensation."

Her fingertips quickly flipped through the documents, her eyes bright but stealing glances at Li Size from time to time:

"When I negotiated the price down, I deliberately brought up the 'Military Requisition Compensation Standard.' There are rumors that if war occurs, these wartime supplies will be seized by the military.

Marcus immediately dropped his price by five points, and old John was even more anxious, agreeing directly to our bottom line.

Look, the contracts are all signed; they're just waiting for your seal."

She pushed the documents in front of Li Size, her tone softening again, like a little cat seeking praise:

"Am I amazing?

As your secretary, I completed my first independent mission so beautifully!"

Li Size picked up the contracts, his fingertips caressing the ink on the documents:

The plantation map was marked as 'West Suburb No. 32, Demonic Grass Cultivation Area,' and the note for the grain base read, 'North Suburb Storage Area, capable of producing one hundred thousand catties of grain annually.'

He looked up at Lilith. Her cheeks were flushed with pride, but her eyes were still attached to him with dependence:

"Has the war news already reached Gele City?"

Lilith nodded, twisting the corner of her dress, reverting to her docile demeanor:

"Yes, recently the middle class has been selling assets and heading to the Imperial Capital. I heard even Viscount Weisman's butler is secretly disposing of the properties on his fiefdom."

Lilith suddenly clenched the corner of her beige dress, her fingertips turning white, but her eyes held resolve:

"dear, I want to resign from the newspaper—I've been covering the plantation and grain base news recently.

I still have to handle over a dozen manuscripts every day, and I'm afraid I'll delay your matters here, plus I won't have time to study Wizard knowledge."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter, finally almost buried in her chest, like a child who had done something wrong.

Li Size put down the contract in his hand and tapped the coffee table, producing a crisp sound:

"Alright, I happen to have a task for you—learn the Meditation Technique while helping me gather information on Viscount Weisman.

Especially his dealings with Feiting; we suspect he might already be a traitor."

Lilith looked up sharply, her brown eyes wide open, her eyelashes still holding the tear residue from her earlier emotion:

"Viscount Weisman? He is the lord of Gele City! How could he possibly be a traitor?"

Li Size picked up the teacup from the table, the steam blurring his profile, and his voice deepened:

"Felina has a contracted wraith named Bobby. We learned this from his dying wish.

Six years ago, Bobby's older brother discovered Viscount Weisman's secret, and the entire Family was wiped out by Wilson. Bobby became a wraith and was contracted by Felina, only then revealing the buried truth:

Weisman had colluded with Feiting long ago."

His fingertip traced the rim of the teacup.

"This secret cannot be known by outsiders. Be careful when you investigate; don't expose yourself."

Lilith's mouth formed an 'O' shape. After a moment, she snapped back to reality and clutched Li Size's arm:

"Heavens... Then how should I investigate?"

Li Size rubbed her hair, a cold glint flashing in his eyes:

"Start with the people around him—don't you know reporters who have been covering the nobility beat for the newspaper for a long time?

Use their channels to inquire, but be careful not to leave any trace."

Lilith nodded vigorously, pressing her face against his arm:

"I know! I will definitely be careful!"

The sunset glow outside the window gradually faded, and the warm light in the room illuminated the overlapping shadows of the two.

Li Size tucked the last acquisition document into his briefcase, his fingertip gliding over the texture of the leather surface, and looked up at Lilith:

"Remember to check the Demonic Grass irrigation rune array at the plantation once a week, and remember to ask the workshop to replace the preservative barrier at the grain base—message me if anything happens, don't try to handle it all yourself."

Lilith clutched the documents and nodded, her brown eyes full of dependence:

"Don't worry, dear, I'll report my progress every day!"

Li Size ruffled her hair, turned, and pushed open the door. Morning light spilled onto his jeans, casting a long shadow.