「Three days later, in Hub City.」

A tide of people flowed out of the exit of Planar Port Sector C. Allen kept his aura subdued, making him indistinguishable from the other wizards rushing past.

The moment he stepped out of the Light Gate, he saw Vera and Colin waiting for him outside.

Vera wore a charcoal-gray formal robe, her neat short hair tucked behind her ear with a silver clip. She carried herself like a drawn dagger. Colin stood beside her, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the port’s Rune lights.

"First, let’s go see the location."

The three of them soon arrived at the Association’s Commercial Property Management Office in Hub City.

Allen presented his investigator’s badge and stated his purpose. A clerk at the office immediately pulled up the details on four available commercial properties near Plot C-7 and arranged for a guide to lead the way.

All four properties were located in the Central Business District, less than a ten-minute walk from the Star Gate Square.

The first was on a street corner with good lighting, but it was next to an elven spice shop. The smell was so strong that Colin let out three consecutive sneezes.

The second was the largest at six hundred and twenty square meters, but it was on the second floor and lacked a private entrance.

The third had the largest basement of the four, but they didn’t need that much storage space.

The fourth was a street-facing property, twelve meters wide, with two floors totaling five hundred and forty square meters. Its basement came equipped with a dedicated interface for a cargo teleportation Array.

Most importantly, it was directly across from the western entrance to Hub Square. A conservative estimate put the daily foot traffic of Wizards passing through at over ten thousand. But it was also the most expensive.

"This is the one," Vera said.

Allen and Colin had no objections.

The annual rent was eight thousand Mid-Level Magic Stones on a minimum five-year lease. If this location were on the open market, the rent would be at least eleven thousand a year.

"We’ll sign later."

Allen said to Vera and Colin, "Let’s find a place. We need to talk business."

The trio found themselves in a private, top-floor room at a restaurant called "The Tranquil Garden."

Sound-dampening Runes lit up, completely silencing the clamor from outside.

Colin spoke first, unable to hide his excitement. "Allen, Vera and I followed your previous instructions and restructured New West. We can transfer the core personnel at any time."

Vera quickly added, "The market research for the educational support business is also done. Sixteen academies in the initial batch have expressed interest in partnering, but their credential review for interplanar organizations is very strict. We need a strong headquarters for endorsement."

Allen tapped his fingers on the table, producing a steady, rhythmic sound.

"Therefore, our first step is to establish the company ’Weisren Heavy Industry’ right here in Hub City."

He changed his tone and looked at the two of them. "But we won’t be operating under the Weisren Heavy Industry name, not at first."

Vera and Colin were both stunned.

"For now, the Hub City company will only operate under the ’New West’ brand," Allen continued. "The company will have two divisions: the Education Division and the Golem Division."

"The Education Division will be our vanguard. We’ll use the reputation New West has already built to open the doors to those Wizard Academies, integrate our standardized curriculum, and establish a foothold."

"The Golem Division, on the other hand, will be our main force. Once the vanguard has established itself, we can use the academies as a channel to seamlessly sell our products to the most stable client base: Wizard Academies and Wizard Apprentices."

Colin pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming behind them. "Go from soft to hard, from easy to difficult. Using education as a wedge to sell weapons is the real goal... Brilliant!"

"But what about the products?"

Vera raised a critical question. "You saw Colin’s previous report. Although the low-end Golem market is a blue ocean, that also means it’s chaotic. How are our products supposed to stand out?"

Allen smiled and displayed his four planned product lines.

Instructional-Type Golems: Used for classroom demonstrations and lab assistance, with an emphasis on safety, stability, and low energy consumption.

Service-Type Golems: Used for cleaning, service, and logistical transport, with an emphasis on durability and ease of maintenance.

Guardian-Type Golems: Primarily for security and patrol duties.

Field-Type Golems: Equipped with attack modules for apprentices to use when undertaking missions or high-difficulty tasks, with an emphasis on cost-effectiveness and modular customization.

He circled these four product lines with a large frame of light and wrote a brand-new term beside it.

—"Educational Armaments."

Vera froze, quietly mulling over the two words as her eyes suddenly lit up with a brilliant flash.

"Educational... Armaments..."

"I get it!" Colin exclaimed, slapping his thigh in excitement. "We’re not selling weapons! We’re selling the accompanying hardware for a ’one-stop educational solution’! This completely bypasses the sensitive areas and high entry barriers of the arms trade!"

To package menacing combat Golems as "teaching aids"—just like textbooks and lab equipment—and sell them to the customer base that needs them most yet is the least sensitive: apprentices.

The idea was nothing short of genius!

"Academies are premium clients in the Wizarding World,"

Vera quickly caught on to Allen’s train of thought, her analysis coming in a rapid-fire burst. "A constant stream of students, with stable and immense security needs. As long as our products are good, we can secure a continuous flow of orders!"

Looking at their excited expressions, Allen continued, "New West may have sold low-end Golems to academies and apprentices on the side before, but this is completely different. We’re no longer just dabbling. The product range and scale must gradually expand to pave the way for a proper arms business in the future."

The three exchanged a look, each seeing the fire in the others’ eyes.

In that small private dining room, the blueprint for a grand commercial empire was beginning to take shape.

"Now that the direction is set, let’s discuss the most practical aspect." Allen leaned forward slightly, his expression turning serious. "The company’s ownership structure. We all know each other inside and out, so I’ll be direct with my proposal."

The atmosphere instantly solidified.

"I’m putting in the technology, the production capacity of the Cybertron Workshop, and thirty million Low-Level Magic Stones in seed capital," Allen said, holding up six fingers. "That’s for a sixty-percent stake. I won’t be involved in daily management. I will only be responsible for strategic direction, product development, and some of the supply."

He looked at Vera. "Vera, you will contribute management of the existing New West team, your industry resources, and five million Low-Level Magic Stones for a twenty-percent stake. You will be the CEO, the head of the company, responsible for all external affairs."

Finally, his gaze fell on Colin. "Colin, you will contribute the complete operational framework and five million Low-Level Magic Stones, also for a twenty-percent stake. You will be the COO and CFO, the company’s second-in-command, responsible for all internal operations and finances."

Total capital: forty million Low-Level Magic Stones. The distribution was fair, and the responsibilities were clear.

Vera and Colin glanced at each other and nodded firmly without a shred of hesitation.

"I have no objections."

"Agreed."

Allen retrieved a previously drafted golden Scroll from his Space Ring and pushed it to the center of the table.

"Then sign it."

This was no ordinary contract, but a Soul Contract empowered by Witchcraft. Once signed, it was impossible for any party to violate its terms.

The three of them reached out at the same time, branding the Scroll with their Spiritual Power.

VMMMM—

Three streams of light shot out from the Scroll, each one entering the space between their eyebrows. A connection originating from the depths of their souls was quietly forged.

From that moment on, they were a true collective bound by shared interests.

"Done." Allen put the Scroll away as if he had just completed a trivial task.

He stood up, his unruffled composure returning.

"Let’s go rent the shop now."

Half an hour later, the three of them stood inside the empty, five-hundred-and-forty-square-meter shop, holding the freshly signed five-year lease.

Allen turned and began assigning tasks, his voice clear and calm.

"Vera, Colin, you have two tasks for the next three months."

"First, build the company’s framework, hire personnel, and complete the renovations. I want this place ready to serve as our storefront to receive our first customers in half a month."

"Second," Allen’s gaze sharpened, "I want you to use all of your resources to secure partnership agreements with at least eight of those first sixteen academies, establish ’New West’ branches, and get our educational support business off the ground."

Vera and Colin’s expressions turned solemn as they replied in unison, "Understood!"

Allen turned, his gaze sweeping over the ceaseless flow of Wizards in the square. "Once we’re open for business, I’ll return to the Association immediately to design the first batch of products and run a trial production of the samples."

He paused.

"I will return in three months with the finished products. By that time, Vera, the channels you’ve laid down in the various academies must be ready to receive the first shipment."