Chapter 249: Auction Time Noah nodded with appreciation for the sales made. This represented exactly half of his daily production capacity, maintaining the careful balance that ensured both kingdoms received equal access to enhancement items. "Perfect distribution," Noah confirmed with merchant satisfaction. "That maintains our neutrality while maximising revenue from both factions." The steady income from regular sales provided the foundation that supported his more ambitious ventures, like the luxury smoothie auction that was presumably reaching its dramatic conclusion. "Now," Noah said with growing anticipation, "tell me about the auction preparations. How are our warring customers handling competitive bidding against each other?" Lola’s smile widened with obvious relish for the chaos that the item had created between the two enemies. "It was as predicted. Both kingdoms have sent representatives—the same ones who came here last time," she explained with satisfaction. "They asked about the specific timing for the auction, and I told them I would announce it later. I was waiting for you to arrive before making the official announcement." Noah nodded with appreciation for her patience. "Good job. Perfect timing control." "Hehe~" Lola giggled softly before saying. "Oh, and I’ve fed Leo some bread and iced tea while you were away." Noah nodded automatically before a realisation made him pause. "Wait. Did you feed him from your own daily rations?" The question stemmed from his observation of the auto-maker’s progress and shop points, which indicated that Lola hadn’t taken the enhancement items from the shelves designated for customer sales. Everything pointed toward her using her personal employee compensation instead. Lola nodded without hesitation, confirming his suspicion with matter-of-fact simplicity. "Yes, I fed him from the bread and tea I had stored with me from my daily payments." "Why?" Noah asked, studying her expression with growing curiosity about her motivations. "Why not?" Lola replied with a gentle shrug that suggested the decision had been natural. "Leo and I are best buddies. I wanted to take care of him, and the items on the shelves are designated for sale. I can’t just take things like that without asking you first—it’s your shop, after all." Her explanation carried the kind of thoughtful respect for his property and business operations that went beyond mere employee obligations. She had chosen to sacrifice her own items rather than compromise his commercial inventory. "Lola..." Noah began, feeling genuinely touched by her consideration for both Leo’s wellbeing and his business interests. "You didn’t need to use your own rations. Leo is my companion—I should be responsible for his care." "But I wanted to," Lola said with simple sincerity that made her motivations clear. "Leo is sweet, and taking care of those we care about feels natural. Besides, seeing him happy made me happy too." Leo, who was also in the shop, roared softly before rubbing his head on her, making Lola chuckle. The gesture revealed layers of her character that went beyond her usual playful flirtation—genuine kindness, respect for boundaries, and selfless care for others she cared about, which spoke to the person beneath her confident exterior. "That was very thoughtful of you," Noah said with warm appreciation. "But next time, please feel free to use shop inventory for Leo’s needs, he’s family." Lola’s smile softened. "Family," she repeated with obvious pleasure at the concept. "I like that." "Now," Noah said, gently steering back toward immediate concerns, "shall we announce this auction and see how much we can earn from our new customers?" "Hell yeah!" Lola smirked. — Host: Noah Carter Age: 28 Shop Level: 2 Daily Revenue: $736,500 (or equivalent) Current Assets: $10,810,840 Shop Points: 26,310 Attributes: Strength: 60, Vitality: 60, Intelligence: 60, Agility: 60 Skills: [Level 11:] Swordsmanship [Level 10:] Mana Control, Aura, Wind Manipulation, Body Tempering [Level 3:] Surviving on Ramen, Cooking, Finance, Gaming [Level 2:] Programming — Checking his status, Noah felt genuine satisfaction with everything he’d accomplished. His shop points had risen to an absolutely ridiculous number that represented weeks of accumulated transactions and customer loyalty. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂 The only factor preventing him from upgrading to Shop Level 3 was the requirement that his various auto-makers needed to reach higher levels first—a progression gate that encouraged balanced development rather than rushing toward pure expansion. Furthermore, his liquid assets had nearly returned to their full pre-smoothie purchase levels, which meant his financial recovery had been remarkably swift after the purchase. Noah gulped slightly as the full implications of that recovery registered in his mind. Half a day’s worth of sales from the elven kingdoms had generated nearly five million dollars in revenue. The number was so staggering that Noah had to pause for a moment to process what it meant for his overall earning potential. Combined with his daily passive income of $736,500, his effective daily earnings approached ten million dollars when active sales were included. Ten million dollars per day, Noah thought with genuine awe. The transformation from struggling software developer to multi-millionaire entrepreneur still felt surreal, but the numbers didn’t lie about his remarkable ascension through magical enhancement sales. "The elven kingdoms really don’t mess around when it comes to spending money," Noah commented with appreciation for wealthy customers. Lola nodded with mock seriousness. "Well, they are elves after all. Those long ears, large mana pools and high affinity to natural elements gave them an advantage that other races didn’t have." Noah held his laugh for a second before he burst out laughing, unable to continue holding it in. "What do their ears have to do with anything?" Lola’s expression remained perfectly deadpan as she delivered her explanation with the confidence of someone sharing an established scientific fact about the elves. "Obviously, the longer the ears, the better they can hear the sound of golden coins clinking together," she said with complete sincerity. "It’s basic elven biology." She gestured toward her own ears for comparison. "See? I have small ears and I’m poor. There is a correlation over here, Noah!" Noah doubled over with laughter at her completely ridiculous explanation. "That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard!"