Chapter 14: Old Sam Departs

"Little Duke may not have money, but I see a bright future for him, so I'm giving him the shop without taking any money. Is there a problem with that, Bast?" Old Sam pulled a smokescreen.

The patent for the Continuous Coating Supply Technique had already been sold by him to someone else.

This kind of private selling of patents had constraints within the contract, including the transfer of the title of the technical inventor. So, both he and Little Duke had to keep quiet.

"Are you crazy or is Little Duke your illegitimate child?" Bast exclaimed.

Old Sam put on a serious face. "Bast, what's it to you? You keep being an external card maker, get paid by the card repair shop every month, and you don't need to worry about anything else... From now on, Little Duke is the owner of this Little Sam's card repair shop. Nothing else has changed."

The news was too sudden.

No one could react in time, especially the formal employee, Bob. He was somewhat of a veteran in the Little Sam's card repair shop, having worked there since its inception.

But the shop was Old Sam's, and he could transfer it to whomever he wanted.

He had to step forward and say, "Boss, your departure is really... saddening. However, I believe Little... Duke will become a good owner."

"You're right, Bob." Old Sam said with a smile.

Duke then added, "Bob, after I take over the card repair shop, your job and treatment won't change. The same goes for the three card makers, and the three apprentices as well. In short, everything will remain unchanged from when Old Sam was here, even the name of the shop will continue to be Little Sam's card repair shop."

Delanco and Sanet, the two card makers, had no objections.

The apprentice, Bobby, after a lesson from Bob, had already come to terms with the situation. Moreover, he, along with Thomas and the newly recruited apprentice, Leven, had no say whatsoever.

Old Sam shifted his gaze to Bast.

Bast snorted. "What can I say, Old Sam? This is your shop, and it's your freedom to transfer it to whomever you want. I get paid to work, that's it."

"Well then, it's settled." Old Sam said, "In the next few days, I'll take Little Duke to handle the procedures, officially transfer the shop, and then explain the supply channels. Bob, take care of the shop more."

"Understood, both bosses." Bob quickly adjusted his address.

Immediately after, Old Sam took Duke to process the paperwork. After making a fortune by selling the patent, he was no longer interested in staying in Snakehead Town. He just wanted to reunite with his family in Chenjiao City as soon as possible.

When the two of them left.

Bast immediately complained, "Old Sam has really lost his mind. He didn't even ask us and just gave the shop to Little Duke. That kid, even as an apprentice, is clumsy. I'm afraid it won't take long for him to drive the card repair shop into bankruptcy."

"Bast, don't be so pessimistic. Little Duke has already opened his Sea of Spirit."

"What's the big deal about that? Which one of us in this small town hasn't opened their Sea of Spirit? You saw the public class this morning, hundreds of drugged Spiritual Apprentices!"

"At least he's more reliable than someone taking over with no background."

"Heh, I don't think so."

Bast grumbled for a while, and seeing that others weren't really agreeing with him, he gradually quieted down. He continued to repair cards with a touch of anger, occasionally cursing the newly arrived apprentice, Leven.

...

"The shop has four storefronts up and down, with a big courtyard in the middle. There's a large warehouse in the back. You can modify it later and move in directly, saving you the trouble of renting a house." Old Sam said as they walked.

Duke grinned, revealing his teeth. "If you had said so earlier, I could've saved some money."

He had just rented a new house. The landlord might not refund the rent if he terminated the lease immediately unless he could find someone to take over.

"Just a little money. The shop's monthly income, after deducting salaries and expenses, should net you at least a Gold Dragon." Old Sam said nonchalantly. "And I've already paid this year's business tax in advance. So, for the next few months, the money you get from the shop is pure profit... Anyway, work hard. I'm looking forward to you becoming a Scholar."

Following Old Sam, they made several trips around town, and after three days, they had completed all the necessary procedures.

The various supply channels were also handed over to Duke.

At last.

Little Sam's card repair shop truly became Duke's business.

On the third evening, Duke hosted a farewell banquet for Old Sam at a large restaurant in town. He invited everyone from the shop.

They had a meal that took up fourteen Silver Dragons.

For Duke, this number was unimaginable not long ago.

The next morning, Old Sam left the town carrying bags of belongings. Duke saw him off at the Beetle Car, only turning back when the car was out of sight.

"Phew!"

"Old Sam has left, and Little Sam's card repair shop is mine now."

"Finally, I have a place of my own in this world, in Snakehead Town. Now it's time to focus on practicing and diligently repairing cards!"

With brisk steps, Duke walked back to Little Sam's card repair shop.

"Boss!" Bob greeted warmly.

Duke glanced at the repair area and casually asked, "Has card maker Bast not shown up for work today?"

"Yes, but card maker Bast said last night that he might not be able to come in today due to some matters."

"I see."

Duke didn't say much. External card makers had some privileges and couldn't be as strictly regulated as regular employees or apprentices.

He went straight to Workstation 4. Originally, this spare workstation was mainly used by Old Sam, but now it was his exclusive station. There were piles of discarded cards on the work surface. He spent most of his free time repairing these cards, hoping to master the skill of repairing Spiritual Cards as soon as possible.

When encountering difficulties, he sought advice from the two card makers, Delanco and Sanet.

A whole day passed like this.

After Bob finished work, Duke stayed behind at the shop alone. He planned to modify the warehouse behind the shop to create his own living space, so he could live in the shop from now on.

He worked tirelessly until midnight before finally closing up shop and going back.

"Xiaoyi, how's my progress in cultivation now?"

"Master has already condensed 134 drops of spiritual liquid. The speed of condensation has significantly decreased compared to before, but there's still a long way to go before forming a coherent liquid line."

A sign of a One-Star Spiritual Apprentice was the gathering of Qi Elixir, while a Two-Star Spiritual Apprentice formed a coherent liquid line.

The two were linked by quantitative changes leading to qualitative changes.

Although the Sea of Spirit appeared boundless, the amount of spiritual liquid it could store was limited. Different individuals had different physical constitutions, so the amount of spiritual liquid they could store also varied, ranging from 100 to 1000 drops.

Having more spiritual liquid didn't necessarily indicate superior innate talent, and having less didn't mean one's talent was lacking.

This was because, after forming a coherent liquid line, the strength of one's spiritual power was determined by energy lines, which had already surpassed the level achieved by piling up quantity.

What determined a Spiritual Apprentice's strength was the energy circuit that energy lines could construct - the Ring!

Of course.

For Duke, the more spiritual liquid he condensed now, the more his survival time and number of shots with a 1-ring Desert Eagle handgun would increase. This meant his ability to survive would be stronger.