The Strongest Curse Master-Chapter 372: Too Expensive...?
"Thank you, ma'am, but I've made my decision," Lyra replied resolutely. She was stubborn—once she set her mind on something, no one could change it. Otherwise, she wouldn't have thrown away her career as a graphic designer to start fresh as a novice comic artist, despite the concerns of her friends and family. Now that she had decided the Jackpop would be the curse item she used in her awakening ceremony, not even Ace could change her mind—unless he gave her a very good reason.
Ace would have preferred if his sister chose the Rusted Blood, but he didn't mind her choosing Jackpop. Regardless of the innate curse tool and curse arts she received, he planned to fatten her up with abundant resources and powerful curse tools. In other words, if Lyra was ready to gamble her future, Ace was ready to back her all the way.
Seeing that her little brother had no objection to her choice, Lyra looked at Janice and continued, "I believe Ms. Janice wouldn't have showcased this curse item if it had a high chance of producing a dud innate curse tool. There must be a good reason why she felt it deserved to stand alongside the other four remarkable curse items. Also, the more I learned about it, the more I felt it resembled me. After all, comic artists are creators too. What we create is also a surprise, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I see myself in it. It's the one for me."
Listening to Lyra, Janice's lips curved into a sly smile. Meanwhile, Matthews, Ace, and Sonia couldn't help but turn to Aurelian Eyes for an explanation. As for Ava, her gaze remained fixed on the Weeping Scoop—she couldn't wait to awaken as a curse master and defeat Ace to make him hers.
"Good catch," Janice praised Lyra before proceeding to explain why she suggested a curse item like Jackpop to begin with.
"The Jackpop, despite being a curse item, can produce pseudo-curse potions when supplied with high-quality negative emotions. In other words, when forged into a mortal-tier innate curse tool, it has a strong chance of gaining a creation-type ability—specifically, the ability to produce a mortal-tier curse material when fueled with sufficient curse energy. However, I have no idea what that material will be. Whatever it is, it is highly likely to be of mortal-tier quality."
A single mortal-tier material can easily cost over $5,000. This curse item is basically a golden goose. It's the most valuable one among the five. Do you know an oil mogul once offered me an entire operational oil field in exchange for this curse item for his only daughter's awakening ceremony? But I turned him down—for his own good. Though he could afford this item for his daughter, he didn't have the strength to protect her."
"An oil field!" Lyra blurted out in shock. She knew her brother had come into a lot of money recently, but even so, she was sure he couldn't compete with an oil mogul. She hesitated, then glanced dejectedly at the other three curse items—she didn't want Ace to get into a bidding war over the Weeping Scoop. Ice-type abilities were one of her dream powers, but she would rather settle for something she could afford to repay her brother. As a comic artist, she hadn't yet fallen to the point of shamelessly mooching off her baby brother.
"Are you sure it's worth an entire oil field? I'm guessing it was a small one, with a high break-even price—probably only worth a few million. Otherwise, the math doesn't add up. What's the production rate of this so-called golden goose innate curse tool? Let's assume it can produce six mortal-tier materials per day, each worth $5,000. That's nearly eleven million dollars a year. Meaning, it would take almost ninety years to earn a billion dollars.
Even if you double or triple the value of the materials it produces, it still doesn't match the return on capital employed of a high-performing oil field. Compared to the potential revenue stream of those support-type curse items from earlier, this is pocket change," Sonia chimed in, her voice sharp with the authority of someone experienced in oil economics. She wasn't calling Janice a liar—she simply wanted to clarify the facts.
"Girl, you forgot to consider the fact that an innate curse tool can grow in tier alongside its curse master. As it evolves, its creation ability can advance to a higher tier—producing the same material at a higher quality or in greater quantity. It might even begin producing a second type of material. The possibilities are endless.
And FYI, if my client hadn't wanted to protect his privacy, I wouldn't have minded telling you which oil field I was offered in exchange for the Jackpop curse item. You should know him—he regularly hires your father's guild," Janice replied coolly.
Janice had little technical knowledge about oil fields, but her client had claimed it was worth $2.5 billion on the market at that time. She believed him, as she had her own means of verifying whether a client was telling the truth. Still, she didn't bother to reveal all that.
"You're right. That changes everything. Ava, forget the scoop and take this one. You could buy as many powerful ice-type curse tools as you want with that kind of money," Sonia recommended—only to see her new friend roll her eyes, while her superior shot her a glare, wondering if she was secretly plotting to bankrupt her for what she did to her father and his guild.
"Ms. Janice, do you have any other curse items?" Lyra asked hesitantly. The other items didn't appeal to her, and she simply couldn't afford the one she truly wanted.
"Huh? Did you change your mind about the Jackpop?" Janice asked, a note of concern creeping into her voice as she imagined a major deal slipping through her fingers. She knew that if Lyra truly wanted the Jackpop, Ace wouldn't hesitate to pay twice what the oil mogul had offered for it.
She wasn't trying to rip Ace off—it was her item, and she had every right to price it however she pleased. Besides, she believed she had priced it fairly. And if Ace really wanted it, he'd pay full price with a smile.
