The Genius Evolution Store

Chapter 103: Old Man

"!!!" Auric widened his eyes.

He had seen the picture of Mathias Relesha. He might have been an old man, but his body was rather muscular and big. From the picture, he couldn’t tell his height, but there were simply too many differences between the old man in the picture and the one standing in front of him.

"It looks like you already know me. What’s wrong?" Mathias smiled.

"No..." Auric scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "You’re not like the man in the picture I’ve seen."

"Hahaha." Mathias chuckled. "The picture circulating on the internet is at least five years old. It’s been so long, so not many people know me."

"Well, I’ve heard your voice, but..." Auric didn’t feel the resemblance in his voice.

"Oh, that?" Mathias took a deep breath before speaking one more time. "Do you mean this voice?"

Auric was startled. This time, he switched to the same voice he had heard on the call. "Wha—"

Auric was confused, while Mathias simply said, "It’s a skill that everyone in the family should possess. If you ask your teacher to change her voice to that of a coquettish schoolgirl, you will be surprised."

"...What kind of voice is that?" Auric shook his head helplessly.

"Anyway, are you going back home?" Mathias asked.

"Yes. I’m about to go home."

"I won’t take too much of your time, so why don’t we have a little walk?"

Auric nodded. "I understand."

Mathias smiled before turning around.

"Ah, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Auric Elfe, sir."

"I know you. A genius who managed to become a 3-star bronze evolution master two days after his awakening, someone with multiple elements, and so on. All that information can be revealed with a simple background check if you are influential enough."

Auric smiled wryly, not knowing what to feel at having all that information revealed.

"So, may I know why you are here?"

"I have a few reasons. The first reason is to meet the guy whom my granddaughter can’t ignore. You are brilliant enough that she had to make you her student, so that makes me curious.

"And boy, I’m surprised by your ability. To be able to see through my condition at a glance... I doubt many evolution masters can do that. I’m not talking about how many times I’ve evolved, I’m talking about my hidden injury."

"Well..." Auric looked away.

"I finally understand why my granddaughter makes you her student, that’s all. You don’t have to think much about it. Even though I’m like this, I’m not exactly the type that meddles with my children’s or grandchildren’s lives.

"They can do whatever they want. If they’re in the wrong, I will punish them regardless of my face. After all, that also means I haven’t raised them right."

Auric nodded. He could see that from the call back then.

"Still, when you first met me, you acted like you were a bit scared and cautious. It wasn’t something that a person with your background would do. You have a good and harmonious family, so you would usually approach me with a smile. So, there must be something troubling you, child. Do you want to tell me about it?"

Auric thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I appreciate the thought, sir. However, I think I should solve my own problem."

"Good. If you rely on others too much, you won’t grow. But as an elder, I have to give you a small warning. Don’t think that everything should be about your personal growth. From time to time, it will be good to rely on other people."

"I’ll take it to heart." Auric nodded.

"How is your teacher these days? Is she happy?"

Auric raised his gaze, recalling everything that had happened between him and Maya.

"You don’t have to worry. You can just say everything that’s on your mind. Your teacher won’t know about it." Mathias smiled.

Auric sighed. "If I have to be honest, then yes. I think she is happy. She may look grumpy... No, that’s not really the correct word. Frustrated? Yes, I think she gets frustrated from time to time, but I think she is still enjoying her life most of the time."

For someone who liked adventures, being confined in this place would definitely make her feel frustrated. So, he understood where the grumpiness came from.

"Is that so?" The old man smiled. "That’s good then."

"But sir... Since you’re here, should I call my teacher?"

"It’s fine. I’m going to meet her after this, so you don’t need to call and ruin a little surprise."

"...Okay." Auric nodded calmly.

Mathias sighed. "Well, I need to reprimand the child that broke the rule, so I have to visit her this time. However, she hasn’t caused any trouble, hasn’t she?"

"I think so." Auric nodded. "Is the situation that bad?"

"No, not really. I’ll just give her an earful, but that’s just for formality."

Auric raised his head, realizing what he truly wanted. Maya wasn’t the only one who couldn’t do anything she wanted. Mathias was the same. He couldn’t visit his granddaughter anytime he wanted.

Mathias asked, "All right. That’s enough of the small talk. So, you know about my hidden injury... What do you think of it?"

Auric tilted his head in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

He had told him that he had no ability to help him yet.

"I’m just asking for your opinion. It’s rare to have someone be able to see through my injuries. So, I just want your opinion." Mathias paused. "Ah, I almost forgot. You are an evolution master, so I have to pay a fee for the consultation."

"No, that won’t be necessary." Auric thought for a moment.

"Do you want my help?" Lindwurm asked.

’I don’t mind your help right now, but I’m a bit skeptical about elevating my own skill when I don’t actually possess it. Still, I have done it once during the first assessment, and this guy is not really an outsider, so I guess it’s fine this time...’

Lindwurm nodded. "All right. Repeat after me."

Auric explained, "Your wound is quite complicated. The energy flow has been messed up for about eight to ten years. You must have suffered an injury at that time.

"Due to this injury, your power must have been diminishing for the last few years. Even if you solve this hidden injury, you can’t exactly evolve right away.

"Your element should have gone down by ten or twenty percent. Treatment is possible, but not many in this world can heal your condition."

Auric once again exceeded Mathias’s expectations.

Mathias thought Auric would just be saying something superficial, but he could assess everything accurately.

"You can see all that?" Mathias gasped. "So, who can treat me?"

"People with a high degree of abilities, but someone with your background must have visited those kinds of people. If you change your approach slightly, you may be able to recover.

"For example, if you can find two evolution masters with water and lightning elements, you can get treated. The water master will suppress the fire energy in that injury, while the lightning element will nourish your wind element to strengthen your body’s immunity.

"There is one more person who may be able to treat your condition. He’s not an evolution master, though. That person is the Joker."

"Joker?!" Mathias didn’t expect this name to surface. "You mean one of the few people who possesses the highest form of avatar?"

Auric nodded while asking inwardly, ’How do you even know that, Lindwurm? Are you tripping me?’

Lindwurm looked away, ignoring Auric.

"Well..." Mathias fell silent. "I see. Thank you for your assessment. Or maybe I should have waited for you to grow strong enough to be able to treat me."

Mathias had a playful smirk on his face.

Auric rubbed his own cheek. "Well, I don’t know if I can treat you in the future. It will still take too long for me to gain that ability."

"Hahaha. I’m just joking with you." Mathias laughed. "This old man just wants to live in peace in his old age."

Mathias looked at Auric, growing fond of him. "Still, since this is our first meeting, I should at least bring you a gift. I wonder if you have anything you want. If you want company, I can give one to you."

"Anything I want?" Auric was startled. For the Taurus Group, giving him a company wouldn’t really matter. However, if he relied too much on the sudden fortune he could get, it would diminish the name of the Night and Day Evolution Store.

Besides, it was his teacher’s grandfather, so he shouldn’t ask for something excessive.

Auric simply said, "In that case, I wish for Sir Mathias to have the peaceful life that he wants."

"!!!" Mathias didn’t expect that answer. Auric said it with such a sincere tone that it somehow moved his heart.

"Hahaha. Just when you thought you’ve seen it all." Mathias laughed and patted Auric’s shoulder. "Take this."

It was a piece of paper containing a single phone number. "This is..."

"This is a number that you can only call once. If you have decided what you want, you can call this number."

Auric was surprised. This kind of gift was even bigger than an entire company. Mathias had just given him a blank check that could mobilize Mathias Relesha or the entire Relesha family itself.

"I don’t think I’m worthy to receive this gift." Auric took a step back.

"Then, consider it as payment for checking my condition as well." Mathias felt happy that Auric was able to see through the worth of this gift. But it was necessary to give him this gift. Auric was definitely someone he couldn’t ignore. Even if it weren’t for him, getting connected to Auric would benefit his granddaughter a lot.

"That’s..." Auric still thought it was too much. He just gave a little assessment, and it was Lindwurm’s assessment, not his.

"You should know that the stronger you are, the higher the price of your consultation. For someone like me, that kind of price is normal, especially due to the severity of my injury. Hence, you don’t need to think much about it." Mathias began to walk away. "Enjoy your gift. I’m going to visit my dear little princess."

"Sir..." Auric tried to chase after him, but Mathias abruptly disappeared into the crowd. There was no way for him to catch up with Mathias.

His teacher alone was already strong enough, so Mathias must be stronger than his teacher.

Even if he went to the campus, Mathias would probably notice him and get away before he even arrived.

Auric smiled wryly. ’I guess I should treat him in the future. Only if I get strong enough to treat him.’

Lindwurm nodded. "Indeed. Well, that old man’s condition is complex, but it’s not like it’s untreatable. If you grow to a certain level, you will figure out a way to fix his body in your own way."

Auric scratched the back of his head. ’I guess that’s all I can do right now.’

"Yeah. Rather than thinking about it, you should go back home. Don’t make her worried."

’Right.’ Auric immediately increased his pace towards home.

...

Meanwhile, Mathias had already arrived on campus. He casually took a stroll before visiting Villa No. 7.

Maya was staring at the screen, trying to figure out what had happened to Auric when she heard a knock on her office door.

"!!!" Maya was startled. She couldn’t even feel the presence of the other party, so it was clearly not Auric or anyone who worked in this mansion.

Maya’s eyes turned black, thinking it was an enemy. If that person wanted to kill her, she was prepared to fight back.

Her energy began to leak out of her body.

The door suddenly opened.

Maya leaped to the door and raised her knee to hit whoever was coming.

To her surprise, a bald head suddenly popped out.

It was Mathias. With a big smile on his face, he waved his hand. "Hello, my lovely granddaughter. I hope you’re having a great day."

"!!!" Maya was startled, but she had no way to stop her momentum.

Fortunately or unfortunately for her, a gust of wind suddenly formed. It was weak but very firm. It dispelled the energy around her knee and spun her body, causing her to fall headfirst onto the floor.

"Gah!" Maya hurried back to her feet. "You old man!"