Mahiru Shiina hesitated immediately upon hearing this. She was naturally reluctant to borrow things from others, especially since she knew exactly how precious school credits were.
At that moment, Ren Isana spoke up, looking at Mahiru Shiina. "There is no need to borrow credits. I have some materials on hand, so I can craft a decent weapon for you."
Since she was so determined to do this, what else could Ren Isana say? Naturally, he would help her. He had plenty of many things, but materials were especially abundant in his possession after she provided the primary components.
As for the remaining items like gemstones, those were simple. Some could even be bought with Valis, and Ren Isana already had many in his hoard — all spoils of war that Natsuki had handed over to him previously from the Apollo Familia.
"Are those the materials obtained from the Gastrea?" hearing Ren Isana's words, Asuna instinctively thought of those. Ren Isana hadn't said how he planned to handle those materials yet.
However, it was for the best if Ren Isana kept them for himself. After all, they had mostly just been tagging along, so there was no need to divide Ren Isana's battle spoils. This was also why no one had brought it up.
***
"No, these were extorted from the Apollo Familia. There are a few gemstones in there that would pair perfectly with that material," Ren Isana explained to everyone.
Hearing Ren Isana say this, Asuna, Yukino, and the others understood immediately. So it was those items. Natsuki indeed gave Ren Isana a large box earlier.
"I would still prefer to pay with Valis. Just tell me the equivalent amount and I will transfer it to you!" Upon hearing this, Mahiru Shiina decisively pulled out her phone and opened her banking app, ready to transfer Valis to Ren Isana.
Ren Isana couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Why do you rich young ladies always try to transfer Valis the moment something happens? There is no rush. We will look at it once it is finished and settle the bill then."
Having said that, Ren Isana suddenly remembered something and added, "Since you have decided to go all out, you should go ahead and exchange for that material now. Otherwise, if someone else grabs it first, you will have nowhere to cry."
He remembered that the stock for that item was down to just one. If she did not exchange for it now, it might be gone soon. Who knew if there were others in the school with such a massive fortune?
Hearing Ren Isana's warning, Mahiru Shiina hastily opened the school app, found the material she had bookmarked, and selected to exchange for it immediately.
Once she finished, her credits on the app dropped straight to zero. For this entire journey to another world, she had only exchanged for this one material.
"I got it!" Looking at the information on her screen, Mahiru Shiina displayed it with a smile. It showed the status as 'Awaiting Collection.' She just needed to go to the school's office later to verify her identity and pick it up.
Seeing this, Asuna spoke up. "Then let me get you a spatial equipment. You can just pay me in Valis for it. Do you want a [Spatial Ring] or a [Spatial Backpack]?"
Since Mahiru Shiina's credits had zeroed out, she was naturally unable to exchange for anything else. Asuna's own credits were of no immediate use to her, so she decided to make a trade.
She said this because Asuna understood that Mahiru Shiina would never accept her borrowing credits; she would much rather pay for it directly with Valis.
"Then I will take a [Spatial Backpack] for now. As for a [Spatial Ring]... let's talk about that later," Mahiru Shiina decided after a moment of thought. She was in no hurry to get a [Spatial Ring].
A [Spatial Backpack] was enough for her current needs. Its primary use would be to carry medicinal herbs and such, since she had been studying pharmacy lately. When she went to another world again, she would have quite a few things to bring along.
The two of them reached an agreement right then and there. Once Mahiru Shiina saw that Asuna had placed the order, she transferred the Valis to Asuna immediately. Asuna didn't take advantage of her either, charging her based on the school's official exchange rate.
The exchange rate of credits to Valis was 1:100. This meant that if everyone converted the credits they earned during this trip into Valis at the school, they would have a hundred million.
Of course, no one was willing to exchange them like that, as it was the least efficient method. Selling materials exchanged with credits would yield a much higher profit, as there were simply too many good things at Dimensional Nexus University.
For outsiders who wanted items from Dimensional Nexus University, the only way was to trade with students, having them use their credits to exchange for the required materials and then paying them in Valis.
The school was aware of this, but the administration turned a blind eye to it, not even bothering to intervene as long as the students weren't being cheated.
After all, credits were earned through the students' own hard work, so they should be free to spend them as they pleased. Why would the school impose restrictions? This was one of the hidden rules of Dimensional Nexus University.
This was also why the sophomores were so eager to work like oxen for Natsuki when she mentioned there would be credits involved.
With these matters settled, they finished their meal and returned to school together. As for the materials, they would collect them tomorrow morning when the office opened, as the teachers there had already finished work for the day.
When the group returned to the dorms, they noticed many lights were off. Others had clearly gone out for dinner as well, just at different restaurants. No one paid it much mind, and they went their separate ways after going upstairs.
Back in his room, Ren Isana washed up and started playing with his phone on his bed. Not long after, Asuna sent a video call request; on the other end, she was currently blow-drying her hair.
"We live just one floor apart, so why the video call? You could have just come down," Ren Isana couldn't help but tease as he looked at Asuna on the screen. She lived just above him, after all.
"In your dreams. I am afraid that if I went down there, I would not be able to come back up tonight." Asuna rolled her eyes. Going to a boy's room late at night was not a good idea, and since they had just officially started their relationship, she wasn't mentally prepared for certain other things yet.
"What a shame! You found me out." That was indeed a possibility. If Asuna really came down, Ren Isana would give her a hug, and then... and then... she probably wouldn't have been able to escape.
Seeing that this guy actually admitted it, Asuna was speechless. Couldn't he be a bit more subtle?
Was he really being this blunt?
However, Asuna was sensible enough not to drag out that topic with Ren Isana. Instead, she asked with some concern, "Do you plan to start forging weapons for everyone tomorrow? Everyone's weapons need upgrading. Can you handle all that work by yourself?"
Tsubaki and the others weren't on Nexus Island right now. If he really intended to do it, then the weapons for the entire class would fall solely on Ren Isana's shoulders. That was a massive undertaking.
"I will send a message to Tsubaki in a bit to see if she is around. After all, the headquarters for Maya's shop is on Nexus Island. There is a chance they have come over too." They had been in the other world for quite some time now, so it wouldn't surprise Ren Isana at all if Tsubaki were here.
After all, if the Hephaestus Familia wanted to develop, selling the weapons they forged to another world was undoubtedly the best choice. They also had a partnership with Maya, so it was highly likely they had already arrived.
Asuna thought about it and agreed it made sense. She quickly said, "Then go ask her quickly. I will hang up for now. You get to work, and call me back once you are finished."
Having cleared that up, Asuna stopped bothering him and hung up the phone, letting Ren Isana handle these matters first.
Ren Isana didn't overthink it and sent a message to Maya, asking about her situation and whether she was on Nexus Island.
Shortly after the message was sent, Maya sent a voice note back. When Ren Isana played it, her voice came through: "Little Ren, you are back? I am on Nexus Island right now!"
Hearing this, Ren Isana basically confirmed his suspicion. He immediately replied, "We just got back today. Maya, did Tsubaki and the others come to Nexus Island too? Or did they stay behind?"
"Mm-hmm! They are all here. You want them to help, right? I will send you an address in a bit; just come over when you have time. If nothing else happens, they will be staying here from now on." Maya instantly knew what Ren Isana was after.
After all, if Ren Isana was asking about Tsubaki, it was inevitably about enhancing equipment.
Having received the answer he wanted, Ren Isana smiled. He chatted with Maya for a bit longer, and after arranging to visit her tomorrow, he finally hung up.
With that done, Ren Isana started a video call with Asuna again. It was picked up almost instantly, and Asuna was already lying in bed.
The moment the call connected, Asuna couldn't help but ask, "How is it? Did you find out? Are they here?"
Ren Isana nodded and recounted what Maya had just told him. They could just go to Maya's place tomorrow, as everyone was currently there.
Learning this, Asuna breathed a sigh of relief. This meant that Ren Isana wouldn't have to handle everyone's weapon enhancements alone; Tsubaki and the others could help him.
The two of them didn't dwell on that topic, instead chatting about various other things. As a couple that had just started dating, they had plenty to talk about, and even if they ran out of topics, they could always discuss cultivation.
It wasn't until midnight that Ren Isana ended the call with Asuna and entered [Meditation] on his bed. Upstairs, Asuna used [Perception Magic] to sense Ren Isana below her. A faint smile played on her lips as she also entered a state of [Meditation] with a joyful heart.
Truth be told, the events of the afternoon had been quite dramatic. Who would have thought that a single offhand remark from Ren Isana would prompt her to confess right then and there? Fortunately... it seemed Ren Isana liked her as well.
If Ren Isana had rejected her, it would have been incredibly awkward. Thankfully he hadn't, and with those thoughts, Asuna quickly fell into a deep [Meditation], her efficiency even higher than usual due to her good mood.
The night passed without further words, and in the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. After Ren Isana got up and finished washing, he called the others to head out for breakfast together.
However, just as Ren Isana was preparing to set out, he received a message from Asagi Aiba, asking him to quickly help send Mahiru Shiina over because a child was in urgent need of treatment!!
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