With Claudia's influence, obtaining a large stockpile of All-purpose Ore was truly no hardship.
Yet Claudia couldn't help but wonder why Aize suddenly needed so much of it.
Logically speaking, he had only just acquired the Black Furnace Demon Sword—a powerful, pure translate in english accurately and properly please weapon. He wasn't a researcher, had no need to forge any other Stellashine arms, nor to study any new techniques. So why the sudden demand for such vast quantities of All-purpose Ore?
"May I ask what these All-purpose Ore are for?"
Claudia didn't refuse outright; her simple inquiry made Aize's heart leap at the prospect.
Facing her question, Aize didn't bother to lie. He answered candidly, "It's related to my upcoming training."
Well… claiming it was training wasn't entirely unreasonable if it actually boosted his strength and combat prowess, right?
"Training…?"
Claudia blinked.
"Yes," Aize nodded with enthusiasm. "If all goes smoothly, my power should improve very rapidly in the coming period—that's why I've the nerve to ask the president for help."
"I see," Claudia replied in understanding.
As for the exact nature of this so-called training, and why it would consume so much All-purpose Ore, Claudia didn't press further.
It's about your personal training methods, after all—undoubtedly a somewhat sensitive secret. In this academy, where dueling is the primary purpose and every student could become a rival, directly probing into such matters—even if not strictly forbidden—would be inappropriate.
"If it concerns your training, Aize, then of course I won't refuse."
And so Claudia agreed without hesitation.
"Is this really all right?" Aize felt a bit embarrassed. "Even if it's just All-purpose Ore, once the quantities are large, it must be worth a pretty penny, right?"
Even ordinary ore, when purchased in bulk, costs a fortune. Although the Star Academy—sponsored by the Conglomerate Consortium—has no shortage of All-purpose Ore, a large stockpile is still a considerable asset. Simply handing it over casually for one student's use isn't something to be taken lightly.
Claudia certainly had the means to do it, but it was akin to asking a young lady to front the money. If it weren't absolutely necessary, Aize would have preferred not to impose on her like that.
Claudia, however, was unfazed.
"Don't overthink it. The academy already extends all kinds of privileges to outstanding students. If your ranking is high enough, they'll grant even greater favors—let alone providing resources for training. As long as it truly improves your performance, they'll be more than happy to help."
In her view, the academy had no reason to refuse such a request.
The reason was simple.
"Aize, are you planning to participate in the Star Martial Festival?" Claudia asked suddenly.
"Of course."
Aize paused for a moment but saw no reason to conceal it and nodded.
"In that case, the academy has every reason to support you," Claudia said matter-of-factly. "You must know that in recent years, our Star Academy's results at the Star Martial Festival have been rather disappointing."
Aize nodded silently. He couldn't recall every detail from the original records, but after spending these past days browsing online, he had learned quite a bit.
The topic of Star Academy's lackluster performance at the Star Martial Festival had been widely discussed online.
The Star Martial Festival is a world-class student combat tournament co-hosted by the Conglomerate Consortium and held in Asterisk—an event embraced and celebrated globally. It's organized in three-year cycles, with one competition each year.
In the summer of the first year, a two-person tag-team tournament is held, called the Phoenix Star Martial Festival.
Thanks to this, as long as Claudia brings up Aize's request, the academy certainly won't mind supplying him with some All-purpose Ore.
"You don't need to feel embarrassed," Claudia said. "As long as you put on a good show at the Star Martial Festival, that will be the greatest way to repay the academy."
She tilted her head and smiled at Aize. "And you don't need to worry about troubling me—I'm merely going to mention it to them on your behalf."
Hearing this, Aize could only nod.
But inwardly, he thought:
"This time's help… and the last time with borrowing that pure Stellashine weapon—both were thanks to you working behind the scenes."
"I must make note of this favor."
Because of his family circumstances, Aize had lived on his own for many years, endured plenty of hardship, and taken more than his share of falls. As a result, he bore deep resentment toward anyone who kicked him while he was down—but conversely, he felt profound gratitude toward those willing to lend a hand, and he never forgot those debts of kindness.
To Claudia, her assistance might have seemed like a small matter—but to him, making these things happen had not been easy at all. He would remember this favor.
With that in mind, Aize subtly shifted his gaze down toward Claudia's waist… and in his heart, a plan was already forming.
It turned out that Star Academy truly wasn't short on plain All-purpose Ore.
Aize had only gone to Claudia that very morning to make his request, and by the afternoon a shipment of ore was already sitting before him.
Claudia sent him a map pin and a note: "This is one of the academy's underground vaults. The All-purpose Ore you need has been transferred there."
Impatient with excitement, Aize barely made it through the last class bell. The moment it rang, he dashed from the classroom and headed straight for the marked location.
Before long he stood at the vault door. A palm-print scan unlocked it—and, clearly, Claudia had arranged even that for him.
He stepped inside, silently thanking her, and at once his eyes fell on a mountain of green ore piled high in the chamber.
"Perfect."
A broad grin spread across his face. There was nothing else he could want—this was exactly the "miracle cure" he needed to boost his strength.
"Let's get started."
Clutching the activation core of his Black Furnace Demon Sword, Aize strode toward the towering heap of All-purpose Ore…