Chapter 391

Chapter 391

Lorant meticulously explained the capabilities of the Saint Shield Grass and the current situation to the old principal, breaking it down in detail.

He particularly highlighted the benefits this beast pet could offer to shield knights.

This instantly sparked Principal Augustine's enthusiasm.

As a knight and an educator who had mentored numerous knights, he understood all too well the qualitative changes such a beast pet could bring to his students.

Though not a shield knight himself, Augustine could clearly see the significant advantages. Lorant had prioritized the knight academy, and naturally, Augustine wasn’t about to let such an opportunity slip by.

From Lorant’s explanation, it was evident that acquiring this beast pet and the Saint Shield Grass fruits early would give the knight academy students a competitive edge.

Thus, the old principal made his decision on the spot.

"I agree! You handle the details. You’re a teacher at the knight academy, so oversee the collaboration with the school," the old principal said, dismissing the proposal the beast pet shop had spent a long time preparing. "I won’t read the rest. You take charge."

"I trust your judgment. Proceed as you see best."

Lorant picked up the proposal with a grin, unsurprised by the outcome, yet he feigned curiosity, "Really? You’re not going to read it? What if I included a clause that the entire plot of land belonging to the knight academy would be seized?"

"Perhaps there’s a hidden clause you overlooked!"

Old Augustine shrugged nonchalantly, joking, "If you’re willing to take over my position, the entire knight academy is yours. Do as you wish."

"You wouldn’t even need a contract. Everything here could be yours."

On this matter, Augustine had once suggested that Lorant prepare to take over the knight academy. Once ready, he would step aside and hand over the knight academy to Lorant as the next principal. However, Lorant had tactfully turned down the offer.

While the role of principal was enticing, his priority was to successfully run his beast pet shop.

He knew he wasn’t the most industrious and lacked the stamina to juggle two responsibilities. Excelling at one thing was already a significant accomplishment.

Being a teacher who could teach or slack off at will was manageable, but taking on the entire knight academy was a responsibility Lorant knew he wasn’t ready for, so he declined the old principal’s offer.

However, it appeared Augustine hadn’t abandoned his idea and still clung to it.

In his view, Lorant was the most suitable candidate he’d encountered in years to take over his academy.

Aside from Lorant, Old Augustine hadn’t found anyone else who made him contemplate retirement. So, he hadn’t given up on the idea and would seize every opportunity to tempt Lorant into accepting it.

"The academy owns several plots of land acquired in the past. I see you need a nearby empty plot. Contact William for that. Use whichever one you want; they’re all yours," Augustine enticed. "The knight academy owns numerous properties, many of which are located in city centers. If you’re willing to take over, they’re all yours."

"You can even treat them as your private property, and no one will object," Augustine winked. "Using them for the beast pet shop is also fine!"

Lorant admitted he was tempted for a moment. The most enticing aspect of the knight academy's early acquisitions wasn’t their size but their prime locations, close to or within cities, making them highly desirable.

Those places, when the knight academy acquired them, might not have been special.

But now, they were priceless.

If he acquired them all, Blue Star could secure substantial plots in the city centers of various cities, and then...

But in an instant, Lorant suppressed this somewhat unrealistic thought.

"Although it’s tempting, I must decline again, Principal," Lorant shook his head. "I’ll contact William later and quickly introduce this beast pet to the school. As for the specific plot and policies, we’ll bring them to you once everything is settled."

"Alright, alright, you young people handle it," Augustine waved his hand indifferently. Compared to the terms of this cooperation, he seemed more concerned that his temptation had once again failed.

The two stayed at the principal's office for a while longer, chatting with the old principal, sharing recent events with this wise elder and receiving some of his advice. They didn't leave until it got dark.

Bringing Saint Shield Grass into the knight academy wasn't too complicated. The only strict requirement Lorant had was to clear out a large enough piece of land near the knight academy.

He knew, of course, that settling these Saint Shield Grass directly inside the campus would be ideal, as the closer they are to the students, the easier it would be for them to care for their own Saint Shield Grass.

However, the knight academy had quite a few people. Even with such a large piece of land, if all the Saint Shield Grass of the knight students were to be planted here, the entire academy's comfortable lawn would likely be taken over.

Lorant didn't want to ruin the school's carefully maintained scenery, which held countless memories over the years, because of this.

Even he had fond memories here, like the banquet celebrating Silem's successful entry into the first grade. For the students who lived here, it was even more so.

So, even though it was farther away, Lorant decided to transplant the Saint Shield Grass to a plot two streets from the knight academy.

Blue Star didn't give these to the knight academy for free. William, the knight academy's head butler for logistics, also had to pay a hefty price for these beast pets.

Thirty percent was paid upfront in gold coins, and the rest was exchanged for a large plot of land on the edge of the Black Forest owned by the academy.

The plot was too big and too remote, and because it was near the Black Forest, it wasn't worth much. So, aside from student internships or wilderness survival training in the Black Forest, it was pretty much useless.

The plot was quite a distance from the beast pet shop. Though in the same Mauplan area, it was right at the edge of Mauplan's Black Forest line.

A bit further and you'd be in the Kamkuo area.

Lorant wanted that area mainly because it was close to Black Gold Yew's territory, with no other territories in between. If needed, it could be linked to Black Gold Yew to expand the territory.

But for now, he wasn't ready to use the area.

Developing the Kamkuo area and nearby Black Forest, plus the upcoming Lopulo construction, had already drained a lot of Blue Star's energy. Even with the beast pet shop's strong finances, it couldn't handle the over-the-top project of opening three lines at once. Honestly, building two lines at once was already pushing it.

At least after these places were finished, Lorant wouldn't have the energy to think about new territories or anything.

He wanted the place, but it was just his hoarding habit kicking in, and the knight academy couldn't come up with that much cash at once, so he chose it to offset the debt.

Soon, countless Saint Shield Grass were moved from the pastures in Black Gold Yew's territory and teleported directly to the plot two streets from the knight academy.

The knight academy was ready for the handover. Hundreds of massive flowerpots, big enough for three or four people to hug, were already set up. Once the teleportation array lit up, a group of young knights working for credits started moving these special beast pets into the flowerpots.

They also had to cover them with a thin layer of fertile soil.

The first batch of Saint Shield Grass was not large, only about two hundred. This was Lorant's final decision after calculations. The first batch of Saint Shield Grass was only provided to all the shield knights of the knight academy.

Before the number of Saint Shield Grass could be cultivated to a certain quantity, it was still necessary to give priority to those who could more easily improve themselves with the help of this beast pet in terms of resource allocation.

After all, no matter how biased Lorant was towards the knight academy, he couldn't arm all the students in the knight academy with Saint Shield Grass when others couldn't even see it!

The knight regiment would probably be in an uproar!

Of course, these students couldn't unconditionally own this brand new beast pet.

People always don't cherish things that are free. Only the treasures they truly earn through their own efforts will make them understand what is precious.

Lorant was quite clear about this and walked quite steadily on the path of practice.

In the beast pet shop, nothing could be free!

To own this special beast pet, students not only needed to earn enough credits and score enough points in beast pet classes, but also achieve certain results in Saint Shield Grass classes.

At the same time, they had to exchange their campus points. If the current points were not enough, the knights could apply for point loans, and then slowly repay the loans after saving enough points to obtain the true ownership of Saint Shield Grass.

It could be said that after this process, it was impossible for students not to cherish Saint Shield Grass.

Such a big movement naturally couldn't be hidden from the people of Mauplan, so the news that the beast pet shop had a new beast pet quickly spread.