The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

Greta really did hide underground for several days.

Only when it gets dark will she crawl out to stretch her limbs, which are huddled together and aching and numb, before digging a hole a little further away to relieve herself.

At the slightest sign of trouble, she would hide in the cave again.

On the flying carpet, Moran and the others could only occasionally hear her coughing as she swallowed black bread.

Judging from the card exchange records displayed in the {Dawn Academy Management Card}, Greta has been quite busy in the cave these days. Apart from eating and drinking, she has been meditating to restore her mental energy and exchange cards.

On the first night, after meditation, I redeemed the {Equipment Card - Inferior Dagger}, thus acquiring a weapon for self-defense.

The dagger's blade was enhanced with a sharpening spell, making it slightly sharper than a regular dagger. However, due to the "inferior" prefix, it appeared tattered and worn, with some areas showing signs of chipping.

Even so, Greta was very content.

I didn't change anything the whole day on the second day. It wasn't until the evening of the third day that I changed to an {Equipment Card - Inferior Staff}. After changing it, I went out of the cave to test the magic.

This staff has a slight amplification effect on metal magic; with it in hand, Greta no longer needs to chant lengthy incantations to cast a Golden Needle spell.

She finally gained a magical defensive ability, albeit only a thin, gold-elemental needle, like a sewing needle.

On the fourth day, she changed to a {Food Card - Black Bread} and also a {Magic Card - Heal Minor Injuries}.

On the fifth day, I changed to a {Magic Card - Heal Medium Injury}.

On the sixth day, I didn't exchange anything. On the seventh day, I exchanged it for a {Magic Card - Heal Severe Injuries}.

Moran originally thought that with the equipment card changed and a healing magic card prepared, Greta could then change to a {magic card - Ask for Directions} and they could set off for the Duchy of Lance.

As a result, she changed her next card to {Food Card - Black Bread} and {Food Card - Heal Minor Injury}.

"Is she planning to exchange for all the limited-purchase cards before setting off?" Lilith said.

“That’s probably it,” Moran said.

"That's too cautious!" Vasita exclaimed. "She's been squatting in such a small hole for so long, it's amazing she can stay there!"

"Being cautious is always better than being reckless!" Moran said. "If she really needs to secretly develop her network later, being cautious will actually help her hide herself, and it will be less likely for others to find out about Dawn Society's true intentions."

After all, while the four of them knew that the Dawn Society didn't have a single official member at the moment, Greta didn't!

The future members of the Dawn Society will never know.

No one knows when or where the Dawn Society will appear.

Greta stayed in that little burrow and squatted there until she had redeemed all her magic cards and clothing cards.

Aside from these cards, she only spent a little mental energy every three days to exchange for a {food card - black bread}. She didn't even buy water to drink; she used water gathering magic to gather a small handful of water to drink.

Previously in the Black Forest, the water elemental energy was so scarce that it was impossible to gather it. Now, she is reluctant to spend more mental energy to buy {food cards - drinking water}, let alone buy {food cards - white bread} to eat.

Black bread is big and cheap, and its unpalatable taste is just a minor drawback.

By conserving every bit of mental energy and using it to its fullest extent, they managed to acquire this set of cards as quickly as possible. Three {Spell Card - Ask for Directions}, ten {Spell Card - Heal Minor Injuries}, five {Spell Card - Heal Medium Injuries}, three {Spell Card - Heal Severe Injuries}, and three {Clothing Card - Inferior Mage Robe}, plus a low-quality dagger and a low-quality staff that had already materialized.

Although Greta was penniless, holding these things made her feel very rich.

When I go out for some exercise in the evening, my back is straighter than usual.

He wielded a tattered dagger in one hand and a broken staff in the other, exuding an extraordinary air of confidence.

“I’ve been wanting to ask this for a while. Moran, if you’re going to provide her with equipment, why did you deliberately give her such inferior items?” Sylph said. “It’s clearly a magical item, but its effect is so weak that it’s almost the same as a regular weapon. It’s also made to look tattered and broken, like it’s about to break.”

These cards were not available in the card shop before; they only appeared this time, without even a notification that they were available.

It was clearly made by Moran specifically for Greta.

Who would intentionally make cards of lower quality?

“They’re inherently prone to breaking down! Even without external damage, with normal use, they’ll only last a year at most before breaking,” Moran said.

"A truly high-quality magical item cannot be exchanged for at this price."

This is a beginner-level, blank equipment set that I meticulously designed for penniless alien contractors! Its cost-effectiveness is absolutely unparalleled!
Of course, a tattered appearance isn't necessary, but isn't my purpose to motivate contractors by letting them know how poor they are, so they'll work harder to recruit talent and acquire more resources for the academy?

"..."

“I’m looking forward to seeing our Dawn Society become popular among human mages,” Lilith said.

Moran's schemes are endless, even more unpredictable than those of goblins, and will definitely make them a fortune.

“Humans have the largest number of superhumans. Once we've established a solid foundation among humans, we can then target other races. Even if our identities are exposed, we won't be afraid,” Moran said.

“Why is Greta back squatting down again? Isn’t she planning to leave?” Sylph said.

The witches watched in silence as Greta grabbed a clump of dry grass, put it on her head, and prepared to squat back down in the pit.

Moran and Lilith quickly used a mind-reading ability on her.

Greta: "I'll exchange some more {Food Cards - Black Bread} and {Food Cards - White Bread}, and when we encounter a town, I'll materialize some and sell them. Then I won't have to worry about not having money for an inn! Hehe! This is a business with no capital!"

“Greta’s trial is definitely over,” Lilith told Moran. “Her business acumen is just as good as yours.”

Moran: "..."

That was a mistake; she should have set a redemption limit for the food cards!

The food card was originally intended for her to use as a temporary measure while traveling in the no-man's-land, not for her to use to make money.

However, setting it now would seem a bit stingy.

Oh well, it's good to have a business mind. If you're so good at calculating now, you'll be even better at calculating when it comes to recruiting people to join you!
Anyway, she didn't lose out; she made a net profit of 1.9 gem coins per card!
Moran felt quite relieved after figuring things out, but she was a little worried about how many {food cards - black bread} and {food cards - white bread} Moran was planning to save before she was willing to set off for the Duchy of Lance.

They had been staying on this barren land for almost two months. (End of Chapter)