Insect Tamer's Ascension Chapter 532. An insect empire?

All four individuals looked at Theo as if he had said something very difficult to back up.

"Theo Merrick, if what you said is nothing more than a bluff, then you have dug yourself into a grave I won’t let you crawl out of," the old man spoke.

The others were not surprised by the way he spoke to a child. They were all simply staring at Theo with different emotions in their eyes.

"I don’t lie, sir," Theo said in a serious tone as if completely unfazed by the threat.

"Give me a few years and I will bring out a new market," he spoke again. "I have done it once, I can do it again."

All of them kept listening, and it was the headmaster who smiled first.

It seemed he was beginning to understand what Theo was trying to achieve.

"I like your efforts. You have converted this meeting, which began out of curiosity, into an opportunity for the future. I admire that passion, Theo Merrick," the duke spoke before adjusting his clothes once.

"While I may not be on good terms with your father, I am willing to place a bet on you. You said all this for this outcome, didn’t you?" the duke asked while leaning slightly forward on the table with his hands clasped together.

The headmaster side-eyed the duke before looking at Theo again.

"You actually believe this kid?" the old man asked in surprise as if he still hadn’t processed everything Theo had just said.

The duke only looked at him and smiled without replying.

Theo looked at the duke again and smiled lightly.

"Apologies, my lord. It was simply my passion that led me to say all of this. Though I truly appreciate you even considering placing a bet on that passion."

He bowed immediately afterward, making the duke even more confused.

They had not even reached any conclusion yet.

Not a single deal had been made and the boy already sounded as if he was stepping back.

"Care to explain?" the duke asked calmly, though his tone carried slight frustration.

"I said all of this because I want as many people as possible to be prepared for what will happen in the future. I already have a backer who promised me a deal if this venture succeeds."

The headmaster looked at Theo with a frown, though there was curiosity in his eyes too.

"You are already in contact with someone regarding this? Interesting," the man spoke.

"Who is this person you already secured a deal with, Theo Merrick?" the duke asked with visible interest.

Theo had not directly rejected him simply because another person supported him.

That required courage, and it gave even more weight to Theo’s earlier claims.

Theo knew this conversation could go anywhere, but to add even more weight to it, he spoke again.

"I was fortunate enough to pitch this idea to the previous lord of House Vaelmont, my lord."

At that moment, it felt as though the surprises simply would not stop.

The old man at the side had his mouth slightly agape.

Even the duke stared at Theo with widened eyes, and Theo did not mind maintaining eye contact with him.

"The previous lord of House Vaelmont... the one who founded the Vaelmont Merchant Group..." the duke said slowly.

Theo only nodded respectfully.

And as if the curiosity in the room had suddenly intensified, even the lady among them spoke.

"What kind of deal did you make with him, Theo Merrick? Though only tell us if you are truly comfortable sharing it."

She spoke with a light smile.

"I don’t mind sharing it, my lady," Theo replied while showing her a dazzling smile that he had not shown to either the duke or the old man, making both of them notice the difference even if they cared more about what he was about to say.

"If all the claims I made today can be proven in the first prototype he sees, then I will receive monetary support and a deal where the former head of Vaelmont will purchase all the beasts I help develop," Theo spoke while keeping his gaze on her.

"As a Merrick, do you even need monetary support?" the old man still seemed unconvinced as he asked with his arms crossed.

"It was the previous Count of Vaelmont who offered the monetary reward, but what I truly wanted was his support in bringing these new-era beasts into the market."

The old man continued staring at Theo as if he still didn’t know whether he wanted to believe him or not.

"... How much was the monetary reward?" the duke suddenly asked as if something was telling him there was nothing ordinary about this conversation.

Theo smiled inwardly.

"It is ten blue coins, my lord."

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Silence fell over the room as each of them looked at one another before turning back toward Theo.

Finally, the old man recovered first.

"Preposterous! Ten blue coins?!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

Theo only nodded calmly.

"That is enough money to support the royal academy for an entire month, Young Theo," the headmaster added to emphasize the amount, though it was hardly necessary in front of such wealthy nobles.

"If the previous Count of House Vaelmont truly offered you that prize, then I believe I have nothing left to question, Theo Merrick," the duke spoke while looking at Theo with piercing eyes.

"If one day you truly achieve even part of this and there is proof, I am willing to offer you thirteen blue coins."

All three of them looked toward the duke before remembering once again that he was a duke.

There was a difference between them and him.

He belonged to an entirely different category of power and wealth.

"But if I provide that amount and my support, then I will require proprietary access to these beasts. I will buy them all from you."

The duke leaned forward slightly.

"What do you think about that?" The duke asked, making everyone anticipate what Theo would reply to that.

The deal felt like it was made in a dream, not real life.