Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst-Chapter 177: VOL 3 - 15: We love you.

"Direct disciple Erik, it's a pleasure to have you at my humble inn."

As soon as Erik approached, the man immediately turned to face him and greeted him with a firm yet cordial voice, extending his right hand for a handshake, which Erik accepted while speaking.

"The pleasure is mine as well, Arcane Merrikson. I've heard of your achievements—they are truly admirable."

"Haha, they're not that great."

The man laughed with genuine cheer and a hint of pride, then added with a big smile as he released Erik's hand. At that moment, he glanced at Martin beside him and spoke in an analytical tone, deliberately avoiding looking at Seraphina, who stood behind Erik with a soft smile.

"I suppose this is the boy Lady Ravenspell told me about."

"Nice to meet you; my name is Martin López." Martin quickly introduced himself in a loud and firm voice, prompting a satisfied nod from the man, who commented with a smile on his face.

"I like that attitude, kid. Get ready—the camp lasts only one year, but it won't be easy!"

"I'm ready for anything, sir! I'll dedicate myself body and soul to learning everything I can!" Martin promptly replied with determination, making the man nod once again before turning back to Erik and commenting with a grin.

"He's got guts, I like that. Leave him to me—I'll make sure to train him thoroughly."

"I fully trust your abilities, Arcane Merrikson."

Erik quickly replied with a voice full of confidence, leading to a brief conversation, after which he politely said his goodbyes. He then took Sofia, who gave her brother one last hug before running back to Erik. At that moment, darkness enveloped them completely, allowing Arcane Merrikson to slightly bow toward Seraphina, who simply looked at him calmly before initiating the teleportation, disappearing from the place entirely.

"Kid, since you're with the man that woman chose to serve, I have to make sure you meet at least a minimum standard—otherwise my conscience won't let me sleep peacefully. So be prepared; I'll be paying special attention to you."

After Seraphina disappeared, Arcane Merrikson spoke in a deep voice filled with meaning, causing Martin to turn and look at him with some surprise. But at that moment, the man began walking toward the interior of the estate and firmly said.

"Let's go—we don't have all day!"

"Yes, sir!"

...

...

...

The moment the darkness vanished from her sight, Sofia found herself standing before a beautiful building with bluish glass walls and large doors adorned with intricate runes that softly glowed, creating a spectacle of iridescent lights all around. There were two women standing there; one of them was a beautiful woman with black hair and olive skin, dressed in an elegant long blue gown, whom Sofia quickly recognized.

"Erik, Sofia." Laura greeted them warmly, a small smile on her face, prompting Erik to return the greeting with a similar smile.

"Hello, Laura. Sorry for the delay."

"You're actually right on time. I just got out the door." Laura replied with a polite smile, then turned to look at Sofia and added with a warm smile.

"And we'll be together for the next year, so I hope we get along well, Sofia."

"Thank you very much, and I apologize for any inconvenience, Sage Sánchez. I'll do my best not to waste this great opportunity." Sofia quickly bowed politely and spoke in a calm voice, just as her boss's personal maid had taught her—making Laura smile as she replied in a welcoming tone.

"Your pronunciation has improved—congratulations. But let me introduce you to the person who will be in charge of you."

Laura then motioned toward the woman beside her, a black woman with long wavy hair cascading down to her shoulders, dressed in a formal pantsuit and jacket, and added with a smile.

"Her name is Yelena, and she's the manager in charge of the administrative side of the auction house—a very capable woman."

"Nice to meet you; I'm Yelena Voss, administrative manager of the Aetherion's Hall auction house." The woman quickly introduced herself with a slight formal bow, which Sofia mirrored as she introduced herself.

"The pleasure is mine. I'm Sofia López, assistant-in-training to direct disciple Erik."

"A pleasure. And due to the agreement reached by our superiors, I'll be assigning you to various positions throughout the year so you can develop your skills. I hope we can work harmoniously together." Yelena replied in a serious and firm voice, to which Sofia quickly nodded and responded.

"I'll be in your care. Rest assured, I'll do my very best to perform satisfactorily."

As Yelena began explaining the details of Sofia's upcoming work at the auction house, Laura approached Erik and asked with a small smile.

"And how have you been, Erik?"

"A bit busy, since I have a lot to sort out before leaving for the ruin exploration, but aside from that, I'm doing quite well, honestly." Erik replied casually, at which point Laura commented with a cheerful voice.

"I see. My brother is going through the same, and thank you very much for the opportunity, Erik. My brother and Jessica are very excited and busy."

"There's no need to thank me. Honestly, that spot came out of nowhere and I gave it to my 'older sister'—the second disciple of my master. She's the one who decided to offer it to your brother; I had nothing to do with it." Erik responded casually, prompting Laura to simply smile before calmly asking.

"I still feel like I owe you a favor, so... Would you like to come in for a drink?"

"Another time. Right now, my schedule is really tight." Erik said, shaking his head and replying casually as he pulled his agenda from his storage ring to check it. Laura could only respond with a hint of disappointment.

"I see, that's a shame."

"Well, I'm already running late for a meeting I have after this. I have to say goodbye now." After glancing at his agenda, Erik spoke in a serious voice, prompting Laura to nod and reply with a smile.

"Then I'll see you another time. And don't worry about Sofia—I'll make sure to take special care of her."

"I know. And thanks again." Erik said, sincerely grateful, to which Laura shook her head and replied in a cheerful tone.

"Even if it's not official yet, we're partners. This is nothing..."

After saying goodbye to Laura, Erik walked over to Sofia, who looked a little nervous, and spoke with a smile.

"Sofia, make sure you learn as much as you can here. After I come back, there are several things I want you to start handling alongside your studies. Depending on your performance here, I'll know what workload is best suited for you."

"Don't worry, Boss! I'll do my absolute best!" Sofia quickly replied, full of enthusiasm and determination, prompting Erik to smile in satisfaction and say.

"I know you will. But even so, don't push yourself too hard. No matter how good you are, if you don't have your health, it's meaningless."

"I'll keep that in mind, Boss." Sofia replied warmly, and Erik nodded. After saying his goodbyes, he approached Seraphina, who promptly teleported him to the location of his next meeting.

...

When the light faded, Erik found himself standing before a towering building of black metal and glass, with a curvilinear design that rose more than 100 stories high. He quickly entered, accompanied by his loyal shadow, and was greeted by a team of four men and three women, all dressed in elegant black business suits. The man in the center, who had short black hair and light violet eyes, spoke in a serious and formal tone.

"Direct Disciple Erik, it's a pleasure to have you with us. Please follow us—everything is ready for the meeting and the subsequent signing of the contract."

"That's good. Let's go." Erik replied calmly before moving toward the glass elevator located at the corner of the building's elegant lobby. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

Shortly after, Erik arrived at what appeared to be a conference room with a panoramic view of District 6 of the University Planet. The district was filled with all kinds of tall buildings, which, although they varied slightly in design, mostly shared a consistent style—primarily made of metal and glass—giving the whole area a far more serious and professional atmosphere. After all, this was the Financial/Corporate District of the University Planet.

After taking a seat at the head chair, Erik grabbed the contracts and began reviewing them along with Seraphina, who remained standing behind him as always, reading a copy of the contracts at great speed. After a while, Erik placed the documents down on the table and spoke in a calm voice, leaning back against the chair's backrest.

"The corrections I requested seem to be all in place. What do you think, Seraphina?"

"They are in order, Young Master. You can sign them without any problem."

Seraphina quickly replied as she made the contracts she was holding float down to land neatly on the table. At that moment, she swiftly grabbed a teapot and prepared tea at remarkable speed, then placed a cup of hot tea on the desk beside her young master. Erik glanced at the lawyers and spoke in a calm tone.

"Everything is perfect, so now we just have to wait for the Atticus family representatives to arrive and begin the proceedings. Is there anything else you would like to report?"

"Yes, Direct Disciple Erik. The negotiations with the Etherglass suppliers and the craftsmen you requested have already been completed. Would you like to review the figures and conditions?" The man with short black hair and light violet eyes reported in a serious tone, prompting Erik to nod and reply as Seraphina began massaging his shoulders.

"Perfect, let me take a look at how that turned out."

...

...

...

A couple of hours later, Erik walked out of the elegant building accompanied by his older brother Desmond and a man who seemed to be a few years older, bearing a certain resemblance to Desmond. However, the man's eyes were a pale pink color instead of the young mage's grayish tone. At that moment, Desmond extended his hand toward Erik and commented with a smile.

"It was truly a pleasure doing business with you, Erik. Everything went smoothly and without a hitch—one of the best negotiations I've ever been part of."

"The pleasure was mine as well. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the Manalite will become in your hands." Erik said with a smile as he shook Desmond's hand. At that moment, the man beside Desmond extended his hand and spoke.

"We already have several ideas that I'm sure will surprise you, Direct Disciple Erik. We'll be awaiting your visit to our home planet so we can discuss them more thoroughly."

"Don't worry, Arcane Atticus. As soon as I return from the exploration, I'll reorganize my schedule and make that visit as soon as possible. Besides, I'm really looking forward to seeing the factories." Erik replied cordially as he shook the man's hand, prompting a satisfied nod from him as he calmly commented.

"It will truly be a pleasure to welcome you to our humble home, Direct Disciple Erik. Although I must apologize—I have another meeting to attend."

"I'm in the same situation, so I must take my leave as well. We'll meet again soon."

After bidding farewell to Desmond and the elder in charge of the Atticus family, Erik hurried off with Seraphina. He still had to file a couple of licenses for his spells, send academic documents, meet with the construction company responsible for remodeling the offices he had rented, among other tasks—he simply had too much to do.

...

...

...

By the time night fell, Erik collapsed onto the sofa in his master's mansion, exhausted. At that moment, Seraphina began massaging his shoulders with perfect technique, while the wolves emerged from his shadow and started rubbing against him as if they hadn't seen him in centuries. Erik spoke with a visibly tired voice.

"So many meetings in a single day completely drained me..."

"Don't worry, Young Master. Your personal maid will make sure to pamper and take care of you until you're as good as new."

Seraphina quickly replied with a smile. At that moment, a flash of light lit up the room, and almost instantly, Erik felt two warm, soft, and elastic sensations wrapping around his arms, followed quickly by Sigrún's cheerful voice.

"Erik, we have a bunch of gifts for you!"

"Fufu, and your armor for the tournament is ready, so you can try it on." Eleonora added with a joyful smile as she intimately hugged her beloved disciple, who replied with a somewhat dull voice.

"Great, let's go see them."

Noticing the tiredness in Erik's voice, Eleonora and Sigrún's excitement instantly vanished. The beautiful golden-haired master released Erik's arm and gently pulled him down to rest his head on her lap, smiling as she said.

"Let's do that later. For now, I just want to spoil you a lot."

"Don't worry, I really want to see the armor and the gifts."

Erik quickly replied with a smile, trying to seem like everything was fine. At that moment, Eleonora rose from her seat and knelt in front of him, starting to unbutton his jacket as she spoke.

"Don't think about any of that right now. Just relax and enjoy yourself. You've worked so hard—you deserve to be thoroughly pampered today, don't you agree, Seraphina?" Eleonora said, turning to look at Seraphina, who quickly nodded with a smile as she pulled several lotions, masks, and similar items from her storage ring.

"Yes, my Young Master worked very hard today and truly deserves a good rest."

"Then let's get to work! Let's get rid of these pesky clothes, hehe,"

Sigrún quickly added with a playful smile, causing everyone to laugh joyfully. At that moment, Eleonora stripped Erik down to his underwear, then pulled a specially designed massage chair from her storage ring—a chair she had crafted herself—pointing to it as she spoke.

"Sit here, Erik. This is one of the things we prepared for your ruin exploration. I'll explain how it works later, but for now, just relax."

"All right."

Visibly exhausted, Erik sat down on the chair, which immediately began massaging him with great precision. At the same time, Eleonora, Sigrún, and Seraphina started massaging his face, arms, and legs, respectively; their movements were practiced and measured, all while maintaining warm, loving smiles on their faces. It was inevitable that Erik would feel enveloped in warmth and infinitely loved by these beautiful women.

"Thank you..." Erik murmured, his voice heavy with exhaustion, prompting Sigrún to respond with a smile full of love.

"We love you. There's no need for thanks."

Hearing Sigrún's warm voice, Erik turned to look at Eleonora and Seraphina, who both wore joyful and affectionate smiles, making it impossible for him not to smile as well. Closing his eyes, he surrendered to the care of his beautiful masters and his devoted maid, who laughed softly and wholeheartedly dedicated themselves to pampering him with all their love.

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