The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 857: That? Haha, It’s Mine

The excitement on everyone’s faces turned to shock.

Alfland was an amusement park built with massive investment, featuring a dreamlike, unique theme quite different from the existing parks in Korea. It was the perfect example of what could be achieved when money was poured into an amusement park. However, Alfland was currently in serious trouble.

The current state of the world was one plagued by violence and a lack of control over one’s fate.

"I heard there was a monster attack that caused extreme damage. They’re compensating the victims, and so are now struggling with financial issues," Hyun-Ah explained with a sigh.

"I’d heard some rich guy from the Middle East funded it," Davey commented.

"Do you know how many rich people there are in the Middle East?" Hyun-Ah muttered, exasperated. "Anyway, the damages were severe, so he must’ve decided it wasn’t worth the investment anymore and pulled out."

“Bad luck for them,” Perserque clicked her tongue.

"Wasn't this all caused by the Malicious Spirits? Is there a reason they’re acting up now?"

"Apart from them, there’s been a dimensional gap, so monsters have been crossing over nonstop. At this point currently, it's a bit late to remedy things."

As Davey responded, Super Ribbon’s smiling expression noticeably deflated. Aeonitia and Tiara, who had been just as thrilled to visit Alfland, also made disappointed faces.

"Anyway, Alf Land is running on fumes right now. Besides the compensation to the victims, it would still take a ton of money to recover the reputation they lost after the monster attack."

Davey nodded silently.

"There you have it. Unfortunately, Alfland’s off-limits right now. If you want to see something else, I can contact some branch heads nearby and have them help you out. Now, send me back,” she muttered as pulled off the straw hat and plopped it firmly on Davey’s head.

"You can’t just yank me out from work like this. We’re in the middle of one of the most important projects of the year. I’ve got no time to even breathe with the Awakened support program going on," she complained, lightly kicking his leg before looking up at him.

Davey looked back at her, contemplating for a moment, then clapped his hands once. "Alright. Just let me know if you need anything."

"In that case, you could sign a deal with Sacred Group so we can use you as our masc—”

Before she could finish, she vanished in a flash of light.

Zap!!

Everyone was quiet for a moment after she disappeared.

"Sigh… I was really looking forward to it.”

“What a pity.”

Perserque tried to sound indifferent, but she seemed disappointed too. In order to get used to Earth, she had even tried out a prototype mana car at Heins Academy, which she ended up crashing.

"Now that I think of it, why are you so surprised by the technology here? Tionis made something similar to a car, after all," Davey asked, turning to Aeonitia who had designed such things herself. She shook her head.

"It’s completely different."

To a prodigious genius like her, the two seemed to be worlds apart.

"Plus it just runs so smooth~," she added.

‘So that was the point.’

With the plan to visit Alfland scrapped, Super Ribbon was clearly the most disappointed. Even so, she didn’t complain.

When they began their search for a place to stay for a few days, Davey received a text from Hyun-Ah with a map that pinpointed a certain location.

[Hey Davey, you’re here incognito, right? You probably don’t have a place to stay, so you should check out the place on this map. Uncle originally built it as a villa. It’s vacant at the moment, and I think he had been hoping to give it to you eventually anyway.] ?

"The amazing mindset of one born with a silver spoon," Davey muttered.

If Hyun-Ah had heard him, he knew she’d likely yank his hair out, but he didn’t care.

"Wow… It’s beautiful!" Aeonitia exclaimed.

"Oh, Princess Aeonitia! Look! There’s even an indoor pool like in the magazines!" Tiara added, practically bouncing with excitement.

Ignoring the excited pair, Davey smiled at the elderly gentleman waiting for them.

"Apologies if we’re a bit chaotic."

"Not at all. I’ve heard the full story. Please make yourselves at home, and let me know if there’s anything you need,” the gentleman replied, bowing politely before he took his leave.

“Thank you.”

“Hmmm.”

As Davey looked around the familiar interior, his gaze fell on a small photograph in the corner. It was an old picture of him with Hyun-Ah and Yeon-Hee, taken when they were kids. In it, he and Hyun-Ah were glaring at each other bickering, while Yeon-Hee was smiling and trying to mediate.

‘It’d be a lie to say I don’t miss those days.’

Ding!

[Uncle said to go ahead and use the place. He wants you to have it—he says it’s a present from him.]

“What am I supposed to do with such a softhearted uncle?" Davey muttered, shaking his head.

Even though he was only his nephew, Davey knew his uncle was still too unbelievably generous when it came to family.

"Wise Teacher! Look at this!"

A red-haired girl came rushing over as Davey was about to drink a glass of wine he had poured himself, coming to a stop and standing proudly in front of him.

“Pffft!” Davey spat out his wine, his eyes twitching.

“How do I look? If it looks nice, I’m going to show my grandpa!”

“Could you show at least even a shred of shame?”

“Oh, come on. So? How do I look?” She grinned, the playful sparkle in her eyes making her even more charming in her swimsuit.

“That might give the old man a heart attack.”

“Right? It’s about time I make hi—”

Before she could finish, Perserque, feeling she would go on and on, silenced her with a wave of magic, muting her like a tv remote. She squirmed in surprise, then tumbled straight into the indoor pool with Aeonitia, splashing water everywhere.

As Davey turned away, Rinne, whose location he had lost track of, came over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Master Davey."

"Hm?"

"Rinne evaluates her meeting significantly.”

Without further explanation, she took his hand and led him outside.

"Did you meet someone?”

"Someone who recognized Rinne. A friend of Master Davey’s.”

Davey followed her leisurely out of the villa, only to be met by a familiar face flashing a bright smile in his direction.

"Ah, my friend! It’s been too long!"

The man approached with a warm smile, embracing Davey briefly before stepping back. It was none other than Al Hajat, the Oil Prince—Davey’s third maker slave.

* * *

“It’s truly a joy to see you again, Mr. Rowane.”

“You don’t have to be so formal.”

“Alright. I’ll call you Davey, then.”

“So, what brings you here?”

"Ah, I’ve been indulging in a few hobbies and decided to make a short visit to Korea. I met some people I wanted to see, and on my way back to the airport, I ran into Lady Rinne and followed her here.”

Davey recalled the first time they’d met, when he had sent Rinne as his envoy to Al Hajat. It seemed the Prince had never forgotten their rather memorable meeting—when Rinne flew to his twenty story window, smashed through it and made her grand entrance.

As if Al Hajat remembered something, he clapped his hands and whispered a few words to his attendant. He then nodded toward Davey.

“You truly have some beautiful companions with you, Davey. You never cease to amaze.”

Davey felt a bit awkward at the strange unexpected praise.

"Wow, he’s really handsome," Tiara whispered.

"Lady Tiara! You should be more selective with your words…" Aeonitia pulled her back, looking flustered.

"As you can tell, she’s not in the best shape. She’s a brilliant girl, and the granddaughter of someone who has helped me a lot, so I keep her busy at times,” Davey explained.

Being the Captain of the airship Asgard wasn’t something one could do through connections alone. Only those who understood the ins and outs of Asgard were capable, and Tiara, who had been part of the Asgard airship project, was the perfect fit.

“It’s alright, really,” Al Hajat laughed. “It’s nice to hear that I look good.”

"Hehehe, he seems kind as well,” Tiara beamed.

He chuckled, then handed Davey the box his attendant had brought over.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a very rare drink. But not because of the cost—it’s the difficulty of obtaining it. Half the reason I came to Korea was to get some.”

“Are you sure about giving it to me, then? It looks quite valuable.”

“I procured it just for you in the first place, my friend,” he said with a warm smile.

Davey narrowed his eyes looking at the bottle. It looked expensive. Based on what Al Hajat was saying, he assumed it could even be priceless.

"So, when did you arrive on Earth, Davey? It would’ve been nice if you’d told me earlier."

“I’ve only been here a few hours. How are things in your country?”

Al Hajat lit up at the question.

"It’s great of course, thanks to you! The Malicious Spirit remnants you dealt with had an unexpected effect—it somehow enriched our oil reserves, improving the quality beyond comparison. All thanks to you, Davey.”

"I’m glad to hear that things turned out well.”

"Several countries have reached out to me, hoping to connect with you. I’m sure many have inquired about the Sacred Group that sponsored the Church of Neltarid about you as well.”

Davey didn’t recall Hyun-Ah mentioning anything about it.

“Why would they want to get in touch with me?” Davey asked.

‘It’s not like there are any Malicious Spirits now; is there a reason for them to flatter me? Of course not.’

“I’m not entirely sure, but it seems they’re urgently competing to contact you.”

“Well, if I ever visit officially, I’ll think about the reason then.”

“Hahaha.”

They shared a laugh and continued catching up, exchanging stories about recent events.

“I prepared some fruit to snack on. Please, have some,” Aeria smiled, passing the two some Tionis native fruits they had brought along for the trip.

Al Hajat’s eyes sparkled with interest as he noticed her fox-like ears.

“Oh! Just like something from an animated film! Japan has a name for those…”

“Yes, since Aeria is a beastfolk.”

"Ah, a beastfolk! I see. Davey, please, you must visit my country someday. I’d be honored to host you at my place.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! Who could possibly object to a friend visiting from afar? It would be a privilege.”

Laughing heartily, he added, “Davey, next time let’s go to an esports event together. Recently I’ve been getting into esports, anime, movies—all sorts of cultural events.”

“Sounds good.”

“It’s a deal then.”

He held out his pinky finger and sealed their deal with a grin.

As they continued talking, Davey casually mentioned that he’d come to Earth with plans to visit Alfland only to give up after hearing about its current situation. Al Hajat widened his eyes as he heard this.

“Alfland? Davey, are you still interested in going?”

“Well, yes, but I heard it’s being put up for sale due to financial issues.”

“This is a divine opportunity bestowed upon me then.”

Al Hajat motioned to his attendant, who handed him a stack of documents.

“Thank you, Antonio.”

“Of course, Prince.”

Al Hajat skimmed through the papers, nodded in satisfaction, then turned back to Davey.

"My friend, would you still like to visit Alfland?"

“Honestly, I don’t intend to get too involved here on Earth. I’ll stick to enjoying a few places like this villa, but nothing major like reopening Alfland.”

What was happening with Alfland was disappointing, but he wasn’t in a situation to take care of their financial struggles simply to visit them. He was aware that Super Ribbon was disappointed, but the reality was that procedures had to be taken in order to achieve their initial goal of visiting.

Al Hajat smiled warmly at his response. He then signed the documents and handed them back to his attendant.

“Please take care of these.”

“Understood.”

The attendant didn’t say another word; he just bowed and left.

Davey looked at Al Hajat, curious. “What did you just do?”

Al Hajat chuckled. “Those were papers for the purchase of Alfland. I actually knew the previous owner, but the property never really caught my interest until now.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m going to buy Alfland. I’ll cover the compensation, the maintenance, and any other costs that’ll come. It’ll reopen in three days, so feel free to visit whenever you like. I’ll arrange for the best parades and festivals in your honor. And as of now, Davey, you are the owner of Alfland.”

No one in the room could believe what he had just said.

Perserque stared slack jawed at Al Hajat.

Alfland was a massive project, built with an unimaginable amount of money. The sheer value of the place was beyond measure. Yet, Al Hajat had just casually bought the place without a second thought.

Unlike monarchies, most countries on Earth operated on capitalism, and in that sense, one could say his actions didn’t come as too much of a shock.

“Well…”

With his wealth and power, it wasn’t surprising that he could make moves like this.

“My friend, I’ve heard that you’re one of the wealthiest in Tionis, living in noble luxury. This can’t be too difficult for you to accomplish either.”

“Uh

‘But there are still limits, man!’

“Hopefully this wasn’t over the top, but I do hope you’ll graciously accept it. Consider it a gift from a friend you’ve helped so much.”

Davey was indeed wealthy in Tionis, though that could only take him so far. He remembered hearing that the oil prices skyrocketed during the recent monster crisis, which must have helped Al Hajat make a fortune in profits.

His gesture had brightened Super Ribbon’s previously gloomy expression, and even Illyna couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. Although she was of royalty, not all royals were wealthy, which was why imperial candidates often relied on merchant sponsors.

Of course, Heins Territory brought in a lot the past year, so it also had its moments. Davey was aware that kings could have a big privy purse, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t where Al Hajat’s money was coming from..

‘I mean, if he has a lot of money, he has a lot of money. But is he trying to brag about it? Is he trying to outshine me with money? But even then, it’s too much money for such a small thing…’

Apart from the money, Davey was most grateful for his incredible gesture of friendship. All he could do in response was to thank him.

"Ah, the class of an oil prince," Davey remarked with a smile.

“Davey, my friend, this isn’t about money. It’s just a gift for a friend.”

“It’s not a piddling amount.”

“You’re right. Maybe not for me, but for most people, it’s a fortune. But if it’s in exchange for the lives of me and my people…”

He beamed.

“It’s pocket change.”

His attitude of calling such a fortune pocket change showed just how he came to be known as the wealthiest man on Earth.

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts

Editorb’s Thought

I wish I had money…