All-around teacher at the magic academy

"However, Tommy, have you ever thought about this? Although this idea is wonderful, the reality is quite harsh."

Rhine sighed, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "We can't ignore the issue of start-up capital."

Tommy frowned; clearly, he hadn't thought about this issue in depth before.

"Startup capital? Aren't we able-bodied? Isn't that enough?"

Rhine shook his head and patiently explained to Tommy, “We need to rent a place; that’s the most basic thing. This location will become our base, giving our guests a clear place to go. Without a fixed place, how will people know where we are? How will they find us and ask us for help?”

Tommy was silent for a moment, seemingly considering Rhine's words. Then he said, "But we really don't have much money right now, so what are we going to do?"

After a moment's thought, Rhine replied, "If possible, we can start small and find a relatively inexpensive location. Alternatively, we can try to find some friends willing to work together and invest in the business. In short, we must solve the problem of start-up capital; otherwise, this idea of ​​making money will remain just wishful thinking."

"Yes, you're right." Tommy nodded in agreement.

“And it’s not just about renting a venue,” Rhine continued, his tone heavy. “Things like signs, interior decoration, and hiring staff all require funding. We have to consider these practical expenses, Tommy.”

Rhine's expression betrayed his helplessness. He had assumed Tommy had seriously considered these details, only to discover that the other man was still merely at the stage of having a grand idea. This gap between reality and ideal left Rhine feeling somewhat frustrated.

“But neither of us has any start-up capital at all,” Rhine repeated, his voice tinged with bitterness.

He had once held a sliver of hope for Tommy's idea, and even during the conversation just now, his heart wavered slightly, thinking that this fantasy might actually come true.

However, as the conversation deepened, those newly raised hopes were instantly cooled down, as if doused with a bucket of cold water.

"Wait a minute, didn't you just get 10 rubles?" Tommy suddenly remembered something, his eyes lit up as he looked at Rhine and said, "Oh, no, it was 9 rubles, because you gave me 1 ruble, wasn't that seed money?"

“That’s simply not enough,” Rhine replied, somewhat speechless. He shook his head, clearly frustrated by Tommy’s naive idea.

"That's 10 rubles, and it's still not enough?" Tommy seemed puzzled, unable to understand why 10 rubles wasn't enough as seed money.

“It’s definitely not enough,” Rhine explained patiently, his eyes serious. “Although I don’t know exactly how much funding we need, I’m certain that what we have right now is far from enough. What we need is a sum that will allow us to get started.”

“Don’t look at me like that, I don’t have any money,” Tommy quickly waved his hands, looking somewhat embarrassed. “I only have this one ruble, and it’s from you…”

He suddenly realized he had let something slip and quickly corrected himself, "Oh no, I mean, I deserve it."

Tommy tried to correct his wording, but his face was already slightly flushed, clearly embarrassed by his slip of the tongue.

"Why don't you ask your family for some financial assistance?" Rhine asked tentatively, hoping to find another way to solve the funding problem.

“My family doesn’t have much money either,” Tommy sighed, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. “Our financial situation isn’t good either, and they can’t help us much. Why don’t you ask your family to contribute some money?” Tommy asked rhetorically, hoping to get some inspiration from Rhine.

“I don’t have any at home either,” Rhine replied with a wry smile. “If my family were rich, I wouldn’t need to take on these bounty missions to make money.”

His words carried a hint of self-deprecation; he didn't want to trouble Arthur with this matter because he wasn't sure if the idea could make money.

“Am I the same?” Tommy replied, looking somewhat dejected; the two seemed to be in the same predicament.

"Alright then, let's not think about it too much," Rhine said somewhat dejectedly, seemingly ready to give up on the topic.

Hearing Rhine's words, Tommy panicked a little. He looked at Rhine, his heart tightening. Was he just going to give up like this?

Their collaboration was like a flame that had just begun to ignite, extinguished before it even started? He was still counting on Rhine's efforts to realize his dream of getting rich.

He quickly stopped Rhine, saying urgently, "No, no, no, we can't just give up like this. Let's think of other ways; there's always a way out. Maybe we can start small, or find some that don't require too much capital to test the waters. We can continue to take on some profitable bounties, and then we can complete them together and split the money."

"What are you thinking? If that's the case, why don't I just do it all by myself and share it with you?"

"With just 10 rubles from the two of us, these two young men actually want to start a company? I can't believe your nonsense." Rhine's words carried a hint of sarcasm, as if reminding Tommy of the harsh reality and the gap between their ideas and reality.

“There’s always a way.” Tommy grabbed Rhine’s arm, his eyes flashing with resentment, unwilling to give up on this money-making plan.

"Then what's your solution?" Rhine turned to Tommy, his eyes filled with a challenge, as if waiting for Tommy to give a reasonable answer.

"Um..." Tommy hesitated for a moment, his brows furrowed, his mouth opened but he didn't know what to say.

He realized that although his idea was good, it was difficult to find a foothold in reality.

Seeing his expression, Rhine understood what was going on. He shook his head, feeling a little disappointed.

So all that discussion I had with him was just a fantasy.

He didn't say anything more, only sighed softly, his eyes revealing his helplessness towards this unrealistic dream.

Just as Rhine was turning to leave, preparing to end this fruitless discussion, he was suddenly stopped by an urgent shout.

The sound pierced through the surrounding noise and struck his eardrums.

He stopped and turned to look in the direction of the sound, his eyes searching through the crowd. Soon, he spotted a familiar figure.

When Liz saw Rhine turn around, a look of relief appeared on her face.

She quickly made her way through the crowd and ran towards Rhine, her hair flying through the air as she ran.

Reaching Rhine's side, Liz breathed softly, calming herself before asking with concern, "How are you, Rhine? Are you alright? Did you find the missing cat?"

......