Barry suddenly fell silent. His eyes flickered as he looked carefully around through the night for several seconds. Then, as if only just realizing it, he said, "Hey, this forest does look a little familiar now."
"Large stretches of Bakro Trees are rare elsewhere. This... this is the High Mountain Forest northwest of Xia Ya, South Capital, in the Soma Alliance—the place where the Ancestral Spirit Society Headquarters is located." Barry looked at Richard in surprise.
"So you recognized it." Richard chuckled softly. "Good. Now that you have, we can discuss business."
"Business? What business?"
"Very simple. Not far ahead should be your Ancestral Spirit Society Headquarters. I can let go of your previous attack on me, send you safely home, and help you get rid of that opponent you hate so much—Noan—making you the new leader of the Ancestral Spirit Society. In return, I want to borrow your Ancestral Spirit Society's Blood Codex for a while. After studying it, I'll return it to you."
"Well..." Barry hesitated after hearing this. "The Blood Codex is the most important thing in the Ancestral Spirit Society. There has never been a precedent of lending it to outsiders. In fact, not even every member of the society is allowed to read it. You not only want to borrow it, but you do not even have a specific date for returning it. That makes it difficult for me to agree."
Richard continued speeding through the air, frowning slightly as he looked at Barry and asked, "So, you disagree?"
"No, no, no." Held by the back of the neck in Richard's grip, Barry quickly waved his hands. "What I mean is, the Blood Codex is truly very important. Sending me home, getting rid of Noan, and making me the new leader—those terms may be good,