"The entire Olyvendi Family?"
At those words, a trace of chill surfaced on Marquis Vent's face. His original smile immediately deepened into something more sinister as his scarlet eyes fixed on Anvis's face beneath the hood's shadow.
"Interesting... Man in the Mirror, your ambitions truly aren't small. Aren't you afraid you'll bite off more than you can chew—or suffer indigestion after swallowing it?"
"That need not concern Marquis Vent. Fate will guide my path. Everything has long since been ordained."
Ignoring the veiled threat in Marquis Vent's words, Anvis calmly met his gaze.
"Isn't it an appropriate bargain? The entire Olyvendi Family in exchange for peaceful coexistence between us and all of you."
"Peaceful coexistence... Heh—"
A cold glint mingling mockery and brutality flashed through his blood-red eyes. Faint black shadows flickered behind Marquis Vent as the terrifying aura of the ancient oceanic overlord, the Blood Eye Azure Dragon, slowly began to spread.
A wind carrying a faint fishy brine rose through the surroundings, making the plants and fountain in the courtyard sway incessantly. Yet Anvis merely watched Marquis Vent in silence like a stone carving, utterly unmoved by the pressure he radiated.
"Fine. Very well. As you wish. I only hope you can keep that appetite of yours!"
After the two had confronted each other for some time, Marquis Vent finally relented with a grim expression, making a statement that was practically an admission of defeat.
Anvis wanted the Olyvendi Family, so they would give it to him. After all, the Empire still had three other Great Families.
Using one quarter of their originally expected gains to stabilize a Ninth Rank Diviner during this critical period was an acceptable trade for them.
Besides, the Olyvendi Family was not a finished cake laid out on a table, to be divided