Chapter Twenty-Six The Other End of the Scale

The aroma of black tea permeated the luxuriously decorated room, yet it failed to alter the icy atmosphere within.

"Mr. Clete, I cannot agree to your terms."

The middle-aged man set down his teacup, his expression firm as he refused.

"The situation at the mines is very stable right now. We believe that a drastic price hike at this time is an extremely unreasonable act. As a member of the Merchant Association, I naturally want to look out for the Association's interests, but in this regard, I truly cannot help. I hope you can understand."

"Please, do not be so agitated, Mr. Keller."

Sitting on the soft sofa, the man dressed in wide, ornate robes revealed a cold smile.

"The thirty percent increase in ore prices is a decision unanimously passed by the Association. As a member of the Association, you must comply."

"But this is not normal!"

Keller furrowed his brows.

"There is currently no shortage of ore, and it is unlikely such a problem will arise in the near future. We cannot just raise prices arbitrarily without a good reason. And you, Mr. Clete, up until now, I have not received a valid explanation. You cannot make me nod in agreement with a single phrase like 'the Association decided.' At the very least, I wish to know the reason behind this decision. Furthermore, if the Golden City were to find out about such an unauthorized price hike..."

"That woman can't do anything to us even if she knows."

At the mention of the Golden City, Clete's expression immediately darkened.

"Mr. Keller, the reason I, as Vice President of the Association, personally summoned you here to discuss this matter is because you hold eighty-five percent of the mining industry in Deepstone City. However, I hope you understand that the industries you control are, in fact, nothing to the entire Paffield region."

"Regardless of what you say, if you do not provide a reasonable explanation, I find it difficult to accept such a proposal from the Association."

Keller stood up.

"If that is all, then I am sorry, but I don't think there is any need for us to continue this conversation."

After saying this, Keller nodded and turned to leave.

"Please wait, Mr. Keller."

At that moment, Clete's expression also sank.

"Since you do not agree with the Association's requirements, then I have no choice. In truth, I do not wish to do this, but... having reached this point, you cannot blame me for not showing you respect..."

"What are you trying to do?"

Hearing this, Keller's expression turned stern.

"If you refuse the Association's opinion, then the Association will have no choice but to reclaim all the mines under your control to ensure they can operate normally and stably."

"The Association does not have that authority!"

Keller slammed his hand heavily onto the table.

"The mines in Deepstone City are the property of the Keller Family and have nothing to do with the Association. Do you intend to seize them by force?!"

"We certainly would not seize them by force."

Clete narrowed his small eyes, a smug smile appearing on his face.

"The Association will pay to acquire the mines under the Keller Family. Five thousand gold coins... how do you feel about that price?"

Five thousand?

Upon hearing this, Keller nearly fainted from shock. The Keller Family held four mines, with total annual revenues around several hundred thousand. These bastards wanted to buy all the mines for five thousand gold coins? They couldn't even buy a single pit for that! Had they lost their minds, or was there another motive?

As the head of a family, Keller naturally did not believe everyone in the Association was a fool. He remained silent for a moment, then looked at the Vice President with a hint of suspicion. Clete was no fool; those who could reach the position of Vice President in the Merchant Association were sharp-minded individuals. In fact, Keller had felt something was wrong from the moment he was summoned to the Association headquarters. The ore market had been stable recently, and there was no turmoil in the surrounding countries. Suddenly demanding a thirty percent price increase for all ore industries was definitely no small matter. As a commercial family that had weathered many storms, Keller knew clearly what kind of turbulent effect a sudden price hike would have on the surrounding market, let alone for an important commodity like ore.

If anyone else had said this, Keller would have dismissed it as a joke. He was certain that if the young lady in the Golden City found out about this, every merchant would be in deep trouble. That young lady was not a kind-hearted soul; everyone had their own way to die, but falling into her hands meant the most miserable end.

But now, the Merchant Association actually wanted to raise prices? Had they grown a pair of guts? Did they really think the law couldn't punish the masses?

Thinking of this, a chill ran down Keller's spine. He immediately recalled the massacre five years ago that had shaken the entire principality. Simply because the nobles had united to oppose her proposal, that young lady had slaughtered nearly one-third of the nobles in the entire principality. The ruthlessness and iron will she displayed made even a money-grubbing merchant like Keller shudder. What was even more terrifying was that such an act should have caused national instability, but to everyone's surprise, only two months after the massacre, everything was back on track.

This was what merchants like Keller feared most. They were not afraid of encountering tyrannical monarchs; after all, such impulsive fools would eventually suffer from their own stupidity. But this young lady was different; she clearly had prepared contingencies long ago and was not afraid of any problems.

Did the Merchant Association really think they were powerful enough to trouble that young lady?

Did they truly believe she wouldn't carry out another massacre like the one five years ago and then find others to reorganize the Merchant Association?

Where did these guys get the nerve?

Keller felt the situation becoming increasingly abnormal. He stared at Clete but said nothing.

Clete, however, smiled and stood up.

"I hope Mr. Keller will think it over carefully after returning home. I believe you will have other thoughts."

Something was wrong, definitely wrong!

Faced with Clete's words, Keller remained silent for a moment, then decided to turn and leave. He would return to his family, mobilize all his resources to investigate what was happening, and then provide an answer. But where did this guy get such confidence? Was he truly certain, was he bluffing, or did he have some hidden trump card?

Keller made up his mind and prepared to take his leave. Just as he reached the door, Clete's voice sounded behind him once more.

"I hear your daughter is very lovely. I have always hoped to meet her; please do not take offense."

Keller's hand, reaching for the door, stiffened abruptly.

The moon hung high in the sky.

Under the pitch-black night, the carriage sat quietly by the roadside. The two dim oil lamps hanging in front of the carriage faintly illuminated the surrounding grass and trees. Although the night was somewhat dark, within the range of the Dragon Soul of Light, there were streaks of dazzling light even in the darkness. They condensed and emitted a soft glow, reflecting the bright moon in the sky, so it was not pitch black. Outside the carriage, the three guards who had accompanied Helen had spontaneously begun their watch. The coachman, wrapped in a fur blanket, lay by the campfire near the carriage, snoring from time to time.

Inside the carriage, the three people besides Rhode were preparing to rest. Mace had adapted well to life in the carriage and had fallen asleep wrapped in a blanket. Lize, as always, maintained her mercenary habits, leaning against the edge of the carriage with her eyes half-closed. She did not curl up like the others; after all, as a Spirit Master, she had to be ready to react immediately if any unexpected situation arose.

Helen had been chatting all day and was exhausted; she was leaning against the other side, head drooping and eyes closed, and it was only a matter of time before she fell asleep.

Rhode did not sleep. Instead, he was quietly organizing his attributes. Everything had been too rushed before to attend to such matters, but now that he finally had some free time, he began to sort through his stats. It was necessary, after all, and during the previous battles, Rhode had realized that while this body was his own, the power contained within it was entirely different from what he was used to. In reality, he would never have been able to pull off those rapid dodges and parries.

First was Strength. Through the battles of the past few days, Rhode discovered his strength was higher than that of an average person on the Dragon Soul Continent. According to the game's settings, the strength of an NPC in this world was generally around 4 to 5, which could be considered sturdy for a normal person. Anything from 6 to 8 meant one could wield a heavy two-handed sword with one hand—those were considered monsters. Rhode's strength fell right between 6 and 8; although he hadn't tested it with a two-handed sword, based on his recent fights, it shouldn't be a problem.

As for Constitution, it was the attribute Rhode worried about the least. An average human's constitution was 5 to 7, Elves were slightly lower at 4 to 6, while Dwarves and Orcs were the highest at 7 to 9 and 7 to 10 respectively. Outliers like Angels and Demons were mostly between 15 and 20. Considering the extent of his injuries and the feeling he had during the journey, Rhode deduced his constitution was likely between 10 and 15. This was completely beyond the constitution a human should possess; after all, being swiped by a Void Dragon and still being able to jump around was highly abnormal by any measure.

Regarding Agility, his speed was faster than an average person's, but it hadn't reached the level of an Elf. Considering that Elven speed was the highest in the entire continent at 10 to 15, Rhode's speed was likely around 7 to 10, built upon the 5 to 6 baseline of a normal human.

Willpower was originally the hardest attribute to judge, but after the battle with the Shadow Phantom, Rhode had a basis for comparison. Recalling the game data regarding the resistance requirements for the Shadow Phantom's mental attacks, his Willpower attribute had likely just barely scraped by, falling between 8 and 9. This was higher than an average person, but about on par with a determined warrior, perhaps even lower than some powerful NPCs. However, considering his stats would increase as he leveled up, Rhode wasn't too worried.

As for the Perception attribute, it was the only one that differed from the game. In the game, increasing Perception, aside from slightly enhancing a player's hearing, simply marked dangerous entities as red dots and provided prompts at the bottom of the screen. In reality, however, Perception had completely changed. After closing his eyes, Rhode could still "see" everything around him, as if he possessed an invisible, black-and-white infrared camera that could zoom in and out at will to observe the world. In this regard, his perception was far higher than the 3 to 4 standard of an average human, but clearly lower than the 9 to 10 standard of an Elf. Using the process of elimination based on that Silver Wolf from earlier, it was likely around the 6 to 7 level.

With that, Rhode's attributes had roughly surfaced in his mind.

Strength: 6~8.

Constitution: 10~15.

Agility: 7~10.

Willpower: 8~9.

Perception: 6~7.

Overall, all his attributes were higher than the default stats of a base human character. Rhode doubted that even if he took his character from the game, it wouldn't have had such good starting stats at level ten, because attributes, like talents, only began to grow alongside levels after awakening. For Rhode, known as a library of online gaming, he knew the starting attributes for every race and class like the back of his hand.

After organizing his stats, Rhode realized that while his attributes surpassed humans overall, he was slightly lower than other races in every single category. What puzzled Rhode even more was that even after sorting his stats, he couldn't figure out what kind of bloodline he had. Generally, mixed-race individuals would inherit the prominent attributes of the other half. Take Lize, for example; her other attributes might be close to a human's, but her Willpower, Agility, and Soul Power were definitely at an Angel's level. But his own improvements were too balanced. Aside from his Constitution being slightly exaggerated, none of his other traits reached the starting attribute levels of other races, even though they clearly exceeded human limits. What surprised Rhode even more was that these were his pre-awakening stats; if his bloodline truly awakened, these attributes would likely increase by at least half.

What kind of monstrous race was this? If it existed, players would have been fighting over it long ago.

Rhode wasn't without a few suspects. For instance, Vampires saw a monstrous increase in all attributes at night, especially during a full moon, not to mention outliers like Demons and Angels. But they all had their own limitations. If he had the bloodline of those races, his stats should fluctuate based on the environment and the time of day, yet his attributes were extremely stable.

What kind of bloodline was this?

Rhode pondered for a while, but without an answer, he could only shake his head helplessly. Regardless, it was good that the bloodline was stable and didn't fluctuate. Otherwise, if he were a half-Angel or half-Demon and ended up in the wrong territory, causing his stats to drop by half, he wouldn't even have a place to cry.

Thinking of this, Rhode closed his eyes, intending to rest, but the moment he did, his expression shifted.

"Rustle!"

A faint sound coming from the bushes, mingled with the night wind, reached his ears.