The aroma of black tea spread through the lavishly decorated room, but it did nothing to change the frigid atmosphere within.
"Mr. Clete, I can't agree to your terms."
The middle-aged man set down his teacup and refused with a resolute expression.
"The mines are operating very steadily right now. We believe that raising prices so drastically at this time would be highly unreasonable. As a member of the association, of course I have to look out for its interests, but I simply can't help you with this. I hope you'll understand."
"Please don't get so worked up, Mr. Keller."
The man in a wide, ornate robe sat on the soft sofa and gave a cold smile.
"The thirty percent increase in ore prices was unanimously approved by the association. As a member, you have to comply."
"But this isn't normal!"
Keller furrowed his brow.
"There's no shortage of ore right now, and it's unlikely there will be one anytime soon. We can't arbitrarily raise prices without providing a good reason. And Mr. Clete, so far you haven't given me one. You can't expect me to agree just because the association decided it. At the very least, I want to know why this decision was made. Besides, if Golden City found out about this arbitrary price hike..."
"That woman can't do anything to us, even if she finds out."
At the mention of Golden City, Clete's expression immediately darkened.
"Mr. Keller, I summoned you here to discuss this in person because, as vice president of the association, I know you control eighty-five percent of Deepstone City's mining industry. But I hope you understand that the industries you control are nothing much to the Paffield region as a whole."
"However you put it, I can't accept the association's proposal without a reasonable explanation."
Keller rose to his feet.
"If that's all, then I'm sorry, but I don't think we need to continue this discussion."
With that, Keller nodded and turned to leave.
"Please wait, Mr. Keller."
Clete's expression darkened.
"Since you refuse to agree to the association's demands, there's nothing I can do. In truth, I don't want to do this either, but... at this point, you can't blame me for not showing you any courtesy..."
"What are you planning to do?"
Keller's face grew stern.
"If you refuse the association's decision, then the association will have no choice but to take back all the mines under your control to ensure they operate normally and steadily."
"The association has no such authority!"
Keller slammed a hand down on the table.
"The mines in Deepstone City are the Keller Family's property. They have nothing to do with the association. Are you planning to rob us in broad daylight?!"
"Of course we won't rob you."
Clete narrowed his small eyes, a smug smile appearing on his face.
"The association will pay to acquire the Keller Family's mines. Five thousand gold coins... What do you think of that price?"
Five thousand?
Keller nearly fainted when he heard that. The Keller Family controlled four mines, with total earnings in the hundreds of thousands. Those bastards wanted to buy all the mines for five thousand gold coins? They couldn't even buy a mine shaft for that! Were they out of their minds, or did they have some ulterior motive?
As the head of a family, Keller naturally didn't think everyone in the association was a fool. He fell silent for a moment, then looked at the association's vice president with some suspicion. Clete was no fool. Anyone who made it to vice president of the Merchant Association had to be sharp-minded. In fact, Keller had already felt something was off when he was summoned to the association's headquarters. The ore market had been stable lately, and there had been no upheaval among the neighboring countries. Suddenly demanding that all ore prices be raised by thirty percent was no small matter. As a business family that had weathered many storms, Keller knew all too well the turmoil a sudden price hike could bring to the surrounding markets, especially when it involved such an important commodity as ore.
If anyone else had said it, Keller would have laughed it off. He was certain that if the young lady in Golden City found out, every merchant would be in serious trouble. She wasn't a kind-hearted person. Everyone met their end in their own way, but if they fell into her hands, they would meet the most brutal one.
But now the Merchant Association was actually raising prices? Had they grown a death wish? Did they really think that woman would spare them just because there were so many of them?
At the thought, Keller felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately remembered the massacre that had shaken the entire duchy five years ago. The nobles had merely banded together to oppose her proposal, and she had slaughtered nearly a third of the duchy's nobility. Her ruthlessness and iron will had chilled even a merchant like Keller, who valued money above his own life. Worse still, an act like that should have plunged the entire country into turmoil, but to everyone's surprise, everything was back on track just two months after the massacre.
That was what frightened merchants like Keller most. They weren't afraid of tyrannical rulers. After all, even if those impulsive fools got their moment of satisfaction, their own foolish recklessness would eventually bring them to ruin. But this young lady was different. She had clearly prepared for every eventuality well in advance, and wasn't afraid of any problems that might arise.
Did the Merchant Association really think it was powerful enough to challenge that woman?
Did they honestly think she wouldn't repeat the massacre from five years ago, then find people to rebuild the association?
Where had these fools gotten the nerve?
Keller felt that something was increasingly amiss. He stared at Clete but said nothing.
Clete simply smiled and stood up.
"I hope you'll give it some careful thought when you get home, Mr. Keller. I'm sure you'll see things differently."
Something was wrong. There was definitely something wrong!
After Clete said that, Keller remained silent for a moment, then decided to leave. He would return to the family estate and use every resource at his disposal to investigate what was going on. He could give his answer after that. But where had this man gotten such confidence? Was he really sure of himself, bluffing, or did he have some trump card?
Keller made up his mind and took his leave. But when he reached the door, Clete's voice sounded behind him once more.
"I hear your daughter is very lovely. I've always hoped to meet her. I hope you won't take offense."
Keller's hand, reaching for the door, suddenly froze.
The moon rose above the treetops.
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, the carriage stood quietly by the roadside. Two dim oil lamps hung at the front of the carriage, faintly illuminating the trees and grass around them. The night was dark, but within the range of the Dragon Soul of Light, brilliant bands of light stretched through the darkness. They gathered and gave off a gentle glow, shining in harmony with the full moon above. It wasn't quite so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Outside the carriage, the three guards who had accompanied Helen had already taken it upon themselves to stand watch. The driver lay beside the campfire with an animal-hide blanket over him, snoring now and then.
Inside the carriage, the other three had already settled down to rest. Mace was quite used to life on the road. He wrapped himself in a blanket and fell asleep. Lize was as mercenary-like as ever, leaning against the side of the carriage with her eyes half-closed. She didn't curl up like the other two. After all, as a Spirit Master, she had to be ready to react at a moment's notice if anything happened.
Helen was tired after chatting all day. She was now leaning against the opposite side, head lowered and eyes closed. It seemed only a matter of time before she fell asleep.
Rhode wasn't sleeping. Instead, he was quietly reviewing his attributes. Everything had been too rushed earlier, and he hadn't had time to do it. Now that he finally had a moment to spare, Rhode began taking stock of his stats. It was essential for him to do so. In the battles so far, he had realized that even though this body was his, its capabilities were completely different from those of his former self. In the real world, he wouldn't have been able to dodge and parry so quickly.
First was strength. After fighting for the past few days, Rhode had discovered that he was stronger than an ordinary person in this world. According to the Dragon Soul Continent's setting, most NPCs here had a strength stat of around 4–5. That was considered strong among ordinary people. A strength stat of 6–8 meant someone could lift a heavy greatsword in one hand, which was already monstrous. Rhode's strength fell somewhere between 6 and 8. He hadn't tried lifting a greatsword, but judging by his last few battles, he should be able to manage it.
Constitution was the stat Rhode worried about least. Ordinary people had a constitution of 5–7, elves a slightly lower 4–6, and dwarves and beastmen the highest, at 7–9 and 7–10 respectively. Exceptional beings such as angels and demons mostly had stats between 15 and 20. Considering how badly he had been injured and how he had felt during the battles along the way, Rhode estimated his constitution was somewhere between 10 and 15. That was far beyond what a human should have. After all, surviving a swipe from a Void Dragon and still being able to jump around looked abnormal by any measure.
As for agility, he was faster than an ordinary person, but nowhere near as fast as an elf. Since elves had the highest agility in the whole continent, at 10–15, Rhode's speed was probably around 7–10, above the ordinary range of 5–6.
Will had originally been the hardest stat to judge, but after his battle with the Shadow Phantom, Rhode now had a point of reference. Recalling the resistance required to withstand the Shadow Phantom's mental attacks in the game, Rhode figured his will was just barely above the threshold, somewhere between 8 and 9. That was higher than an ordinary person's, but about the same as an average determined warrior's. It might even be lower than that of some powerful NPCs. Still, since his stats would increase as he leveled up, he didn't need to worry too much.
Perception was the only stat that differed from the game. In the game, increasing perception slightly improved a player's hearing and turned dangerous presences into red dots on the screen, accompanied by a prompt at the bottom. But in the real world, perception had changed completely. Even with his eyes closed, Rhode could still "see" everything around him, as though he had an invisible black-and-white infrared camera whose range he could freely control, zooming in and out as he observed the world. His perception was far beyond the average human range of 3–4, but clearly below the elven standard of 9–10. By process of elimination, based on the Silver Wolf he'd encountered earlier, his perception was probably around 6–7.
With that, Rhode had a rough idea of his stats.
Strength: 6–8.
Constitution: 10–15
Agility: 7–10
Will: 8–9
Perception: 6–7
Overall, every one of his stats was higher than the default stats of a human character. Rhode doubted that even the character he'd played in the game would have such good starting stats at level ten. Stats, like talents, only awakened after level ten and then grew alongside the character's level. As someone known as the walking encyclopedia of online games, Rhode knew almost everything there was to know about the starting stats of each race and class.
After reviewing his stats, Rhode realized that while they were generally above human levels, each individual stat was still slightly lower than that of other races. What puzzled him even more was that even after working out his stats, he still couldn't figure out what kind of bloodline ran through his body. Half-breeds usually inherited the standout stats of the other half. Take Lize, for example. Her other stats might be close to a human's, but her will, agility, and spiritual power would certainly be at an angelic level. But his own improvements were so evenly spread. Aside from his somewhat absurd constitution, every other trait was clearly above a human's, yet still below the starting stats of any other race. What surprised Rhode even more was that these were his stats before awakening. Once his bloodline truly awakened, they would rise by at least half again.
What kind of monstrous race was there in this world? If one existed, wouldn't players have fought over it long ago?
Rhode did have a few suspects. For example, vampires had a pretty outrageous increase to all their stats at night, especially during a full moon. And demons and angels were exceptional beings, too. But they all had their own limitations. If he had the bloodline of one of those races, his stats should fluctuate depending on his surroundings and the time of day. But his stats were stable, with no fluctuations at all.
What kind of bloodline was this?
Rhode thought for a while but still couldn't find an answer, so he shook his head helplessly. Whatever the bloodline was, at least it was stable and didn't fluctuate. Otherwise, if he turned out to be a Half-Angel or Half-Demon and wandered into the wrong territory, his stats might drop by half. Then he'd have nowhere to cry about it.
With that thought, Rhode closed his eyes to rest. But the moment he did, his expression shifted.
"Rustle!"
A faint sound from the grass, mixed with the night breeze, reached his ears.
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