Gret watched nervously from the sidelines. Only then did she relax and hurry to say, "Just a friendly spar. That's all."
It would be bad for her if either of them got hurt.
Gret was also afraid a serious conflict might break out between them. That would be disastrous.
In that respect, though Gret was keen when it came to business and finance, she was rather inexperienced in politics.
Or perhaps she simply had no talent for it.
Zhou Yan chuckled and changed the subject. "Gret, I rarely get to visit you. You ought to be a good host."
Gret relaxed, and her quick wit returned.
"You're a big shot now. Don't tell me you still want to take advantage of a little merchant like me. That's going too far," Gret joked.
But a moment later, she led Zhou Yan to a storeroom in the castle.
"I know you like studying old legacies. There are plenty of Western supernatural professions' legacies in here, including some secret ones. They used to be worth a fortune, but since the Demonic Calamity broke out, they've become more widely available..."
"After all, the Devil Race doesn't care whether you surrender or want to be their dog. They just want to eat you..."
"There are also many Alchemy Experiments that never fully succeeded. Most failed because the Demonic Calamity broke out; the rest failed for various other reasons..."
"But you said they only needed to be worth studying, so I took the opportunity to gather quite a few for you..."
"I'd planned to use them when I came to seek your protection someday. Since you're here now, just take them..."
"..."
Zhou Yan's eyes lit up at the sight, and he made no attempt to stand on ceremony.
With a sweep of his hand, he