Linley stood there, his expression calm.
The wealth he had accumulated over the past few years, along with the lavish gifts Loa had helped prepare, now lay spread before the Ryan Clan. Yet there was no showing off on his face, no smugness, only a weighty solemnity.
The clan elders exchanged glances.
An elder with graying hair and beard nudged the brother beside him with his elbow and whispered, "Are... are those Saint Realm Magic Crystal Cores? Three of them?"
The man he nudged swallowed. "And that painting... is that an original by that lord? The one from the Xunzhen Republic Empire..."
"If the clan leader drives this son-in-law away," a third elder said through gritted teeth, "we'll join forces today, tie Deya up, and strip him of his position!"
Deya Ryan did not hear the elders muttering.
He simply stood there, for a very long time.
His gaze moved away from those treasures-from the Saint Realm Magic Crystal Cores, from the adamantine and mithril, from the painting flowing with Laws Profound Mysteries.
Then he looked at Linley for a long, long time.
The reception hall was quiet. Sunlight still lingered at the high windows, and dust still drifted slowly through the shafts of light.
At last, Deya took a deep breath and slowly spoke.
His voice was much lower than before, with a hoarseness that came after the dust had settled. "Linley... these are indeed very precious."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the roomful of treasures.
"They have also shown me your sincerity."
Linley watched him quietly without speaking. Behind him, Delia's fingers still clutched the hem of his clothes.
"But there is only one last thing I want to ask you."
Deya's gaze grew solemn and earnest. The daze brought on by the treasures had entirely faded,