In the living room of the Lucas family, candlelight illuminated the scene. Beautiful handmaids carried platters of sumptuous dishes, while a crowd of people exchanged toasts and spoke to one another with enthusiasm and courtesy.
Lin Lei had received a noble's education from a young age and was well-acquainted with such affairs. On the surface he exchanged polite conversation with one noble after another, but inwardly he found it rather tedious.
"Duke Bonar, please enjoy yourself."
After greeting Duke Bonar, Lin Lei stepped away and walked straight toward the head of the Lucas family, Marquis Jeb. When the Marquis saw Lin Lei approaching, he knew there was no dodging the matter of the war blade 'Slaughter'.
Lin Lei and Marquis Jeb moved to a pair of seats at the edge of the living room.
"Marquis Jeb, I'm sure your nephew has already informed you of my purpose here," Lin Lei said modestly.
Marquis Jeb sighed in a low voice. "Lin Lei, I'm an old man now, and I really can't bear to part with this piece."
"Marquis Jeb, the Baruch Family has over five thousand years of history. I have always been proud to be a son of the Baruch Family. Yet as the family has endured down to the present, the ancestral treasure—the war blade 'Slaughter'—was lost. I can tell you plainly, Marquis Jeb: our family has been striving to recover the blade 'Slaughter' all along. The fact that I have trained diligently from childhood until now is in large part because of this family heirloom."
Lin Lei's voice was calm, but the words carried an unmistakable resolve—a determination that this would be obtained no matter what.
"I understand, I understand," Marquis Jeb managed to force out a thin smile.
Of course the other party wanted their family's ancestral treasure back. Jeb also understood that if he stubbornly refused to hand over the war blade 'Slaughter', the Lucas family would anger this seventeen-year-old youth.
Jeb was fully aware of the young man's 'influence'.
Forget the Church of Light—even the Dawson Trading Company could crush his Lucas family with ease.
"Lin Lei, the war blade 'Slaughter' is an extraordinarily valuable piece. Once someone offered me a million gold coins for it, and I couldn't bring myself to sell," Marquis Jeb shifted the topic to 'money'. "Our Lucas family is ancient, I'll admit, but truth be told, our wealth is not particularly great."
Lin Lei was well aware of this. According to what Yeru had investigated, the Lucas family was ancient and wielded considerable influence in the Fenlei Kingdom. But their wealth was far from comparable to that of the Debus Family and their 'Kalan'.
Asking a family that wasn't especially wealthy to hand over a treasure worth a million gold coins all at once—well, that wasn't very realistic.
"Money?" Lin Lei felt a secret wave of relief.
If it was money they wanted, things wouldn't be difficult.
"Marquis Jeb, you originally purchased the blade 'Slaughter' with gold, and now I will naturally offer a number that satisfies you. Of course, I hope Marquis Jeb won't ask for the moon—ha ha," Lin Lei said with a chuckle.
A smile spread across Marquis Jeb's face.
The blade 'Slaughter' would definitely have to be handed over, but at least he could get some gold out of it.
"Lin Lei, you've shown such sincerity toward our Lucas family that we in turn will give you face. This blade 'Slaughter' may be worth a million gold coins, but as long as you pay six hundred thousand gold coins, you can take it," Marquis Jeb said generously.
Six hundred thousand gold coins?
Compared to the true value of the blade 'Slaughter', that really wasn't expensive.
But at present, Lin Lei's income from his stone sculptures totaled only a little over two hundred thousand gold coins. He had indeed brought back a great many magic crystal cores from the Magic Beast Mountain Range this time, but those cores were estimated to be worth only a hundred thousand or so gold coins. Even combined, it wasn't enough.
Lin Lei did still have something valuable on him—
Blueheart Herb and the magic crystal core of a Saint Realm purple-striped black bear!
Blueheart Herb—Lin Lei still possessed over a hundred stalks, each worth tens of thousands of gold coins. And as for the Saint Realm magic beast crystal core, needless to say, it was a priceless treasure. The price was far beyond that of a ninth-grade magic crystal core.
In the past, a ninth-grade magic crystal core was valued at five million gold coins. That was merely what books recorded; in truth, a good ninth-grade core could fetch nearly ten million!
As for a Saint Realm magic crystal core, even an offer of a hundred million gold coins might not be enough to buy one.
A priceless treasure!
Of course Lin Lei would not hand over the Saint Realm magic crystal core over this. And Blueheart Herb was of great importance to the Dragon Blood Warrior family—every stalk was to be cherished.
The 'Dream Awakening' sculpture!
The thought suddenly flashed through Lin Lei's mind. His feelings toward the 'Dream Awakening' sculpture were complicated; he himself didn't even want to look at it. That was why he had entrusted it to Yeru's care all this time.
"Sell it," Lin Lei decided suddenly, and a fleeting thought even crossed his mind— "I wonder what Alice would think if she saw this sculpture?"
Lin Lei consulted Derinkoort.
"Lin Lei, selling this 'Dream Awakening' sculpture is for the best," Derinkoort replied. "You don't want to look at it yourself, and keeping it with you only serves to remind you of the past. Better to sell it outright. Besides... it will also bring fame to the 'Flat Knife School' that I founded."
Lin Lei smiled.
"Marquis Jeb, rest assured, the six hundred thousand gold coins will be brought here before long. I only ask that during this time, you do not sell the blade 'Slaughter' to anyone else," Lin Lei said earnestly.
Marquis Jeb hastened to agree. "You need not worry at all, Lin Lei. Even if someone offered two million gold coins, I would not sell."
Had it not been for Lin Lei's identity, would Jeb have been willing to sell?
Pruxus Hall, in Ostoney's office.
"What? You're willing to sell that sculpture?" Astonishment and wild joy flickered in Ostoney's eyes.