"A business deal?" The plump Kindick immediately sensed something unusual. His eyes flickered, his fair and pudgy frame trembling slightly as he studied Kael shrewdly, grinning. "Lord Count wishes to do business with me?"
"Not just you," Kael shook his head. "Your family."
The implication in Kael's words made Kindick's eyes widen in surprise. The meaning was clear—Kael wasn't proposing a small transaction with Kindick alone, but a major deal involving the entire Kindick family! Staring at Kael, Kindick realized that if this young count was personally making the offer, the scale must be enormous to warrant involving his family.
"May I ask what kind of business Lord Count intends to conduct with my family?" The fat man grew serious, revealing his true merchant instincts.
His chubby face bore a calculating expression as he weighed Kael's intentions and how much profit he could extract from this opportunity.
Kael smiled faintly, retrieving a handful of gemstones from his spatial ring. Then, with a sudden motion, he opened his palm—instantly, countless dazzling, translucent gemstones cascaded down, spilling from his hand in a glittering shower.
The radiant, multicolored brilliance of the gems was so dazzling that Kindick's eyes nearly glazed over.
"T-These are…" Kindick was utterly stunned. His plump face scrunched up, his eyes narrowing into delighted slits, as if he could barely contain his joy.
Now he understood why Kael wanted to negotiate with his family. Few gem merchants on the continent could handle such a transaction—these were all top-tier elemental gemstones, even including legendary rarities like "Elemental Crystals"!
The gems clattered down in a mesmerizing stream, leaving Kindick gaping in awe.
"Indeed, these are the gems," Kael said with a smile.
Kindick rubbed his eyes, still struggling to process what he was seeing. "Elemental Crystals, Mistlight Stones, Flameblaze Stones, Frostheart Stones… And their purity is beyond belief—comparable even to the rarest of treasures like 'Sun's Radiance' and 'Frostmourne'…"
"These gems are all premium-grade with high purity, worth at least hundreds of thousands of gold coins."
Kindick could barely contain his excitement. While the monetary value of the gems was staggering, their true worth lay in their quality. If the Kindick family were to auction gems of this caliber, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation and significantly enhance their reputation.
"Lord Count truly operates on a grand scale. Even for our family, gems of this quality are exceedingly rare," the plump Kindick said with a grin.
Kael shook his head. "These are just a small portion."
"What?!" Kindick blurted out in shock.
How could such an abundance of top-tier gems be merely a fraction?
The fat man could hardly fathom it. Had this young count robbed a dragon? That was the only explanation his mind could conjure for such an unimaginable hoard. Of course, he didn't actually believe Kael possessed the strength to plunder a dragon—so he simply stared wide-eyed, awaiting an explanation.
Kael smiled, his expression inscrutable to Kindick. "Indeed, these gems are just a sample. I intend to sell them at a favorable price. Does the Kindick family have any interest?"
"Interest? Of course! Absolutely!" Kindick nodded vigorously, his head bobbing like a garlic bulb.
Kael chuckled. "In that case, we can discuss this deal in earnest." As he spoke, he gave his spatial ring a slight shake—instantly, even more gems poured out, cascading onto the ground with a dazzling, crystalline clatter.
Kindick's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "There's… this much more?!"
"Now you understand, Mr. Kindick?" Kael continued with a knowing smile.
The fat man nodded frantically. "I do, Lord Count! I will return to the Gui Empire at once and inform my family. We will convene immediately and dispatch representatives to Lefay City…" His gaze remained fixed on Kael's expression as he cautiously probed, "As for the price…?" He was already testing the waters to gauge Kael's expectations. Of course, recognizing Kael as a true "high-value client," his demeanor grew even more deferential.
Kael smiled. "The price can be based on market value, but speed is of the essence."
In truth, these gems were exceedingly rare in the market, and even if Kael raised the price, the Kindick family would have no choice but to accept. However, what Kael truly cared about was how quickly the Kindick family could deliver the funds.
After all, now that he had arrived in Lefay City, Kael needed to immediately begin developing his territory—a task that required vast sums of money. Moreover, establishing a good relationship with the Kindick family was essential. Since this was their first transaction, Kael wasn't overly concerned about squeezing every last coin.
"No problem, you can count on me!" Kindick immediately bowed in assurance.
Kael nodded. Kindick was a shrewd man who knew how to read the situation. He also understood perfectly well that successfully brokering this deal would significantly elevate his standing within the Kindick family.
With Kael's approval, Kindick was practically bursting with excitement. He promptly requested permission to return to the Gui Empire at once. Since Kael was eager for the gold, he didn't delay him.
Kindick departed with a beaming smile, his face alight with enthusiasm.
"Amelia, have you dealt with that Amir?" Kael turned to Amelia with a smile.
Amelia nodded lightly. "Yes, don't worry. I've locked him up in the lord's manor. It's the most heavily guarded place in Lefay City—he won't be going anywhere." She chuckled softly and took Kael's hand.
Kael clasped her hands in return and grinned. "Of course I trust your work. But as for the manor's defenses…" He shook his head. "They're hardly impregnable. A seventh-tier expert could break in without much trouble."
Kael sighed inwardly. Lefay City's foundation was far too weak. Though the manor had hundreds of guards, their combat prowess was lacking.
In the event of war, victory wouldn't hinge on elite fighters alone but on the strength of ordinary soldiers—and in that regard, Lefay City's forces were sorely inadequate.
"Should we inspect the barracks or the city?" Amelia asked softly.
Kael shook his head. "No need. There's something far more important I must do first."
"More important?" Amelia tilted her head in puzzlement.
Kael smiled. "That's right. I intend to advance to the eighth tier!"
"Advance to the eighth tier!"
The moment Kael spoke these words, Amelia's face first lit up with joy before settling into understanding. "Then I'll stand guard for you." Seeing Kael preparing to break through, she knew this was a critical moment for him—his protection was paramount.
Since arriving in the Lefay Plains, Kael had keenly felt that while his strength was considerable, it still fell slightly short. At the very least, the grand leader of the wandering bandits was a peak eighth-tier powerhouse, and Kael couldn't help but sense a thread of threat from that.
Thus, the idea of advancing to the eighth tier immediately took root in his mind.
Kael had already mastered Mana Surge and Arcane Domain, making his promotion to the eighth tier a natural progression. But he harbored even greater ambitions—he wasn't content with merely reaching the eighth tier. Instead, he aimed to push further in one go, ascending to the mid-eighth tier! To achieve this, his preparations had to be thorough.
Amelia, of course, was concerned for Kael's safety and volunteered to safeguard him, ensuring no external disturbances would interfere.
Breaking through from the seventh to the eighth tier was a monumental hurdle. Countless mages and warriors had been stuck at this barrier, unable to glimpse even a sliver of its mysteries in their entire lifetimes.
Though Kael was confident, given the gravity of advancing to the eighth tier, every additional measure of certainty was welcome. Amelia was the person he trusted most, and with her standing watch, his confidence grew even firmer.
"Then let's begin at once!" Kael said decisively to Amelia.
He stepped outside the lord's manor and instructed all the guards that no one was to enter under any circumstances. The guards, fully aware of Kael's identity, nodded in solemn understanding, not daring to overstep even slightly.
Only after ensuring the guards' compliance did Kael return to his chambers to commence his breakthrough.