Chapter 350: Jarrit’s Forcefulness
“I must say, this al is divine.”
The seemingly out-of-place comnt stunned the man’s listeners once more. But that didn’t stop him from raving about the food, “I would go on to say that you’re as great as the best chefs money could buy. If the circumstances were different, I would’ve hired you in a heartbeat, Ania. Truly, an impressive al. And though you’ve just begun learning from her, Puula, consider yourself blessed to have such a maestro sharing her secrets and skills.”
No one knew how to respond to such comnts. They were all still hung up on the new information. Except for Ania. Strangely, she was far too accustod to the praise, enough so that it actually emboldened her.
“Why not just take away our clan and make your personal chef? Wouldn’t that be better than all of this?!”
For just a mont, the man stayed his fork. A sigh escaped his lips and passed over the uneaten bite of potato, blowing off the fresh steam. He then placed the fork back down on the plate with a blank expression. Briefly, he lifted his head to reveal most of his face, all the way to his soft yet piercing dark grey eyes.
“Don’t tempt , because that wouldn’t turn out well for anyone. But I appreciate the thought and your willingness,” stated the man, only smiling at the very corners of his lips. “Sadly, your clan is more well known than you’d expect, at least among certain circles. And there’s no hope of keeping my identity a secret should I attempt such a bold move...
“However... I can offer sothing. Vloz, may I have the king’s core?”
.....
The leopard squinted but retrieved the core anyway, placing it atop the table, beneath his paw.
“I won’t be taking it. I’ll be exchanging for it.” Suddenly, two cores appeared beside the man’s half-empty plate. “Two peak perennial cores should be worth the core of a barely ascended king.”
With the casual swipe of his hand, the two cores rolled across the table. One stopped in front of Vloz and the other in front of Ania.
“Your other option would be to trade it on the market, but that would draw so unwanted attention as well as take quite a while. I believe this is a fair trade so why not accept it?”
Ania glanced at Vloz, and Vloz at Ania. At the sa ti, Puula kept her mouth shut as she had already been overwheld and desensitized to the man’s antics. Jarrit, however, eyed those cores with a tinge of jealousy.
“How long have you been stuck at the peak? Still searching for a space core to absorb?”
Blinking, Jarrit’s focus broke away from the casually offered cores. The old mage nodded firmly as he t the man’s soft gaze. “I’ve yet to find a peak core to aid my ascension...”
“Because you only have an early perennial technique?”
As his pupils tightened and his stare sharpened, Jarrit nodded again.
Offering a half-smile, the man shrugged his shoulders. “That would make sense... Space cultivators are rare enough, and most remnant cores of old were made into void equipnt... You’re both fortunate and unfortunate to have your natural gifts, aren’t you?”
“In a way... Would you happen to–”
“Be careful.” Interrupting Jarrit’s question, the man’s expression beca a teasing smile. “Don’t half-heartedly bargain with . If you want to discuss sothing, be frank and we can discuss things like proper cultivators.”
Coughing softly, Jarrit took a mont to rethink his question, “Is there a way you can get a peak perennial core with spatial affinity?”
“That depends. What would you offer in return?”
“Everything I have and am.”
“Everything? I told you–”
“If I don’t ascend soon, death will eventually catch up to ,” Jarrit stated plainly. “And if you can save from the fate of ti, then why wouldn’t I wholly offer myself?”
For the first ti, the man leaned his chin and lips into his fist, resting his elbow on the table. Everyone could practically see his ntal gears grinding as they processed information he hadn’t fully anticipated.
“... And what about Rhyner?”
“You don’t know about our deal?”
“Oh I do, but I also understand your relationship. You’re willing to disregard that because of ? Tell .”
“He would understand. Also, you’re helping him now, so my leave for an exceptional opportunity wouldn’t be as impactful as I had previously anticipated.”
“... I can afford to enslave a king with spatial affinity, so why should I waste ti and resources helping you?”
The others at the table sat in silence. They motionlessly allowed Jarrit to confront the man’s serious stare on his own. Just the ntion of such wealth and power was entirely jarring as it was, so they couldn’t help but wait a few monts to ntally recover.
“I–”
“Again, be frank. But you shouldn’t rush into this without thinking properly. That isn’t like you.”
Getting interrupted for the second ti, Jarrit bit his lip. He took a few deep breaths. Ignoring the others, Jarrit blinked and eventually looked back into the man’s strict, lukewarm gaze.
“I may only be a peak perennial at the mont, but my reputation can speak for itself. If anything, making it as far as I have with a technique barely fitting of a perennial grade should say plenty. With better resources, and little to no need of guidance, I would easily enter the king plane and possibly reach the peak.”
“Only the peak king realm?”
“...”
Jarrit blinked. The others blinked even more than him.
“Is that your goal? rely the peak king realm?” the man rephrased his question. “If you dare to display your ambition, then show every morsel of it. What’s your true goal?”
“To do as Dominus did.” The old mage answered instantaneously, further shocking the others. “To prove that spatial cultivators aren’t rely tools to acquire, but that they stand among the most capable cultivators, with arguably the greatest potential.”
“Ahhh...” Squinting slightly, the man nodded. “Is that your final answer?”
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