"Fenric wants to see ?" rlin was surprised, but he quickly regained his composure.
He had already suspected Fenric would be looking for him, so it wasn't that unexpected.
Besides, Margaret had given him the Beethoven family's five-star card. It would've been strange if Fenric didn't seek him out.
rlin smiled and gave a slight nod.
"Alright. Please take there."
The woman nodded and imdiately led rlin and Lyserra to where Fenric was.
When they arrived, the woman opened the door, revealing an interior that was a feast for the eyes.
The room was spacious—large enough to accommodate up to thirty people at once.
At the front was a wide window, allowing anyone inside to see the auction stage clearly.
At that mont, rlin's gaze fell on a man sitting in the main chair.
The man was tall, with a handso yet stern face. He looked young—perhaps around thirty-five.
His golden hair was short, and his clothes looked simple. But rlin knew better than anyone that they were extrely expensive.
Noticing rlin and Lyserra, Fenric turned toward them and gave a slight nod.
"Welco, rlin Clay. This is our first eting, isn't it?"
His voice was deep, carrying indifference and a faint sense of distance.
The woman who had escorted them quickly left and closed the door tightly behind her.
"That's right, Lord Fenric. It's a pleasure to et you."
rlin bowed his head slightly and stepped closer.
anwhile, Lyserra maintained a flat expression, showing neither respect nor fear toward Fenric.
She had lived since ancient tis, long before the three kingdoms were even founded. In her eyes, Fenric was rely a weak child—soone who could be killed easily.
Fenric stared at Lyserra with curiosity. For so reason, he felt she wasn't an ordinary person.
Moreover, her appearance was truly extraordinary. Even Fenric, who had seen countless beautiful won, had to admit that.
Still, he didn't stare for too long, knowing it would be impolite.
His gaze shifted back to rlin, and he said casually, "Margaret talks about you so much it gives a headache. But now that I've seen you, I understand. That girl wasn't lying. You're truly unique, rlin Clay."
A faint smile appeared on his face. Ever since rlin arrived, he had been observing him closely.
He had to admit that even with a half-face mask, rlin was incredibly handso.
At the very least, he t Fenric's standards—the criteria he had set for his daughter's future partner.
rlin smiled shyly. He usually didn't care about complints, but this ti was different. After all, the praise had co from Fenric—his future father-in-law.
"Ahem! Thank you, Lord Fenric. Your complint makes happy." rlin coughed lightly, then quickly changed the subject. "By the way, may I ask why you summoned ?"
Fenric gave a slight nod, clearly impressed by rlin's cleverness, and replied calmly, "To be honest, I called you here simply because I wanted to et you. But that was my original intention before I saw your offer earlier—a drop of level-nine monster blood."
His posture straightened as he continued, "rlin Clay, I want to make a trade with you. Can you sell that drop of level-nine monster blood?"
He was certain rlin still had another drop. His intuition told him so.
rlin was sowhat surprised, but he didn't refuse outright. He still had two drops of level-nine monster blood that he had bought from the system shop.
At first, he had planned to use those two drops to pay the fox girl in exchange for the three mythical items he had promised Graham.
However, since Graham had hidden his malicious intentions, rlin had struck first, making those two drops of blood useless.
rlin looked into Fenric's eyes and asked, "What do you want to do with it?"
Fenric let out a quiet sigh of relief. That question confird his suspicion—rlin really did still have a drop of level-nine monster blood.
"I want to use it to treat my wife," he replied.
His face darkened as he continued, "My wife, who is also Margaret's mother, has been afflicted by a mysterious illness. Actually, it's not an illness… but a curse placed on her by an unknown person."
He clenched his fist slightly before continuing, "According to the healers, doctors, and alchemists who specialize in healing, there's no way to cure it. Even the mythical-tier item said to be able to remove any curse can't dispel it."
A despairing sigh escaped his lips.
rlin listened carefully, and his expression imdiately turned serious.
"So you bid on the Soulis potion earlier to save your wife?"
"Sothing like that." Fenric took a sip of the wine in his right hand, then replied weakly, "I know the potion only has a slim chance—almost impossible, in fact—of curing my wife. But at least I want to try. I don't want to lose hope."
rlin fell silent. Only soone truly wealthy could afford to offer three mythic-tier items and two legendary-tier items for a potion that might not even work.
No, even most wealthy people couldn't. Only Fenric could.
Snapping out of his thoughts, rlin nodded and replied without hesitation, "Alright, I'll give it to you. You don't have to pay for it. Margaret has helped a great deal, and I have no good way to repay her."
He opened his palm, and a small vial appeared in his right hand.
"Take it."
With a smooth motion, the vial floated through the air and landed neatly in Fenric's hand.
Fenric was clearly stunned. He hadn't expected rlin to simply give it to him.
"This… are you sure?" Fenric asked, his voice filled with surprise. "You could ask for anything, and I'd pay for it."
His words sounded arrogant, but he truly had the power to back them up. To him, neither money nor legendary or mythical-tier items could compare to his wife's life.
But rlin still refused and replied firmly, "As I said, I owe your daughter a debt of gratitude, and this is my repaynt. Besides, I also hope to work with the Beethoven family in the future."
rlin didn't know how a single drop of a level-nine monster's blood could save Fenric's wife, but he didn't dwell on it.
Fenric surely had his own thods, and rlin didn't need to know them.
If rlin rembered correctly, Margaret's mother was said to have died, leaving behind a deep wound.
But now Fenric was saying she was still alive, which honestly left rlin confused.
"Thank you… Thank you, rlin Clay! I will certainly rember your kindness!"
Fenric suddenly stood up and bowed his head to rlin.
rlin was startled by the gesture.
Fenric was the head of the Beethoven family, a figure whom even Vargan and the other two kings dared not offend.
Yet now, he was bowing before him. If others found out, it would surely cause chaos.
rlin quickly helped him straighten up and said gently, "You're welco, Lord Fenric. Please don't bow to . It makes uncomfortable."
Fenric wiped away his tears. His face, once stern and cold, softened as he looked at rlin.
"rlin Clay, thank you once again. With this single drop of blood, my wife will surely be healed!"
He gazed at the vial in his hand, his eyes filled with hope.
rlin smiled. "I hope your wife can be healed."
Fenric nodded slightly and continued, "By the way, I feel bad taking this for free. Take this."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a token and handed it to rlin.
rlin accepted it and examined it curiously. The engraving depicted a ship and the ocean, beautifully detailed.
"This is a token of the Beethoven family. As long as you carry it, you'll be recognized as my direct friend and as soone under the Beethoven family's protection. You can use it as paynt at any of our family stores. And it's free," Fenric said, patting rlin's right shoulder.
rlin froze when he heard that. The five-star card Margaret had given him was already incredibly valuable, and now he was receiving a Beethoven family token—sothing far more precious than the card.
"Lord Fenric, this—"
Before rlin could finish, Fenric cut him off.
"Don't refuse it. You deserve it. Besides, I still haven't repaid you for your kindness toward Margaret. That girl told you were the one who healed the mark on her face four years ago. Thank you. You made her smile again and helped her regain her confidence."
Fenric was the kind of man who repaid kindness with kindness. Back then, he hadn't had ti to track rlin down, and eventually, the matter slipped from his mind.
But now, he finally had the chance, and he wasn't going to let it slip away.
rlin didn't refuse this ti. He slipped the token into his pocket.
"Alright, I'll take it. Thank you."
Fenric smiled. Then he added, "Can you keep this a secret from Margaret?"
"Keep it a secret from Margaret? Why?"
Fenric hesitated for a mont before replying awkwardly, "Margaret doesn't know her mother is still alive."
rlin: "…"
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