Chapter 27

The aroma of black tea spread through the luxuriously decorated room, but it did not manage to change the cold atmosphere inside.

"Mr.克莱特, I cannot agree to your terms," the middle-aged man said firmly, putting down his teacup.

"The current situation at the mine is very stable. We believe that a significant price increase at this time is unreasonable. As a member of the association, I must consider the interests of the association, but in this matter, I really cannot help. I hope you can understand."

"Please don't be so agitated, Mr.凯勒."

Sitting on a soft sofa, the man in the large, elaborate robe showed a cold smile.

"A thirty percent increase in the price of ore is a decision unanimously passed by the association. As a member of the association, you must comply."

"But that's not normal!"

凯勒 frowned.

"There is no shortage of ore at present, and it is unlikely to occur in the near future. Raising the price without a good reason is unacceptable. Mr.克莱特, so far, I have not received a good reason. You cannot expect me to agree just because the association has decided. At least, I hope to know the reason for this decision. Moreover, if the City of Gold finds out about this..."

"That woman can't do anything to us even if she knows."

Mentioning the City of Gold, 克莱特's expression immediately darkened.

"Mr.凯勒, as the vice president of the association, I personally invited you here to discuss this matter because you control eighty-five percent of the mining industry in Deepstone City. However, I hope you understand that the industries you control are not significant to the entire Pafeld region."

"Regardless, if you do not provide a reasonable explanation, I find it difficult to accept the association's proposal."

凯勒 stood up.

"If that's the case, then I'm sorry, but I don't think we need to continue this discussion."

After saying this, 凯勒 nodded and turned to leave.

"Please wait, Mr.凯勒."

At this moment, 克莱特's expression also turned serious.

"Since you do not agree to the association's request, I have no choice. In fact, I do not want to do this, but... at this point, you cannot blame me for not giving you face..."

"What do you intend to do?"

Hearing this, 凯勒's expression turned serious.

"If you refuse the association's opinion, then the association will have to reclaim all the mines under your control to ensure they operate normally and stably."

"The association has no such authority!"

凯勒 slammed his hand on the table.

"The mines in Deepstone City are the property of the 凯勒 family and have nothing to do with the association. Do you really think you can openly seize them?!"

"We certainly will not openly seize them."

克莱特 narrowed his small eyes, a smug smile appearing on his face.

"The association will buy the mines under the 凯勒 family for five thousand gold coins... what do you think of this price?"

Five thousand?

凯勒 almost fainted when he heard this. The 凯勒 family controlled four mines, with a total income of hundreds of thousands. These scoundrels wanted to buy all the mines for five thousand gold coins? Not even a single mine pit! Were they out of their minds or had some ulterior motive?

As the head of a family, 凯勒 naturally did not think the association was full of fools. He fell silent for a moment, then looked at the vice president of the association with a hint of suspicion. 克莱特 was no fool; to reach the position of vice president in the merchant association, one had to be sharp-witted. In fact, 凯勒 had felt something was amiss from the moment he was summoned to the association headquarters. The ore market had been stable recently, and there were no significant disturbances in the surrounding countries. Suddenly demanding a thirty percent price increase was no small matter. As a commercial family that had weathered many storms, 凯勒 was well aware of the impact such a sudden price hike would have on the surrounding market, especially for a crucial commodity like ore.

If anyone else had said this, 凯勒 would have laughed it off. He was certain that if the young lady from the City of Gold found out about this, all the merchants would be in for a disaster. That young lady was not a kind-hearted person; everyone had their own way of dying, but those who fell into her hands would die the most miserable deaths.

But now, the merchant association wanted to raise prices? Had they lost their minds? Did they really think the young lady would not act against them just because they were numerous?

Thinking of this, 凯勒 felt a chill down his spine. He immediately recalled the massacre that shook the entire duchy five years ago. Just because the nobles united to oppose her proposal, the young lady had killed nearly a third of the duchy's nobility, her ruthlessness and determination terrifying even a man like 凯勒, who valued money over his life. More frighteningly, such an act should have caused chaos throughout the country, but to everyone's surprise, everything returned to normal within two months of the massacre.

This was what 商人 like 凯勒 feared the most. They were not afraid of tyrannical rulers; after all, such impulsive fools would eventually suffer for their own foolishness. But this young lady was different; she was clearly well-prepared and unafraid of any problems.

Now, did the merchant association really think they were powerful enough to challenge the young lady?

Did they really think she would not repeat the massacre from five years ago and reorganize the merchant association?

Where did these people get such audacity?

凯勒 felt the situation was becoming increasingly abnormal. He stared at 克莱特 but said nothing.

克莱特 smiled and stood up.

"I hope you will consider this carefully, Mr.凯勒. I believe you will have a different perspective after you return home."

There must be something wrong, there must be!

Facing 克莱特's words, 凯勒 fell silent for a moment, then decided to leave. He would return to his family, mobilize all his resources, and thoroughly investigate what was happening before making a decision. But where did this man get such confidence? Was he really sure, or was he just bluffing, or did he have some hidden card?

凯勒 made up his mind and bid farewell, intending to leave. Just as he reached the door, 克莱特's voice sounded behind him.

"I've heard your daughter is very lovely. I have always hoped to meet her. Please do not take offense."

凯勒's hand, reaching for the door, suddenly froze.

The moon rose above the branches.

Under the dark night sky, the carriage was quietly parked by the roadside. Two dim oil lamps hanging at the front of the carriage faintly illuminated the surrounding vegetation. Although the night was dark, within the range of the Dragon Soul, there were bright light bands that condensed and emitted a soft glow, reflecting the moon in the sky, making it not completely dark. Outside the carriage, the three guards who accompanied 海伦 had already begun their night watch. The driver, wrapped in a fur blanket, lay by the fire, occasionally snoring.

Inside the carriage, the three people other than 罗德 were preparing to rest. 梅斯 was quite accustomed to life on the carriage, rolled up a blanket, and fell asleep. 莉洁, as usual, leaned against the edge of the carriage, eyes half-closed, not curling up like the other two. After all, if any unexpected situation arose, she, as a Spirit Master, had to react immediately.

海伦, after chatting all day, was also tired. She leaned against the other side, head drooping, eyes closed, and it was only a matter of time before she fell asleep.

罗德 did not sleep. Instead, he was quietly organizing his attributes. Previously, things had been too rushed, and he had no time to do this. Now that he had some free time, 罗德 began to organize his attribute values. This was very necessary for him, and during the previous battle, 罗德 had already noticed that although this body was his, the abilities it contained were completely different from his former self. After all, in reality, he could not perform such quick dodges and defensive moves.

First, strength. Through the battles of the past few days, 罗德 found that his strength was higher than that of ordinary people in this world. According to the setting of the Dragon Soul Continent, the strength of NPCs in this world is generally between 4 and 5. This level of strength can be considered strong among ordinary people. Above that, a strength of 6 to 8 allows one to lift a heavy two-handed sword with one hand, which is already considered monstrous. 罗德's strength was between 6 and 8. Although he had not tested it with a two-handed sword, from the previous battles, it should not be a problem.

As for constitution, this was the least of 罗德's concerns. The constitution of ordinary people is between 5 and 7, slightly lower for elves at 4 to 6, and the highest for dwarves and orcs at 7 to 9 and 7 to 10, respectively. Angels and demons, which are outside the norm, are mostly between 15 and 20. Considering the extent of his injuries and the feeling during the battles, 罗德 deduced that his constitution should be between 10 and 15. This was far beyond what a human should have, after all, being struck by a Void Dragon's claw and still being able to move around was quite abnormal.

In terms of dexterity, his speed was faster than that of ordinary people, but it did not reach the level of elves. Considering that the speed of elves is the highest in the continent at 10 to 15, 罗德's speed should be around 7 to 10, based on the ordinary human base of 5 to 6.

Willpower was the most difficult attribute to judge, but after the battle with the Shadow, 罗德 had a reference point. Recalling the game data on the resistance to the Shadow's mental attacks, 罗德's willpower should be around 8 to 9, just above the standard line. This was higher than ordinary people but similar to that of a determined warrior, and possibly lower than some powerful NPCs. However, considering that attributes would increase with future levels, 罗德 did not need to worry too much.

As for perception, this was the only attribute that differed from the game. In the game, increasing perception enhanced the player's hearing and displayed dangerous entities as red dots on the screen, with a warning at the bottom. In reality, perception had a completely different form. After closing his eyes, 罗德 could still "see" everything around him, as if he had an invisible, manipulable, and adjustable black-and-white infrared camera, observing the world. In this aspect, his perception was far higher than the human standard of 3 to 4 but clearly lower than the elf standard of 9 to 10. If calculated by elimination, considering the silver wolf earlier, it was probably around 6 to 7.

Thus, 罗德's attributes were roughly as follows:

Strength: 6-8

Constitution: 10-15

Dexterity: 7-10

Willpower: 8-9

Perception: 6-7

Overall, all his attributes were higher than the default human character attributes. 罗德 was confident that even the character in the game would not have such good initial attributes at level 10, as attributes and talents only began to grow with levels after awakening at level 10. For 罗德, who was known as the "library of online games," he was well aware of the initial attributes of different races and classes.

After organizing his attributes, 罗德 found that his overall attributes surpassed those of humans, but in each individual attribute, he was slightly lower than other races. What puzzled 罗德 even more was that even after organizing his attributes, he could not figure out what bloodline he had. Generally, mixed-race individuals inherit the prominent attributes of the other race. For example, 莉洁's other attributes might be similar to humans, but her willpower, dexterity, and soul power would definitely be at the angelic level. However, his current improvements were too balanced. Apart from his constitution being slightly exaggerated, all other features were clearly superior to humans but did not reach the initial attribute levels of other races. What surprised 罗德 even more was that these were his attributes before awakening. If his bloodline truly awakened, these attributes would at least increase by half.

What kind of race in this world could have such balanced attributes? If such a race existed, players would have long fought over it.

罗德 did have a few suspects, such as vampires, whose attributes increase significantly at night, especially during a full moon, and demons and angels, which are outside the norm. However, they all have their own limitations. If he had the blood of these races, his attributes should fluctuate with the environment and time of day, but his attributes were very stable, with no fluctuations.

What kind of bloodline is this?

罗德 thought for a while but still could not find an answer, so he shook his head in frustration. Regardless, as long as this bloodline was stable and did not fluctuate, it was fine. Otherwise, if he were a half-angel or half-demon and his attributes dropped by half when he entered the wrong territory, he would have nowhere to cry.

With this in mind, 罗德 closed his eyes, intending to rest. But just as he closed his eyes, his expression changed.

"Rustle!"

A faint sound from the grass, mixed with the night wind, reached his ears.