Chapter 1213 Too Good to be True
Chapter 1213 Too Good to be True
Chapter 1213 Too Good to be True
'Well, that was easier than I thought.'
Following behind the group that was slightly hostile towards him at first, a faint smile gradually crept up on Valyr's face as he thought about how the entire situation unfolded quite smoothly after he showed them the flint gem Riekan gave him.
'The entire situation really went the way he told me back then,' thought the young man to himself, inwardly letting out a slight chuckle as he became slightly expectant towards the upgrade his necklace would undergo once he arrived. Sadly, the happiness he felt was short-lived, especially after noticing that a few people from the group in front of him began to do something he thought of as quite peculiar.
Or, at least, he thought of it as peculiar.
'I'm getting the feeling that things won't go as smoothly as I think it would.' As this thought came to mind, Valyr thought about how he'd been constantly feeling like he was being stared at ever since they made their way deeper into the Caemelio clan's estate.
With that, he decided to look at the group of people for a short while, only to confirm that the feeling he'd been getting since the start was actually true.
Recalling how the people taking a couple of glances at him immediately looked ahead once they noticed the young man looking at them, it did not take long for Valyr to conclude that the entire thing was indeed peculiar.
'Why are they doing that, though?' asked the young man to himself, inwardly scratching the back of his head from the slight confusion he felt.
'Is it because of the fact I showed the flint gem Riekan gave me?'
As he came up with this question, Valyr immediately got the feeling that there was a possibility for his question to be the answer itself, especially once he considered some of the emotions behind the stares he was receiving.
Of course, it went without saying that part of the group looked at him with both fear and terror whenever they looked back at him. After all, they were escorting someone who was known for his terrifying strength into their own clan.
Yet, aside from that, the young man also felt a sort of apprehension from their gazes whenever they looked back at him.
As to what caused that apprehension they felt, he wouldn't be surprised if it was due to his identity as Ylvar as well.
However, from what he could tell, the apprehension he felt from their gazes stemmed from something else.
'I really hope it doesn't turn out the way I think it would.' Getting the feeling that he'd be in for a headache later on, the young man inwardly let out a long sigh as he and the entire group arrived within the Caemelio clan a few minutes later.
…
"…Wow."
After passing through the various checks the clan had done on him to confirm his identity, Valyr soon arrived at the Caemelio clan proper, letting out a sigh of wonder after being greeted by the sight that soon surrounded him.
Considering that Riekan built the clan from scratch during his early days, the young man thought that the clan wouldn't be that massive. After all, only about 300 years had passed ever since he singlehandedly established it.
In comparison to some of the other clans he visited in his past life, whose histories spanned thousands to tens of thousands of years, the few centuries the Caemelio clan had to get to where they were now was just a drop in the bucket.
Then again, it was because of that exact reason that Valyr was left at a slight loss for words, especially after he came to the conclusion that the clan estate occupied a piece of land that rivaled what the smaller towns occupied in size.
Not only that, but the buildings that surrounded him all looked to have been constructed with both elegance and opulence in mind, making it seem that the Caemelio clan had existed for far longer than 300 years.
'In a way, it kind of reminds me of the courtyards from the Triad Gates,' thought Valyr to himself after looking at the buildings for a bit more. 'If I were to choose which of the two courtyards the current sight resembles more, then I guess the closest would be the Gates of Enlightenment.'
"…At ease." Just as Valyr was continuing to admire the sights surrounding him, the group of people in front of him stopped all of a sudden, prompting the young man to pay a bit more attention to what was going on.
Making his way to the front of the group, the person that talked with him earlier soon gave off an aura filled with authority as he looked at everyone with a stern expression. "Inform everyone that Ylvar has arrived to pay a visit to the clan."
"If they ask why he's arrived at the clan, tell him that he came to request the clan's help in upgrading something," continued the man, to which the others faintly nodded after some time.
"And if they ask more questions after that, tell them that it's the founder's commands to follow Ylvar's request. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Alright, then. Disperse."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
With that, the group that accompanied Valyr into the Caemelio clan dispersed within a matter of seconds, leaving only the man that talked with him earlier after some time.
Looking at Valyr with a slightly apologetic smile, the man gave him a respectful half-bow as he opened his mouth. "It'll take a bit of time for everything to be sorted. We apologize for taking up your time."
"I don't mind." Valyr nodded in understanding. "After all, I did pay a visit to your clan without giving a proper heads-up."
"If you want, I could lead you to the area where the guests usually stay for requests like these," said the man in response, inwardly letting out a sigh of relief at Valyr's words. "Of course, we also wouldn't mind if you decide on exploring the clan's premises while waiting."
"How long do you think would it take for my request to be worked on?" Beginning to find the way the man talked slightly odd, Valyr took a while to ask in return. "Depending on how much time it takes, my answer would be one or the other."
"If everything goes smoothly, then you'd only need to wait for a few hours at most," replied the man after a bit of silence, causing Valyr to raise his eyebrow in slight suspicion.
"However, there's also the possibility that it would take far longer than usual. In some cases, it would even take over a day for the request to be taken notice of."
"…Not that your request would take over a day to be worked on, of course," added the man at the end, allowing Valyr to finally confirm his suspicions.
"Lead me to the guest area, then," said Valyr with a slight nod, prompting the man to beam a slight grin at him as he nodded in return.
And so, the two of them began to make their way to the clan's guest quarters, which gave the young man more than enough time to go over the things he'd confirmed throughout his interactions so far.
'I really jinxed myself,' thought Valyr to himself with a slightly wry smile, inwardly letting out a long and exasperated sigh as he began to connect all the dots he gained from his interactions with the clan so far.
Though he had a feeling it all began ever since he showed the flint gem to the group, the young man only began to take notice of the peculiarity once he felt like he was being stared at by some of the people along the way.
However, it was only after the conversation he had with the man did he somewhat confirm the suspicions he held.
Even if most of it was still speculation on his part.
'I should've known it was too good to be true,' inwardly muttered the young man to himself, recalling his interaction with Riekan back at the tournament. 'After all, who would be willing to upgrade items for free for someone they only met once?'
'Well… I definitely shouldn't be the one asking questions like that, but I should've begun to feel skeptical the moment he decided to take the initiative to upgrade the necklace he gave me.'
'…Not that it applies to all people, though.'
Staring at the back of the man that was leading him to the guest quarters, various thoughts began to surface on the young man's mind as he pondered over how he could at least benefit even more from the situation he'd gotten himself into.
'At this point, it would be stupid not to think that it would all stem from the flint gem Riekan gave me.' While doing so, he pinpointed the cause of the entire situation he was undoubtedly going to get involved in later on.
Though, just as this thought came to mind, Valyr's eyes eventually widened in realization after realizing that the answer to his earlier question was right in front of him all this time.
Both literally and figuratively.
Whoosh!
Continuing to make sense of the whirlwind of thoughts that appeared in his mind every second, Valyr did not hesitate to forcefully drag the man leading him into a nearby secluded area.
Then, after conjuring a barrier that ensured none of their conversation would leak out, he then flared his aura to its utmost limit, even going so far as to use [Warrior's Eyes of Slaughter] to bolster its pressure even more.
After that, he glared at the man with a ruthless expression.
"Tell me." "What message did you receive from the flint gem, exactly?"