Zeke was lying in the shade of a palm tree in the Nair family's backyard. It had been several days since he received the clue about the plant he sought.
Even though he now had a way to get the information he wanted, it wasn't foolproof. Zeke was well aware that anything could happen at an auction. Furthermore, he wasn't keen on spending tens of thousands of gold so publicly.
Therefore, he had spent the last couple of days trying to find out more about the location the girl had been caught in. However, the endeavor didn't bear any fruits. The Treasure Pavillion was incredibly protective of its customer's information. This would naturally not be enough to deter Zeke, but even with his sphere of awareness, he hadn't been able to find any written records in the treasury. They were most likely kept somewhere else entirely.
He was left with no other choice but to give up. He would only be willing to revisit his more dangerous plans if he actually failed to obtain her in the auction. The event was only a little over a month away anyway, and he could muster that much patience, at least.
This brought him to today's event. It was finally the day of the meeting with the Gemkar family. If he managed to obtain a clue to the liquid metal, he would be infinitely closer to his goal — the Mana purifying device and his subsequent advancement to Grand Mage.
Zeke unconsciously clenched his fists. He could only hope that the clue that had led them here would pay off. After all, his advancement was a race against time. He hadn't heard anything about the empire's movements in a while, but Zeke didn't trust this silence. He was sure that this was nothing but the quiet before the storm.
Someday soon, Arkanheim was going to make its move, and it would be a big one. Otto Geistreich had always acted like the outcome was a foregone conclusion, and Zeke highly doubted the man was simply over-confident. No, war was inevitable, and the only question was, would he be strong enough to make a difference when it reached him?
Zeke took a deep breath and calmed his agitated mind. There was no use in getting worked up unnecessarily, especially since he could already feel his body heat up unnaturally. He now knew that this was a sign that his heart was preparing to inject draconic essence into his blood. It wouldn't do to waste such a trump card while lazing around.
After a few deep breaths, his body returned to a calm state. He had definitely gotten better at handling the heart's outbursts. Initially, it had required a cold shower and some trickery for him to wrangle it back under control once it got going. Now, he could do it with nothing but a few deep breaths. This went to show how far he had come in his mastery of [Perfect Body Control].
He had learned the hard way that just because the spell's name promised perfect control, that was not something he could do as of yet. Zeke was confident that it would be possible to get to that level at some point. However, that was still out of reach for now. Maybe after he achieved the Grand Mage level? Arch Mage, maybe?
Zeke's thoughts were interrupted when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. A servant had entered the backyard and was whispering something to Gravitas. The Chimeroi was Zeke's current guard and had stationed herself near the entrance.
He got up and approached the two even before the servant finished speaking. He already knew why he was here anyway.
"Master, Mr. Nair is ready to leave," Gravitas said.
Zeke nodded. This was what he had expected. He turned toward the servant. "Lead the way."
***
Mohan and his group were already waiting near the entrance with a small carriage. Even though their mansion wasn't far from the Gemkar residence, going on foot was not something people of their standing were expected to do. It would be seen as a breach of etiquette.
They were the last to arrive, and Zeke courteously greeted the head of the house and the elders. After all, the members of the Nair family didn't know his true identity. As far as they knew, he was nothing but a liaison to the Von Hohenheim company. And even though he had presented himself as a trusted advisor to Ezekiel, he was still just an advisor. Therefore, he had to show the people of the Nair family proper respect. Also, there was another reason why he did so.
His polite attitude made Mohan beam with pride. "Are you prepared, Blood Dragon?"
"I am, sir Nair."
"Good, then it's time to set off."
Their group entered the carriage and prepared for the short trip. There was a relatively large number of people in this delegation. This was because they weren't visiting the Gemkar family for the liquid metal alone.
Even though that had been Zeke's initial plan, Mohan had strongly advised against it. Instead, he had suggested they mention their interest in passing while pretending to be after something else. This was apparently an old merchant trick.
Zeke had quickly agreed; he was far less versed in Korrovan's traditions than Mohan. However, the main reason was that they actually had a legitimate business deal to discuss with the Gemkar family. Zeke planned to establish a sizeable production facility in this city after all, and it only made sense to source the metals locally.
This was where the Gemkar family came into play. They were a reputable mining family here in Korrovan and would make for a suitable partner. If the two parties reached an agreement today, it would be far more likely for the Gemkar family to be willing to share information about the liquid metal.
Their carriage arrived in front of the Gemkar mansion a short time later. This was the second time Zeke had come here. However, the reception he received this time was markedly different. The same butler who had slammed the door in his face the last time was now deferentially bowing as he ushered them in.
Zeke was curious if the butler would recognize him. It would be somewhat satisfying to see the man panic. However, when they made eye contact, he didn't find even a hint of recognition in his gaze. Zeke was momentarily disappointed but then let go of these childish thoughts. The butler had only done his job back then. Also, such petty vengeance should be beneath him at this point.
They were led into a conference room where an almost equally sized group from the Gemkar family waited. Was the size of a business delegation standardized here in Korrovan, or did they match accidentally? Zeke was lucky to have the Nair family on his side. There was no telling how many cultural blunders he would make otherwise.
During the meeting, Zeke remained silent and kept his eyes on the others. He sat to Mohan's left and observed the proceedings. From how the others acted, he tried to learn how to behave in such a setting as best he could.
Luckily, he wasn't here as a negotiator but as an asset. His and Gravitas' presence gave the Nair family further legitimacy. After all, sponsoring fighters in the Rings of Samsara was a sign of wealth and power. While he had only reached the third circle, Zeke's reputation was quite good, thanks to his unique fighting style and undefeated streak.
However, Gravitas still drew a lot more attention than him. Many glanced at her with reverent eyes, and it was no wonder. She had been an active fighter for a long time and had been crowned champion of the fourth circle more than once. This meant she was at the peak of power below the Arch Mage level.
The meeting proceeded without a hitch, and it was just as dull as Zeke had expected. They haggled over the smallest of margins on every single item. Of course, he understood that even those tiny percentages would add up, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He didn't mind being generous as long as the people did what they promised and delivered quality goods. However, that wasn't how business was done.
Zeke sighed. It had already been hours of negotiation where both parties bickered about utterly trivial points. He even had a hard time focusing on what was being said anymore. Was this how Leo felt whenever Zeke forced him to study? This was pure torture.
However, eventually, the negotiations came to an end. Zeke was shocked when he saw the previously irate and annoyed faces on both sides sporting huge smiles all of a sudden. The shift had been instantaneous. Before the ink on the contracts even had time to dry, the people were already shaking hands with the most amiable of expressions. They looked as if they had finally reunited with their long-lost family members.
Zeke also sported a smile. However, it wasn't because he was happy about the terms they had reached. Instead, he was just glad this meeting was finally over. This also meant that it was time to get to the most crucial part.
His gaze locked with Mohan's briefly, and the old man nodded fractionally. The old man then turned to the patriarch of the Gemkar family. "Ahh, there is one more thing."
The patriarch immediately grew wary. "What is it?"
Mohan waved him off. "Don't worry. It is not related to the deal at all. The contract is already signed, after all."
This managed to put the other man at ease. "That is true. So, what do you need, Mohan?"
"I have heard legends about an old treasure of the Gemkar family — a fountain. It is rumored that instead of water, it was filled with a black liquid so dark it even consumed the light."
The patriarch grimaced but eventually still nodded. "We indeed used to have such a thing, but it's not something I like to discuss. That accursed thing is linked to the greatest tragedy of our family after all."
Zeke's ears perked up. Now that he had come this far, he would not back down. He furiously signaled Mohan to dig deeper, but the old man ignored him.
"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it," Mohan said instead, "but it is something my granddaughter has been interested in for a long time. So I thought you might indulge me now that we are such good friends."
The patriarch hesitated for a moment longer, but after another glance at the signed contract, he nodded. "Very well, I'll tell you about it." He then signaled for his people to leave, and Mohan did the same.
Zeke obliged without complaint but then remained just outside the door and acted like a guard. Many of the elders looked at him in confusion but didn't say anything. Zeke sighed in relief when he noticed that nobody questioned his actions. He immediately focused on his sphere of awareness. Thankfully, the two men were still within his reach, even as they took seats in two armchairs.
"So, what is this tragedy you spoke about?"
The Gemkar patriarch sighed deeply. "Have you heard of the Land of Darkness?"
Mohan nodded. "It's a Danger Zone in the mountains to the northeast. It's gold-ranked if my memory serves me right."
"Correct," the patriarch confirmed. "But I bet you didn't know how the Danger Zone came to be…"
Mohan didn't respond, admitting his ignorance through silence. The Gemkar patriarch smiled weakly. "I don't blame you. This happened before you were born, almost two centuries ago."
Mohan listened with rapt attention. Even though the two looked to be about the same age, that wasn't even close to being true. Mohan didn't have a Core, while the Gemkar patriarch was at the Grand Mage level. He had lived for far longer.
"That Danger Zone… used to be our most profitable mine," the patriarch admitted.
Mohan's eyes widened. "W-what?"
The man sighed. "I was still young back then, but the Gemkar family was far richer and more influential than we are today — all thanks to that one mine. It held several large deposits of rare minerals: Void Iron, Dark Steel, and Night Gold. It truly was the golden age of my house."
"What happened?" Mohan probed.
"One day, we discovered something in the very depths of the mine. It was a pond of dark liquid that seemed capable of consuming the very light. The most surprising thing was that our Mages confirmed this substance as a metal. We didn't know anything else, and nobody had seen anything like it. However, the elders were sure that it was valuable. They ordered the slaves to start excavating it."
Zeke gulped. This was undoubtedly what he was looking for. However, he had a bad feeling about where this story was going.
"At first, nothing happened. But after a week or so, the slaves refused to go down anymore. They couldn't explain their reason but said that something bad lurked there. Even when ordered, they endured the backlash of the collar instead of obeying. This should have been warning enough, but the elders didn't listen. They decided to buy new slaves and send them instead.
"However, it wasn't long until they started to vanish. The elders were furious and thought the slaves had run away, but it happened more frequently as time passed. Soon enough, none of the slaves returned from the mine anymore. It was then that it happened…"
The patriarch paused for a moment. He appeared haunted by the memories of what came next. "One night, as everybody slept, something emerged from the mine," he said haltingly. "They were creatures nobody had ever seen before, with bodies that were entirely made from shadow.
"We tried to fight back, of course, but they attacked without mercy. And in the end, our power proved to be no match for the creatures. When morning finally came, they retreated into the mine. However, we had already lost over half our men at that point.
"Both of my parents and most of the elders had died. And so, at the age of 19, I became the Patriarch of the Gemkar family."