Chapter 225: The City Lord Estate
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Zich clearly did not believe her. He stood up directly after that.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving."
"Wait," Evelyn called after him.
She raised her right hand, and a silver star shaped badge appeared out of thin air and slowly floated toward Zich.
Nine star rings were engraved upon its front, while the back bore only a simple spatial rune.
"This isn’t a recruitment token from the City Lord’s Estate."
"It’s merely my personal communication badge."
"Throughout most regions of the First Layer, even if ordinary communication devices are disrupted by Secret Realms or spatial energy, this badge will still function."
Zich did not immediately accept it.
"Why give it to me?"
"Because I believe we’ll meet again."
"And after my father returns, he may wish to meet you personally as well."
"He’s not in the city?"
"Not for the time being."
Evelyn did not explain where the City Lord had gone.
After thinking briefly, Zich finally accepted the badge.
The City Lord’s Estate possessed information about the Second Layer and even higher regions.
Keeping a line of communication open without paying any price carried no disadvantages.
"And one more thing."
Evelyn watched him put the badge away.
"Although you’ve rejected our invitation, those conditions won’t expire immediately. Before my father returns personally, you still have the opportunity to reconsider."
"I won’t change my decision."
"Don’t speak too soon," Evelyn said calmly.
"Once you truly understand what the City Lord’s Estate can offer, you may make a different choice."
Zich gave no further reply. And so with Slimy on his shoulder, he turned and walked toward the entrance of the courtyard.
Just as the spatial barrier was about to open, Evelyn’s voice sounded from behind him once more.
"Zich."
He stopped.
"You’re not going to ask my level?"
"No need."
"Why?"
"No matter what level you are now, you won’t be my goal."
One of Evelyn’s brows rose slightly.
Zich turned around, his pale golden eyes calmly meeting hers.
"If I ever have to fight you in the future, I’ll naturally confirm it before the battle."
After saying that, he stepped through the reopened spatial barrier and disappeared from the courtyard.
The top floor fell silent once more.
Alone beneath the moonlight, Evelyn continued staring in the direction Zich had left, not withdrawing her gaze for a long time.
A few seconds later, an elderly man dressed in a dark gray robe silently appeared behind her.
There was not the slightest spatial fluctuation when he appeared, as though he had been standing there all along.
"Miss."
"Should we continue investigating him?"
"No."
Evelyn put away the City Lord’s token lying on the table.
"He already knows that we have noticed him. Continuing the investigation will only make him more vigilant."
The old man fell silent briefly.
"But the City Lord once said... if his class truly is related to that record..."
"My father only told us to confirm it."
Evelyn interrupted him.
"He never told us to steal his secrets."
She looked back toward the prosperous Central City beyond the courtyard.
"Besides, someone who can hear about Second Layer qualifications, Epic grade equipment, an independent Secret Realm, and access to the Central Treasury, yet still refuse without hesitation will never bow to the City Lord’s Estate for ordinary benefits."
"You cannot force someone like that. You can only make him realize on his own that the City Lord’s Estate is worth cooperating with."
The old man slowly lowered his head.
"Understood."
Evelyn lifted the now cooled Star Moon Tea.
Yet in her mind, Zich’s final words echoed once again.
If I ever have to fight you in the future, I’ll naturally confirm it before the battle.
There had been no attempt to flatter her.
He had simply, as naturally as breathing, placed the daughter of the Central City Lord among the list of opponents he might one day face.
"Quite interesting indeed," Evelyn murmured softly. "When Father returns from the Fourth Layer, I wonder what his reaction will be."
...
Zich walked back along Silvermoon Court’s floating staircase toward the Moon Lake area.
The moment the spatial barrier opened, Helen, Mira, and Jayden all turned to look at him simultaneously.
Slimy leaped off Zich’s shoulder and immediately pounced toward the unfinished dishes on the table.
"Bo!"
Clearly, its conversation with the City Lord’s daughter held absolutely no importance to it.
What truly mattered was that the waiters had not yet cleared away the remaining food.
Zich returned to his seat.
Helen looked him up and down.
"That fast?"
"How long were you expecting me to stay?"
"I just thought that if the City Lord’s daughter personally invited you, the conversation would last much longer."
She casually picked up her cup.
"So what did she want?"
"She invited me to join the City Lord’s Estate."
Zich did not hide it.
Clink.
Jayden’s cup lightly touched the table.
Mira also raised her eyes.
The casual expression on Helen’s face disappeared instantly.
"The City Lord’s Estate invited you?"
"Mm."
"What were the conditions?"
"Direct qualification to enter the Second Layer. An Epic grade summoning equipment. Long term usage rights to an independent Secret Realm. One hundred thousand Soul Stones every month."
"And three opportunities to choose items from the Central Treasury."
With every condition Zich listed, Helen’s expression became increasingly rigid.
Even as the daughter of the Players Association President, she could not treat those offers as ordinary rewards.
Especially the qualification to enter the Second Layer and the selection rights for the Central Treasury.
Those were no longer resources that could simply be measured in Soul Stones.
"And then?" Jayden suddenly asked.
Judging from Zich’s calm expression, he had already guessed the answer.
"I refused."
Silence instantly descended upon the Moon Lake area.
Helen stared at Zich for a long time.
"You didn’t even think about it?"
"I did."
"For how long?"
"About a few seconds."
Helen pressed a hand against her forehead.
"That doesn’t count as thinking."
"It still wouldn’t have changed the result," Zich replied in a mechanical tone.
Jayden leaned back in his chair, his expression complicated.
"Do you even know what long term access to an independent Secret Realm means?"
"I do."
"And what one hundred thousand Soul Stones every month represents?"
"I do."
"Then why refuse?"
"Joining the City Lord’s Estate means I wouldn’t be doing nothing in return."
Zich picked up a piece of magical beast meat that Slimy had overlooked.
"The more they offer me now, the more they’ll expect me to repay in the future."
Jayden did not argue immediately.
Born into a great family, he understood far better than ordinary players that the truly expensive things were never the resources themselves, but the obligations and positions attached to them.
If the City Lord’s Estate was willing to offer such conditions, then whatever they might demand from Zich in the future would certainly not be simple.
...
AN: The City Lord’s Estate means the ruling authority of a city and not a single individual.