Chapter 68: Sauce Meat Fruit
Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Sauce Meat Fruit
The men from the Holy Hand Association came to a stop in the open space before the courtyard gate after submitting to an inspection led by Raymond.
As the Baron’s steward, Ralph first escorted Simone and Kalina to the drawing room. He then personally led a team to take inventory of the supplies delivered by the Holy Hand Association.
According to Kalina, the Holy Hand Association had brought supplies totaling 220 Gold Coins to pay the contracting fee the Baron had mentioned.
Ralph needed to register these supplies and assess their value to see if they met the required amount.
While Jasmine helped him change into a formal robe for receiving guests, Duane couldn’t help but smile.
From his expression, even Jasmine could tell the Baron was in a very good mood.
And he was.
In his invitation, Duane had only stated that he wished to meet the valiant Warrior, Simone. He hadn’t mentioned anyone else, let alone the contracting fee.
Yet Daniels had sent Kalina along.
The official reason was to deliver the fee, but it was more likely she was here to monitor the conversation between Duane and Simone.
’Did my provocation work?’
Duane entered the drawing room to find Raymond and Simone chatting.
When they saw the Baron arrive, everyone rose to greet him.
"Simone, I’m delighted you could come!"
Duane walked to the head seat and sat down. "And thank you for delivering the contracting fee from Daniels. I appreciate you making the trip, Kalina the Mage."
Simone, disheveled as ever, simply gave a slight nod.
Kalina was much more enthusiastic. "My lord, you are such a considerate nobleman! Broken Wave Bay isn’t far from here. If you’ll allow it, I’d love to visit more often."
"Of course, you are welcome anytime."
Duane said with a smile, "However, I am quite busy, so please forgive me if I am unable to receive you personally."
’This Female Mage is too forward,’ Duane thought. ’I can’t tell if this is just her personality or if she’s deliberately trying to get close to me.’
’Either way, I’m not interested. Best to keep my distance.’
"In that case, I’ll be sure to come often!" Kalina said, seemingly oblivious to his underlying meaning.
Duane ignored her and focused his attention on Simone.
He was eager to know why Simone had come to Black Forest Island and whether something had happened to the Gobel Clan.
Unfortunately, Simone was unwilling to say much, merely giving a polite but vague reply along the lines of, "I had an accident during my travels," to brush off the question.
Duane didn’t buy that excuse for a second, but with the man refusing to say more, there was nothing he could do.
He could only shift his interest to the Gobel Clan’s Bloodline Power.
This time, Simone didn’t hide anything, recounting the tale of how his grandfather obtained the Fire Eagle bloodline.
This method of obtaining a Bloodline Power was extremely rare, a matter of pure luck.
Throughout history, many had tried to gain abilities by drinking the blood of Demon Beasts, but most had failed.
Some even exploded and died, unable to withstand the corrosive power of the Demon Beast’s blood.
Cases like Kais’s were not common.
From this story, Duane confirmed one thing: Simone’s identity. The man had inadvertently referred to Kais as his grandfather.
’So Simone is Kais’s grandson. Judging by his abilities, he must be a legitimate grandson, not an illegitimate one.’
As they talked, the evening banquet was prepared, and everyone moved to the dining hall to take their seats.
"Simone, the Gobel Clan is renowned, and your own abilities are plain for all to see!"
Duane raised his glass.
"Black Forest Island is full of opportunities and challenges. I would like to invite you to join the Brian Clan. I wonder, would you be interested?"
The smile on Kalina’s face froze. She hadn’t expected the Baron to try and poach someone right in front of her.
But she didn’t dare say anything and could only wait for Simone’s reply.
Simone hadn’t expected this either.
"Thank you for the invitation, my lord!"
He raised his glass, looking slightly awkward. "Daniels once did me a great service. Working for him is my way of honoring that commitment."
Duane had a moment of realization. ’So his service to Daniels involves a debt of gratitude.’
That explained why a man from a Knight Clan would pledge loyalty to the leader of a rogue gang.
"I have great respect for those who keep their promises."
Duane drank the wine in his cup. "What a shame!"
Simone followed suit and drained his glass.
The taste of the Upper Level wine was familiar, yet it was one he hadn’t experienced in many years.
As he savored it, memories of his past surfaced, and his attitude toward the Baron couldn’t help but shift slightly.
After all, they came from the same social class, and on a secluded place like Black Forest Island, it was easy to find some common ground.
Take the wine in his glass, for instance. Neither the Holy Hand Association nor the Broken Wave Gang had anything of this quality.
The banquet lasted only about half an hour before a slightly tipsy Simone and Kalina took their leave.
Duane returned to his study, where Ralph was already waiting.
"My lord, all the items from the Holy Hand Association have been registered. Their estimated value comes to 220 Gold Coins."
Duane picked up the inventory list and chuckled. "I didn’t expect them to drag their feet for half a month, only to pay so promptly and without fuss."
The list detailed more than ten types of supplies, including Gold Coins, wrought iron, tools, Potions, silk cloth, livestock, and so on.
The quantities varied, but the total value Ralph had calculated was around 220 Gold Coins.
The Holy Hand Association had indeed paid the contracting fee in full and in one go.
"Tally up the types of Demon Beast Meat," Duane ordered.
’The Demon Beast Meat, worth a total of 12 Gold Coins, can’t all be from the same type of creature. There might be some with the Fire Attribute among them.’
"Understood." Ralph made a note of it.
Duane’s gaze then shifted to the "Sauce Meat Fruit" on the list.
"What is this Sauce Meat Fruit? Two of them are valued at 60 Gold Coins?"
Ralph explained, "According to the man guarding the Sauce Meat Fruits, it seems to be a type of Magic Potion refined by Daniels. They say eating one can increase a person’s Spiritual Power and help them break through bottlenecks."
He added, "I couldn’t confirm its value, so I made it clear to them that if the Sauce Meat Fruit has no effect, they will have to make up the 60 Gold Coins’ worth of supplies."
Duane, however, was startled.
Kaelon had once explained that many Warriors couldn’t break through not because their physical strength was insufficient, but because they were limited by their Spirit.
If this Sauce Meat Fruit could truly increase a person’s Spirit, it could indeed help someone break through.
’If its effect is truly as described, then 30 Gold Coins per fruit is probably too low.’
"Where are the Sauce Meat Fruits?"
Ralph immediately retrieved a black wooden box from the pile of supplies in the corner of the study.
"Have a look."
He opened the box, and a faint fragrance wafted out.
The scent was unusual, somewhat like flowers, but not quite.
Duane looked over and saw two black, egg-shaped ovals resting inside.
They weren’t very appealing to the eye; they almost looked as if they were molded from mud.
At the same time, Duane couldn’t tell what materials they were made from.
"This thing... is it poisonous?"
Duane was tempted to try it but felt it was too risky.
’I could test it on a chicken or a duck, but that would be too much of a waste.’
"Owington."
The Male Servant from outside the door entered. "My lord, what are your orders?"
"Go and bring Kaelon and Benur here."
Kaelon’s strength had long since reached the Peak of the Human Tier; perhaps a lack of Spirit was the only thing holding him back from a breakthrough.
Benur had drunk thirty bowls of Fire Source Beast Bone Soup and his physique was well-honed, but he still hadn’t awakened his Fighting Qi Seed. It was also possible he lacked sufficient Spirit.
Duane was summoning the two of them to test the effects of the Sauce Meat Fruit.
To be on the safe side, he would have Benur try it first.
Only after confirming there was no risk would he let Kaelon eat it.
After all, Kaelon was far more important to him than Benur.
Of course, before the experiment, Duane would explain the possibilities to them and let them make their own choice.