Chapter 983: Alternate Timeline: 100 million offer

He stopped briefly.

His eyes looked strangely tired.

"I don’t want to anymore. Let my father rot in that citadel till death."

Lucian stared at him silently. Never in the world did he expect a gentle soul like Arceus would speak such words...

Is it Kiara’s influence?

He wondered at first, but then, watching his friend’s expression, at that moment, Lucian finally understood something.

Wester Silver had not merely hurt Arceus.

He had broken something inside him permanently.

The trust.

The attachment.

The desperate need for family approval.

All of it seemed gone now from Arceus’ heart.

As a result, Lucian wisely stopped discussing the topic.

Instead, he deliberately shifted toward lighter conversations, talking about random matters happening inside the city and small gossip among the Noble Houses until the atmosphere gradually relaxed again.

After breakfast, Lucian eventually returned home.

Meanwhile, Arceus took his place behind the reception desk and resumed his duties as the manager.

Kiara, on the other hand, had too much free time.

So she decided to spend the day manufacturing expensive 9mm ammunition to maintain inventory.

Time passed quietly afterward.

At around nine in the morning, Alucard arrived for work as usual.

Then at eleven, Serestia entered the store as well.

A few customers came before noon, allowing Serestia and Alucard to manage sales together while the androids, especially Zion, finally received some much-needed rest.

The business resumed again after lunch at one o’clock.

Then, somewhere around four in the afternoon, a familiar figure entered the store.

It was the Second Prince, Magnus Phoenix.

The moment Kiara saw him, her eyes practically lit up.

Her number one favorite customer had arrived. The only sibling of hers that she truly respects.

Normally, either Arceus or Alucard handled greetings at the front counter, but this time, Kiara personally stepped forward with an unusually genuine smile.

"Welcome to Nexus, Your Highness."

Arceus immediately noticed the difference.

After living beside Kiara for several days, he had learned to distinguish her fake business smiles from real emotions.

And right now...

She looked genuinely happy.

The realization made him suddenly remember the engagement gift scroll Magnus had handed over earlier.

Because of everything that happened afterward, he had completely forgotten about it.

Now curiosity quietly surfaced again.

’What exactly was written inside that scroll?’

Meanwhile, Magnus calmly asked. "Is everything prepared?"

Kiara smiled.

"They’re already prepared."

Then she glanced toward the welpire kid.

"Alucard, go bring the boxes stored in the left corner."

Afterward, she looked at Serestia.

"Go and help him."

She even sent Noah along to assist with carrying the crates to make it faster.

One after another, nearly one hundred small boxes were brought outside.

Each contained an AK-47.

Magnus silently stored them inside his storage ring while Kiara led him toward the training grounds afterward.

"Please follow me."

The Second Prince nodded quietly.

Soon, both entered the large fenced training compound behind the store, where barren earth stretched widely beneath the evening sky.

Without wasting time, Kiara began taking out Panzer tanks one after another from her inventory before neatly arranging them in order.

Even Magnus, who already knew what was coming, still felt slight shock witnessing dozens of armored vehicles appear continuously before his eyes.

After storing fifty Panzers inside his ring, Kiara then brought out three massive wooden crates and placed them carefully nearby.

Unlike the usual compact system-made metal boxes, these crates looked rough and handcrafted.

She had specifically ordered them from a furniture shop recently because the system’s packaging costs for ammunition had started annoying her.

The system freely packaged weapons.

But bullets?

Fifty silver coins per container.

It was an absolute robbery.

So she solved it herself.

One crate contained five thousand rounds of 9mm ammunition.

The second contained two thousand rounds of R.I.P ammunition.

The final one carried three thousand rounds of 7.62mm rounds.

Magnus did not bother checking every bullet individually.

There were simply too many.

And at this point, he trusted Kiara’s business ethics enough not to worry about deception.

After finishing the transaction, Kiara earned roughly 24,000 gold coins as her share of the total 40,000 gold deal.

A satisfying amount.

Very satisfying.

She firmly shook Magnus’s hand afterward. "It’s always pleasant doing business with you."

Magnus smiled faintly.

"Actually," he said while taking out another scroll from his storage ring, "there’s another reason for today’s visit."

His expression grew serious.

"But before reading it, understand this first."

"You are not obligated to accept. And even if you reject the proposal, the Imperial Palace will understand completely."

Kiara became curious immediately.

"What proposal?"

She opened the scroll at once.

After reading the contents briefly, her brows furrowed. "What exactly is the Seed of Fire?"

Magnus blinked in surprise. "You’ve never heard of it?"

Honestly, he had assumed someone as mysterious and capable as Kiara would already know ancient legends like this.

Still, he calmly began explaining.

"According to ancient legends, when the universe originally existed as a single plane," he said slowly, "the spiritual energy filled everything abundantly, allowing mortals and beasts alike to rise toward godhood much more easily."

As he spoke, the evening wind moved softly through the empty training grounds.

"Over time, countless Transcendants emerged."

"And naturally, the authority of the original gods began facing challenges."

Magnus paused briefly.

"When rulers fear losing control, conflict becomes inevitable."

"It is the same everywhere," he added quietly. "Whether it is humans, beasts, demons, or even gods..."

"When too many powerful men appear beneath one throne, eventually someone reaches for the crown."

Kiara listened silently.

"The original Celestials began creating catastrophes across worlds for population control," Magnus continued. "But violence only creates more violence."

"The weaker celestials and their descendants were hunted in return."

"In the end, the Elder Gods separated existence into different planes to restore balance."

His voice lowered slightly afterward.

"But during that process, a devil possessing anti-divine energy has emerged and started a war against the gods. The battle nearly destroyed the universe itself."

Even while narrating legends, Magnus sounded oddly calm.

"The devil eventually defeated, but not without costs. The gods were also wounded."

"And according to legend... even now, they occasionally bleed."

"When a drop of divine ichor, their blood, falls onto land, the world itself nourishes it for years."

"Then eventually... an elemental seed is born."

Kiara remained expressionless externally.

Internally, however, she was waiting.

Waiting for the system notification.

Waiting for some hidden quest.

However, nothing came.

Meanwhile, Magnus continued explaining.

"The Mother Goddess usually absorbs those seeds eventually as a part of natural process, but Spirit Warriors discovered there is a brief window before that happens."

"Roughly thirty-seven minutes."

"Enough time to steal the seed."

He then looked directly at Kiara.

"The Seed of Fire is one such treasure. It can nourish ether energy, grant elemental affinity of fire, strengthen existing attributes, and in rare cases even awaken hidden bloodlines."

His expression became more solemn afterward.

"Unfortunately, Exalt and legendary realm experts from across the world are already targeting it."

"The Imperial Family cannot confidently seize it alone."

"That is why we need your assistance."

"Whatever reward you desire..." Magnus said slowly, "The Imperial Palace is willing to negotiate."

Kiara stared at him silently.

Outwardly, she looked deep in thought.

Inwardly?

She felt somewhat disappointed.

No system quest.

No emergency reward.

No hidden notification.

Nothing.

Since attributes could already be purchased through credits, she honestly did not care very much about the Fire Seed itself.

And the lack of system interest only reduced her motivation further.

Still...

Magnus was her best customer.

Rejecting him directly, without giving any valid reason, would be stupid.

So she deliberately acted thoughtful while pretending to weigh the risks carefully.

Magnus patiently observed her for several minutes.

Then finally, he spoke again.

"Kiara," he said quietly, "two days ago, I already placed an order worth one million gold coins for the firearms division."

He paused deliberately.

"But if you help us obtain the Seed of Fire..."

His eyes sharpened slightly.

"This is an oral promise, but I carry the words of the Emperor. His Majesty is willing to issue a promissory contract guaranteeing that the Imperial Army will purchase at least one hundred million gold coins’ worth of goods from your store within the next five years."

Kiara’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"One hundred million gold coins over five years..."

The number echoed inside Kiara’s head for several seconds like the slow ringing of a giant bronze bell.

Just how rich is the Imperial Family?