Chapter 48: 48: Negotiation
Meanwhile, inside the Marovain shop, the VIP room became silent after the door opened.
"It seems I arrived at an interesting moment," the old man said.
Lucard looked toward the entrance of the VIP room. The man standing there was the same person who had come with Celia Marovain for the branch shop inspection. He looked around forty years old, but his eyes carried the calm weight of someone who had seen many things and remembered the value of all of them. He wore a black and silver noble coat, and one of his hands was not a real hand. From the wrist down, it was a fake mechanical hand made of polished dark metal and silver joints. It looked expensive, sharp, and dangerous, not like a normal replacement made for pity.
Celia immediately stood up.
"Uncle."
The old man walked into the room slowly. His eyes moved first to Celia, then to Jenny, Jake, Peter, and finally to Lucard. He looked at the wrapped papers in Lucard’s hand and smiled slightly.
Lucard did not smile back.
He had already decided to leave. Celia had offered three hundred thousand gold coins, and that was far below the real value of the spell. He had no reason to stay if House Marovain wanted to treat him like a desperate fallen noble who would bow for a few bags of gold. He turned toward the door and started walking.
The old man raised his real hand slightly.
"Young man, wait. Let me see the spell first."
Lucard stopped, but he did not turn around immediately.
Celia quickly spoke before Lucard could answer.
"Uncle Robi, the spell has not been tested yet. I offered three hundred thousand gold coins. That is the highest value I could offer without creating a loss risk for the branch. If the spell fails during testing, we will not recover that money easily."
The name made Jenny freeze.
Peter also reacted.
"Robi Marovain," Peter said quietly.
Jake looked up at him. "Who is he?"
Peter’s voice became lower, and there was clear respect in it. "I cannot believe I am seeing a legend in person."
Jake became more confused. "What kind of legend?"
Jenny answered before Peter could. Her eyes were fixed on the old man. "He is Robi Marovain, the seventh brother of Duke Marovain. He is an elder of House Marovain and one of the best appraisal masters in the Kingdom of Valoria. They say he can identify the value of most treasures with one glance."
Peter nodded. "He is also a very strong fighter. A Fifth Rank battle mage. He lost one hand many years ago during an expedition, but after that, his fame only became greater."
Jake looked at Robi’s metal hand with wide eyes. "That fake hand looks stronger than a normal one."
Peter whispered, "It probably is."
Robi heard everything.
Lucard also heard everything.
Robi smiled at Jenny and Jake with a little warmth. "Young lady, I am not that great. I am only good at what I do."
Jake whispered to Jenny, "That is what great people say when they know they are great."
Jenny pressed her lips together and did not answer.
Robi’s eyes turned to Lucard again.
"Young man, may I see the spell?"
Lucard looked at him for a moment. Then he handed over the four pages.
Robi took them with his real hand, not the fake one. That small detail told Lucard something. The old man respected the pages enough to hold them carefully. He did not grab them like Galen had done. He did not look at the explanation page first like a fool pretending to understand. He placed the pages on the table and looked at the magic circle first.
The room became quiet again.
Robi read carefully.
One minute passed.
Then another.
His eyes moved over the spell circle, the explanation, the use method, and the warning. He did not rush. Sometimes he leaned closer to inspect a symbol. Sometimes he tapped his finger against the table while thinking. His fake metal hand rested beside the pages, still and silent. Celia stood behind him, watching his face carefully. She knew her uncle’s expression. If the spell was fake, he would have already lost interest. But he had not.
Jenny could feel her heartbeat getting faster.
Peter was also tense.
Jake tried to stand on his toes to see the paper, but Jenny pulled him back before he climbed on the chair like a small mountain goat with noble blood.
After two minutes, Robi leaned back.
He looked at Lucard with a sharper smile.
"Young man, how about I give you five hundred thousand gold coins?"
Jenny’s breath almost stopped.
Peter’s eyes widened.
Jake looked at Jenny. "Is that more than the very many gold coins?"
Jenny’s voice was very quiet. "Yes. Much more."
Celia remained silent. She did not look surprised by the number, but her eyes moved slightly. That meant she had expected her uncle to raise the offer, but perhaps not that quickly.
Lucard’s expression did not change. He still looked unsatisfied.
Robi noticed it immediately.
He looked at the young man in black clothes and felt more interested. Most fallen nobles would have grabbed the offer before he finished speaking. Five hundred thousand gold coins was a mountain for a baron family. Yet Lucard acted as if Robi had only offered him a better chair.
Robi smiled wider.
"Then I can give you one million gold coins. That is my final answer."
This time even Celia could not stay silent.
"Uncle," she said quickly. "You are offering that much for an untested spell. We do not even know if it will work exactly as written. We also do not know whether we can bring back the money invested. Please reconsider your offer."
Robi raised his hand and stopped her.
"We will not sell the spell for now."
Celia frowned slightly. "Then why buy it for that price?"
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