Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

CH733 Meeting Duke Cyrindale

***

Early the next morning, Alex carefully groomed himself while awaiting the scheduled meeting with the Duke.

Not long afterwards, accompanied only by Saul and Udara, Alex followed behind one of Duke Cyrindale’s retainers towards Oxborn Castle for the meeting.

Over the past few days, Alex had repeatedly considered the many ways the meeting with the Duke might unfold, as well as how best to steer the discussion towards a favourable outcome.

However, he also recognised a simple reality—the Duke currently held most of the cards.

Whether the man chose to aid them, cooperate with them, or even entertain their proposal at all would ultimately determine the direction the negotiations would take.

Even though he was not particularly optimistic regarding the usefulness of his offer, Alex still decided to bring a Rune Tattoo Scroll along with him to the meeting.

The scroll itself had been placed inside an ornately designed box embedded with elemental jewels and Berserk Stones, all of which powered an elaborate-looking sealing formation surrounding the container.

In truth, Alex could easily have designed a far simpler—and even more effective—sealing formation for the scroll.

However, that was never the true purpose behind the elaborate display.

The formation existed less to actually preserve the scroll and more to increase the perceived value of the item in the eyes of the Duke and his retainers.

Oxborn Castle itself was indeed a magnificent fortress worthy of an Imperial Duke.

It was not only beautiful, but also vast and exceptionally well-defended.

Once they arrived at the waiting chamber leading towards the court hall where the meeting would take place, the Duke’s retainer instructed Alex to open the ornate box.

Alex nodded calmly before proceeding to unseal the container beneath the retainer’s watchful gaze.

The process took well over half an hour.

It was intentionally tedious and painstaking, while Alex himself maintained an expression of utmost solemnity throughout the entire procedure.

Despite the lengthy and complicated process, the retainer neither urged Alex to hurry nor displayed even the slightest hint of impatience. Instead, he simply observed the entire process carefully from beginning to end.

Ting! Ting! Click!

At long last, the box finally opened.

Alex’s shoulders sagged slightly as he released a tired sigh of relief. His expression relaxed into a restrained—though still somewhat weary—smile.

"My apologies for the delay. The scroll and the talisman contained within it gradually lose potency once unsealed, so I had little choice but to wait until immediately before meeting His Grace before opening it."

Alex offered a polite bow before asking,

"I hope I have not kept His Grace waiting for too long?"

"Not at all," the retainer replied calmly with a slight shake of his head.

The retainer completely believed Alex’s presentation, causing the scroll contained within the ornate box to rise significantly in value within his mind.

One could hardly blame him. After all, Alex’s entire performance had been deliberately designed to exploit exactly this sort of bias.

The man was not merely one of the Duke’s retainers—he was also a noble in his own right. Years of experience had given him a discerning eye for valuables and rare treasures.

By his rough estimation alone, the box in Alex’s possession was worth at least one High-grade Berserk Stone. Even for someone of his standing, that represented an immense amount of wealth, especially for a box.

Even if Alex somehow turned out to be a swindler, the sheer amount of resources he had already invested into appearances alone made it difficult for most people to view him as one.

Never mind the fact that Alex was also supposedly a Sorcerer.

Every Sorcerer the Duke’s retainer had ever encountered had been an immensely prideful individual. Such people would rather die than resort to petty fraud.

After all, they had no need to swindle anyone in the first place. A Sorcerer only needed to craft a handful of magical artefacts and place them on the market to earn staggering wealth.

Someone of Alex’s apparent calibre could easily accumulate immense riches merely by occasionally assisting the Duke with specialised tasks. In fact, all he truly needed to do was express interest, and Duke Cyrindale would likely welcome him warmly—even without Alex formally becoming one of the Duke’s retainers.

With such advantages available to him, the idea that a Sorcerer like Alex might actually be here to deceive the Duke never even crossed the retainer’s mind.

And besides... even if Alex somehow was a rare fool arrogant enough to attempt deceiving Duke Cyrindale, the Duke himself was no ordinary man.

And if Alex truly possessed the ability to successfully swindle the Duke, then the retainer knew full well that he himself would stand absolutely no chance of stopping him anyway.

After making a brief show of inspecting the magical item—despite possessing no real understanding of it—the retainer signalled towards the guards standing by the massive doors.

The guards immediately opened them.

The retainer then led the way into the grand hall, guiding Alex, Udara, and Saul towards the Duke.

The moment they entered, their attention was immediately drawn towards the middle-aged man standing quietly at the centre of the hall with his hands clasped behind his back as he observed their arrival.

He was a thinly built man in his fifties—perhaps slightly younger than Saul himself—yet he radiated the intimidating aura of a true Saint-ranked powerhouse.

’He is likely at the late or even peak Saint Rank... even by Pangean standards,’ Alex mused inwardly.

The observation only further reinforced Alex’s earlier conclusion that personal strength was likely no longer something Duke Cyrindale particularly lacked or prioritised.

The man—someone who could undoubtedly be considered part of Verdantis’ upper echelon—was dressed surprisingly modestly for his status.

He wore simple noble attire, with the only noticeable accessory adorning him being his House’s signet ring bearing the Divine Kirin coat of arms of House Cyrindale.

Alex subtly attempted to get a read on the man, trying to determine whether Duke Cyrindale was, at his core, a noble first... or a father first.

However, before Alex could even begin properly probing him, he was immediately met by the dignified bearing of a longstanding aristocrat.

It was a presence and grace so refined that it instinctively discouraged others from attempting to peer too deeply into his thoughts, intentions, or emotions.

At the same moment, the Duke’s aura silently spread across Alex, Udara, and Saul.

Surprisingly, the Duke’s actions did not feel oppressive in the slightest. None of them sensed any pressure whatsoever. In fact, Alex would not even have noticed it had it not been for the Spirit Sight granted by his Truth-Seeker Eyes.

That alone was a terrifying display of exquisite control over one’s power.

This single action immediately alarmed Alex immensely.

Without the assistance of his Truth-Seeker Eyes, he would likely have been examined from head to toe without even realising it had happened.

And even after noticing it, Alex still found himself completely unable to stop it. He still felt utterly exposed before the man.

The Duke’s danger level within Alex’s mind instantly rose by another degree.

The ability to perfectly conceal one’s own capabilities while simultaneously discerning the power of others was an exceptionally dangerous and valuable ability on any plane.

Even on Pangea, the Duke’s method would easily be considered first-class.

Although Alex had long since abandoned any contempt towards Verdantis’ powerhouses after learning the true upper limits of the plane, Duke Cyrindale still managed to catch him completely off guard.

Duke Levin Cyrindale smiled faintly after that brief glance, carrying the effortless poise expected of a high-ranking aristocrat.

"A Third-Circle Sorcerer at such a young age... no matter where one travels across the continent, that is a rare sight indeed."

Then the Duke’s gaze sharpened slightly in Alex’s eyes.

"And a Sorcerer in his twenties who managed to subdue the infamous Skywalker Sword, which many Combat Warrior would lust over, at that. I must admit, I find myself quite intrigued."

He gestured calmly towards a nearby seating area.

"Come, sit. I believe we have much to discuss."

Alex also revealed a faint smile, though only he himself understood just how cautious and uneasy he truly felt internally.

Together with Udara, he walked over towards the seats while Saul calmly sat opposite them.

Everyone present wore polite smiles upon their faces.

Yet both Alex and Duke Cyrindale understood one simple truth.

A battle of interests had already begun.

***