Chapter 454: Warning

"Don’t you think this is too much? My client is here to enjoy his vacation, but you’re treating him like a criminal." Mathias glared at the opposing party.

This time, Song Xue was gulping nervously. However, she wasn’t the leader of this investigation. Instead, it was her own father, who had no choice but to come. Obviously, he came here for one reason.

It was to sit down face to face with Auric, the man who managed to repair the collapsed ruins even for a moment.

"We are not treating him as a criminal." Song Xue’s father, Song Weilong, spread his arms as if trying to make them look around. "This is the best restaurant in town. All we want is just a little conversation."

"A little conversation?" Mathias narrowed his eyes. "In that case, there’s nothing to talk about. We’re here for a vacation. If you can’t even respect that, we’d better leave."

"Oh, please." Song Weilong extended his hand. "What you have done is quite problematic. You may have destroyed or messed with the ruins. This is just a standard procedure."

"Messed with the ruins? It’s very clear that nothing has changed, not the number, not the data. You are merely finding excuses to keep him here. You unlawfully detain my client, and you’d better believe I’ll sue you."

"As I said, we’re not detaining you. Just look at this place. This is the best restaurant in the city and I’m sure you won’t feel disappointed."

Song Weilong kept denying his actions, while Mathias kept denying Auric’s responsibility.

"Rather than detaining you, I’m here to offer you an opportunity." Song Weilong smiled. "If you’d cooperate with us in restoring the Dead Village, we can give you a lot more than what the Relesha family gives you."

Mathias suddenly chuckled. "If that’s all, forget it."

"Are you perhaps not being treated well by the Relesha family?" Song Weilong squinted, observing their reaction.

Auric took a moment to ponder before he stated, "I’ve said the same thing to your daughter. My principle is simple. Equivalent exchange. If you want me to merely repair the collapsed ruins, you can probably get it for a price. But the way you mention the Relesha family makes it look like you are trying to recruit me. In that case, there’s only one thing I can tell you. There is nothing in the Song family that can tempt me."

Song Weilong’s expression turned solemn.

"!!!" Song Weilong suddenly remembered the sudden chuckle from Mathias. He first thought Auric was rude in saying those words, but he realized that even Mathias didn’t seem to have gotten a hold on Auric.

Yes, that chuckle was to show how ignorant he was.

In other words, the Relesha family wasn’t offering him anything. Auric wasn’t tied to any families.

Looking at how there was Ellia Stroph Astler or even Vera Schneider near him, their families had the opportunities as well, but nothing happened. In other words, the Relesha family had yet to possess something that could buy Auric’s loyalty.

The equivalent exchange in his mouth wasn’t necessarily money or opportunity. It could also mean a relationship.

That was why Auric was extra careful with his relationships. He had a very tricky principle.

Mathias continued, "Oh, boy. Has your daughter left out that information in her report? The fact that you are stopping his vacation for half a day will surely be on the record."

Mathias simply smiled. It was a shame that the Relesha family didn’t get the point, but it was surely interesting to see another family get the minus points.

Song Weilong paused for a moment. The fault wasn’t with Song Xue. He came here fully aware of this principle, but he came under the assumption that the Relesha family had somehow gotten Auric, and they planned to snatch him from them by using their capital.

In terms of overall power, the Song family should be higher. However, it looked like their research wasn’t thorough enough.

"I see." Song Weilong’s face remained calm. "It looks like the Song family has disrespected Mr. Auric’s wish. On behalf of the Song family, I’d like to extend my apology."

Auric neither accepted it nor rejected it.

"Please let my daughter continue to be your guide for the remainder of your trip. As compensation for this incident, the Song family will help you to go to any place you want unless they’re forbidden or a top-secret facility," Song Weilong continued.

Mathias wasn’t smiling anymore. He never thought Song Weilong would actually apologize.

’He was a formidable man. As someone from such a prominent family, he’s accustomed to pinning the blame on others and being arrogant enough not to apologize for any small mistakes. He definitely offered compensation to avoid a simple apology.

’Yet that kind of man chose to lower his dignity by apologizing. It just showed that he was a man capable of doing everything.

Mathias definitely wanted Song Weilong out of the picture, but at the same time, he couldn’t advise Auric to reject this deal. After all, it meant denying Auric’s opportunity.

Auric closed his eyes for a few seconds before saying, "Very well."

Auric personally thought having another person as a guide would be troublesome. It would be better to have someone he already knew, so he didn’t have to adjust his strategy.

"Thank you very much for your consideration." Song Weilong nodded politely. "In that case, thank you for your time today. If you need anything else, please tell Song Xue about it. We’ll do our best to make sure this trip is the best one you’ll ever have."

Song Weilong immediately took his leave after he said his piece.

Song Xue panicked and immediately stood up and bowed to Auric before chasing after her father.

"..." Auric narrowed his eyes, wondering what would happen next. The country should have known about this. Nevertheless, he intended to enjoy that benefit as much as possible.

Then again, he wasn’t lying. There wasn’t anything that could tempt him. Beauty was the last thing he ever needed. Wealth? He had generated enough wealth to become a tycoon, especially from the Moon Store.

Influence? He already had that. Even if people didn’t know about it, his father was a unique element user who had done a lot of things, and his father’s disciple was Joker. While it was true that he couldn’t access that power, he realized that his father had been helping him from time to time.

While he still needed to be careful not to rely on that power, just knowing it was there was comforting.

He knew that people were going to use him for one reason or another, but even if he was used by someone, he refused to be taken advantage of.

...

Outside, Song Xue hung her head low. "Sorry, Father."

"You don’t have to apologize when you are not in the wrong. However, it’ll be fine if you apologize as well. Sometimes, you lose a lot of things simply because you can’t apologize. Your first and third brothers are people like that. They are too arrogant and utilize the Song family’s influence to hide their lack of ability.

"Apology might be a sign of weakness, but at the same time, it is also a sign that you’re willing to do everything to get what you want, even if it means lowering your head.

"I’ve tried to teach all my children humility. Two of your brothers treat it as if they’re plagued by it, while you mistake it for oppression.

"Don’t make the same mistake when apologizing next time."

Song Xue was startled. It was rare for her father to teach her something. While it was true that she was a rising star, her father had always been a big part of her success. It could be said that he was a figure she feared and respected.

After all, her father was the reason why the Song family could actually become one of the four prominent families in this country.

"Thank you for your guidance."

Song Weilong nodded. "Still, Auric Elfe is a formidable kid. He might have planned everything about this."

"But he mentioned the fact that the Dead Village has just become more interesting than he thought. It showed that he didn’t have much intention of going there before. Given how much knowledge he possesses, I believe that’s his genuine opinion." Song Xue tilted her head in confusion.

"If he’s not lying, then it means that the knowledge about ruins or magical energy in general surpasses all our expectations. If he’s lying, this might be his real target. That’s the only facility in the world that accommodates research on collapsed ruins after all."

"I will try to discern his true goal for the next few days."

"Very well. I want you to remember one more thing. He is the same as me. He’s someone willing to do everything."

"I’m sorry. Your daughter is a bit too dumb to understand your words."

"I’m talking about his eyes. If the principle brings him to the point where he has to decide whether he’s willing to do it, he will do it. Dermania messed with him in the past, so he embarrassed them."

"Ah!" Song Xue widened her eyes. "Now that you mention it, I remember that when he fought against Ming Tian, he said that Ming Tian was lucky that he didn’t say anything about killing him. Is he really going to kill someone because of that?"

"Most likely. Even if he doesn’t want to do it, the result will be equivalent to death, like being socially dead or unable to improve anymore, which kills his potential."

*Hiss!*