Camille Ferros (2)

"I didn't know that you had visited Albus... it is my please Lady Ferros."

Valkorion greeted her with a low bow, as he returned with something that seemed to be a slight smile over her face, completely uncharacteristic of someone like Camille Ferros, though Albus remained calm to not infuriate his cousin even more.

He was just an ordinary person who wasn't even Low Sequence Beyonder, and his combat prowess was null because he lacked any martial skills. Even though he already had Beyonder Potion, he planned to embark on the Savant Pathway because he didn't really like fighting and so on.

It was troublesome for him, as he would rather stay in his shop and research new technology or something like that. All of this mess wasn't really for him, as fighting should be left to the professionals, not for amateurs who never held a weapon in their hands.

Forutenaly enough, as he was a member of the Ferros Clan, it was possible for him to achieve his dream because he was rich.

As simple as that.

Still, Albus was aware that his cousin Camille looked down on such a mindset because she didn't respect the weak as much as the strong. In the end, when it came to the world of Beyonders, there was only one ironclad rule.

Might makes right.

"So you are the Valkorion Nerona that my cousin was talking about, not really Valyrian name, but there is a streak of Noble Blood in you... aside from your eyes..."

Camille Ferros stated slowly as she scrutinized him, though when she looked right into his eyes, she was almost fascinated by the molten gold color of his eyes that radiated pure, unrestrained power.

"Come and sit down..."

She motioned for him to sit down onto the armchair that was placed right next to her, as Valkorion followed and sat down. After the long journey from the inner areas of the Painted Mountains, he was rather tired.

During the journey back, he wasn't resting too much because with the increasing activity of the monsters and various goblinoids of the Painted Mountains, if he was alone, it was dangerous to sleep in that place.

One could be easily ambushed and killed during sleep, so when he was tired, he would only sleep in some hardly reachable location for two or three hours to regenerate a bit before continuing to the Cartharys.

With the increasing activity that was higher and higher every day, judging on the number of footsteps across the roads and corridors of the Painted Mountains and Laos and the number of times he encountered some traces of the goblinoids, Valkorion judged that the overpopulation was reaching the critical degree.

Perhaps in a few months, it would reach the uncontrollable level, and the goblinoids would march down from the Painted Moutnaisnt and attack everything in their path. Even though they were aware of the cruel truth that town there, there were Valyrian Beyonders, Valyrian Armies, and many, many dragons; there was nothing that they could do about it.

Their primal instincts were too strong, and they were reaching apocalyptic scenarios.

Either they would start killing each other within the Painted Mountains, or they would attack the humans outside, which in turn would kill the majority of them, but the goblinoids would achieve their goals.

First, they would be able to seize considerable loot in the form of researchers, ingredients, and, more importantly, weapons and armors from the pillaged areas, and at the same time, their population would be cut down to a manageable degree, and for a long time, they would have rather peace in the Painted Mountains.

Valkorion knew that hunger and lack of resources were driving them mad with anger and rage.

"Albus told me that you brought him an armband made from the Imperial Gold some time ago to be auctioned through the connections of the Ferros Clan, so when I was going to Mereen I was rather curious and decided to stop by in the Cartharys to take a look."

Valkorion knew that she was most probably scouting the terrain for the potential contractors to the Ferros Clan or people whom they would enter into exclusive contracts so they could buy all of their things and loot found during their adventuring and expeditions.

It could be a beneficial agreement, depending on the conditions of the contract itself, because from what Valkroion knew, most of the contracts were not really beneficial to the adventurers as they were to the big mercantile clans.

It all depended on the circumstances, one could say.

"The armband was sold a few days ago in the capital for staggering 7,500 Gold Dragon Coins, it seems that with Lannisters and Golden Empire of Yi Ti tightening exports of the Imperial Gold to the rest of the world, the prices are going up even for minuscule amount of the metal."

Haering the number for what the armband of the Imperial Gold was sold, it was even higher than Albus's initial estimation because even his highest estimation was 6,500 Gold Dragon Coins, and even that would be under most ideal circumstances.

The capital of the Valyrian Freehold was swarming with rich people; not only the richest people of the entire Valyrian Freehold were living in Valyria City, but also from the rest of the known world.

There were plenty of rich merchants from the Golden Empire of Yi Ti, Kigndopms of Westeros, City States of Essos, or far away nation of the Sothoryos, Ulthuan, or distant lands of Shadowlands and beyond.

"Then I can presume that you have already brought with you the rest of the inventory that I ordered through Albus?"

Hearing his question, she nodded her head as she drank the tea that was being served on the table.

"It is already in the vault of the Branch. Though, I don't think that this is the reason why you came here, even going as far as using the secret entrance to the store that my cousin so irresponsibly told you about?"

Albus flinched a little as he heard the jab of his cousin while Valkorion put his backpack on his knees as he took out the Extraordinary Core of the Sequence 7 Mutated Bugbear.

"Is that?"

Camille Ferros immediately asked when she saw the gem-like thing in his hand, because she was able to recognize it with a single glance.

"Yes... from Sequence 7 Mutated Bugbear, to be precise, that I slayed."

Even an idiot could recognize the Extraordinary Core of Monsters, especially within the Vlayrian Freehold or Golden Empire of Yi Ti or similar nations where Beyonders thrived, and recognizing Mutated One was even easier because it was unlike any other normal Extraordinary Core.

When Camille Ferros looked at the Extraordinary Core of Sequence 7 Mutated Bugbear in wonder before she registered what he said, she looked at the man sitting two meters away from her in mild astonishment.

It was evident that the man was Sequence 7 Beyonder of some Pathway that wasn't giving powerful abilities or many abilities right from the start, meaning that his Pathway was one of the late bloomers. 

Still, he was able to kill a powerful foe as Sequence 7 Mutated Bugbear.