Agreement

The elder's lined face twisted with a mix of annoyance and reluctant acknowledgment at my statement. Though he had reluctantly granted me that ring filled with Origin Qi stones as compensation, it was still a gesture for having crossed me. Yet now, they needed more from me, and this time, I wouldn't let them get away without paying the proper price. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the table, a small but telling sign of a man deep in thought, measuring his words carefully.

"I suppose," the elder began, a slight edge to his voice, "you've been trying to figure out a way to break down the Broodmother's defenses."

"Yes, that was the case," I said, turning to give a pointed glare at Don Ma, whose usually stoic demeanor faltered into a sheepish expression. "At least until I was rudely kidnapped."