Louis Simy shook his head with a wry smile and said, “Blood Glory is an ancient and obscure form of extraordinary power, and very few people pursue this path. I found two potential sellers, but one of them showed no interest in my offer. The other gentleman hoped I would purchase another vampiric weapon he owned, but his asking price was too high for me to accept.”
Charlot Mecklenburg naturally knew how niche Blood Glory was. During his time at Sheffield University, he was the only one in his cohort to choose this path. Going back three cohorts, he was still the only one.
This piqued his interest. Blood Glory gathered and surged into this vampiric weapon.
Louis Simy’s eyes lit up slightly. Charlot’s interest in vampiric weapons confirmed his guess about the young man’s extraordinary path, which stirred a sense of anticipation within him.
The Black Iron Ring did not reject Charlot’s Blood Glory, though it didn’t display the insatiable hunger of the vampiric axe either. It silently absorbed a measured amount of Blood Glory, emitting a faint hum before bursting into a blood-red glow. In Charlot’s hand, it transformed into a golden spear over two meters in length.
The spear’s shaft was etched with countless intricate patterns, faintly coursing with bloodflames that exuded an extraordinary aura.
Louis Simy’s expression turned to one of astonishment, and he blurted out, “Shanlens’ Spear!”
“It turns out to be an extraordinary weapon of the Shanlens-Arthur family.”
Charlot was equally surprised. He didn’t recognize the family crest of the Shanlens clan nor had he ever heard of Shanlens’ Spear, but he was familiar with the family’s reputation for crafting magical weapons. He also knew that any magical weapon capable of changing its form was exceptional and, more importantly, exceedingly expensive.
Very few could wield vampiric weapons, causing the price of bloodline-related extraordinary relics to be significantly lower than ordinary magical weapons. However, for a top-tier weapon capable of changing its form, the price would instead exceed that of other weapons of the same grade.
This was determined by market demand.
Economic principles?
Such things were not easily explained in a moment.
Louis Simy hesitated briefly before saying, “Mr. Mecklenburg, you’ve truly surprised me. I have a challenging matter at hand and would like to negotiate with you.”
“Shanlens’ Spear is a top-tier artifact. If it were rushed to auction now, it would not fetch its proper value. I plan to wait for a prestigious auction next year to put it up for sale.”
“But that would require you to wait a long time.”
“I’m willing to make an advance payment, which might involve a slight loss for you, but you could receive your reward today. I’m not pressuring you—if you’re willing to wait, I will also honor my promise.”
Charlot deliberately pondered for a moment before smiling and saying, “I wish you great success at next year’s auction, Mr. Louis, but I have no desire to wait that long.”
Charlot had no illusion that waiting for the auction was a good idea.
Louis Simy was a businessman. Profit dictated his decisions. Once he returned to Strasbourg and learned that Charlot Mecklenburg was now an imperial fugitive, there was no chance he’d pay another centime.
Getting the money now, with no strings attached, was unquestionably the better deal.
Louis Simy was overjoyed. He selected a rapier from among his wares and said, “I’m willing to offer this extraordinary weapon to Mr. Mecklenburg along with an additional 200 écus.”
“This rapier is also a vampiric weapon, crafted by the Arsilo family. Although the blade is slightly damaged, it is still worth over 150 écus.”
“The Arsilo family is one of the three great noble bloodline clans, on par with the Arthur family. They excel in martial arts, and their swordsmanship is unrivaled among the thirty-seven blood clans. Their family is also renowned for producing famous swords.”
Louis Simy reversed the rapier, displaying its hilt. On the guard was an intricate emblem, which he pointed out as he said, “This vampiric weapon has a lovely, elegant name—Blood Rose.”
“It’s a perfect match for you!”
Louis held the rapier carefully, ensuring the emblem was clearly visible, but made no move to draw the blade.
Charlot was taken aback. He had expected Shanlens’ Spear to be valuable, but he hadn’t anticipated it being so outrageously expensive!
The profits Louis Simy promised were thirty percent of the net gain. For him to offer an advance payment, the spear’s profit margin must exceed the value of a vampiric weapon plus 200 écus.
Even though vampiric weapons were undervalued compared to ordinary extraordinary weapons, Louis Simy’s quote of 150 écus for the rapier likely had some exaggeration, but it wouldn’t be far off.
This suggested Shanlens’ Spear could fetch a staggering 1,200 écus or more at auction.
Converted into modern currency, this would be equivalent to over 20 million yuan—enough to buy a high-end mansion in a prime city like Beijing or Shanghai, or a mid-sized estate in the Fars Empire.
Charlot grinned and said, “Louis, you truly are an excellent businessman. It’s a pleasure dealing with you.”
He accepted the vampiric rapier, recalling a poem he’d read in his past life:
“Night thunder falls like silk; faint light caresses jade tiles. Peonies weep spring tears, while wilting roses linger in dawn’s embrace.”
Blood Rose was not a famous sword.
At least, Charlot had never heard of its history, nor did he intend to investigate it further.
This vampiric rapier, in his hands, was destined for obscurity.
Charlot had no plans to achieve glory with it.
Louis Simy then took out a pouch and handed it to Charlot. The pouch was heavy, clearly not filled with paper currency.
Charlot was surprised when he opened it—Louis Simy had paid him in écu gold coins rather than Flor paper bills.
Sensing Charlot’s confusion, Louis shrugged and explained, “I recently did business in Byron, where they don’t accept Flor paper currency, only gold écus and silver Flor coins. Since I didn’t bring any Flor bills, I had no choice but to pay in gold écus.”
Écus came in two denominations: one écu and five écus, commonly referred to as small écus and large écus by Fars citizens. The coins Louis Simy handed over were of both denominations.
Charlot put away the pouch and the vampiric rapier. The transaction between him and Louis Simy had deepened their bond.
The five members of the Giant Axe Adventurer Team watched the exchange between Charlot and Louis Simy from a distance. They couldn’t hear their conversation, but they saw Louis Simy give Charlot a rapier and a pouch of coins. They were completely baffled about what the two were up to.
Mason muttered under his breath, “Kainan doesn’t seem like an ordinary person at all!”
The four other members nodded in agreement. Charlot was far from ordinary—his actions had been nothing short of astonishing from the beginning.
Hannah’s gaze grew warmer, her mind spinning with new schemes.
White Wolf emerged a few minutes later, dressed in clean clothes. He glanced at the members of the Giant Axe Adventurer Team and then addressed Charlot. “Your companions are unsuited for demon hunting. Even if you’re acquainted with Louis, I won’t bend the rules for you.”
Charlot was unfazed, but Mason looked utterly crestfallen. He had known their chances were slim, but having his hopes dashed so bluntly was still a bitter pill to swallow.