„Do you have it with you?" Ning Fengzhi asked.
"Yes, sect master, I've got the spirit bone here." The servant spoke as he took out a lead box and handed it over.
Thankfully they had a spirit bone here at a local storage unit.
It was even a very good one.
A spirit bone for the right arm that was around 8.000 years old and came from a ghost shadow leopard.
It was a good enough gift for a first meeting Ning Fengzhi mused.
Then he turned to the 2 protectors of his clan.
"Let's go meet this talented person."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin gave a silent nod, already adjusting the scabbard across his back. Gu Rong, ever the more casual of the two, let out a low whistle.
"A spirit bone on a first meeting… if he rejects it, can I have it?"
Ning Fengzhi chuckled softly. "If he rejects it, we'll have far greater concerns."
The three figures moved as one, leaving through the hidden corridor behind the restaurant's private floor. Within minutes, they stood in the refined entryway of the third floor — a place no ordinary guest could reach without explicit permission.
They didn't announce themselves.
Fengzhi simply stepped forward, motioning to the attending servant to knock once — then open the door.
Inside, Alaric was just finishing his tea.
The plate before him was empty now, save for a neatly folded napkin and a few untouched slices of candied root. He didn't turn to look at them immediately.
He waited until the door clicked shut behind the last of them.
Then, slowly, he placed the porcelain cup down.
"Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan," he said without looking. "Noble visitors. High cultivation. Three soul pressures carefully masked, but not concealed."
He looked up at last.
"And not one of you knows how to suppress your presence while stepping on enchanted wood. A wasted bit of stealth."
Chen Xin blinked once.
Gu Rong scratched his cheek, amused. "And here I thought I was quiet."
Fengzhi smiled as he stepped forward, calm and polite.
"You've made quite the impression, honored guest."
Alaric gestured to the teapot, still half-full. "Then consider joining me."
The three elders exchanged a glance.
Gu Rong sat immediately. "Well, I like him already."
Chen Xin remained standing, watchful. Fengzhi took the offered seat opposite Alaric.
A moment passed in silence, then:
"We've brought something we hope will convey our sincerity." Fengzhi motioned, and the servant stepped forward, placing the lead box gently on the table.
Alaric didn't touch it. He simply looked at it, and then at the three men.
"You're here for a trade?"
"Yes, amongst other things," Fengzhi agreed. "We're here for a relationship. One of value. One with… room to grow."
"Influence," Alaric said softly. "You want access. Not just to my product — but to me."
"To your mind," Fengzhi corrected. "To the one behind the vial that made even the Spirit Hall scouts restless."
At the mention of Spirit Hall, Alaric's gaze sharpened — just slightly.
"Well, how about you tell me what you want?" Alaric started.
"Would it be possible to know your name first? I would ease my mind knowing with whom I'm talking" Ning Fengzhi follow up.
"Alaric Vane."
"We are happy to meet you then Mr. Vane. I assume you know us?"
"I do."
"Then we can continue on to the item you were auctioning off a few days ago." He asked cautiously.
"What's there to talk about?" Alaric inquired.
"We wondered if it was possible that you sell us the production method of this substance." Ning Fengzhi asked, fully knowing that it would be quite hard to acquire said method.
"It's not for sale – and even if it was, you nor anyone you know would be able to acquire it." Alaric shared without a hint of nervousness.
Ning Fengzhi through his experience in negotiating with a multitude of people instantly realized that Alaric wasn't bluffing, so he moved on to the next most important thing on his agenda.
"And would you be willing to give us an exclusive deal on your product? I can assure you we would be willing to provide a very high premium on your goods." He asked – this would be the first round of negotiation to get a somewhat good deal out of this.
"Sure." Alaric answered.
Then Ning Fengzhi's nerves short circuited. Alaric was willing to sell the substance just like that? Instantly he got cautious.
"Since you are so willing – I need to ask are there any side effects that could damage the consumer?"
"Nope."
"Then why sell so eagerly, if what you have could sway half the continent?" Nin Fengzhi probed further.
"I need a business partner that can help me with some other things. And your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan strikes me as probably the best partner for this matter." Alaric explained.
Fengzhi's eyes narrowed slightly, not in hostility — but calculation.
"You don't strike me as someone who chooses lightly," he said. "So, allow me to ask directly: what do you want in return for this partnership?"
Alaric leaned back in his seat, hand once again curling loosely around the tea cup.
"Resources. Discretion. Martial help," he said calmly. "And access to the knowledge only Titled Douluos can acquire."
Gu Rong raised an eyebrow. "That's... a lot."
"Not for what I offer," Alaric replied. "This is merely the beginning. I can create more than just this one product. But I won't lift a finger unless I'm free to operate. Quietly. Efficiently. Without your enemies watching my every move."
Chen Xin, still standing, finally spoke.
"And if we refuse?"
Alaric smiled, just barely. "Then someone else becomes the winning bidder."
A beat of silence.
Fengzhi lifted his hand, motioning calm to both protectors.
"You've put thought into this," he said. "You're not trying to impress us — you're measuring us."
"Of course I am," Alaric said plainly. "Power invites chains. And I have no intention of being leashed."
Gu Rong let out a soft laugh. "He reminds me of you when you were younger, Fengzhi."
"Less polite," Chen Xin noted dryly. "But more composed."
Fengzhi's fingers drummed lightly on the table before he leaned forward slightly. "We can provide what you need. Distribution, shelter, access to knowledge, and we can blur your movements where necessary."
Alaric listened, unmoving.
"But," Fengzhi added, "I would ask one thing in return — outside of the product."
Alaric's eyes narrowed.
"Speak."
"If ever the time comes when you feel you're being hunted," Fengzhi said, voice low, "and you need a place that won't betray you for coin or fear — come to us."
Alaric blinked once. Slowly.
"That's not a demand."
"No," Fengzhi said with a small smile. "It's an offer. The kind one only gets once."
Alaric didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned his gaze to the window. The light had shifted — the sun just beginning to dip into late afternoon.
Outside, Spirit Hall scouts were arriving.
Their presence hadn't been announced. But he'd already felt their subtle pressure crawling along the streets, like fingers dipped in oil.
He turned back toward Fengzhi and the others.
"Then I suggest we begin this partnership quickly," he said. "Because you're not the only ones watching."
With this the 2 titled Douluos brought Alaric and Ning Fengzhi to the clan to finalize and specify the exact conditions in a contract.
And so, flanked by legends and escorted into legacy, Alaric crossed the threshold of one of the continent's most powerful sects — not as a threat, not yet as a guest… but as an investment.