Book 2, Chapter 156 (1/2)
Bargaining Chip(2)
When Flowsand heard Richard’s words, her expression grew heavy. If the Church of the Eternal Dragon really did begin to spread through Faelor, Runai would be the one deity that was hurt the most. The very foundation of his faith would be destroyed. The Eternal Dragon did not need faith, but someone like Runai was born of belief. If the foundations of his faith were shaken, he would drop to becoming a lesser god, perhaps even falling entirely.
Richard thought it over a moment, but the dark cloud hanging over his mind seemed to part slowly, “Alright, let’s not worry about that for now. Bevry’s family worships his ancestors, and he’s diametrically opposed to the churches. If we give him hope of an extended life, he’ll definitely keep things secret and prevent the followers of Runai from destroying us. Besides, the churches are incredibly weak in the Sequoia Kingdom anyway. Our first goal should be to have the Duke believe we can extend his lifespan!”
Flowsand nodded before shooing Richard out of the room, flipping the Book of Time open as she started to ponder their problem.
As someone grew in power, their lifespan would only increase. Most people had a relatively long lifespan past level 18, upto 150 years or so. When they reached the legendary realm, this lifespan would extend once more depending on their class and power. Legendary powerhouses lasted a minimum of two to three hundred years, the oldest getting to over a thousand years of age. A longer life was the goal of almost every powerhouse; this was also the reason for the Eternal Dragon being revered more than any other god.
Beyond an extended lifespan was immortality, the ultimate dream of everyone in existence.
……
Early morning the next day. Richard had just finished breakfast when he received news of an appointment with Duke Bevry. He was to immediately follow the envoy towards Deepcliff Castle, which clearly showed how anxious the Duke was.
This caused Richard to relax. He fixed himself up meticulously, before carefully unsealing an enchanted box under the envoy’s watch. It took an entire half hour, the rites were tedious and complicated, but the envoy didn’t urge him on or otherwise display any sign of impatience.
Before the box was completely unsealed, Richard pointed at it and said to the envoy, “This is a must if we want to retain the rune’s power. It will gradually lose power once it’s opened, so I could only open it just before I met the Duke. We couldn’t have His Grace wait that long, could we?”
The envoy completely believed Richard’s words. Even though he was only a titled knight, he came from the famous Nottling Family and had spent decades amongst the upper class. His experience gave him a sharp eye, discerning enough to tell with one look that the enchanted box in Richard’s hand would cost 3000 gold to even make. The final price of a magic item was often tenfold its original cost, and such an expensive item was used merely to hold this so-called rune. Even if Richard was a swindler, he would have had to invest far too much into it.
But that point was moot. Richard was a great mage, what need did he have to swindle others? He only needed to express some interest, and any Duke would open their doors wide open to welcome such a young great mage by their side. Money was nothing in the face of a future grand mage.
Only once he’d made enough of a show did Richard let Olar pick up the enchanted box, taking Flowsand along with the entourage to make his way to the Duke’s castle.
It was in Bevry’s favourite lobby that Richard finally met this man who could be considered one of the true powers of Faelor: the Direwolf Duke. Duke Bevry was 46 years old, in both his physical and mental prime. The man was of lanky build, but a broad frame made him seem formidable. His noble robes weren’t too ornate, with a single jade ring on his left ring finger glistening like a clear spring.