Emperor's Reckoning

Unbeknownst to the people outside the room, just right behind the door was Luna planting her ear on the door. She was listening to the whole conversation and giggles once in a while. Her reaction piqued the interest of the other women and Jugen. It didn't take long before they all planted their ears on the door even the sick ones like Biane.

Lyon was acting like he was in deep thought. He occasionally looked up and about to say something but always ended up in shaking his head.

"What's the matter, little brother?" asked the man nervously, (Don't tell me it's not enough?! That was half of my fortune already!).

"Aih, It's nothing," said Lyon dejectedly.

"W-what's the matter little brother? Please speak what's in your mind," said the man.

Karina giggled under her hand as she noticed that the man unconsciously took Lyon as his master and afraid of making him displeased.

"Where are you from big brother?" asked Lyon.

"Oh, that's right I forgot to introduce myself to you," said the man before taking a deep breath, "I'm the son of Duke Cullen from the Black Sun Dynasty, Feliric Cullen."

Lyon was a bit surprised at his background and smiled inwardly, "Aih, big brother, why don't you say so earlier that you are from the Black Sun Dynasty, this little brother thought you were from a kingdom, but if it's that dynasty then I have no issues to tell you what's in my mind."

Lyon stepped closer to Feliric and said, "Big brother, do you know the Heaven's Dawn dynasty?"

"Yes, I do know it, what of it?" asked Feliric.

"Recently, the prince came into our kingdom with a lot of gifts, he even gave my teacher's father a huge land to govern, but my teacher rejects it right away," sighed Lyon.

"Your point is?"

"Beads!" said Lyon with a pair of deep piercing eyes.

"Beads?"

"Yes! Beads! My teacher only cares about cultivation rather than worldly things, so even if you give her a dynasty to rule, she would reject you straight away," said Lyon before he sighed once more.

"My teacher always dreams about possessing some high-grade beads but alas she would never take something that has been given to me."

Feliric glanced at Karina only to saw her startled a little before nodding repeatedly. Then he slowly retrieved a ring from his pocket and gave it to Karina with a heavy heart. (This is the accumulation of the last one hundred years of high-grade beads which my father gave me, although I never use it, it still one hundred years worth!) thought Feliric as if he were bleeding inside.

Karina gladly accepted such gift since she was in the need of raising her cultivation level because her own student already overtaken her by a whole lap.

"Aih, thank you so much big brother, my teacher always shy at this kind of thing so I thank you on her behalf too," said Lyon while laughing inside.

"But brother,"

"What is it now?!" shouted Feliric in rage before he saw Lyon backed away panic-stricken.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to yell," said Feliric trying to ease down the tension he built up.

"W-well, there was this one other thing," then Lyon casually but gently showed Karina's right hand on top of his. "Look at this beautiful hand, as big brother very well know, my teacher uses her fist whenever she fights, you don't want to watch her bleed her hands do you?"

Hearing his explanation, a rush of blood almost came out from his mouth. He knew that his crush was a fist cultivator so a gauntlet was necessary, however, a good gauntlet was harder to find than swords.

One cannot just simply buy gauntlet on the market, some gauntlets must be adjusted to the wearers so that it fits. The price for one was always higher than swords or spear but it was still below hidden weapons in most cases. The auction rarely had it either, even if they did, only those at king's or emperor's level could compete for it.

With a gulp, Feliric asked, "I-I see ... what grade do you want your gauntlets?"

"Ah this lowly one still don't know the grade of weapons, can brother enlighten this lowly one?" asked Lyon humbly.

Feliric thought that this was a chance to trick Lyon about the grade but then he remembered that Karina was also beside her so he quickly erased it.

With a cough, Feliric explained, "Grade of weapon or armor in that matter, is divided into, basic->man->earth->heaven->divine, from the lowest,"

"Brother, from what I heard, there was a weapon with a sentiment in it, what grade is a weapon with it?" asked Lyon once more since his Scarlet was one.

"If it has a sentiment, it must be at the heaven grade for the very least," mused Feliric.

"Then don't you think my teacher deserve at the very least a pair of heaven grade gauntlets?" asked Lyon with a smile.

*splurt

Finally, Feliric puked out blood. Not to mention divine grade weapons, even earth level grade one was already rare. He even doubted that a divine grade weapon existed in Deo, he only heard that kind of existence in other higher world.

Emperors or hidden experts always on the lookout for these weapons if they were to be auctioned. They gave up on searching such grade weapons inside a market because there was no chance for it to be able to sell well in the streets. Even heaven grade weapons were only auctioned a couple of times for the last hundred years.

The reason they didn't search on other worlds was that they used a different currency there. Gold was not a valuable thing anymore, even high-grade bead there was almost equivalent as silver in Deo.

(Did I ask too much?) thought Lyon as he saw Feliric was struggling with his breathing.

"I-I will send my men right now to seek out the weapon," said the man before he excused himself.

On the way back he heard Lyon's voice from behind, "Ah, thank you once more for the beads!!! ... Oh, and the golds!!"

*splurt

Feliric once again puked a pool of blood before passing out outside.