"It's circumstantial," Lloyd admitted frankly. "A web of motive and opportunity. But the professionalism of those attackers… it fits. Eldoria has the resources, the intelligence apparatus, the history of covert action. And they have the most to gain from destabilizing the Ferrum line right now."
He held Ken's gaze, projecting conviction. "I can't prove it yet, Ken. But my instincts, honed by… recent events… tell me the Altamira shadow falls long here." He deliberately kept it vague – 'recent events' could cover the confrontation with Rubel, the sudden need to develop his powers, anything but the truth of reincarnation.
Ken remained silent for a long moment, his gaze distant, analytical mind processing the historical context, the strategic implications, Lloyd's unusual certainty. He knew the history, the tensions, the recent military shifts. Lloyd's argument, while lacking direct proof, wasn't entirely baseless. It formed a coherent, if alarming, strategic picture. And Lloyd's recent track record for uncanny insight couldn't be easily dismissed.
"The Altamira clan," Ken murmured again, the name tasting like potential war. He looked back at Lloyd, a new level of seriousness, of shared understanding, in his eyes. "If your assessment is accurate, Young Lord, then the threat level has escalated exponentially. This changes the entire security calculus."
"Precisely," Lloyd affirmed grimly. "Which is why I need to get stronger. Faster. And why," he added, a flinty edge returning to his voice, "I need resources. Yesterday."
He looked out over the field of cursed sheep, then back at Ken. "Help me secure this site. Arrange for discreet retrieval of these pelts – tell the Guild I secured them but require assistance with safe handling due to the curse. Use estate resources if necessary, but keep it quiet. I need the reagents Master Grimaldi offered."
Ken nodded sharply, instantly shifting back into operational mode. "Consider it done, Young Lord. I will dispatch a specialized team from the estate guard, experts in handling hazardous materials. They will retrieve the pelts and deliver them directly to Master Grimaldi, securing the quicksilver in your name."
"Good," Lloyd said, relief washing over him. That was one problem handled. "Now, let's get back. I need rest. Fang needs rest." He glanced down at the wolf, who leaned tiredly against his leg. "And I need to figure out how to turn quicksilver into usable System Coins, or find another way to earn that Gold Coin before tomorrow morning." The hunt was successful, the potential threat identified, but the fundamental problem remained. Power required Coins. And Coins required ingenuity he was still struggling to fully grasp.
—-
The return journey from the Whispering Hills was marked by a grim sense of accomplishment rather than triumph. The ten cursed pelts, bundled carefully using makeshift tools and sheer nerve, were now Ken Park's problem. Lloyd trusted the stoic bodyguard implicitly to handle the retrieval and delivery to Master Alchemist Grimaldi with the utmost discretion. The potential payout in purified quicksilver was substantial, a vital step towards consistent System Coin conversion, but it wouldn't be immediate. And the five coins earned from the Ridge Runner bonus felt like finding lint in his pocket after winning a bar fight. Pathetic.
He needed that daily Gold Coin. He needed the ten System Coins it represented. The memory of the Maternal Bloodline Awakening task notification, demanding a fresh hundred SC, pulsed insistently at the back of his mind. A hundred coins felt like a mountain range he had to climb with pebbles in his boots.
Back within the familiar, imposing walls of the Ferrum Estate, the first order of business the next morning, even before contemplating breakfast or the potential fallout from his violent excursion, was the System conversion. The ritual was becoming grimly familiar. Standing alone in the pre-dawn chill of his borrowed suite (the sofa still radiating its usual lumpy malevolence), he accessed the System interface.
He pictured one of the precious Gold Coins from his meager allowance.
[Currency Conversion Protocol Activated.]
[Input Detected: 1 Gold Coin.]
[Confirm Conversion to 10 System Coins?]
Yes, Lloyd confirmed mentally, feeling a phantom lightness in his non-existent pockets. The System didn't physically take the coin, merely deducted its value from his known resources – a level of surveillance that was both convenient and slightly unnerving.
[Conversion Complete. 1 Gold Coin Deducted.]
[10 System Coins (SC) Added.]
[Current Balance: 20 (Previous) + 10 (Converted) = 30 SC]
Thirty. Better. But still seventy agonizingly short of the hundred needed just for the Awakening task. Seven Gold Coins worth of daily conversions. Nearly half a month of his entire allowance, assuming he spent absolutely nothing else. Unacceptable. The soap venture wasn't just a good idea; it was rapidly becoming his only viable path to meaningful power progression.