The King Of Warriors novel (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 6586

Claire didn't pause in the hall.

She took Jared straight across and into a Teleportation Array.

Light flared from the array, and the two of them appeared on the ninth layer of the Void Pavilion.

The ninth layer was a spacious reception chamber, ringed on all four sides with floor-to-ceiling windows. Beyond them spread the cloud-sea and the full sweep of Stormhaven's floating islands.

From the windows, the whole city lay open below.

Farther out stretched the snow-covered ice plains, and beyond that the dark-red Godfall Wastes. At the horizon, the clouds caught the sun and burned gold.

The reception chamber was far more lavish than the tea room at Ashford Hollow.

The floor was paved in solid slabs of spirit-jade. Famous calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls, and priceless antique porcelain sat in the corners.

The tables and chairs had all been crafted from ten-thousand-year heartwood, giving off a faint woody fragrance. The moment someone sat down, a warm current of spiritual power seeped from the chair into the body and sharpened the mind.

A middle-aged man stood before the windows with his back to the door, a cup of tea in hand as he looked out over the cloud-sea.

He wore a dark-gold robe embroidered with the Abyssal Exchange sigil. He was tall and broad-shouldered, his hair pinned up with a jade clasp that left the strong line of his profile exposed.

At the sound of footsteps, he turned around.

His features were refined, and there was a merchant's shrewdness in his face—buried deep enough that it would have been easy to miss.

A faint smile rested at the corner of his mouth.

Not cold. Not warm. Perfectly measured—enough to avoid distance, never enough to invite closeness.

Golden Immortal Level Four.

Cedric, chapter master of the Abyssal Exchange.

Cedric's gaze settled on Jared and moved over him from head to toe. Then his smile deepened, just a little.

"Mr. Chance, I've heard a great deal about you."

His voice was warm but firm, carrying an easy magnetism that put people at ease. "I'm Cedric, chapter master of the Abyssal Exchange. Please, sit."

He gestured invitingly and took the seat of honor first.

Jared sat across from him, his violet eyes fixed on Cedric without the slightest ripple of emotion.

Claire remained standing behind Cedric instead of taking a seat, her slate-green gown catching a muted sheen in the sunlight pouring through the windows.

Cedric poured Jared a cup of tea himself.

Its fragrance spread through the room, fresh and delicate. Unlike the Ashen Mist tea from Ashford Hollow, this one carried a faint note of fruit. It tasted sweet on the tongue, with a long, lingering finish.

"This is a spirit tea unique to the Abyssal Exchange, called Voiddew. It comes from a spirit plant that grows in the void, and we harvest no more than 1 pound a year. Please, Mr. Chance—try it."

Jared lifted the teacup and took a small sip.

The tea touched his tongue, and a cool stream of spiritual power slid down his throat into his spirit well, then made a full circuit through his meridians.

His mind cleared at once. This tea was a full grade above Ashen Mist tea.

"Good tea."

Jared set the teacup down and looked at Cedric.

"Master Blackwell, we can skip the polite talk. You had Lady Sutton bring me here for more than tea, didn't you?"

Cedric smiled and set his own cup aside.

"Mr. Chance, I appreciate directness, so I'll be direct too."

His voice sharpened, the easy warmth turning serious. "The Abyssal Exchange wants to make a friend of you."

Jared said nothing.

He only kept looking at him.

Cedric went on. "I know you're wary of the Abyssal Exchange. That's understandable. Merchants do business for profit, and the Exchange is no different. I won't pretend otherwise."

He paused, the smile at his mouth deepening with meaning.

"But profit doesn't have to come through conflict. Cooperation can be profitable too. More often than not, it brings even more."

Jared leaned back in his chair, his violet eyes narrowing slightly.

"Make a friend?" His voice stayed calm. "Master Blackwell, if we're speaking as businessmen, what exactly do you want from me?"

Cedric was quiet for a moment.

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