Daily Sign-in System: I Dominate the World One Step at a Time!-Chapter 69: Silverleaf Trading Consortium
Guardian Lu only glanced at James with interest for a moment, then chuckled as he waved his hand and took out a bottle. "Just say so if you want to taste real wine." ππ³ππππ¦π£π―β΄π£π¦π.π€ππ
He moved a finger upward, lifting up the cork casually. "With your strength, at most you can only drink a sip of it."
Jamesβ eyes lit up, as this was actually one of his objectives for accompanying the old man for a while.
Without another word, he took out new cups and poured the wine for the old man and himself.
Then, he savored the sip since he was curious what kind of wine the old man had just taken out.
The moment the wine touched his tongue, James paused as a slow heat bloomed instantly. At first, it was subtle, like a soft ember pressed against his senses.
Then it deepened, spreading along his tongue and down his throat with a smooth, controlled burn. It wasnβt unpleasant at all, it just felt as if a hot, refined fire was sliding down his throat, giving him a new warm feeling he had never experienced.
A layered sweetness followed next, dark and rich, carrying the faint bitterness of aged herbs and fruits. As the wine traveled through his body, the warmth transformed again, sharpening into a fiery pulse that surged through his veins.
James inhaled deeply. His mana stirred instinctively, reacting to the wine as if recognizing something superior. The warmth traveled to his core, condensing into a concentrated, powerful burn that felt as if his body was being tempered from the inside.
It wasnβt painful, but it was an undeniably intense feeling.
His fingers tightened slightly around the cup as he was studying his breathing.
"...Hah."
A faint exhale escaped him, misting in the cool air of the balcony.
Guardian Lu smiled. "Strong, isnβt it?"
James didnβt answer immediately. Instead, he waited and let the last wave settle. The burn gradually mellowed, turning into lingering warmth that sat comfortably in his chest.
Only then did he speak.
"Itβs not wine," he said quietly. "Itβs a forging flame disguised as one."
Guardian Lu chuckled. "Then consider yourself fortunate. Most people would cough blood after a sip. You handled it well."
James raised the cup again, not because he would drink more, but because he wanted to appreciate it one more time.
"Itβs the best Iβve tasted," he admitted with a low voice, then added with a smile. "And dangerous."
Guardian Lu raised a brow. "Dangerous?"
A faint smirk tugged at Jamesβ lips. "It makes me want to take another sip."
Guardian Lu laughed heartily, clearly pleased.
Subsequently, they talked casually for a while, mostly because James wanted to know about some information from the old man. Naturally, the old man didnβt really care and just answered most of Jamesβ questions except for some things.
"Brother, letβs sleep." Elara rubbed her eye, walked toward the balcony, and tugged on Jamesβ coat. "Elara is sleepy now."
"Already exhausted from playing with them?" James chuckled and patted her small head with a faint smile.
"Letβs go." He stood up and waved his hand, intending to put the bottle of wine away in his inventory.
However, his effort was in vain because the system told him that there was a force that held the bottle of wine firmly.
"Youβre still way too young to play a game with me, young man." Guardian Lu smirked, clearly amused by the situation.
βThis old man...β James thought to himself when he looked at
He immediately asked the system and instantly sneered in his heart the moment he heard the answer.
Then, he leaned toward the table and put his hand on the bottle before looking at the old man with a vicious smile. "Thanks, Old Lu."
The bottle instantly vanished out of thin air, surprising the old man as he opened his eyes wide for a split second.
βInteresting. Heβs not as simple as he seems.β Guardian Lu thought to himself and looked at the spatial ring on Jamesβ finger, trying to see the content inside.
He intended to take back his wine because at the end of the day, only strength matters the most, and with his strength, he could forcibly take an item out of a low-level spatial ring like James wore.
However, when he checked the contents inside, he raised his eyebrows and opened his eyes wide, as his bottle of wine was nowhere to be seen. Not only that, but he also couldnβt sense the Aurenwood Treeβs leaf inside.
He quickly probed Jamesβ body thoroughly and didnβt find any other spatial ring.
βThereβs more than meets the eye with him.β Guardian Lu smiled faintly as he took a note and would report it to the clan head.
Looking at Guardian Luβs mixed expression, James smiled at him. "Iβll go to bed so that this little girl will be able to sleep."
Guardian Lu didnβt reply and only looked at him with a curious expression until he went inside the room.
...
Eight hours later, James felt something was on his face, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a little foot.
James moved Elaraβs foot slowly and sat on the bed with a helpless look when he saw Elaraβs chaotic sleeping position. Knowing that Elara has always been like this since she always moved a lot during her sleep, James corrected her sleeping position softly.
Afterward, he checked the system and was disappointed to see his reward today. Even though it was something decent because he obtained a saber at Platinum Rank, it was something that couldnβt pique his interest. Thatβs why he just tossed it aside and went outside the room since itβs still dark.
James then went to the balcony again and just sat there with the old man silently for more than an hour since no one opened their mouthβthat was until he saw the ray of sunlight. "Nyx, wake Elara up and tell her that the sun is about to rise."
Subsequently, all of them spent their time enjoying the sunrise together.
An hour later, James went out with Nyxrael, as James wanted to finish his business in this city as soon as possible.
Elara wanted to join, but James refused since who knows what might happen if the little troublemaker followed him when he wanted to do serious business.
Coincidentally, the place where they were heading to wasnβt far from the Azure Crest Pavilion, just 50 meters away from their place.
Standing in front of a grand building, James looked up at the fancy silver symbol with the words "Silverleaf Trading Consortium" below it.
"Young Master James, welcome to the Silverleaf Trading Consortium. Sir Aldric and Caelum are waiting inside." A middle-aged man with a black suit greeted him politely.
"Oh?" James raised an eyebrow when he heard that the two highest-ranked people were waiting for him.
"Please, lead the way." James gestured to the man with a smile.
The moment James stepped inside, he noticed the interior of the Silverleaf Trading Consortium was nothing like the bustling streets outside. It has been silent since.
Rows of enchanted ledgers floated mid-air, their pages flipping slowly as golden ink recorded numbers on their own. Mana lamps glowed faintly with silver light, forming patterns along the ceiling.
Nyxrael walked slightly behind James with calm steps, while the attendant led them deeper through the building.
Along the way, several employees glanced up. Some bowed slightly. Others paused as if wanting to greet him, but the recognition of his identity and the recent incident in Lycranor made them think twice. Their gazes carried nervousness and curiosity.
Eventually, they arrived at two tall, polished doors engraved with silver vines and arcane seals.
The attendant bowed. "Sir James, theyβre inside."
James nodded.
As the doors opened, two men stood within a large meeting chamber.
One was a tall man with snow-white hair neatly tied back, wearing formal attire embroidered with the Silverleaf emblem. His expression was calm and reserved.
Aldric Venmar, Head of the Consortium.
Next to him stood a buff middle-aged man with a sword on his waist. His attire was simpler, as if he seemed to not care about such things.
Caelum Astra, Marshal Sovereign of the Consortium.
Both men stood, offering respectful nods.
"Young Master James," Aldric greeted with a calm voice. "We have been expecting you."
James walked forward unhurriedly and took a seat with a calm expression. Nyxrael stood silently behind him, acting as his bodyguard.
"What business brings you to Valentis?" Caelum asked directly with an indifferent expression, as if weighing something unseen.
James rested his arm casually on the chair.
"Iβll keep it simple," he said. "I want to cooperate with you in the long term, and this matter is extremely important, so we need to do it secretly."
"Oh? Please tell me the details first." Aldric raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by such an offer.
"In a nutshell, I want you to look for material, but you guys need to do it secretly with the entire process because it might even endanger your faction if the news were to go out in the future. However, I need you to agree with the cooperation before telling you what kind of material we need." James explained with a smile.
"Oh? It seems that it has an extremely high risk in doing so. Can you give us time to think about it?" Caelum replied with a frown.
"The risk naturally depends on your capability in doing it secretly." James chuckled, then looked at them with a faint smile. "If youβre able to maintain the integrity of the deal and do it properly, the reward will naturally be as big as something that you two have been chasing for."
