His face turned sour. I could tell my choice of words had struck a nerve, but he quickly composed himself, forcing the irritation from his expression.
"Since you want proof of my intentions, I didn't come here empty-handed."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a chalice.
It wasn't gold or silver. Something in between, with a sheen that shifted depending on the angle, like oil on water. A single dark-red gem sat in the rim, faintly luminous.
The room's attention snapped toward it.
That alone told me it was worth a lot.
"What is that thing?" Halric asked. "I can feel a tremendous amount of energy coming from it."
'Tremendous energy?' I almost scoffed.
The thing didn't even contain enough energy to reach Double SS Rank. Then again, these people were practically living in a backwater. No wonder something like this impressed them.
