The caravan group finally entered the spacious courtyard of a building complex. It was Eralio's main trading office as well as his distribution center in Gias City.
As soon as the wagons came to a halt, the atmosphere instantly turned busy. Eralio's employees began unloading and moving the cargo into the large storage warehouse before it would be distributed to various corners of the city the next day.
Wolvin did not stay idle either. He walked toward the center area of the warehouse that still had some empty space. He focused his mana into the dimensional storage necklace circling his neck. In an instant, the dozens of wooden crates he had previously stored began to appear, arranged very neatly.
"I have taken out all of your merchandise!" Wolvin reported while clapping his hands to dust off invisible dirt.
"Thank you very much for your help, Wolvin. Now, let my employees handle the rest. Let us head to my house." Eralio invited with a polite hand gesture.
Then, Calian and Wolvin followed the merchant's footsteps along a quiet, narrow cobblestone street. Eralio's house was not located far from the warehouse complex. It only took a three-minute walk until they finally arrived at the terrace of a fairly large mansion, which had an elegant design that reflected its owner's wealth.
Upon entering through the main doors, Eralio did not bring them to the ordinary living room. He directly led the married couple up the stairs, heading to a private room on the second floor of the mansion.
"Please sit down, Your Highness." Eralio said, his tone now completely shifting to one full of respect once they were inside his study.
Calian and Wolvin immediately sat on a sofa. The middle-aged man also sat on the sofa right in front of the married couple, separated by a wooden desk.
"Let us discuss in detail what you offered me earlier." Eralio began the serious conversation, looking straight into the purple-haired youth's eyes. "Are you truly serious about employing me in the palace?"
"I'm very serious, Mr. Eralio!" Calian answered firmly. "That blessing you possess is extremely valuable to assist me in leading this empire in the future."
"By the way, what blessing do you possess, Mr. Eralio?" Wolvin chimed in curiously.
"I am the possessor of the [Valuation] blessing." Eralio answered honestly, starting to explain his power without hiding anything. "That blessing allows me to see a person's real name, their hidden identity, biological age, and even know for certain what blessing that person possesses just by looking at them directly."
Hearing that astonishing answer, Calian became even more determined to want the man to work and serve in his palace in the future. Eyes that could detect a person's information were a highly crucial asset for a leader. However, there was one thing lingering in his mind, making him feel hesitant.
Is he truly willing to work inside the palace, and leave behind his profession as a merchant that has allowed him to live a wealthy life like this?
Calian's doubts seemed to connect with Eralio's mind. The middle-aged man cleared his throat softly, arranging his words.
"Your Highness, if I do work in the palace later, will I still be permitted to run the trading business I have built from the very beginning?" Eralio asked, ensuring the future of his business.
Calian felt relieved by what the man had just asked him.
It seems he is indeed willing to work in the palace with me. But, I have to provide a mutually beneficial solution that will not harm his business.
"As long as your business does not affect your performance and loyalty in the palace, then I don't mind!" Calian answered quickly, allowing Eralio to continue running his business freely. "However..."
Right then and there, Calian left his sentence hanging and stopped speaking. Naturally, that sudden pause made Eralio feel increasingly curious as well as anxious about what condition the prince was going to state, especially if it was closely related to his business.
"However?" Eralio repeated curiously, leaning his face forward a little. "What is it, Your Highness?"
"However..." Calian began to continue his sentence. "...I want you to move your office to the imperial capital. You can just turn the large warehouse and office in this city into a branch. How about that, are you willing?"
Hearing the condition that could actually expand his business market to the center of the empire, Eralio immediately nodded in agreement with sparkling eyes.
"I do not mind, Your Highness." the man answered without the slightest hesitation. "Relocating my business to the capital is an excellent move. And later, I will just hand over all the branch operations in this city to my son or daughter to manage."
Hearing Eralio's answer agreeing wholeheartedly to work for him in the palace when his husband became the emperor later, instantly made Wolvin smile broadly and feel very relieved.
However, that feeling of relief apparently did not envelop Calian's heart. His face instead slowly grew tense. His gaze turned vacant as he stared at the surface of the table.
He was thinking about a fact regarding time. Calian knew for certain that he would only be inaugurated as the emperor decades later in the future, not anytime soon.
What should I do about this? Calian thought, his brow starting to furrow as he thought about the time that would keep passing. If I only become the emperor in the next twenty years, then this man will grow even older. His body will weaken. He might even die first due to illness or any unexpected event before I become the emperor.
Calian fell completely silent, thinking about the only extreme solution he had: the consequences of using his [Time Loop] blessing on another person.
Should I use my blessing now so that Mr. Eralio becomes young again? Or should I just permanently halt the aging process in his body's cells so he stays fit for decades to come?
In the midst of that complicated and silent internal debate, Wolvin accidentally turned his head to the side. He looked at his husband's face, which had suddenly changed to a very serious expression.
What is he thinking about? Wolvin wondered, puzzled by his husband's attitude. Shouldn't he be feeling relieved because Mr. Eralio accepted his offer? But, why is he bearing such a serious expression as if he is contemplating a big issue?
Feeling that there was something bothering his husband's mind, the Night Wolf youth reached out his left hand. Gently, he patted his husband's shoulder.
The touch worked. Calian flinched in shock when Wolvin patted his shoulder. He turned his head to look at his spouse's face.
Without changing his position, Calian lowered his head, staring toward the table.
"I'm certain you can hear my words at this distance." Calian said in a very soft whisper. "If I have to wait another twenty years until I'm inaugurated as the emperor, Mr. Eralio will surely grow old first. Should I use my blessing on him right now?"
To Eralio, who was sitting three meters across from him, Calian only appeared to be silently staring at the table; he heard absolutely nothing.
However, Wolvin's extremely sharp hearing could pick up very clearly what Calian had just mumbled in that incredibly low voice. Realizing the crux of the problem, he finally understood what his husband was worrying about at this moment.
"I think that's not a problem." Wolvin replied casually, answering with a normal voice volume that immediately broke the silence of the room. "Darling, if you truly trust him completely, then go right ahead and reveal your secret to him."
Hearing the sudden words coming from the Night Wolf youth's mouth instantly made Eralio confused. He looked at Wolvin and Calian alternately, completely failing to understand what they were talking about.
But to Calian, he felt that his spouse had provided an answer that led him to make a unanimous decision at that very second, even though he knew for certain that the decision carried a massive risk if the secret regarding his blessing were to be discovered by anyone else.