Chapter 44: Lady Sabina

Chapter 44: Lady Sabina Leaving the Valois estate, Carlos crossed several streets. He came to a busy street buzzing with endless shouting and sales pitches. Carlos passed roadside stalls, walking deeper until he reached the street’s far end. He stopped in front of a gorgeous, towering building. This building was built entirely from fiery red mountain rock, shaped overall like a blazing rose, giving off an impressive vibe. The main entrance was stunning, decorated with rose blossoms. People constantly came and went—sensing briefly, all had Psionic Energy reactions. In other words, everyone going in and out was a Psionic. "Here we go." This was the Flame Exchange, Ember City’s biggest spirit equipment trading hub, handling the buying and selling of all kinds of spirit equipment. More importantly, this was the only spirit equipment trading post in Ember City with credibility backed by Ember City’s leadership. Profit was just a side benefit—its main job was controlling spirit equipment prices and distribution. This way, more Psionics got chances to trade for suitable spirit equipment, boosting overall group combat power. Masked Carlos walked in, and the Flame Exchange’s scene opened up before him. Various low-quality spirit equipment was protected in display cases by magical sealing methods. When customers showed interest in certain spirit equipment, nearby staff would start their sales pitch and let them get hands-on experience. Carlos had only been standing at the counter for a minute when a staff member approached. "Sir, are you looking to sell or buy spirit equipment?" "Neither." The attendant was floored—this was her first time running into a customer like this. If neither, what the hell was he here for? Surely not just window shopping because he was bored? Then a smooth voice came from under the mask: "Take me to see your boss. Tell her Carlos Valois wants to meet. I’ve got news about Blood Bats I want to share with her." The female attendant was caught off guard for a second, then looked surprised. She hadn’t expected to serve today’s hot topic among city residents: Young Master Carlos of the Valois family. She quickly responded: "Please hold on—I’ll let the boss know right away." The female attendant waved over another staff member to help Carlos, then turned and headed upstairs, vanishing from sight. "Nice." Carlos could tell his meeting request would be fast-tracked to the exchange owner. Because this female attendant was one of the exchange owner’s inner circle. She called her "master" instead of "ma’am" like the other regular staff. Soon, the female attendant came rushing back downstairs, approaching Carlos with an even more respectful attitude and urgent voice: "Young Master Carlos, Lady Sabina wants you to come up to the top floor right now for a chat." Carlos nodded—Sabina’s reaction was exactly what he’d expected. Once she heard he had Blood Bat intel, she’d definitely be dying to see him. Because Blood Bats were the key to her next level-up—she couldn’t afford to miss any possible leads. Following the attendant up flight after flight of stairs until they reached the top floor. Finally stopping in front of a rose-decorated door, the female attendant bowed: "Young Master Carlos, inside isn’t somewhere we’re allowed to go. Please head right in—the master’s waiting for you inside." Carlos pushed the door open, and a faint bloody scent hit him. The room was wrapped in misty red fog, making it impossible to see what was deeper inside. Suddenly, a sultry, lazy voice whispered in Carlos’s ear. "Come here, little Carlos." "No way, another childhood friend? Wait, if I’d met Sabina before, I’d definitely remember her." Hearing the "little Carlos" nickname, Carlos walked toward the voice with confusion, into the red fog. "Tap tap." In the quiet room, only Carlos’s footsteps kept echoing. Suddenly, he stopped dead. In front of him was a drop-dead gorgeous woman half-lying on a rose bed. She had an absolutely beautiful face with incredibly seductive phoenix eyes, mind-blowingly stunning. "Carlos Valois greets Lady Sabina." Carlos followed proper noble etiquette, but Sabina’s gaze seemed off—like she wasn’t particularly worried about Blood Bat business. Right now Sabina was looking at Carlos with curiosity, indifference, and a deeper urgency that was well-hidden. "Little Carlos, asking for a meeting while wearing a mask isn’t very polite." Sabina wasn’t rushing to talk about Blood Bats. As a seasoned adult, not showing your desperation for someone else’s bargaining chips was Business 101. Carlos was thrown for a loop—what did wearing or not wearing a mask have to do with their deal? But still hoping she’d go along with his plan, he took off the mask. The moment he removed it, their eyes locked in the silent air. Previously calm and lazy Sabina’s mouth corners turned up slightly—she smiled like an absolutely captivating flower blooming. "Little Carlos, you’ve really given me quite the surprise." Her voice carried pure joy, her eyes somewhat drunk with pleasure. Already obsessed with flowers and beauty to the extreme, in this moment, she was witnessing perfection beyond her wildest dreams—scenery far beyond what ordinary life could offer. "Lady Sabina..." Carlos hadn’t expected even the terrifyingly powerful Lady Sabina to be a shallow woman easily distracted by looks. "Come here, sit next to me." Sabina reached out toward Carlos, her hand baby-soft, her voice seductive, gesturing for him to sit on the bed’s edge. Faced with this tempting scene, Carlos stayed stone-cold. As a power-focused gamer, anything getting in the way of gaining strength had to go! "Lady, about the Blood Bats..." He tried reminding her that their meeting was supposed to be about business. But he underestimated Lady Sabina’s shallowness. "Little Carlos, you’re too far away—you might not be able to hear me~~" Sabina’s eyes were flowing with charm, acting like this whole thing was off the table unless he sat closer. "..." Carlos grumbled internally—such a grown woman still playing these games. No choice—who made Sabina more patient than Carlos, not sweating the Blood Bat news. "Tap tap..." Carlos had no choice but to keep walking over. As he got closer, the mixed floral and bloody scents got stronger, making his blood pump. When Carlos got near the rose bed, this seductive woman still showed no signs of getting up. Half-smiling, she said: "Come sit next to your big sister." Her hand lightly patted the rose bed, showing Carlos where to sit. Having come this far, Carlos didn’t need to overthink it—he sat right on the bed’s edge. Carlos looked down as he gazed into her eyes. The distance between them was close enough—too close for normal social comfort zones. "Lady Sabina, I came here today..." Carlos pushed down his feelings, again bringing up why he’d come. Just then, the woman right next to him lazily yawned and stretched, showing off her perfect figure to the max...