Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

Seraphiel looked at Atlas with a small smile tugging at her lips.

”Mr. Atlas, please wait here for a moment. I am going to book a private chamber for this conversation.”

Atlas nodded once.

Seraphiel walked past him and approached the reception counter. Atlas watched her from where he stood near the mission screen. She spoke with the receptionist for only a few moments, and the receptionist immediately nodded before taking out a small chamber key from beneath the counter.

Atlas’s eyes narrowed faintly beneath his mask.

’She didn’t even pay and booked it in a moment huh? Nobles are really influential.’

Seraphiel turned back toward him soon after.

”Mr. Atlas, the chamber is booked. Could you follow me now?”

Atlas answered calmly.

”Alright.”

Flora stepped forward as if she was going to follow them, but Seraphiel lifted her right hand slightly.

Flora stopped at once.

She understood the meaning and lowered her head.

”Yes, Lady Seraphiel.”

Seraphiel then walked toward the deeper side corridor of the Guild hall. Atlas followed a few steps behind her without moving too close. The corridor was smaller than the main hall, but still clean and professional. Several metallic doors were placed along the wall, each with small runes etched near the handle to keep sound from leaking outside.

Seraphiel stopped before one of the doors and opened it with the key.

Atlas entered after her.

The room inside was simple but well arranged.

Two couches faced each other with a low table between them. There was a shelf with a few written records near the wall, a small Spirit lamp on the corner, and a sound-blocking rune glowing faintly above the door. It did not look luxurious, but it looked like a place meant for proper Guild negotiations.

Seraphiel took a seat on one couch.

Atlas sat opposite to her.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Atlas’s back remained straight, and his mask still covered the lower half of his face. He did not lean into the couch fully. His bag remained near his feet, close enough for him to pick up quickly if needed.

Seraphiel noticed that.

She did not comment on it.

Atlas exhaled quietly before speaking first.

”Now, Lady Seraphiel, what is it that you wanted to talk about?”

Seraphiel straightened her back slightly.

That movement was natural to her.

As the only heir of the Rosaria Household and the one who handled many of its business matters, she was used to speaking with merchants, nobles, Guild officials, and people who wanted to gain something from her family. Even when the conversation was small, her posture became formal by habit.

”I have a proposal, Mr. Atlas.”

Atlas looked at her.

”It is about the relic’s usage.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Seraphiel continued before he could interrupt.

”I mean the Whirlstone. You cannot keep it as it is forever, right? Eventually, you will have to craft it into a weapon or have it used as a core material for something.”

Atlas did not answer immediately.

He already understood that part.

The Whirlstone was valuable because it was a catalyst, not because he could use it directly. Nors Solace had said clearly that if a proper craftsman handled it, it could become the core of a powerful weapon. Maybe even a Legendary weapon if the craftsman was good enough.

Atlas spoke after a few seconds.

”And?”

His voice remained calm.

”I am planning to make a weapon for myself with that, so what is your proposal?”

Seraphiel looked at him.

She could see the distrust in his eyes even with his mask covering half his face.

”I can introduce you to a master craftsman.”

Atlas stayed quiet.

Seraphiel continued.

”He is one of the greatest craftsmen in the whole Angelic Continent. Very few people know about him, and even fewer can actually meet him.”

Atlas’s fingers moved slightly against his knee.

’Introduce me to a master craftsman?’

That was valuable.

A rare catalyst meant nothing without someone capable of using it. If he gave the Whirlstone to an average craftsman, the result might only be a good Epic-rank weapon. But if Seraphiel’s words were true, then the same material could become something far better.

But Atlas did not trust generosity.

Especially not from nobles.

’There must be something she wants.’

If what she wanted was equal to the proposal’s value, then it could still be considered. If it was vague debt, favor, or noble attachment, then it was dangerous.

Atlas went directly to the point.

”What do you want?”

Seraphiel arched an eyebrow faintly.

’He is cautious...and direct.’

Most people in his position would show excitement first. They would ask about the craftsman, ask about the cost, or try to flatter her for the opportunity. Atlas skipped all of that and went straight to the price.

She exhaled and said ”Hah...I want to build a business relation with you, Mr. Atlas. Nothing more for now.”

Atlas did not speak.

Seraphiel continued.

”You cleared a Hollow-Rank Ruin alone in one day and returned with an Epic-rank catalyst. That does not happen often. Even if some of it was luck, the result still has value.”

She looked at him seriously.

”And people who can produce valuable results are worth knowing.”

Atlas watched her.

She continued speaking in the same calm tone.

”So my proposal is simple. I introduce you to a craftsman who can properly use the Whirlstone. In return, I want a business connection with you. If you continue clearing ruins and find relics, materials, or information you are willing to sell later, I want Rosaria Household to be one of the first sides you consider.”

Atlas slowly leaned back a little.

’So that is it.’

Seraphiel was not trying to buy the Whirlstone directly because she had already understood he would refuse. So instead, she was trying to connect herself to the owner.

Atlas looked at her.

”And if I refuse?”

Seraphiel answered without delay.

”Then nothing happens. You keep your Whirlstone, and I will not interfere with it.”

”Then why offer the craftsman?”

”Because if the weapon becomes good, you will remember who gave you the path to make it. That is already worth something.”

Atlas’s eyes narrowed again.

Seraphiel’s words were too direct to be called deception, but that did not make them safe.

Seraphiel seemed to understand part of his hesitation.

”I am not asking you to join the Rosaria Household. I am not asking you to become my private explorer. I am also not asking you to hand over your future relics.”

She paused.

”I am only asking for a relation where both sides can benefit when there is something worth trading.”

Atlas stayed quiet.

Seraphiel added,

”You can refuse any transaction you dislike.”

Atlas absorbed the information.

The proposal itself was not bad.

Actually, it was useful.

A proper craftsman was exactly what he needed for the Whirlstone later. He could not just walk into a random workshop and ask for a weapon from a catalyst that could create something near Legendary-grade.

A hidden master craftsman connected to Seraphiel might be safer.

But the problem was still Seraphiel herself.

Atlas had met too many people with power who spoke politely before taking what they wanted. The Human Continent had already taught him that kindness from someone above usually came with a cruel price.

Even if Celestara was different, Atlas could not change the way he survived just because one noble seemed reasonable.

’This...I need time.’

He looked at Seraphiel.

”Sorry, Lady Seraphiel, but I need time to think about it.”

Seraphiel did not look surprised.

Atlas continued.

”So let’s talk about this on another day.”

Seraphiel nodded slowly.

”That is fine.”

She had expected this man to be cautious, but he was even more guarded than she thought. He did not rush toward benefit, did not act excited after hearing about the craftsman, and did not try to raise his value with arrogant words.

He simply refused to move until he understood enough.

Seraphiel stood up.

Atlas also stood.

She extended her hand toward him.

Atlas looked at her hand for a brief moment before extending his own and shaking it once.

”Then we will speak again later, Mr. Atlas.”

Atlas nodded.

”Maybe.”

Then he released her hand, turned around, and left the room without saying anything more.

The metallic door closed behind him.

Seraphiel remained standing for a few moments.

Her gaze stayed on the door.

’How can a person be this cautious?’

It was not ordinary caution.

It was the kind that came from living too long without anyone safe nearby. He did not reject her because her offer had no value. He rejected because accepting anything too quickly felt dangerous to him.

Seraphiel slowly sat back down.

’Let’s get his information from the Guild first.’

To understand him.

If she wanted a business relation with Atlas Crosswood, then she had to know what kind of person she was trying to approach.

Outside the private chamber, Atlas walked back into the Guild hall.

Several explorers glanced at him, but he ignored them and returned to the mission screen.

His decision was already made for now.

For the next few days, he planned to clear several Hollow-Rank Ruins.

He had to become strong so that no one would see him as a tool or valuable object, He wanted to become strong so that he could take his revenge, His main goal was that in the first place, forming connections could come later.