Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 149

“Dad?” Prima stood on the stairs, watching as Khalif strode in, unusually alone, with Xanye nowhere in sight.

“Prima.” Khalif’s face lit up even more when he saw his youngest daughter. “Did you go out just now?”

Prima had already changed out of her outdoor dress and followed Khalif into the living room, where the maid lit incense and served hot tea.

“I went to see a friend,” Prima said softly, sitting down next to her father.

Being the youngest and unmarried, she was the only child still living in Khalif’s house. Khalif stroked her long hair. “Don’t come back so late next time, especially these days.”

During the auction period, White Bridge was always bustling and chaotic. Apart from Adan, Louis was the busiest. Though Khalif was confident no one would dare harm his children, Prima was still an innocent girl. Khalif didn’t want her to encounter any unexpected situations.

“My friend isn’t well, so I talked with her for a while,” Prima said obediently.

Looking at her, Khalif sighed. “I still see you as the little girl who would cuddle against my leg on the carpet, but you’ve grown so much.”

Prima felt a bit hurt by this remark. Since family affairs were delegated to senior cadres, Khalif wasn’t that busy. However, his time was mostly taken up by various women, and it had been a long time since the father and daughter had had a conversation alone like this.

She cherished this moment.

So, Prima took the initiative to find a topic. “Did you go to the auction just now?”

“I just went to meet someone.” Khalif smiled. “Adan is very capable. There’s no need to keep an eye on the auction—though there was a minor accident tonight. A warehouse caught fire.”

“Was anyone hurt?” Prima was surprised by the news.

“Nothing serious. Louis is handling it,” Khalif said nonchalantly. “That boy doesn’t smile much, but he reacts quickly.”

“Louis is very capable,” Prima immediately defended Louis, disliking Khalif’s critical tone.

“But he’s not proactive enough. Honestly, isn’t Adan better?” Khalif said.

“Dad, Adan is already married,” Prima said helplessly.

“I had my eye on him years ago, back when he was still single, but you weren’t willing,” Khalif said. “There are plenty of young men in the family… But,” he paused, as if pondering something.

Prima was a year and a half younger than Louis, having just turned twenty-five.

“But there’s no rush. I still hope you can stay with me a bit longer,” he said gently. “After all, your brothers and sisters have grown up and started their own families. Only my little daughter still acts spoiled with me.”

“Who was it a few days ago saying, ‘My Prima, look more at the young men around you or you’ll become an old maid soon’?” Prima pretended to be shocked.

Khalif laughed heartily.

“You’re still young. There’s no rush for another year or two,” he said cunningly. “But don’t stay out late with friends anymore. A good girl shouldn’t indulge too much.”

“I wasn’t out shopping. I was visiting a friend who wasn’t feeling well. Talking with someone makes her feel better.”

“Oh, was it Ellie or Annie? If it’s contagious, like rashes or colds, you shouldn’t get too close.”

Prima was about to say it was a friend expecting a baby, but she hesitated.

Priscilla had mentioned her complicated situation with the father of her child, unwilling to discuss it much, which seemed like a private sorrow. It felt inappropriate to disclose it, even to her father.

Moreover, her father was always quite amorous, and if he became interested in Priscilla, it wouldn’t be good. Despite being pregnant, Priscilla was still gentle, noble, and attractive. Typically, nobles wouldn’t involve themselves with the Black Gold Families in such matters, but unnecessary socializing would be an additional burden for Priscia.

So, Prima, in a rare decision, lied. “No, she had a fever and headache from staying in the garden too long the other day, and the doctor is still observing her.” She didn’t mention her friend’s name.

Tonight, Khalif was unusually cheerful, and upon hearing this, he just murmured and didn’t press further.

Prima finally noticed her father’s exceptionally good mood tonight. “You seem very happy, father. Did something good happen?”

“I went to see the astrologer,” Khalif said.

Prima’s eyes widened. “The astrologer?”

The auction catalog of White Bridge was famous across the continent. She naturally knew that the legendary figure was now under Khalif’s control.

“Yes. I think he truly lives up to his reputation,” Khalif said, rubbing his chin. “Tonight’s meeting gave me quite a surprise—if it weren’t so late, Prima, you should have a couple of bottles of wine with me.”

“I’m not sleepy now. I can drink some wine.” Prima nodded and instructed the maid to fetch some from the cellar.

“What surprise did he give you, father? Did he perform astrology?” The topic piqued Prima’s interest. Girls always had a natural curiosity about romantic divination.

“His prophecies are expensive, but I made another deal with him.” Just thinking about the results of tonight’s conversation made Khalif feel all his blood boiling, more thrilling than drinking a big bowl of fresh deer blood.

……

“It comes for one person,” Khalif said gravely. “For years, we’ve been trying to verify whether that person still exists in the world, or… if they will appear again.”

Kurt, who had lived in seclusion for years, had never heard of the ancient legend of the Wolf Family, but he didn’t need too much background. Those overly subjective narratives could sometimes blind one’s eyes, leading them entirely away from the goal.

He stared at the hem of the Lamp Bearer’s cloak in silence for so long that Khalif almost lost his patience before he seemed to come back to his senses and looked up again.

“Prophecy and defining history are two different things. The price must be negotiated separately,” Kurt said bluntly.

Khalif’s brows twitched, noting that the seemingly young astrologer’s tone was outrageously arrogant in that brief statement.

Defining history?

Even sages and prophets wouldn’t dare to boast like that. But in some sense, astrologers under the stars were indeed more prophetic than prophets. In this age where gods and demons had disappeared, if anything was close to the divine, it was those who could interpret the stars—their bodies were as mortal as anyone else’s, but their minds coexisted with the stars. Even the proudest elves would have to admit this.

“If you think something is more valuable than freedom,” Khalif cautiously bargained.

“Freedom is priceless,” Kurt said flatly. “So, I don’t believe you can pay that price.”

Currently, the fate of other astrologers was either death or imprisonment. Perhaps the other two living ones preferred to describe their situation as being “honored guests of the throne”, but let’s be real, no amount of luxury or prestigious titles could cover up the plight of being denied personal freedom.

The Emperor of the Empire couldn’t promise an astrologer freedom. How could a mere clan leader of the Black Gold Family do so?

From the day Kurt learned to read the stars, he never stopped fleeing. He had heard sweeter words, hidden temptations, and vague promises than the most popular courtesans. Khalif’s self-assured bargaining chips were of no use to him.

Khalif’s expression changed several times. He had indeed intended to use verbal loopholes in his deal with the astrologer. Even if they signed a flawless contract tonight, Khalif could transfer the astrologer to someone else, absolving himself entirely—so long as it wasn’t by his hand, a blood oath couldn’t determine if he breached the agreement.

But the astrologer wasn’t so easy to deceive.

“What do you want?” Khalif finally conceded the initiative.

Kurt rolled his eyes and gave him a smile.

“I want a place,” he said softly. “Suppose there’s a place you’d rather no one else ever knows or set foot in—a place where you hide your deepest regrets or greatest hopes. Tell me, and I’ll give you the answer you want.”

……

“A secret place?” Louis frowned, his gaze falling on Charlie’s slightly damp hair.

“You mean the astrologer will make such a deal with Khalif in exchange for a prophecy?” Shivers found it hard to understand. “Just to have leverage over clients?”

“I’m probably the only one who knows—it’s not for leverage. It’s just Kurt’s habit,” Charlie said, feeling warmer after drinking half a pot of tea spiked with strong liquor. “His entire life has been spent on the run, so finding a reliable hiding place has almost become an instinct. Kurt likes to ask those who come to him for such a place. He won’t trust the Wolf who kidnapped him, no matter how many beautiful visions they paint or even promise him freedom. So, the price can only be this.”

Not many people could find the astrologer, and even fewer could make more than one deal with him, so no one had been able to summarize this point before.

“Because our situations are similar, he’s willing to talk to me more. For him, a reliable place, free from pursuers or assassins, is more precious than a king’s treasury. It’s thanks to exchanging for such places that Kurt has become the only astrologer in the world not employed by anyone.”

“Khalif’s exchange location might not be suitable for hiding,” Dwight pointed out.

“Then use it as leverage,” Charlie said. “This is very useful to us. We need to find a way to meet him before he’s sold. Khalif suddenly digging up old accounts and precisely targeting events from twenty-five years ago is impossible without the astrologer’s calculations.”

“In that case, the deal must have been made,” Shivers mused. “Khalif completed the exchange—the blood oath will bind him from lying.”

“I’ll have Alexander compile a list before dawn,” Louis said, still frowning.

“But what if he goes mad and captures everyone on the list to bleed them to verify who can summon the Lamp Bearers?” Shivers worried Khalif might do just that.

“He would face impeachment,” Dwight said. “Not all the Wolves are crazy. A cursed newborn is different from someone’s son, brother, or friend. That’s why Lestrop experimented on innocent women.”

“No need to complicate things,” Louis said firmly. “We just need to deal with the immediate situation. If Vasilia fails, I’ll handle it. Khalif cannot live until the end of the auction.”

“It’s ‘we’ll’ handle it. When will you break this habit?” Charlie corrected him.

Louis ignored him.

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