40 Yelena Bloodstone
In the late hours of the night, a tranquil moon gracefully bathed the enchanting city of Bastet in its soft, soothing glow. The city, alive with a gentle hum of activity, exuded a serene yet vibrant energy.
In the tranquil embrace of the night, the citizens of Bastet gracefully declined to seek solace within their homes, opting instead to immerse themselves in the vibrant activities of their bustling commercial endeavors. In the tranquil embrace of the vibrant night, one could sense the familiar rhythm that enveloped the serene minds of the citizens.
Under the gentle touch of the pale moonlight, the luminescent hue gracefully enveloped the city of Bastet, the proud capital of the Ra Kingdom. It cast a serene glow, illuminating the vibrant streets and infusing them with a sense of purpose. The citizens, inspired by this ethereal radiance, gracefully embraced their roles as artisans of commerce, their activities harmoniously blending into the night.
The Ra Kingdom was located around 20,000 miles away from Assyria, which was located in the far north of the Omrys continent and bordered the Mara Forest—one of the 10 S-rank danger zones in the continent—and was also one of the many C-rank kingdoms in the nothern region.
The Ra Kingdom was ruled by King Kunan, who was a peak-five star warrior, already halfway into breaking the threshold of a star warrior and becoming a moon-ranked warrior.
The Ra Kingdom was fairly powerful in the region and like every other kingdom in the Omrys continent, had its own variety of noble houses. Nonetheless, it had only three ducal houses.
The House of Orion
The House of Serein
The House of Bloodstone
The Bloodstones were known by all citizens of the Ra kingdom to be the weakest among the three ducal houses, as they had the fewest members as well as the fewest awakened warriors.
However, there was one thing that the Bloodstones did not lack.
Wealth.
The Bloodstones, despite being famed for their weakness, were the richest known family in the Ra Kingdom and were rumored to be even richer than King Kunan, who was known for his ill-gotten wealth due to his ludicrous tax prices!
As a matter of fact, it was simply because of the immense wealth they possessed that they were able to become a ducal family in the Ra Kingdom.
Just like their name implies, the reason they were able to become one of the three ducal families in the Ra Kingdom was solely due to their monopoly over the precious gemstone, the Bloodstone.
In a world where powerful warriors and mages had the final say in every conflict that arose, the warriors and mages needed rare resources to reach such powerful stages where they could rule with their strength.
There were different ways to improve their strength, and making use of the bloodstone was one of the numerous methods known to them.
The bloodstone was an extremely rare gemstone that could greatly boost the affinity of a warrior or a mage!
If a warrior or a mage had an affinity for the fire element, all they needed to do was go to a destination where the fire element was abundant—the volcanoes or the fire mountains— and simply meditate there with a bloodstone.
With the augmentation a bloodstone provided, the said warrior or mage could easily get a 60% increase in their elemental affinity!
As methods to increase elemental affinity were extremely difficult and scarce on the Omrys continent, such a high increase in elemental affinity could certainly not be overlooked.
A 60% increase in their elemental affinity meant that their attacks would be guaranteed to be 60% stronger than usual!
In a continent that was plagued with war, the appearance of a bloodstone was too good to be true!
Alas, the bloodstone gems were extremely limited in quantity, and the Bloodstones only had exclusive license to two of the three bloodstone mines known to exist.
Despite their sole monopoly over two bloodstone mines, coupled with the miraculous effects of the bloodstone gem, it was barely enough to make the Bloodstones become the wealthiest family in a mere C-ranked kingdom.
As for the license to the third mine, it was offered up to King Kunan of the Ra Kingdom in exchange for their place as one of the three ducal families in his kingdom.
Of course, the Bloodstones still held the exclusive license to the two most productive bloodstone mines, which accounted for their immense wealth.
To put in perspective how wealthy they were, a single bloodstone was worth at least 5,000 gold coins depending on the size mined, and the two bloodstone mines they had produced a total of 15,000 bloodstones each a month.
This meant that every month, the two bloodstone mines generated a grand total of 150 million gold coins per month!
With such a massive amount of gold coins flowing into their coffers monthly, it was no wonder that they were rumored to be richer than the kingdom they were situated in.
...
Inside a beautifully decorated and resplendent dining room, a variety of delicious and unique dishes were artfully set out on the grandiose dining table, giving the room a feeling of pure enjoyment and indulgence.
The delicious meals were made with such care that the aroma of the food made the stomachs of anyone who perceived the aroma of the meals growl with hunger.
The delicious feasts were carefully chosen and set up in a way that would catch anyone's eye. Each dish, a work of art in the kitchen, was called out to be tasted and praised. No one could have resisted the allure of these delicious meals because they were meant to be eaten in their fullness with nothing left over.
At the end of the table, a distinguished middle-aged man could be seen eating his food with ease and grace. He seemed to enjoy each bite of the exotic food he was served with refined respect. He was adorned in opulent white robes, exuding an air of grandeur. Embroidered on his opulent white robes was the emblem of a noble panda, symbolizing strength and wisdom.
The man had a full head of bright red hair that flowed in a way that caught people's attention. His deep hazel eyes, like ancient pools of information, showed the knowledge he had gained over a long period of time.
Seated close to him was a boy who had blue hair and equally blue irises. He was very young, looking to be around fifteen years of age, and was extremely good-looking.
He was dressed in similar lavish white robes and bore a very striking resemblance to the crimson-haired middle-aged man seated beside him.
However, his blue irises were completely transfixed by the variety of exotic meals that were displayed before him. He was currently eating a piece of tasty meat, and he seemed to be seriously enjoying the sight of the exotic meals arranged in front of him.
"Slow down, Visha. The meal isn't going anywhere." The middle-aged man chided gently, sighing as the young child seated beside him wolfed down the meals displayed in front of him without pausing.
"Yesh Fashther." The young blue-haired boy, now identified as Visha, replied with his mouth stuffed with different scoops of the exotic meals displayed in front of them.
"Don't talk while your mouth is full!" The middle-aged man chided his son once again helplessly, totally appalled at his son's table manners.
Visha was about to reply, but the doors to the luxurious dining room abruptly opened, and a beautiful young lady stepped in.
"Father, what is this I hear about Assyria and Alexander Quinn?" The beautiful young lady asked irritably.
The beautiful young woman had crimson hair that fell down her back and hazel eyes that were fascinating. She had a figure like a beautiful hourglass, with supple curves in all the right places, and the expensive jewelry she wore gave her an air of the highest luxury.
She wore the most expensive and beautiful dress that anyone in Bastet City had ever seen. Her face, which was flawless and perfect, now had a small frown on it.
The beautiful young lady was none other than the most beautiful damsel in the Ra Kingdom and the only daughter of the wealthiest man in the Ra Kingdom, Yelena Bloodstone.
