Chapter 562: Alex’s Deal (1/2)
Behind closed doors, Alex dropped his act. Zero wasn't too surprised to know that the spriggan had a cold side to him. It was a good thing he learned how to negotiate with tricky people beforehand. Besides, the Weeping Willow reminded him about how cruel Alex could be if he didn't like a person. The spriggan had a sadistic side to him and loved creating chaos in the name of doing good. It was a strange balance, but Zero really couldn't fault his twisted logic. Sometimes, it was necessary to break a bone and realign it before a patient can fully recover.
”I'm assuming you're not here to bath with beauties,” the spriggan smiled. Zero's external appearance didn't fool him. This person that Sharo brought in was dangerous.
Zero smiled. ”Not at all. I'm here on a mission to retrieve something in your care. As well as relay a message from someone.”
Alex raised a brow and Zero withdrew something from his inventory. It took the spriggan a few moments to recognise the objects floating in Zero's grasp. The Red Phoenix Pearl and Condensed Sphinx's Breath vibrated as if sensing that another one of the keys was near, and Alex felt his eyes bulge.
”You're the one Nel has been waiting for!”
With a short chuckle, Zero didn't deny it. Instead, his eyes twinkled. ”Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way? Can I have the Moss Giant Orb?”
The devilish charm that Zero displayed almost made Alex hand it over. However, he held himself back with a steel will and growled.
”You're very good at manipulation. Fortunately, I have enough resistance to the allures of flesh.”
Zero pouted playfully when Alex said that. There wasn't any real threat or bite to his words, so Zero decided to play along with the spriggan. ”Is that so?” he asked innocently and batted his lashes exactly how Lilith taught him.
Alex groaned. The chosen one was too good at this. However, Alex wasn't just going to give the key away.
”You mentioned earlier that someone has a message for me. Who sent you? What do they want? Don't tell me it's those humans from Smargdas because I'm not interested. That's Sharo's job.”
Zero became slightly more serious. ”It's someone who owes you an apology for a long time now. I guess you've figured out by now it's Sharo's other mom who wants to see you.”
The playful mood from earlier vanished and a solemn air replaced the atmosphere. The smile on Alex's face was gone, and he didn't make any moves for a while, just letting the message sit in. Zero didn't pressure him for an answer. After all, this feud has been going on for many years. It wasn't easy to simply accept the olive branch or make the first move to reconcile. A spriggan and their tree shared a special connection that was hard to destroy. Yet, it didn't mean the partnership was without difficulties. The Weeping Willow might be reaching out, but Alex might not be ready to forgive her just yet.
”Did she say anything else?” he asked after a long while. Zero waited patiently and observed his reactions. There wasn't a strong rejection although there was a lot of hesitation, so Zero took it as a good sign. This was something he could work with.
”She told me a lot about how you used to work together. You drove her up the wall with all your pranks to change fate. Charo is now gone, what would you like to do? Sharo is now the king. Nobody can challenge his position as long as you continue controlling Altear from behind the scenes like what you're doing now.”
Alex sighed and brought out some drinks, pouring one for himself and another for Zero. The tea was made from boiled bark, and finally, Zero understood why Arvin thought that tea was brewed using barks.
”Now I know why Arvin makes such bad tea. You were the one who taught him how to do it!”
Offended by Zero's remark about his tea-brewing techniques, Alex quickly defended himself. ”This tea is different from the others! It's brewed with the barks I gathered from the Weeping Willow!”