Lord Langdon looked at Aldred with an expressionless face at first, but when he saw the smile on Aldred's face, Langdon smiled as well. In his line of work, expression was important to send out a message about how you wanted to be treated. If you wanted a pure business relationship and respect, then stone-cold expression was a great choice. It made the opponents wonder what you were thinking, and less prone to trick you.
When dealing with merchants, this was the best expression to use. But Aldred's stance was still unknown to Langdon. Did he come here for trades? Alliance? He didn't know yet.
Though he couldn't predict Aldred's intention, he could peer through his power. Activating his ultra instinct, Langdon was shocked to realize that Aldred was a young boy in an adult's body. He was 11 years old and already at Elite Gold Rank.
"I heard about you, Lord Aldred," Langdon greeted.
"Please, no need to call me lord."
Langdon raised an eyebrow. This boy was exceptionally humble. "Please, sit down."
Aldred and his wives sat down on the couch.
When they already sat, the maids immediately went to work and served them light snacks and drinks.
"If I may, how old are you, Aldred?" He asked for confirmation even though he already knew.
"I am 11 years old."
The maids and guards were shocked but Langdon simply nodded. "You are very talented. Did you know that this world has never seen someone like you? Only heroes in a fairy tale can match your talent."
"I am flattered."
"May I ask how big your fleet is?"
"Currently, I only have two motherships, 40 cruisers, 44 destroyers, 39 frigates, 15 submarines, 4 cargo ships, and some speedboats."
"That many?" Langdon exclaimed. He had heard the report about Aldred's fleet, but he thought that it would consist of simple warships. But Aldred didn't even have simple warships. All of his ships were specialized battleships such as cruisers and destroyers. This was not the level of a private fleet, it had reached the level of a medium power!
Langdon wanted to know where Aldred got so many ships, but he didn't want to pry too deep or he would be suspicious of him.
It was at this moment, the door opened and a beautiful lady with simple yet elegant clothes came inside. "Hello, Lord Aldred. We meet again."
"You don't have to call me lord. And thank you for saving me the other day."
Lura giggled. "You are funny. If I let Fubam bothers you, he wouldn't be able to come back home to his family."
"Fubam? That kid from the neighboring city? Did he bothers?"
"It was a small annoyance. No need to continue it. Let bygone be bygone."
"Fubam is lucky," Langdon said. "Anyone else, and he would be erased."
"Anyway, Aldred. How come you grow so fast? If I remember correctly, you are five times stronger than the last time I met you which was around a month ago."
Langdon frowned. He trusted her daughter's assessment. If Aldred could increase his strength five times in a month then that would be supreme talent.
"I am a treasure hunter," Aldred said.
"Ahh, that explains it," Langdon said. "Big risk, big reward, that is the motto of a treasure hunter. So you participate to look for the ultimate treasure?"
"Yep. That's my goal."
"A lot of nobles and wealthy men have sent their men to look for it. You are competing against giants."
"I am not an ant myself," Aldred replied.
Langdon laughed. "I like that answer."
"Anyway, why don't we have dinner first? I am sure all of you are hungry," Lura said. "And don't worry, your guards will be fed properly as well."
The maids came with food. Steam came out of them which made the room smell even better. Aldred checked the food with his godly eyes and confirmed that it was safe.
As they ate, Langdon asked about his adventure.
Of course, Aldred was excited to tell his story. From Surviving Mount Fargon, and literally making weapons for war between Paphia and Yevileria, defeating all kinds of monsters, and even encountering some Platinum Rank beast.
Langdon and Lura were shocked to hear his story. Both of them thought that Aldred would use his powerful men to clean out the path for him, but instead, it was him who clear the path most of the time.
"What's your hardest fight?"
"I would say it was against a monster called Seagorge Bazag. That thing was a giant orc with powerful bows and dual bone-blades. It was so much more powerful than a Platinum Rank Behemoth. Though that Behemoth was not walk in the park to defeat either."
"That is such an amazing story," Langdon said. "I was about to tell my own adventure when I was young, but I'd be too embarrassed. Compared to you, my story is nothing."
"I am sure you have an amazing story as well. Every Diamond Ranks have an epic tales to tell."
Langdon gave a small laugh. "Aldred, would you be willing to join the GLA?"
"What's that?"
"The Great Lake Alliance. The member consists of every nation bordering the Great Lake, and powerful merchants that make their trades here. Paignia, Lympsian, Hofnmoen, and Trelder are the main nations that protected this water. You can receive a lot of benefits such as tax-free trades, special routes, a special port spot for your ships, and many more. All you have to do is put one of your motherships and a squad of warships on this lake to protect it."
"That sounds like a great deal, but I am a treasure hunter and I need all the warships I can get."
"I understand," Langdon nodded. Aldred was right. He now needed all of the firepowers he could get because treasure hunting was a dangerous job and enemies not only came from the dungeon but also from other treasure hunters as well.
"But I at least want to make a deal with you. You know, I have a golem company."
"Ah, you said that before. But your company is located in Yevileria, can you bring your golems here?"
"We can do something about that." Aldred waved his hand and a portal opened beside him.
Tarrar stepped out of the portal. "What do you need me for?"
Langdon was surprised. "Aldred, you can control space?"
"Not really. It's hard to explain, but I can open portals although with some limitations."
Langdon nodded a bunch of times. Sometimes, a sentient race would receive an innate ability such as transformation, speed, strength, teleportation, levitation, telekinesis, and other abilities that didn't require any energy at all. This ability usually had limitations, but they were quite useful.
"Tarrar, this is Lord Langdon. He is the governor of Burlisleho, a rich port city on the southern part of the Great Lake."
Tarrar slightly bowed towards Lord Langdon. "My name is Tarrar. I am the CEO of Aldred's Golem Mercenary company which was 100% owned by Aldred."
"Are you planning to sell your share?" Langdon asked.
"Not right now," Aldred said. "And probably not in the future. I like to have full control over my company."
Langdon nodded. "So how do we proceed?"
