Aleks met Brock’s gaze which seemed expressionless but Aleks knew that deep down the man must be simmering. There were many things that Aleks could not tell him just yet and this easily led to problems in communication between the two. So, it was understandable that Brock would be angry at Aleks’s disappearance for over a month. Nonetheless, their gazes that met had belied many complicated emotions which no one other than themselves could understand.
Brock approached with a gallant stride, immediately taking control of the situation and instructing the Hotel servants and slaves to organize the carriages and unload the cargo within. While Brock didn’t know what could possibly be contained within all of the containers and chests that were loaded into the wagons, he was professional enough to understand that they must contain valuables. These couldn’t be left within the wagons even if the Hotel was considered to be safe and secure. Everything would need to be moved to a safer location within the hotel and guarded securely in case of theft.
Aleks only looked on with Lenia standing close behind him. The leader of the escorts said a few words to Aleks concluding their contract. They would help with the unloading of the cargo and then would leave, returning back to their original base of operations. They had already received their payment and these were mostly formalities. If they could receive future business from such a rich young master it would be ideal.
Brock was fast and efficient, quickly organizing the Hotel servants and escorts into groups in order to move the cargo. He still hadn’t said anything to Aleks or even approached him as he went about his work. Aleks only looked on also not saying anything. Only after a short while did Brock finally finish supervising the unloading and moving of cargo before he finally walked over to Aleks.
“Young master, please follow me.” Brock said politely with a slight bow.
He said nothing more and turned smoothly, walking towards the entrance of the hotel. Aleks motioned to Lenia and followed leisurely after him. As they followed Brock through the luxurious hotel, they received many looks from other guests. Most of these guests were elegantly dressed and were clearly wealthy and powerful individuals. They would of course be interested in any unfamiliar influential guests from outside the city, but they were mostly staring at Lenia. Her beauty could not be underestimated and she stood out more because of the full suit of mail she was wearing.
This drew many looks of both surprise and admiration, with a few lascivious looks mixed in. There were clearly some who had questionable intentions. Lenia felt uncomfortable under their stares, but it no longer caused her to hide behind her master. Instead, she gritted her teeth and ignored them while resting her hand on the pommel of her sheathed longsword. Aleks glanced at Lenia and smiled lightly at noticing her discomfort. He had noticed her restraint and was pleased.
The inside of the hotel was an enormous lobby with a large crystal chandelier hanging down from the center of the ceiling. There were two grand stairways going up to another floor on both sides of the lobby and a large reception desk towards the back wall. There were several doors leading off in various directions to other rooms throughout the establishment. Many guests were entering and leaving the hotel with some lounging about while sipping tea in a corner of the lobby while musicians strummed on violins. It was truly a scene of opulence, one that most would never see. Aleks could also feel the aura of some relatively powerful individuals throughout the lobby. There were several advanced class beings and even more intermediate class beings.
Both Aleks and Lenia were suppressing their auras and since those within the lobby were certainly weaker than them, they couldn’t determine how strong Aleks and Lenia were. Some of the advanced class beings in the lobby could at least get a sense that Lenia was within the same advanced realm as them but they couldn’t sense anything at all from Aleks which made them assume that he was just a mortal. They would never believe that such a young man was a Legendary being. Although Legendary beings had the ability to make themselves look younger, they were famous and powerful individuals who gave off an air of power and maturity. Their limited perception and shallow world views would never allow them to guess that Aleks was one such individual. Especially since he was so inconspicuous and didn’t allow his aura to show.
Brock continued to lead the two up the grand staircase and eventually onto the third floor. He led them down a long hallway with many rooms. Servants were pushing platters on carts and going about their work. They bowed deeply when the three passed them by, not wishing to offend any of the guests. Many of the servants were slaves, although not all were since they needed some to be in closer contact with the wealthy guests of the establishment. Some would be offended by being served closely by a slave.
“I’ve had the cargo you brought along moved to a secure warehouse managed by the hotel. It won’t be cheap to store however.” Brock said without turning his head.
Strangely enough, Brock asked no questions about what was in the cargo boxes and chests. He asked no questions at all even though he had many questions he wished to ask. He was extremely curious about what was in all of those boxes and chests and how his young master came into possession of them. Since he was a professional though, he wouldn’t ask. If his young master wanted him to know, he would tell him.
After walking a bit down the hallway, Brock finally stopped in front of one of the hotel rooms and opened it with a key. He ushered in both Aleks and Lenia and quickly followed them into the room. The room was much larger than he expected and was generously decorated and furnished with high quality furniture. It seemed that they spared no expense in furnishing the rooms as most of their guests were used to such comfort and luxury. Of course it was nothing like the comforts of his original lifetime, but for this world it was considered luxurious.
Brock could no longer hold in his anger and frustration. As soon as they entered the room, he began to sternly lecture Aleks.
“I won’t ask where you have been, or what you have been doing. I just want you to know that I have been worried every day whether you were still alive or not. Leaving me with just a short letter saying you would return when you accomplished what you set out to do and then disappearing for more than a month. You must want this old man to die, don’t you? I have been worried sick, if it wasn’t for your letter I received over a week ago I would have really begun to believe you were dead. And who is this woman beside you? She isn’t even half my age but she has reached the peak of her advanced class? How is there such a young talent, why is she serving you, and can she be trusted?”
Aleks couldn’t even get in a word edgewise due to Brock’s intense and stern lecturing.
“You are hardly an old man Brock and if you can advance to Legendary someday, your life expectancy will increase dramatically. Then you can even return to your youthful look. No need to over exaggerate, although your hair is looking much grayer than I remember.”
Aleks’s words were somewhat flippant, but his relationship with Brock was as such and before Brock could angrily respond, he pointed to Lenia and said, “This is Lenia, my attendant. Don’t worry, she can be trusted. She is a level 90 Warlord and is very capable.”
Brock calmed down and observed Lenia from head to toe. He was quite shocked at her level and strength. He couldn’t imagine how his young lord could possibly retain the services of such a powerful and beautiful young woman.
Was his charisma really that great? The boy is unsociable and not exactly very likeable. How could he possibly obtain such a woman?
Brock couldn’t help but marvel. He nodded with a hint of admiration and respect. To achieve such a level of power at her age was truly rare.
She must be a genius. I just can’t understand why she would follow the young master.
Of course, Aleks could guess just what the man was thinking and could only sigh inwardly thinking that Brock had no faith in him. He also couldn’t help but accept that normally a woman like Lenia would definitely not wish to serve him, so he could understand Brock’s shock.
“Fine, I won’t ask anymore about the young lady. There have been some complications.” Brock said with some difficulty, clearly not happy about it.
“What sort of complications?” Aleks asked grimly.
