The King Of Warriors novel (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 6008

Rania’s mind raced, but her face stayed calm. She lifted a sweet smile. "I see. Very well, I’ll trouble you, Mr. Fay."

"By the way, I can’t stop thinking about that ancient passage. Mr. Fay, don’t you know a senior expert in old scripture and lost arts?"

"He lives in East City, doesn’t he? Could you invite him to the manor right now to clear up my doubts? I can pay him."

As she spoke, she studied Jared’s face for every subtle reaction.

He pictured the flip side at once. If the person standing here were only an impostor—if he were that impostor—one small slip over the scholar’s name would tear the mask in two and expose everything.

That razor-thin moment of exposure hovered in the air like the tip of a needle, waiting for the first tremor of uncertainty to press flesh against steel.

An unvoiced curse burned across Jared’s tongue. This girl was relentless—bright, courteous, and every inch a snare.

He rummaged through Quentin’s borrowed memories. Yes, several freelance antiquarians drifted through those recollections, but their faces blurred, their addresses slid out of reach, and none fit sharply enough to seize.

Rania’s request for an immediate invitation wasn’t innocent at all; it was a probe aimed straight at the soft part of the disguise.

Agreeing outright would be suicide—he had no idea whom to summon, let alone how to reach the man on short notice.

Flat refusal, however, would shout louder than any confession.

Thoughts spun, collided, and locked into place. A middle road had to appear now, this breath, or never.

He let a troubled shadow crease his brow. "Ms. Rania, are you perhaps speaking of Mr. Moore? To be frank, he left Jade Immortal City a few days ago, and his return remains uncertain."

Jared offered a small sigh. "As for the others, one is still traveling, another has shut himself away. I’m afraid none can be persuaded this very night."

A spark flickered behind Rania’s lashes, quick as the flash of a gem catching sun.

She tilted her head, voice light. "Mr. Moore left? Funny—I heard someone spotted him in West City only three days ago."

The remark punched a cold dent in Jared’s chest; he tasted the slip almost before she finished speaking.

He steadied the breath, lifted a rueful smile. "News must have outrun me, then. If Mr. Moore is already back, all the better."

"Still, it is late. Storming in on him tonight would be improper. Tomorrow at first light I’ll ride to West City; if he is free, I’ll escort him here myself. Would that suit you?"

The offer drew a clear path, buying hours he desperately needed while seeming eager to oblige.

Rania studied him for several heartbeats, then her smile blossomed—bright as spring sunshine, yet oddly chilling against his skin.

"Very well, Mr. Fay. We’ll speak again tomorrow."

She slipped the jade slip away, then asked almost casually, "By the way, Father mentioned Soulfall Slope’s formation this morning. You handled the maintenance, yes? He seems unusually concerned about it lately."

The name struck like a hammer on a bell.

Soul-Refining Crystal flashed across his mind before he could stop it.

His pulse lurched. This was bait—no question.

Did she know something, or was it a lucky hit?

He forced calm into his voice. "I inspected the array myself. It’s working smoothly."

All soul-related matters are in order as well. The City Lord may rest easy.

He nearly said the crystal’s name, caught himself, and smoothed the words instead.

Rania nodded once, letting the topic fall.

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