Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

Chapter 298 : Tear of knowledge

'So he's the one with the memory treasure,' Alex mused as he glanced at Vesper once again, his curiosity growing.

Vesper briefly met Alex's gaze before turning back to Freya, nodding slightly. "If you have no other plans, shall we find somewhere private to discuss this matter?"

Freya glanced over at Alex for confirmation, and he gave a subtle nod. He didn't have anything else planned for the rest of the day, and he was eager to get his hands on that treasure. The sooner they could talk about it, the better.

"If you're looking for a private place, my mansion is nearby," Drisidd offered with a slight bow, his tone polite but firm.

"That will do," Freya agreed with a nod.

"Follow me," Drisidd instructed, taking the lead.

As they made their way through the city streets, Alex, Freya, and Vesper followed Drisidd while a contingent of soldiers, some from the earlier group that had accompanied Freya, rejoined them to act as their escort. Their presence gave the procession an almost royal air as they moved swiftly toward Drisidd's estate. 

At one point during the walk, Alex turned toward Althea, who had been casually strolling beside them, gnawing on something. "Why are you following us? And, uh... what are you eating?" he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"What? I'm curious about this treasure thing," Althea replied nonchalantly, taking another bite from what looked like a disturbingly slimy piece of dried meat. "This is some kind of level 2 hamster monster meat," she added with pride, as if it were a delicacy.

Alex grimaced, 'how can she eat that?' he thought, utterly bewildered by her apparent enjoyment of it.

"Hey, stop eyeing my meat!" Althea exclaimed, noticing his reaction. "I'm not sharing."

"Trust me, I have no desire to eat that," Alex replied, shaking his head.

"Good, then we're on the same page," Althea said cheerfully before stuffing the rest of the meat into her mouth. A moment later, she leaned in closer to Alex, whispering, "By the way, you might want to keep your distance from me right now. I don't really feel comfortable with the kind of glance Lady Freya is sending in my direction right now."

Alex glanced over and saw Freya throwing cold, side-eyed glances in their direction, her usual calm facade now tinged with something much frostier.

He leaned in toward Althea and whispered back, "Yeah, I think you're right."

With that, Alex subtly distanced himself from Althea and caught up to Freya. As they walked side by side, he gently offered her his arm. "Lady Freya," he said softly, "would you do me the honor?"

Freya glanced at him briefly, her gaze softening, before she smoothly accepted his arm, linking hers with his. This action didn't go unnoticed by those around them, but no one dared comment, instead choosing to act as if they couldn't see what was happening.

"Before we got separated, you mentioned you needed to make a report to your elders. Did you get the chance to do that?" Alex casually asked.

Freya shook her head lightly. "No, I was informed that a fight had broken out in the city, so I had to gather the soldiers and go check who was causing all the commotion. By the way, how are you feeling? You mentioned having a few broken ribs."

"You don't need to worry about that," Alex reassured her with a slight grin under his mask. "I'm already healed up."

"I'm glad to hear that," Freya responded, the soft smile tugging at her lips growing, an expression so rare that it visibly stunned the soldiers nearby. Even Baron Drisidd, raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Unlike the others, however, he simply smiled to himself and discreetly looked away, pretending not to notice.

A few minutes later, Alex, Freya, Althea, and Vesper found themselves seated at a rectangular table inside Drisidd's mansion. Freya and Alex sat side by side, while Vesper and Althea took their seats opposite them. Althea, as usual, was nibbling yet on another piece of questionable monster meat.

Although he could have stayed, Baron Drisidd excused himself, stating that the upcoming conversation didn't concern him. Meanwhile, Althea appeared completely unperturbed, munching noisily on her snack.

"So, what's the deal with this treasure you mentioned?" Althea asked as she bit off another chunk of her mystery meat.

The others couldn't help but twitch in mild irritation. 'You weren't even supposed to be part of this discussion, so why are you the most enthusiastic?' 

Oblivious to their change in expression though, Althea continued to wait, her carefree attitude unbroken as she idly chewed on her food, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Freya let out a long sigh before glancing at Vesper. "If it's alright with you, I'll share the information you provided us about the treasure," she said.

Vesper nodded in agreement, giving her the go-ahead. Freya then reached into her space ring, pulling out a sheet of paper and handing it to Alex beside her.

Not wanting to be left out, Althea jumped up from her seat and scooted over to stand behind Alex, peering over his shoulder to read the paper. Freya's eyes narrowed slightly at Althea's lack of decorum, her first instinct to scold her, but she quickly abandoned the idea. 'What good would it do? If her mother can't get her to stop acting like this, what chance do I have?'

Meanwhile, Alex, seemingly unfazed by Althea's proximity, focused on the paper Freya had handed him, scanning the information with interest. 

{Name: Tear of Knowledge

Type: Treasure

Treasure Grade: B-

Category: Consumable

Treasure Description: Upon consumption, this treasure significantly enhances the intelligence of the user, granting them an extraordinary mental agility and flexibility. For three days, the consumer's mind is greatly accelerated, allowing them to absorb, process, and retain vast amounts of information at an astonishing speed. While the effects of heightened mental acuity fade after three days, any knowledge, discoveries, or breakthroughs made during this period will remain permanently imprinted in the user's mind.

Note: The effects of the tear of knowledge diminish with repeated use. Each consecutive consumption will offer a weaker boost in intelligence and mental flexibility, with the period of enhanced cognition shrinking, until the treasure eventually becomes ineffective}

Alex whistled internally once he finished reading the information about the Tears of Knowledge. 'This is even better than I expected. A grade B- treasure!' he thought, impressed.

In the world of treasures, much like potions, different items were ranked according to their grade, which indicated their rarity and power. The grading system ranged from F, the lowest, followed by E, D, C, B, A, and finally, the rarest and most coveted, S.

However, not all treasures within the same grade were equal. That's why each grade was further divided into sub-grades: minus (-), standard, and plus (+). For instance, a B- treasure like the tears of knowledge was valuable but inferior to a B, which in turn was outclassed by a B+ treasure.

Despite being the lowest sub-grade of B, a B- treasure was still highly sought after. Nobles and wealthy families would go to great lengths—even tearing each other apart—to acquire one.

To put this into perspective, a B+ grade treasure once enabled a family in the Fiore Empire to rise from baronial status to a ducal one in just five generations!

'If they can casually auction off a B- grade treasure, the Aldrion family must be incredibly wealthy,' Alex thought, eyeing Vesper In a newfound light.

Althea appeared to share his thoughts, letting out a whistle of amazement after reading the details. "You bastard, if I had known you were this rich, I wouldn't have shared my meat with you the other day!" she exclaimed indignantly.

'Why does that sound so wrong?' Alex thought, a wry smile creeping onto his face.

Vesper merely shook his head. "I'm not rich, and you of all people should know that," he replied, addressing Althea before turning back to Alex.

"Our family, the Aldrions, are not what you would call rich. We're adventurers, or, more specifically, treasure hunters. Our main occupation is to search for and excavate ancient ruins, dungeons, or places where treasures might be hidden. But these places are far from safe. They're filled with deadly traps and dangerous monsters. Whenever we find such a site, we have to organize an expedition team, which costs a lot of money."

He paused to catch his breath and continued, "Not every expedition yields treasure, though. Some ruins are nothing more than dangerous deathtraps. There's no guarantee of finding anything valuable, and often we risk our lives for nothing. Sometimes, if the ruins are too perilous, we even have to seek help from other families such as the Wardell family or the Drazen family, especially when the danger level is too high. Of course, they don't help us for free," Vesper explained.

Both Freya and Althea nodded in confirmation, and Vesper sighed. "So, while we possess valuable treasures, we're essentially poor. We prefer holding onto the items we've risked our lives to find rather than selling them off. If it weren't for the fact that my son—the heir of our family—was abducted by those Night criminals, I wouldn't have considered selling the Tears of Knowledge."

"Just like you probably thought, those criminals believed our family was rich and demanded a ransom far beyond what we could afford. That's why I decided to auction the tear of knowledge instead of selling it directly. Auctions generally fetch a higher price."

Vesper glanced at Freya before continuing, "Now that my son has been rescued, there's no longer a need for me to sell it. That's why I want my treasure back."