She was unusually very calm and composed, especially those eyes. In the past, when she facing them, there was always a hint of timidity, but now he could sense a restrained sharpness, and an indifferent gaze as if all of her emotions had been lost.
"Amalia, we already know everything. Don’t you plan to explaining it now?"
Upon his entrance, Grace couldn’t contain herself, while Alex, who should have been more anxious, remained silently seated.
Amalia furrowed her brows lightly, and looking at Arthur, "Uncle, why did you summon me?"
She outright ignored Grace.
"Amalia, Grace asked you a question. Why aren’t you responding?" Mrs. Rodriguez said displeased.
Amalia not only ignored Grace but also paid no heed to Mrs. Rodriguez’s words, she simply just looking at Arthur.
Arthur, for some unknown reason, remained silent, as if intending to embarrass Amalia.
Grace proudly lifted her chin.
Amalia remained composed, "If Uncle has nothing urgent, then I’ll take my leave."
"You stay!" Grace widened her eyes and shouted.
Amalia kept walking.
"Amalia," Arthur had no choice but to speak up, his brows tightly knitted, expressing his dissatisfaction with Amalia’s behavior.
Amalia halted, "Is there something wrong, Uncle?"
Arthur finally confirmed that this niece was indeed different from before, he just unsure whether this change occurred before she moving out or after she moving out that change her personality.
Seeing the obvious displeasure on her face, Arthur though of his own schemes and immediately softened his expression.
"Why didn’t you tell your uncle that you were an artificer?"
"Uncle never asked me," Amalia turned around and saying calmly.
Arthur was taken aback, "I didn’t ask, so you didn’t say?"
Amalia seemed puzzled, "Uncle often asks to the younger cousins."
Implying that he frequently asks them but never him, yet still blames him for not saying anything.
"How can you compare yourself to us? We are..." Grace blurted out.
"Shut up! You don’t have the right to speak here!" Arthur didn’t want her to say anything more that might upset Amalia, so he scolded her in displeasure.
Grace’s eyes welled up with grievances, and glaring fiercely at Amalia, blaming her for everything.
"It’s Uncle’s negligence. It’s understandable if you blame Uncle," Arthur sighed.
"When did you discover you were an artificer?"
"I didn’t discover it myself," Amalia replied.
Arthur frowned.
Amalia added, "There was an elderly man who noticed me. He found out that my bone structure is unique and thought I had the potential to become an artificer. So, he took me as his apprentice, imparted knowledge to me, and taught me how to craft an artifacts."
"Who is your master? Does he have a reputation?"
In order to avoid her raising suspicions, Arthur added, "In these times, not everyone can be trusted. Although he taught you about crafting knowledge, what if he had ulterior motives? Uncle cares for your well-being, and doesn’t want you to be deceived."
Amalia shook her head, "My master forbade me from mentioning anything about him to anyone. I’m telling Uncle right now was already an exception. If my master finds out, he might not acknowledge me as his disciple anymore."
"We’re family, how can that be considered an exception? Your master must be joking with you; you don’t have to take it seriously," Arthur gently persuaded.
Amalia still shook her head. "A day as a master, a lifetime as a father. I must heed my master’s words."
Although Arthur was still displeased with Amalia’s stubbornness, But his doubts were finally resolved.
He already knew what his son and son did to Amalia at school. It was possible that her initial test was so dismissive and might have missed her fire attribute.
"Who are you trying to fool? Do you think an artificers are something that you can just casually found on the street? Unique bone structure? I’m stronger than you, why didn’t I encounter any elderly man? This is surely your excuse!" Grace couldn’t hold back anymore.
"I’ve said it, if you think it’s just an excuse, why bother asking me? If my cousin doesn’t like me, I don’t want to stay here either," Amalia lowered her gaze and turning to leave.
Arthur glared at his son and impatiently saying, "Madam, take her out first."
"I’m not leaving!" Grace unwillingly shouted, but Mrs. Rodriguez, who dared not defy her husband, still pulled her out.
The world instantly fell silent.
"Could you tell Uncle how your master taught you, did he provide you the funds for artificer? Where are the artifacts you’ve crafted, could you show them to Uncle?"
Arthur spoke softly, seemed afraid of scaring Amalia, but after a few questions, his intentions were revealed.
Amalia nodded and taking out an artifact.
Before she could hand it over, Alex eagerly snatched it.
He couldn’t stay calm?
If she do well in the field of artificer, her future achievements would never be inferior to him.
"Alex!" Arthur’s voice was stern.
Reluctantly, Alex handed it to his father.
Arthur took it and examining it closely.
Amalia’s expression remained unfazed. She dared to come here with fully prepared; the Rodriquez family was eager to know about her abilities.
The artifact that she were shown to them was one of her early works. Initially, she couldn’t produce high-quality artifacts at the beginnings.
On the contrary, she had many failures and also crafted ordinary items with no characteristics, just like the one they held.
Although it’s an Intermediate level artifact, it only had one incription slot.
Arthur quickly identified the artifact’s attributes and function, and felt slightly relieved but he still verbally remarked, saying "Impressive, impressive. I didn’t expect you to have such talent."
"Thank you for the compliment, Uncle."
Alex was frowned and said, "That’s impossible. From what I’ve heard, your crafting skill doesn’t match this level. I’ve heard you’ve repaired artifacts for many wealthy families, and they all praised your restoration skills."
"My master also said my skill in repairing artifacts is better than crafting," Amalia said.
"Enough," Arthur gestured for his son to step back.