I Noticed That It Was an Academy After 10 Years

256.Business Is Not Done With Words (4)

“Here, black tea brewed using a method that is popular in the capital these days. The refreshing taste is excellent.”

Hmm.

What’s inside?

Doesn’t matter.

Anyway, thanks to the Phoenix’s protection, most poisons won’t work. I carefully picked up the teacup and took a sip. A soft and clean scent sees into your nostrils.

I guess it’s good black tea.

“How do you feel?”

“These are good tea leaves.”

“There are enough tea leaves that it costs three or four gold coins to drink a cup of tea.”

It’s luxurious.

Well, they have the largest merchant in Calon City, so it would be okay to drink this much tea like water. Because gold coins will be earned faster than the rate at which you can drink tea.

By the way, is this guy the mastermind behind this strange situation?

As of yet, there are not enough clues to judge that the conversation has ended after only a few words. First of all, the first impression itself seems a little suspicious, but guess what?

“So, what herb do you want to show me?”

“Ah, Lord Quartz seems to be very interested. Derrick. “Show me the herbs.”

The giant standing behind him placed the briefcase in his hand on the table. I leisurely watched the giant open the bag with clumsy hands.

In the box that was opened with a clicking hand, various herbs were neatly stored.

“…I didn’t expect to see Mandragora.”

“Oh, you recognized me right away. I was impressed by Sir Quartz’s insight.”

You have to do it to the best of your ability. How can you not tell that it’s Mandragora by looking at that strangely twisted wild ginseng-like visual? I resisted the urge to scold him and quietly looked at Mandragora.

She is in good condition.

It was definitely something worth storing separately in a bag like this. The unknown herbs next to them looked like herbs that were not susceptible to Mandragora, but I couldn’t tell what they were.

I’m not really interested in medicinal herbs.

I know from experience that there are a few herbs that are useful for first aid, but I have rarely seen these luxurious herbs. Because an uninhabited island was the worst environment for these herbs to grow.

“I heard you work with medicinal herbs, so you definitely have a lot of expensive medicinal herbs.”

“Haha, isn’t that the duty of a merchant? “The herbs here are so precious that it is worth calling them all.”

“What is your intention in showing me this?”

“Haha, can I say it’s a gift to strengthen our friendship… ? As the successor to the top, I want to build a relationship with Lord Quartz.”

“It’s good to be honest.”

“Haha, thank you.”

Even though I spoke frankly, there was no change in Adam’s face. I think it would be difficult to hear the information I want through casual browsing.

Should I ask directly? Or should I still save it?

Since Lue is there, it’s not that difficult to figure out the lie… Oh, I’m brainwashing right now, so it’s hard to figure out if it’s true or not. So does that mean I have to dig up the information on my own? Work got a little annoying.

“I will accept the gift well.”

I first accepted the gift Adam gave me. Because it was to my advantage to let down my guard as much as possible. It was important to make people think that I was on their side.

Everyone is wary of enemies, but they tend to let down their guard when it comes to allies. I don’t know if that guy is the one under the spell of suspicion.

“Haha, please use it for something good.”

I proudly took the bribe. There was no reason to refuse it if it was offered to me. I am not a noble paladin like the exaggerated rumors say.

When Adam saw me casually accepting the bribe, he opened his mouth in admiration.

“You are as realistic as I heard.”

“It’s kind of like that.”

“Maybe, we might be of the same mind.”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Haha. It has to be that way. “Isn’t this the first time we met today?”

Adam took a sip of tea with a fake smile. Maybe it’s because he survived in a place where conspiracy tactics were rampant, but he rarely exposed his weaknesses.

I guess I’ll just have to give it a try.

I asked the easy-going man a question directly.

“It’s not bad to have a leisurely chat, but… Adam. While I was taking care of work today, I came to see Dern. “Where has your father gone?”

“Oh, you mean father? That’s… “

Adam followed off as if he was troubled. The look in his eyes was that he didn’t want to talk if possible, but he probably didn’t want to pretend to be with me now. He opened his mouth with a helpless expression.

“…My father is unwell these days. “I go to the hospital often.”

“…This is my first time hearing this.”

In response to my reaction, Adam lowered his voice and spoke quietly, as if telling a secret that no one should know.

“Because there are a lot of hunting cats. There was a need to hide it.”

Is it true or false?

I drink tea and think for a while.

If what Adam said was true, it seemed like there were quite a few people aiming for the top spot. This part probably wasn’t a lie. Because there was some overlap with the information Sif said.

Of course, there was a possibility that Sif had received incorrect information, so it was information that should not be confirmed yet.

“What a pity. “Are you so unwell that you can’t go to work?”

“That’s right. So, I am handling the work on his behalf.”

They say that if you handle work as an agent, you will be chosen as the successor. Can competition for successor occur in such a situation?

As expected, there is something I don’t know.

However, there was insufficient evidence to find out anything right now.

The scenario in which the man in front of me stabs the Dern merchant leader in the back and takes away real power… Seems quite possible, but I couldn’t figure out why he would do such a thing when he was selected as the successor.

Even if he stays still, his position as the head of the merchant will come to him, so there will be no reason to harm his father.

Although it was unfortunate, I felt like I had to step down.

[Contractor, successful.]

The source of information to obtain information had already been secured.

“Then, I would like you to give my greetings to the owner of the top instead of me.”

“Okay.”

I got up from my seat. When he clearly signaled that he wanted to go back, Adam also stood up and said.

“I’ll take you to the front door.”

There was no reason to refuse, so I nodded.

———————-

After dinner, it was time for everyone to go to their rooms and relax. I looked blankly at Lue, who had put it down on the table.

Unlike usual, Lue didn’t move with her eyes closed.

By now, they must be gathering information using brainwashed guards.

I planned to wait until Lue came back. She couldn’t sleep because she was curious about what information Rue had brought her.

I wish I could ask for quality information if possible, but the information that a single guard can access would only scratch the surface.

There was a chance of getting into the Dern Merchant’s room, so depending on Lue’s resourcefulness of her, he might be able to obtain some key information.

“…I hope things work out well either way.”

I am a partner who has faithfully fulfilled the contract so far, and I already have a lot of things to worry about, so I wanted to avoid having to go looking for someone to sign a contract again.

By the way, when are you coming back?

…It seems like it’s still going to take some more time, so I’ll try to organize the facts I found out.

First, let’s point out the obvious things one by one.

However, something happened to the person of the Dern Sangju.

Sif’s testimony and Adam’s words seem to be correct that something happened to the Dern merchant.

However, it was still unclear why it happened or what exactly happened. It was clear that Adam wanted me to stay away from this situation.

Otherwise, you wouldn’t have tried to persuade me by handing me expensive herbs.

Second, competition is taking place within the top for the next top stock position.

Sif’s testimony and Adam’s word ‘cat’ suggest that the information is reliable. But… We still don’t know who the other competitors are, so we needed more information.

If possible, it would be better to make a move to placate me like this time, but that won’t be possible at the point where I accepted Adam’s gift.

In the end, from now on, I had to devise a strategy based on the information asked by Rue.

So, I hope this guy comes quickly.

I waited for Lue blankly for an hour. When my eyelids became as heavy as bricks, I heard Lue’s voice

[Contractor! It’s out!]

“…Okay. Did you get a lot of information?”

[Then! Who am I! Now, listen, this is a story I heard while walking around…]

I listened to Lue’s vivid testimony of her, which would provide a clue to this situation.