For three days, three whole days, the merchant did not leave the inn, and waited by the window for the third time of night, and he sat still, doing nothing.

Knock knock

There was a knock on the door, and the guests who had expected to come on the first day did not arrive until late three days later. The door was not locked, it had been waiting for the guests, the door was pushed open, and a gray-haired man walked in.

"Good evening, Mr. Merchant. ”

Merchant: "Good evening, President Dean. ”

President Dean: "Well, it seems that Mr. Merchant has known about me for a long time, and I think my friend Marquis Vell introduced me to you. ”

The merchant's eyes were cold, and the moonlight from the window hung a cloak for him, and the shadow hid the merchant, turning his body into an iron man who could not be approached.

Dean of the mall, who is experienced in the mall, rarely feels a sense of oppression, even if the other party has not done anything.

President Dean: "Mr. Merchant has been in the hotel for three days, isn't there a place in Haikou City that you can see?"

Merchant: "I don't like being watched all the time when I'm walking on the road, and of course I'm sitting down, so I hope you can help me convey that to someone." ”

President Dean said softly, "Mr. Merchant, Barron is the person I trust the most, and he is also the person with the best ability in my hands, since you are friends with the Marquis of Ville, it is also appropriate for him to entertain you, and there is no other meaning." ”

What the other party said, the merchant didn't even believe the punctuation. For three days he had been sorting out his thoughts, and the whole thing seemed to be clearly visible but there was always a strange haze, and the merchant needed a little help from outside, so he waited patiently at the hotel for three days until the "outside" appeared.

Seeing that the other party did not reply, Dean looked at the interior decoration of the room while walking: "This hotel is considered the top in Haikou City, I hope it can make Mr. Merchant live comfortably, otherwise it will not even be able to entertain a guest, and I don't know where to put the face of the president." ”

The merchant still disdains to answer, even if he knows that he needs to get information from the other party, but the merchant is not in a hurry, and the top predator is never in a hurry, which is easy to make mistakes.

Dean suddenly laughed, he had rarely committed a business taboo, he shouldn't waste his time in front of someone who understood, it seemed too unprofessional.

So President Dean went straight to the point: "What does Mr. Merchant think of the Holy See?"

Merchant: "No opinion. ”

The two of them spoke in a flat tone, but they were talking about a fatal topic.

President Dean: "Yes, but the Marquis de Vell is not very optimistic about the Holy See, and it is difficult to please an unfed dog." ”

Merchant: "So, you're the one who feeds you?"

Dean narrowed his eyes and was still smiling, he hid the fierceness in his eyes: "I didn't think that Mr. Merchant likes to joke, I think you didn't know the situation when you first arrived in Haikou City, the Holy See sent an archbishop and hundreds of clergy to the city, and the reason for the recent strict control is also them, I believe that a group of guests with no one in their eyes will not welcome anyone to anyone's house." The Marquis de Veil wanted to be sincere with his friends, so he was willing to express himself in the most honest manner. ”

Merchant: "The answer you get after every step of the way is no different from a lie. ”

President Dean: "In that case, how can I express the sincerity of the Marquis de Vale?"

Sometimes the best moment comes automatically, you just have to be patient and catch it accurately.

Merchant: "Will and your relationship." ”

President Dean ignored the other party's salutation: "Haikou City does not belong to the territory of any nobles on the surface, of course, in fact, it is, but this does not affect Haikou City's friendship with some nobles, Marquis Veil is one of them, and my personal friendship with the Marquis is even better, so I am the only president of Haikou City who has been re-elected for many years." ”

Merchant: "How much do you know about the holy relics under the sea?" ”

President Dean: "As I suspected, it seems that Mr. Merchant has long known the purpose of the Holy See's visit to Haikou City. First of all, I need to clarify one thing about the holy relics under the sea, although I am the president, this does not mean that I know everything, not to mention that Clifford has been in charge of all things related to the holy relics since he came to Haikou City and has blocked all news, except for the upper nobles and the royal family, it is estimated that few people know what this holy relic is; ”

Merchant: "You're a magician?"

President Dean chuckled, "I, of course I'm not, but some of my men are, otherwise why do you think I'm chatting with you in this house?"

The merchant paused before saying, "What do you want this time for the Holy See?" ”

President Dean: "No, no, no, Mr. Merchant, it's not 'you' but us, as friends and relatives, Marquis Veil wants you to know our common enemy in advance, and knowing yourself and your opponent can win all battles, this is a kind arrangement, isn't it?"

The matter was supplemented, and the merchant was probably able to figure out what was going on on this trip to Haikou City.

Will was one of the most influential nobles in the Orn Empire, not only because he was a century-old hereditary marquis, but also because he was a century-old supporter of the royal family. As for the Holy See, it is a special existence, recognized by the Empire but not governed by the Empire, it is an independent organization that manages and solves matters related to alien races and magic, and of course sometimes serves as the object of faith of the general public. If what Dean said is true, from the establishment of the Holy See to the present, it has already possessed a strong foundation and strength, and it has also given birth to ambitions that should not have been, precisely because of this that the current Holy See is far more than an independent "organization", it has become a force that has enough influence on the empire, or an uncontrolled force. The "dog" raised by the owner with one hand and one foot began to be disobedient in the end, and Will, as the owner's right and left hand, of course had to do his part and whip the "dog" well.

So since this time it was Will who wanted to "teach" the Holy See, why did he involve himself? This is not difficult for the merchant to understand, Will still has the curse of the sorcerer, he needs to find stronger people to help him, this is an experiment, Will needs to know if the merchant really has the strength to help him, and secondly, when there is a common enemy, the two sides are naturally more likely to become friends, but why would Will think that he would be willing to be an enemy of the Holy See?

Well, damn Hank.

What evidence is there for what Dean said?

The "holy relic" at the bottom of the sea probably proves to a certain extent that the Holy See is gradually out of the control of the royal family, and it is a bold thing to distribute false information to the royal family and nobles, but all this information does not give the businessman an answer about who is behind the scenes. The Holy See, Haikou City, and the Marquis of Ville, the three parties are so clear but they make the businessmen feel that they are so discordant, everything is too smooth and complete, and the puzzle piece of the real answer is still missing the last piece.

President Dean: "And Mr. Merchant, do you have any questions other than the relics that I can't answer?"

"Holy relic?

Before the door opened, the sound came first, and Elijah pushed the door open, followed by Mike and Barron.

President Dean looked at the young and beautiful girl of yours and asked, "How did you know about the relics, young lady?"

Dean did not shy away from the presence of Mike and Elijah, as he said, he was now expressing the highest sincerity, in that case, there was no need to hide anything from the merchant's men, but he didn't know that the girl in front of him was not counted.

Elijah: "Hehe, you don't know, that holy relic at the bottom of the sea is actually the Londerian Holy Spear!"

The room was quiet.

Barron knew his identity, he lowered his head and pretended not to hear, Mike didn't know why he didn't know what to say, Dean frowned, as for the merchant, maybe because the night was getting thicker, his whole person looked much darker.

Ilya is a little proud, she is very satisfied with everyone's reaction, this kind of protagonist feeling is really addictive.

President Dean was the first to break the silence: "By the way, there will be a banquet at the Chamber of Commerce tomorrow night, I hope Mr. Merchant and both of them can attend, look at my memory, I have forgotten such an important matter, it seems that I am not resting enough, my mind is not clear, I think this is the end of tonight, I have to go back and get a good night's sleep." ”

The merchant's voice was as hard as a machine: "No, I won't participate." ”

Whether it's a banquet or your plans.

Dean paused to look at the merchant, and the two confronted each other. Ilya put away her smugness, she found that there seemed to be something wrong with the two, she felt that she needed to come out and play a round by herself, and the best way to play a round was to solve it straightforwardly.

Elijah: "Go, of course we're going to the banquet, me, Mike, the manager, all three of us will go, thank you for the invitation, we'll see you tomorrow night! ”

Mike nodded, and Dean smiled, "That's great, I can't wait to see you all at the banquet, Barron, let's go, there's still a lot to prepare." ”

After seeing the two leave the room, Elijah winked at Mike, who gave him a look of embarrassment, but eventually walked up under Elijah's widening eyes.

After taking a few deep breaths, Mike said, "Store manager, I bought you a ...... when I was shopping with Ilya today"

Merchant: "How do you know it's the Londrian Holy Lance, who told you that." ”

Mike's words were rudely interrupted by the merchant, and without even looking at him, Mike winced a little, and he looked at Elijah, who gave him a reassuring look.

Elijah: "I inquired from a nobleman, but it doesn't matter, you see Mike gives you ......"

Merchant: "What nobles, where to find out." ”

Interrupted again, Elijah was a little angry: "Hey, that's enough, can you let people finish talking, can't you see that Mike has something to do with you?!"

Merchant: "Mike, I'm too busy to pay attention to you right now, I'll talk about it tomorrow." ”

The gaze was still not on Mike.

Mike pulled away a stiff smile: "Of course the store manager, I'm sorry to disturb you so much, so... I'll put my stuff here, I'll go back to my room first. ”

Ilya: "Hey, store manager, ...... you"

Merchant: "Alright, you can answer my question now." ”

Ilya looked at Michael's fleeing figure and was furious: "What's the problem, didn't I tell you, noble! I found out from a nobleman that the holy relic is the Londrion Holy Spear! What are you kidding, do you know how much time Mike spent on your gift today?" He went shopping for so long, bargaining with others until his mouth was dry, and finally he even had the cheekiness to ask Barron to borrow money, just to give his favorite store manager his first gift, the first gift in his life, you know what that means?

Ilya slammed the door and left, and she could clearly hear the steady stream of scolding from her mouth along the way.

"What a complete idiot, where is it worth our little Mike to be so good to you......"

The merchant sat motionless for a long time, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, rested the back of his head on the back of his chair, and when he opened his eyes again, the merchant looked at the box placed in the room, which was a delicate toolbox.

It is filled with tools commonly used by antiques.

The next day Mike never left her room, and Elijah came to look for her many times, trying to knock on the other party's door and inviting Mike to watch the airship landing, but failed, and a thin door cut off all communication. The other guy Ilya didn't want to mention at all was also stuffed in the room, and he didn't say anything for so long.

Elijah: "Hey Mike, are you ready for tonight's banquet?" This is a banquet hosted by the president of the Haikou City Chamber of Commerce, I think we should find a set of decent clothes so that we can not be rude to ourselves, I suggest that while there is still time, let's go to the commercial street to have a look, and buy a set of clothes for each person, what do you think?"

After a moment of silence, I heard Mike reply: "No, I don't need to, I think it's fine now, Ilya, you can go, leave me alone." ”

Mike's refusal became more and more direct, and Elijah knew that she would not let the locked guy out of the room if she stayed like this, and she glared fiercely at the next room, a store manager who did not know how to cherish and be considerate was a disaster for all the clerks.

Click

The door opened, and the merchant who went out met Ilya's fierce expression.

Ilya was stunned, the two looked at each other, she quickly turned away and pretended that nothing had happened, and the next moment she turned back, her hands around her chest, and she looked at each other openly.

It's not me who is wrong, why should I hide!

That's right, Ilya found that there was no need to be afraid of this man at all, although she scolded the other party fiercely last night, but she didn't do anything wrong, she felt that no matter who else would say this, this stupid man should be taught a good lesson.

The merchant closed the door, walked forward step by step, and looked at Ilya opposite each other in front of the door of Mike's room, with a flat expression, a condescending gaze, Ilya's small hand shook, and his fearless and frank attitude began to rout a little under the merchant's calm eyes.

What's the matter, this guy shouldn't want to scold me back, he dares to do such a shameless thing?

Losing people does not lose the battle, Ilya raised his head to make himself look strong enough: "Dry... Why, I see that you seem to have something to say, just say anything, let me tell you first, I'm not afraid of you. ”

The merchant was still speechless, and the long staring at each other made Ilya unconsciously stagger his gaze, his head drooping inadvertently, and the "yes" theory that he firmly believed in seemed to have something wrong.

The merchant finally spoke: "Get out of the way, you're blocking me." ”

Ilya obediently stepped back, and then realized that something seemed to be wrong, and it was too late to reset again.

The merchant spoke to Mike's door for a moment before he spoke, "Mike." ”

A simple call, but Ilya outside the door clearly felt that the atmosphere in the room was solemn.

Merchant: "There was something special about last night, and the holy relic that Elijah said... Probably because things are rarely tricky, which makes me feel like I haven't seen it for a long time... Irritable?"

Ilya glanced at the side, wondering in her heart, why use a question sentence?

Merchant: "Your gift to me is very good, I researched it, there are some tools in it that are not available in the store and I just need them, this supplement will make my future work smoother, this gift is for me... Very useful. ”

bang

The door opened, and Mike's smiling face was revealed, "Really!"

Ilya rolled her eyes, well, she couldn't stand up to a few dry words from this guy after a day of coaxing.

The merchant nodded: "Really, it helped me a lot." ”

Mike: "That's great, to be honest I've been worrying for a long time about whether to buy this toolbox, after all, the store manager already has his own set of tools that he usually uses, I wonder if it will be a bit redundant, it's great to be able to buy it in the first place."

Merchant: "Yes, but there is one thing I need to tell you, if you don't have enough money, just tell me, don't ask a stranger to borrow, pay it back if you have the chance." ”

The merchant pulled out a heavy purse, and Mike took it, the weight of his hand telling him that it wasn't a small amount of money.

Mike opened it and was startled: "My God, store manager, I didn't borrow that much money, you don't need to give me two hundred... Three hundred gold coins? I don't need that much anyway, and I can't advance that much salary. ”

The merchant didn't take back the money bag: "I said, return the money first, and Mike, this is not your salary advance, this is me... A gift for you, to be precise, a gift in return for your gift. ”

Mike jumped up: "Really, really, really! Oh my God! Hahahahaha Hahahaha, it's amazing, I can't describe it, store manager!"

Merchant: "Well, it's good if you're satisfied." ”

Ilya looked at this absurd scene with a blank expression.

Giving money, it's a gift, it's too superficial. Forgive in two or three sentences, reconcile as before, or even better than before? It's too easy.

Mike's excitement calmed down a little before he remembered something: "By the way, the store manager... Ilya scolded you last night, or you should forgive her. ”

Ilya yelled like a cat with its tail stepped on: "What? forgive, I'm not wrong!"

The merchant ignored it: "Well, I forgive her, after all, I have already taught her a lesson." ”

Ilya fried hair: "What the hell, what do you mean 'already taught', you didn't teach me a lesson." ”

The merchant was indifferent: "Didn't you bow your head and admit your mistake just now?"

Mike looked at Ilya unexpectedly, he didn't expect Ilya to take the initiative to admit his mistake: "Is this true?"

Merchant: "Of course it's true. ”

Ilya looked at the two of them in surprise and asked, "I ......"

Okay, after all, the two of them are in the same store, they are in the same group, okay, they are the same to the outside world, okay, after all, I am the one who carries everything.

The resentment on Ilya's face was almost overflowing, two against one, the matter had already been settled by these two "conspirators".

Mike remembered what Ilya had just said, looked at his clothes, long pants and old shoes, white shirt and old coat, and looked at the money bag in his hand, which was heavy and golden.

Mike: "Store manager, I think we're going to the banquet tonight to buy a new outfit?"

Merchant: "Indeed, there is still time, go buy it." ”

Mike: "Huh, 'you', don't you need it, manager?"

Merchant: "It would be nice if you could buy me a set, and I'd like to see the toolbox you bought." ”

The merchant's words made Mike happy again, and at the same time distressed: "But I don't know how to choose clothes......

One large and one small eyes shift.

Elijah: "What are you doing, why are you looking at me, and after the lesson, I still want me to buy you clothes?" ”

Mike: "Ilya doesn't buy it? I have a lot of money. ”

Ilya: "Yes... What about having money. ”

Mike flipped his purse: "But I have more money to spend." ”

Ilya: "This... It's not a question of money or not......"

The opening of the purse reveals a dazzling gold coin.

grunt

Ilya swallowed: "Also... Okay, for Mike's sake, I'll help you once. ”

Mike: "Great, manager, Ilya and I are going to the high street, and we'll be back before the party starts." ”

The merchant nodded, the corners of his mouth moved slightly, and he glanced at Ilya and went back to the room.

Ilya was stunned, wait, did this guy laugh just now? Wait, what did he mean by the way he looked at me? How did he feel like a victor?

The merchant went back to his room and sat down, looking at his tools as he sorted things out in his head, he felt that his mind was now the clearest in a few days, he knew who he needed to visit at tonight's banquet, what he needed to know in order to find the missing puzzle pieces, and the merchant thought that since he had participated in the performance, he should perform with all his heart, so as to be worthy of the "audience".

Outside the door, there was a vague conversation between the two of them.

"Ilya, why don't you feel unhappy, didn't the store manager forgive you?"

“......”

"Don't worry, the store manager will do what he says, and he won't trouble you again. ”

“......”

"Ilya, how do I feel like you're losing something. ”

“...... Shut up, Mike. ”