More Than Meets The Eye

The door slammed shut, leaving Linkin, Lovell, and Val'Niya alone in the room.

Almost immediately after Richard and his group left, the tense atmosphere that had filled the room moments ago dissipated. However, the troubled expression on Lovell's face was still present as his mind was locked onto Richard's last statement.

Lovell released a heavy sigh as he turned to Linkin. His eyes were filled with gratitude as he said, "You have my thanks, Sir Linkin. I don't know how to express my thanks for what you've done today. If I had signed that contract, I have no doubt that my decision would have haunted me for the rest of my life. Sir Richard... I had no idea he was such a person. You've saved me twice in one day."

After Richard's last statement, even if he was not all that knowledgeable when it came to business, Lovell started to believe that perhaps Richard had not been putting forth the effort that he claimed he was.

Could it be that all this time Richard secretly wanted his smithy to fail in order to finalize the deal with his other client? Lovell could not help but have this thought cross his mind.

"The moment I signed that contract, Sir Richard would have finally got what he wanted. Would he have changed the way he treated me after that? Was everything just a lie? I... What have I been doing this entire time, then?" Lovell thought to himself, unable to hide his unsettled spirit.

Lovell's restless behavior did not go unnoticed by Linkin. One would have to be blind not to see Lovell's state of encroaching dread.

"There's no need for formalities, Mr. Lovell. I just chose to follow my heart in the heat of the moment. Since we're in this together now, we should put the past behind us and focus our attention on finding a solution to your problem." Linkin said in a reassuring manner.

"Y-yeah... You're right..." Lovell sighed with a disheartened expression.

'Our dear Sir Richard sure did a number on this guy with those last few words of his. Mystic Emporium, is it? Judging from his obvious attempt to gauge my reaction toward the end and the fact that he left almost immediately after I snatched his client away, there must be something more going on beneath the surface.'

Given Richard's prideful and impatient personality, there was no way he would just walk away without kicking up more of a fuss. In his attempt to view Linkin's reaction, Richard only ended up revealing more of his hand.

'There's only one reason why a person like Richard would act against his nature. I've seen that look in his eyes countless times before in my previous line of work—the look of a rat about to report to their handler. If that's true, this must be an even bigger deal than I let on. Did I accidentally stumble into a minefield or a treasure trove? Heh, as if the two aren't normally together hand in hand.'

Linkin spent the next few minutes helping Lovell calm down and collect himself. What he needed now more than anything was information.

Linkin knew that if he allowed Lovell to stay in his current state while he tried to acquire information from him, it would only end with poor results.

Meanwhile, Val'Niya, who had been silently observing the entire exchange, could not help but feel a sense of admiration for Linkin.

In just a few moments, he had managed to win Lovell's trust and stood up against a Merchant of Richard's caliber. She was beginning to see that perhaps there was more to Linkin than meets the eye.

"I still think that his decision was too reckless. That being said, a Class 5 Merchant stealing away the client of a Class 3 Merchant Group—this has to be a first in the entire history of the Merchant's Guild. I didn't believe Sini when she said she'd found someone rather interesting, but if it's him, then just maybe... No, I shouldn't get my hopes up so easily. Even if he was able to steal a client away, it holds little to no value if what follows turns out to be an absolute disaster. For now, I will observe him for a little longer." Val'Niya thought to herself.

Out of nowhere, Linkin's voice sounded and pulled Val'Niya out of her deep state of contemplation, "Miss Val'Niya, it's a pleasure to have you on board."

Linkin smiled warmly at Val'Niya as he spoke.

Val'Niya narrowed her eyes and replied, "I do not remember agreeing to anything."

"That's true. But, at the very least, you've probably already made up your mind to keep an eye on me for a bit longer. Otherwise, you would have bid your farewell while our guests were still here to show that there is no connection between us. The fact that you chose to go with the flow and you're still here means that I don't look completely hopeless in your eyes." Linkin stated calmly.

Val'Niya's brows rose in surprise at Linkin's skillful observation. His remarks nearly perfectly mirrored her thoughts.

"Those are not the observational skills of a Class 5 Merchant. This man... What is his background?" Val'Niya contemplated.