Doubtful Aptitude

"Drinking alone sometimes is also good," William said as he returned his gaze forward.

"How cold! I thought we were on the path of friendship!" Linkin gasped with an expression of shock.

"Friendship your head! Who would want to be friends with a scammer like you?! Go away!" William scowled as he placed down the Riza plate.

"All bet amounts have been set. I shall begin." The Riza-Azir Dealer said.

"Come on, don't be like that. What scammer? Didn't we both sign the contract and agree to the terms? Besides, is that any way to talk to a fellow Merchant?" Linkin stated with a smile as he revealed his Merchant's Guild license.

"Fellow Merchant? What kind of nonsense is this guy on about?" William thought to himself with a frown as he peeked over to his side.

"?!" William saw the Merchant's Guild license in Linkin's hand and was unable to hide the look of surprise in his eyes.

Without a doubt, it was a genuine Class 5 Merchant Group license!

Naturally, the first thought that entered William's mind was that Linkin had somehow stolen the license from someone; however, he dismissed this thought when he read the name carved into the license.

"Chesire Cat Company? I've never heard of a Merchant Group with that name in Bellhaven. Did he just recently become a Merchant? Wait, don't tell me..." William pondered silently as he quickly pieced everything together.

"You—Did you really start a new Merchant Group?" William inquired in a doubtful tone; however, the glimmer of curiosity that sparked in his eyes did not escape Linkin.

"No need to sound so skeptical. The proof's right here for you to see, isn't it?" Linkin responded as he casually dangled the thin copper plate in his hand by its twine.

William scoffed, "So what if you got a Merchant's Guild license? Do you expect me to throw you a grand banquet to celebrate?"

'No need to act so reserved, my generous benefactor. If you're going to play tough to get, at least try a little harder to hide your thoughts.'

"Will you? I won't complain if it's your treat." Linkin replied with a friendly smile as he put away the copper plate.

"Dream on!" William snapped back.

He then continued in a serious and heavy tone, "I don't know what kind of grand life you think awaits you after becoming a Merchant, but you're sorely mistaken if you believe it's all fun and games. It requires a painstaking amount of effort just to step your foot into the door, let alone find a certain level of success. There's a saying where I come from; you can give a bird the sea, but it doesn't mean it'll be able to swim in it. The same goes for being a Merchant. No matter what you do, if you lack the aptitude to be a Merchant, you're just needlessly throwing your money away with that license. It would've been cheaper to pay a craftsman to create you a copper plate with words on it if you wanted one so badly."

'Oh? This guy—when he's not busy trying to show off in front of others, he actually has a pretty decent head on his shoulders.'

The fact that William was willing to hold a conversation with him after what transpired earlier meant that he had let go of his anger. Well, at least to the point that he did not view Linkin as an enemy. Even the advice he gave was rather genuine despite his harsh choice of words.

'Shall I give that curiosity of yours one last push?'

"I'm pretty serious about this, you know—being a Merchant, that is," Linkin said nonchalantly.

"Hmph, words alone are not enough. Only time will tell just how serious you are; and so far, you aren't off to a good start. A true Merchant would never take a deal that isn't in his favor. By signing that contract, you've already failed as a Merchant before you even began." William stated.

"Azir." The Riza-Azir Dealer called out.

"Son of a...! Dammit...!" William muttered frustratedly as he watched his money go down the drain.

The Riza-Azir Dealer set up for the next round as those at the mat placed their new bets.

"Do you think that I'm naive after agreeing to that one-sided contract?" Linkin asked with a meaningful gaze.

"Naive? No. Going by that show you put on before; you're rather far from it, I'd say." William commented as he placed the Azir plate down this time as his bet.

He then continued, "If I had to choose a word that describes you, it's shameless, reckless, impulsive, cunning, and shameless."

"...That's more than one word there. Also, you said one of them twice." Linkin murmured with a helpless smile as he playfully rubbed the back of his head.

'Hey, who are you calling shameless here after being the one who offered that shitty contract that would make even the loan sharks back on earth jealous?! And I'll have you know that I'm an honest and caring person to my core!'