Vol.1 - Chapter 3: Final Preparations (8/10)

With her own words, the woman became as excited as the man in front of her. Her calm expression and sharp emerald eyes became quite agitated.

"Are you sure, Riki-san?! Something this big, its value is immeasurable, how did you manage to do this!"

She was about to answer when Shin interrupted her.

"That should be enough talking. You both look very excited, save it for after the work has begun. We don't have anything in our hands yet."

Riki snapped out of her excitement with a fake cough and reassumed her emotionless business expression. The young man on the other end could keep his excitement only from his mouth.

"It won't be that easy. Everyone will have to trust each other and follow my plans strictly. Otherwise, bad things may happen that you never imagined."

After his last words, the two looked at him with a strange expression. Neither of them seemed to fully understand the situation. Shin explained with a sigh.

"Huhh... You both understand our situation, but in your excitement, you are missing the most important thing in front of you. What do you think would happen if such a potion suddenly appeared?"

Minato, too, took what he heard seriously and thought about what he had missed. It didn't take him long to realize what had happened. The woman across from him seemed to grasp the situation as well.

"You guys just follow my lead. There is no need to rush or risk. Riki, you will make the potions and continue your research. Minato will carry out some of the tasks I'll ask of him. The only thing you guys need to think about is your own affairs."

Shin, whom the two had initially dismissed as a young lad, an inexperienced boy on an early adventure, was now officially their boss. They listened attentively to his words and trusted him in a way they didn't know why.

"Now that everyone understands the situation, let's get back to why we came here in the first place."

Shin stood up as the last person seated. He had a very serious expression on his face. After placing his hands on the table, he looked at the woman across from him.

"Minato will be very useful, contrary to what you think. But I need a few more trustworthy people like him."

Riki put her hand to her forehead and began to think. Meanwhile, Shin had turned to the auburn-haired man next to him. He seemed to be expecting something from him too. A few minutes passed, but nothing was heard.

"Sorry, I don't know anyone for the job."

The dark-haired woman shook her head in dissatisfaction. Minato didn't seem to be saying anything either. But just as Shin was about to speak, the young man said something.

"Kulong? I don't think he'd be interested though, but maybe we could ask Rowan."

His face was hopeful as he asked for these names, but it didn't take long for that to disappear too.

"No, that's impossible. There's no problem with trust and they could be very useful. But, you know, they are very loyal to the Golden Raven."

Realizing that nothing was going to come of this, Shin opened his mouth to end the conversation.

"Then it's time for us to go, Minato. That's what I came here for, but it looks like it's back to the boss again. I'm sorry Minato, but you need to work with Rina."

The boy said this without hesitation, wondering how the others would react. It didn't take him long to satisfy his curiosity.

"Of course Shin, what would you say- WAIT, WHAT!?"

The auburn-haired man didn't understand what was being said for a moment, but when he realized it, he had a minor crisis.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! DID YOU CALL HER THIS MORNING TO INVITE HER TO THE JOB TOO?!"

The boy didn't seem to care much about the pleas of the man next to him. His focus was on the dark-haired woman in front of him. He seemed to be waiting for an answer from her.

"Huh... Didn't you tell us to leave other things to you? Why do you want to know my answer now?"

The woman was in her cold form again. It seemed strange that she could change it at will, but she was obviously an expert in this field.

"Didn't you also tell me that I can consult you before deciding anything? I had hoped you might know Rina. What do you think of her?"

But it was clear that even though she specialized in controlling her expression, there were times when she could not restrain herself. Before she knew it, her cheeks were contracted and slightly flushed from anger. Involuntarily she gave a slight smile.

"Right, right. I don't know that woman as well as Minato, but I've seen her strength one time. If you want her, you must know something."

"Then it's done. We're done here too, we're leaving, Minato. By the way, your umbrella broke, Riki-san, I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do."

Shin smiled at her and simply waved his hand, saying goodbye. His rather abrupt departure took the man next to him by surprise. Without question, he followed the boy to the exit of the herbalist while he continued to nag at the boy.

-

"I'm telling you, she can't be, listen to me!"

A young man with auburn hair was shouting in the crowded streets. The person he was shouting at was a boy. He had to get this boy, who didn't seem to be listening to him for a while, to agree to his demands no matter what.

The boy finally turned toward him. Minato thought his words had finally reached him. But when he saw the smile on the boy's face, he felt a strange feeling. The boy continued to smile for a few seconds without saying anything and then turned back to the other side again.

'I guess now is not a good time to object...'

They walked in silence for a while. Though the silence was only between them. Unlike them, the streets were quite noisy. The city had become even more lively as the sun rose overhead.

The chestnut-haired boy was carefully observing his surroundings as he walked. Something must have caught his attention because he suddenly stopped. As he stopped, the young man behind him also stopped walking. He asked the boy in front of him to understand what was happening.

"Where are we going?"

"We're not really going anywhere. I was just looking at the shops."

He was shocked by what he heard. He got angry thinking that he had been following the boy all this time for nothing. He was about to open his mouth and show his anger when Shin walked away from him and approached a booth, starting to talk to the vendor there.

"Your wares look good. How are the prices?"

The man behind the booth greeted his customer with a big smile and started to introduce his goods to him.

"Ooo, you have good eyes, young man. You've come to the right place to dress up. Our stuff is perfect for adventurers like you! And the price is the best!"

He showed off the clothes he was selling with great praise. Shin did not pay much attention to his words and chose something according to his taste. Then he showed his choices to the stall owner.

"I have much better stuff, do you really want these rags?"

Shin again ignored the vendor's words and calmly turned to the young man behind him.

"Do we need anything?"

The auburn-haired man didn't seem to understand what was being asked, so he answered the boy's question with another question.

"Do we need anything for what?"

Shin slowly approached the man behind him and whispered in his ear.

"For Black Market."

Minato shuddered for a moment but said nothing and shook his head from side to side.

"That's enough, brother. How much is it worth?"

The smile on the merchant's face faded and was replaced by a look of contempt.

"Not even ten coppers, take it, kid. Don't ever come back here again!"

Without reacting, Shin picked up a few items from the counter, turned around, and started to walk away. The clothes he had gotten for free were just worn pieces of fabric.

"If you're saying that we don't need anything else, then you can stop following me. If you have nothing else to do, take these clothes to the inn. I'll see you in front of the inn in the evening."

The boy turned back to the man who had been following him and handed him the clothes he just got for free. After getting the clothes, Minato lost sight of the boy before he could even react to him.

"What inn, what meeting! I think he forgot Rina, how can I return to the inn!"

With the boy's quick disappearance, the young man was left alone in the crowd. He did not know what to do with what he had in his hands. Nonetheless, he chose to go back the way he had come and started walking.

"That boy is dangerous. Maybe even more dangerous than Rina-san and those debt dogs..."