Chapter 44: Law of Survival
"Mr. Gentleman, we have new goods, and you can take a look and evaluate; if you like them, we’ll make them cheaper than usual," the captain said with a smile.
’It seems they aren’t interested in what kind of person you are; only money is important to them... Well then, let’s begin.’
After that, the captain invited Alister to a very beautiful sofa where those arrogant aristocrats who were reading newspapers were sitting.
’Primal Gaze’
<Current stats: Garrett Vance
Strength: 10
Speed: 10
Stamina: 15
Intelligence: 40
Primal Level: 1
Chosen Path: Path of the Aristocrat (90% mastered)>
<Current stats: Thomas Miller
Strength: 10
Speed: 10
Stamina: 15
Intelligence: 40
Primal Level: 1
Chosen Path: Path of the Aristocrat (87% mastered)>
<Current stats: Silas Crais
Strength: 10
Speed: 10
Stamina: 15
Intelligence: 30
Primal Level: 1
Chosen Path: Path of the Aristocrat (70% mastered)>
<Current stats: Jonas Reed
Strength: 25
Speed: 20
Stamina: 30
Intelligence: 35
Primal Level: 1
Chosen Path: Path of the Aristocrat (80% mastered)>
’They all have the Path of the Aristocrat... One can assume that this path is necessary for every aristocrat. But even now, I don’t know how to choose a path for myself.’
’Because there was no one to ask, and there was a risk that if I asked such strange questions, they would start to suspect me.’
’But now there is Little Mi. So I think she knows how to acquire paths; this is necessary in order to become stronger and obtain the seals sooner.’
Alister sat down on the sofa, and only after that did these aristocrats begin to pay attention to him and started a conversation.
"Oh, greetings; you can call me Mr. Jonas. I am a grain and cotton merchant; if you need anything, you can tell me right away," Jonas Reed began the conversation first with a smile on his face.
"Thank you for such attention; you can call me Mr. Gentleman. Many people call me that, so I would be glad if you called me that too," he replied, also with a smile on his face.
"Oh, now I understand why you are called that, haha," continued the conversation a man named Thomas Miller, who was sitting in a chair.
"Well, I just said that," the captain added to the conversation, after which he took the glass of wine that the slave girl was carrying and began to drink.
"So, you can call me Garrett Vance. I am also a merchant, and I deal in canes for aristocrats and high-ranking people. Looking at you, I can say that you definitely have taste-a black suit and a top hat as well. You simply exude gentlemanliness. Only, you are missing a cane; if you decide that you need one, I can give it to you as a gift to get properly acquainted," Garrett introduced himself and immediately began to get closer, as connections can also decide many things.
’Simply being a gentleman is the best camouflage for my goals; it helps not only in conversation but also adds a good tone to those around me, which increases the chance that they will follow me.’
’But as Garrett Vance noted, I am missing a cane; I agree with him as well. Moreover, if I recall that case when Princess Celestia pulled her sword through a ring, one can assume that Little Mi can also somehow be put inside a cane, although I still don’t know the whole mechanic. But one cane certainly won’t hurt me.’
"Wow, Garrett is already starting to strengthen ties with a new person to scale his power. What a sly dog you are," Jonas said with a light smile, also raising his glass and beginning to drink wine.
"Nothing of the sort. This is a mutually beneficial strategy. It will be profitable for both of us to create connections because in the future we might need help, and then we will help each other," he said in a serious tone, and it seemed he was the most serious and heavy-charactered person here, or one could assume that he could control his behavior well.
’What mutual benefit and help? Do they think I’ll fall for this? When you run out of power and money, they won’t even look in your direction; don’t even dream of help. Moreover, I would do the same since in most cases it would be disadvantageous.’
’But right now, I think I need to agree since this opens up temporary opportunities for me like power and connections, just as he said. And it seems they are not arrogant; it’s just their culture, in my opinion. But there’s no need to rush to conclusions.’
"Thank you for the proposal, Mr. Garrett Vance. I would be very happy to cooperate with you, and of course, I also think that a proper cane that emphasizes my character to those around me wouldn’t hurt." Alister accepted Garrett Vance’s offer and continued his conversation, now toward Jonas Reed, since they had not yet spoken directly.
"Greetings to you too, Mr. Jonas Reed. I would like to express my agreement with Mr. Garrett Vance’s thoughts. We have only just begun getting acquainted, so I would prefer to strengthen our relationship for years to come."
"Ah, I see, Mr. Gentleman. I understand you perfectly and completely agree with you. In fact, I wasn’t against it at all; I just wanted to point out how clever our Mr. Garrett Vance is," he replied with a soft smile on his face, demonstrating the same politeness as the other members of this room.
’I wonder what is hidden behind that mask of politeness of theirs; perhaps a monster like me? If that’s the case, it’s better to be vigilant. As they say, it’s better to be vigilant a hundred times at the rustling of leaves and have it turn out to be a lie than to turn off your vigilance once, saying it’s just the wind, and be eaten by a predator. This is simply the law of survival.’
"For the record, I deal in construction trade-that is, necessary items for building houses and bazaars, as well as simple things like chairs, tables, and so on. If you ever need my help, feel free to ask; we’ll give you a low price," Jonas Reed also offered his services.
’This is a good direction for collecting money.’
"By the way, I just thought of it and wanted to ask. What exactly do you sell, if you are a merchant, Mr. Gentleman?" the captain asked suddenly.
’Now that’s a problem; I didn’t think about that. I need to quickly come up with an answer for them, or they might suspect something is wrong. What to say... ah, I’ve got it.’
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