Chapter 45: Mistake
"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.’
"I dealt in mask trade for people before. Various masks for balls, for games, and so on. If you wish, I’ll show you an example later. I only have it in my room," he immediately answered with a smile on his face; just as everyone else had been making offers, he also began to offer his goods, although in reality, it wasn’t his merchandise.
A simple invented deception to get out of the situation, though it’s hard not to believe since the merchant himself offered to show his goods, which reduces suspicion. Even if they had demanded to show the mask right then and there, Alister would have shown it immediately since he had one mask that he had bought and used for a personal purpose.
"Ooh, masks?! A very good choice, as they sell very well and will bring in money," the captain answered immediately, mentioning money first and foremost, which further confirmed Alister’s thoughts that they only care about money. As a result, through money they obtain power and control. But this power only works within the territory of the continent.
"I see, but you said that you ’dealt’ in this. Does it mean that you have currently stopped trading and earning from masks?" Garrett Vance immediately asked a quite logical question.
’And he is more observant than I thought.’
"Yes, you are right. I dealt in this in the past and am not doing so now. That is why I came to the city of Verigia, to start a new trade, and so far I don’t know exactly what to choose, but I am reflecting on this question."
"Alright. We are all from the city of Verigia here, so we can certainly help you, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us. And moreover, if you are just now heading to the city of Verigia, one can assume that you traded in the city of Syoga. Well then, welcome to our city, Mr. Gentleman," saying these words, he began to drink a glass of wine.
’I didn’t account for the fact that he could catch me on this. At the beginning of the conversation, I said that I’m known as Mr. Gentleman. After that, when I said I was going to the city of Verigia, it’s logical to assume that I’m going to this city for the first time, since they’ve never heard of a person named Mr. Gentleman there. Consequently, they assumed that I am a merchant from the city of Syoga, which explains to them why I’m sailing specifically from there.’
’But if they call their people now and order them to find out what kind of merchant goes by the nickname Mr. Gentleman in the city of Syoga, then of course they won’t bring back any information, since no such merchant existed there. If no such merchant existed there, the probability that I am a fraud increases manifold, which makes me extremely suspicious in their eyes.’
’Damn! I didn’t calculate this, and if they really start checking whether a merchant by the nickname Mr. Gentleman exists there, I’m toast, or at the very least, they’ll start watching my every step. And following the conversation, they don’t look stupid, especially this Garrett Vance... The probability that he will start to suspect is extremely high.’
Now I must be extremely vigilant and somehow resolve this issue regarding the merchant "Mr. Gentleman" immediately.’
’At this moment, I won’t be able to do anything because I don’t know other cities or their economy, streets, and people at all. So, I must urgently close this matter right after arriving,’ he thought, finishing his analysis of the situation.
"Hey, pour a glass of wine for Mr. Gentleman as well. We’ve already started talking and drinking, yet no one has served him anything," Mr. Jonas suggested immediately with wine in hand.
"Hey! Hurry up and call that slave girl, we need wine faster!" that same voice rang out again, calling for the slave girl once more to bring wine.
"I would prefer to be gentler," said Garrett Vance with a serious face, attempting to project pride and nobility.
’What were his stats...’
’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)>
’Although I cannot trust the system right now, his intelligence is the highest here, on par with Captain Vincent Coldwell and the merchant Thomas Miller.’
’But so far, I haven’t encountered such sharp attention from them. And if one looks even closer, it’s noticeable that his mastery of the Aristocrat path is at 90%, which is the highest among the four.’
’So these paths and their mastery influence personality a lot? I see. That means the most efficient path will be to possess the most powerful paths in this world, but it’s only worth finding out how one can even take possession of them,’ Alister thought and began to build plans for the future.
The door opened immediately, and that slave girl entered, looking just as pitiful and poor as before.
She said nothing, only brought wine and another glass for Mr. Gentleman, after which she set down the glass and poured the wine-not too little, but not too much. Just to the middle, which was very good.
One might think she has been working here for a very long time and because of that she knows many things, such as how to pour wine, how to talk... In that case, her price increases in the eyes of others, even though she looks quite poor and dirty.
’If she has such abilities, then buying her will be a sensible decision, as she can explain this new city to me and how everything works here.’
"By the way, Mr. Gentleman, you said you had a proposal... Well, what is this proposal?" the captain finally asked.
’Well then, it’s time to start bargaining...’
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