Chapter 169: Why Aren’t You Following the Script?

About ten minutes later, a maid led Lu Wei and Bai Ya through a gallery, up a flight of stairs to the second floor, and down a hallway laid with a thick plush carpet. They finally stopped before a carved wooden door.

Cersei stood outside the door, clad in silver Light Armor. The “Hand of Oath” badge on her chest glinted in the firelight.

‘Come to think of it, all the Professional Badges in this world seem to follow a “Noun of Noun” naming convention.’

‘The Mage Badge is called the “Eye of True Sight.”‘

‘The Holy Knight Badge is called the “Hand of Contract.”‘

‘The Priest Badge is called the “Ring of Devotion.”‘

‘The Warrior Badge is called the “Unyielding Sword.”‘

‘And so on and so forth.’

‘So, if I were to design a badge for the Crafty Merchant Profession in the future, what would I call it?’

‘The “Hand of Exploitation”?’

‘The “Target of All Arrows”?’

Seeing Cersei’s badge sent Lu Wei’s thoughts drifting off into the wild blue yonder.

Just then, Cersei bent a finger and knocked on the door.

A moment later, a calm “Come in” sounded from behind the door.

Upon hearing the voice, Cersei silently pushed open the door and stepped aside to let them pass.

“Thanks.”

Lu Wei nodded at her and stepped into the room.

Instantly, the warm fragrance that had filled the hallway was replaced by the room’s cool, crisp scent of cedar. An elegantly styled guest room came into view.

The walls were covered in pale gold silk and adorned with several finely painted landscape oil paintings. A few kerosene wall lamps cast a soft glow, like a lunar halo.

Miss Freya from Kalin Port was standing at a desk by the window. She wore a long, deep-blue velvet nightgown, her golden hair tied up simply, revealing a long, fair neck.

‘Damn, her aura is on another level…’

Lu Wei quickly sized up Freya, then glanced subconsciously at Bai Ya beside him. Suddenly, he understood what the maid had been thinking.

‘She really does look like a beggar next to her.’

“Miss Freya, good evening.”

Lu Wei quickly averted his gaze from Bai Ya and turned back to Freya, greeting her with a smile.

Freya, however, simply watched him calmly, her gaze filled with unconcealed arrogance and indifference.

“Mr. Lu Wei, is there something you need?”

“…”

‘Well, what do you know. I was right on the money.’

‘She really is the archetypal Evil Daughter!’

‘That textbook arrogant opening, that cold, haughty glare!’

‘She’s laying it on thick!’

“Mr. Gante asked me to give you a message.”

Seeing how pretentious this young lady was acting, Lu Wei naturally wasn’t going to give her any face, dropping the formal tone.

“He told me to let you know that Furen is fine, but he’s not willing to come back yet.”

“So Gante needs to stay in the forest for the time being to ensure Furen remains safe.”

“Well, I’ve delivered the message. We’ll be taking our leave now.”

Mission complete. Without another word, Lu Wei made to turn and leave.

At this point, Bai Ya still hadn’t snapped out of her daze from seeing Freya’s beauty.

Let alone “displaying” her Mage Badge.

To be honest, Bai Ya still didn’t understand why Lu Wei wanted her to wear the badge.

It didn’t seem to be serving any purpose at all right now.

But of course, Lu Wei wouldn’t have done it for no reason.

In a negotiation, leverage and posture often determine who holds the upper hand.

So both Bai Ya’s “identity as a Mage” and his own cold, eager-to-leave attitude were gambits to seize the advantage in the negotiations to come.

“Please wait.”

Sure enough, the next second, Freya’s emotionless voice sounded from behind them.

“Mr. Lu Wei, I’d like to talk with you.”

“…”

‘Excellent. I knew you couldn’t hold back!’

‘Then don’t blame me for cranking up the pressure!’

Lu Wei paused, turned back, and immediately put on a very solemn expression.

“Miss Freya, if you’re hoping I’ll help you persuade Furen to return to Kalin Port, then I’m afraid I have to disappoint you.”

“As his captain and comrade, I can only support and respect his personal wishes.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Freya raised an eyebrow. She watched him quietly for two seconds, then nodded, her tone flat.

“In that case, forget it.”

“Cersei, see our guests out.”

…

…

“Captain, you were so firm back there! If Furen knew, he’d be really touched!”

“You completely intimidated that Freya! She was too scared to say another word!”

“I really misjudged you. I thought you didn’t care…”

Five minutes later, Lu Wei and Bai Ya were once again standing outside the inn’s main entrance.

The cool night breeze did nothing to fade the excited flush on Bai Ya’s cheeks. Even though it seemed they’d been thrown out, she was still proud of Lu Wei’s demonstration of “brotherly loyalty.”

‘I’m afraid I have to disappoint you.’

‘Wow! That line, paired with the captain’s firm gaze back then, was just so cool!’

‘The captain really is a man of honor and loyalty!’

‘My judgment is impeccable!’

Looking at the “unflappable” Lu Wei beside her, Bai Ya’s eyes filled with adoration, and she felt a swell of pride.

Little did she know that Lu Wei’s “composure” was just a front for being completely dumbfounded.

‘Wait, we just got kicked out?!?’

‘What happened to the whole song and dance of polite refusal?!?’

‘This isn’t how the script was supposed to go!!!’

Stunned, his mouth hanging open, Lu Wei subconsciously glanced back at the still-lit window.

Then, whether by coincidence or not, the light behind the window suddenly dimmed.

Less than ten seconds later, it was plunged into complete darkness.

This meant his plan had been utterly crushed—

That’s right. According to Lu Wei’s calculations, Freya was definitely going to ask for his help.

After all, Furen was now dead set on hiding in the Dome Pillar and refusing to return.

And Gante clearly didn’t dare to use force.

That made him, the captain, the only viable “negotiator.”

That was exactly why he’d had Bai Ya wear her Mage Badge and why he’d acted so tough himself—it was all to raise his asking price and fleece Freya for a hefty sum.

But who would have thought she would just give up like that!

‘No, something must be wrong…’

Taking a deep breath, Lu Wei concluded that he must have overlooked something.

For instance, maybe Freya had another way to get Furen back.

Just then, seeing him standing frozen in place, Bai Ya finally sensed something was wrong. She tugged his sleeve quizzically.

“Captain, why aren’t we leaving?”

“…Oh, right. Let’s go.”

Lu Wei snapped out of it, stiffly pulling his gaze away before finally starting to walk out of the alley.

The situation was just like haggling in his previous life.

Once you’ve made your final offer, walked out of the shop, and the owner hasn’t called you back, it’s impossible to get the item you want for your desired price.

And if you still desperately want that item, you’re left with only two choices—

1. Leave for good. Have a friend go buy it for you another day; you might get it for a price closer to what you wanted.

2. Go back into the shop and buy it at the asking price.

The latter, obviously, was tantamount to surrender.

The former at least allowed you to save face.

Therefore, Lu Wei could only leave for now and wait to see if the situation might change later.

If things really didn’t work out, he’d have no choice but to have Bai Ya pretend to be a “traitor” and approach Freya alone.

‘Sigh, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have said that when she first called me back.’

‘A miscalculation…’

Shaking his head, Lu Wei was in a foul mood over the loss of a major deal.

On top of that, Bai Ya was still at his side, endlessly praising his “loyalty,” which made him not want to talk at all.

And so, the two quickly walked out of the alley and vanished into the night.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the inn, behind another, now-dark window, Freya let her fingers fall from the corner of the curtain she’d been holding aside.

“Hmph. Childish tricks.”