Chapter 420: A Deal Written in White Gold [Part 2]

A Deal Written in White Gold [Part 2]

"There’s no longer a Thelia Renia. Only Brinda remains."

She leaned slightly forward.

"If you keep on provoking me like this, Felberta, then I will take it as a declaration of war."

The delayed spells she had been preparing earlier were already waiting within her mana channels.

She had quietly arranged them one after another while maintaining the appearance of an ordinary conversation.

If necessary, she could unleash them without completing a conventional chant.

Her chances against Oliver were still uncertain.

But they weren’t zero anymore.

Felberta looked at her for a moment.

Then she sighed.

"I apologize if I offended you, Ms. Brinda."

The hostility in the room softened slightly.

"It’s just that your fame as the hidden witch was phenomenal. Hearing the rumor that you’ve died was a shocker."

Felberta bowed her head slightly.

"Now that I’m able to see that you are alive and well, I got a little excited. For that, I am sorry."

Brinda clicked her tongue.

She didn’t believe the apology was entirely sincere.

But she couldn’t deny that Felberta’s manner had changed.

More importantly, Felberta hadn’t ordered Oliver to attack.

That meant this woman genuinely wanted the deal.

Brinda hated how useful that information was.

She wanted to kill this woman.

She truly did.

But New Fantom needed money.

People needed food.

Construction needed materials.

The city needed roads, defenses, supplies, wages, medicine, and countless other things.

Victor had left them with a vision.

Turning that vision into reality required resources.

And Felberta had arrived carrying exactly what they lacked.

Brinda closed her eyes for a brief moment.

Then she opened them again.

"Fine. But never call me by that name again. Understood?"

Felberta smiled.

"As you wish, my lady."

Brinda’s eyebrow twitched.

"Don’t call me that either."

Felberta chuckled softly.

"Then I’ll simply call you Ms. Brinda."

"Much better."

Brinda picked up her teacup but didn’t drink.

"Let’s get back to business, then."

Her voice became professional again.

"If I were to allow you to set up shop without going through the proper procedures, then how much are you willing to give us in return?"

Felberta looked toward Oliver.

The butler immediately understood.

He reached into his storage ring.

A faint ripple of spatial energy passed through the room.

A heavy pouch appeared in his hand.

Oliver placed it on the table and slid it toward Brinda.

The pouch stopped directly in front of her.

Brinda stared at it.

Something about its weight already told her that it wasn’t ordinary.

She opened it.

Her eyes widened.

White gold.

Not ordinary gold coins.

A full bag of white gold coins.

The gleaming metal reflected the sunlight and scattered pale brilliance across the polished table.

Brinda’s expression remained composed, but her mind was racing.

’This much...’

With this kind of money, they could purchase a staggering portion of the goods currently available in New Fantom.

Food.

Construction materials.

Medicine.

Weapons.

Clothing.

Tools.

Everything the struggling city desperately needed.

Felberta leaned back comfortably.

"That’s just my down payment if you agree to help me out with setting up my shop."

Her perpetual smile remained on her face.

She waited.

Brinda slowly closed the pouch.

"Before I answer, you still haven’t answered my earlier question."

Felberta raised an eyebrow.

"What question?"

"What kind of shop are you going to make?"

Felberta smiled as though the answer were almost embarrassingly simple.

"Just a simple shop that sells weapons, armor, potions, decor, and other miscellaneous things."

She lifted her teacup.

"You can just call it a shop that deals with all sorts of things."

Brinda stared at her.

"A general store?"

"Something like that."

"Weapons and armor alongside potions and decorations?"

"Yes."

"That’s an unusually broad selection."

"I prefer convenience."

Brinda studied her face.

There was no obvious lie.

That bothered her more.

She slowly licked her lips.

She was tempted.

Extremely tempted.

One simple administrative exception could bring enough money into New Fantom to solve problems that had been keeping her awake at night.

But money was never free.

Especially not money offered by someone who knew a secret that should have been impossible for them to know.

"What if we aren’t able to fulfill your other requests?" Brinda asked.

Felberta’s smile didn’t disappear.

"Will you stop supporting us?"

"If you’re able to fulfill this one simple request of mine, then the others don’t really matter much to me."

Felberta rested her fingers against the side of the teacup.

"I guess my support will lessen, but I will still provide a bit of financial support, even if my future requests aren’t fulfilled."

Brinda’s expression became serious.

That answer worried her more than a refusal would have.

’What could she possibly be planning with that shop of hers?’

Her gaze fell toward the pouch of white gold.

’Why is creating that shop here in New Fantom so important that she’s willing to give up this much money?’

The question gnawed at her.

She thought about Eon.

Her fellow subordinate and trusted comrade.

She could already imagine his reaction.

He would probably tell her to be careful.

Then he would probably remind her that she was still a subordinate just like him and shouldn’t act recklessly simply because she had a personal soft spot for Victor.

The thought almost made her smile.

Almost.

Then she remembered Victor.

The decision wasn’t about what she wanted.

It was about what the city needed.

’Damn it.’

Brinda closed her eyes for a moment.

’I’ll deal with one problem at a time.’

If she didn’t solve their financial crisis now, she wouldn’t even need to worry about what Felberta was planning.

They would fail before that.

People would lose faith.

The city would begin to fracture.

And Victor would eventually hear about it.

’I got no other choice.’

She opened her eyes.

Her gaze met Felberta’s.

’I hope I can deal with whatever you’ve got planned.’

Brinda slowly extended her hand toward the pouch of white gold.

"Alright, Felberta. You got yourself a deal."