Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters-Chapter 885 - 10 The Fastest Way to Gain 3

Chapter 885: Chapter 10 The Fastest Way to Gain 3 Levels_2 Chapter 885: Chapter 10 The Fastest Way to Gain 3 Levels_2 After a moment of contemplation, Winters raised his head, “No.”

“What…” Mr. Leo asked with interest, “No?”

“You’re not here to persuade the Paratu People.” Winters looked at Leo. “You’re here to persuade me!”

Mr. Leo continued to smile, neither confirming nor denying.

Winters organized his thoughts and spoke slowly, “Although I don’t know where you got such great energy from, I have a vague feeling—you’ve already bought over the Paratu People. I just can’t understand, if that is the case, why do you need to persuade me? Is it such a difficult task to have the caravan bypass Iron Peak County? What exactly do you want?”

Leo skirted around the trap with a light touch and replied earnestly, “In fact, the matter is not as complicated as you think. Our trading company—or rather, the entire membership of the Venetian Wool Textile Guild—simply wants wool.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Winters pressed on the key point, “Why me?”

...

Mr. Leo was about to give his usual diplomatic platitudes but paused for a moment and then resumed with a smile, “Because it’s you, that’s why it’s you.”

Winters’s first reaction was that Leo was brushing him off, but Leo’s expression was incredibly sincere, and his intuition told him the other was not lying.

Asking further likely wouldn’t yield anything more, unless through torture. There was no point in pressing the issue.

“I can’t give you an answer to this matter… not right now,” Winters stood up and took leave of Leo. “I need to discuss with others before I can give you a response.”

As he spoke, Winters saw a fleeting expression on Leo’s face… strange, surprised, interested.

And it was just a fleeting moment, so brief that Winters couldn’t help but wonder if it was an illusion. Throughout the entire conversation, Winters had never seen Leo show any “unguarded” emotions.

“No problem,” Leo said with a smile, bowing slightly, “I will await the good news.”

Winters had wanted to talk with Leo about Anna, but the atmosphere had changed, and he no longer felt like delving into personal matters. So he nodded, bowed in return, and left directly.

Some time later, Winters brought back a response.

The temporary resolution meeting—Winters, Bard, and Senior Mason—passed the following content with a two-to-one vote: “Warhorse can be delivered first, which means the quantity of two mid-squadrons. But as for currency, that’s not possible, Iron Peak County’s treasury can’t spare a single silver coin right now.”

“No problem, with the materials provided by Vineta, that’s enough to get the waters moving,” Leo accepted without hesitation, suddenly smiling brilliantly, “As for the money issue… there might still be a way.”

…

…

What method Leo had in mind, let’s not mention it here.

As the hour hand moved forward, let’s return to the farewell gathering.

Winters and Leo briefly explained to Andre the “exchange trade” between Iron Peak County, Paratu, and Vineta.

Upon hearing that the Warhorses would be handed over to the Paratu People, Andre was utterly displeased.

“So… how much do we have to give away?” Andre asked Winters with a morose face.

Not wanting to discuss secrets in front of Leo, Winters consoled Lieutenant Cherini, “We’ll talk when we go back, let Senior Mason explain it to you in detail.”

Andre wanted to ask more, but seeing Leo present, he understood Winters’s intention.

Feeling frustrated, Andre’s irritation turned directly to Leo, “What does this have to do with you?”

“Me?” Mr. Leo pointed at himself, looking very surprised.

“As if it’s just business,” Andre demanded fiercely, “Why are you the one representing us in the negotiations?”

Before Winters could speak, Leo had an answer, explaining submissively, “Please be assured, I absolutely did not betray the interests of you gentlemen. I went to negotiate because only if I did, was there room for mitigation.”

“Oh?” Andre wasn’t convinced.

“If you were to negotiate,” Leo looked at Winters and continued smiling, “Or if His Excellency Montaigne were to face them. Should the negotiations break down, then there would be no more chances. But if an insignificant person like me goes first and even if it breaks down, you gentlemen can still salvage the situation. Do you not agree?”

Andre smacked his lips, “Seems to make some sense.”

Winters took a sip of fermenting water—the situation wasn’t right, better fob it off for now and explain it to Andre later.

Mr. Leo understood Andre’s hostility and didn’t plan to chat further, finding an excuse to say goodbye and leave.

Then, there were only Winters and Andre left in this small conversational circle.

After emptying a small bucket of fermenting water, Andre loosened his gold-embroidered red satin belt and said seriously, “No good, I’ve got to go to the restroom.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

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“Hold on, you’re not thinking of deserting, are you?” Winters grabbed Andre.

“How could I do such a thing?” Andre became anxious at once, “I really need to go to the restroom!”

Winters released him suspiciously, and Andre strode away, leaving Winters alone in the banquet hall.

As the two men drank and chatted, the oddity wasn’t quite apparent.

But when Winters, a Venetian, was left alone amid a sea of Paratu dialect, a sense of loneliness surged in an instant.

Looking around, Paratu officers were laughing and singing, drinking heartily, and Revodan gentlemen were forming groups, each huddled in circles.

“Anna must be waiting for me, right?” Winters thought. He wanted to leave, but also couldn’t.

Someone was approaching, and Winters instinctively looked toward the source of the sound: a bald man with a scarred face and a somewhat gaunt man were dragging another tall soldier over.