Chapter 147 - An Invitation
Rhode didn’t put much thought into Marlene’s peculiar behavior. He vaguely sensed that something wasn’t quite right when she emphasized ‘Lize’ numerous times, but in the end, he thought that it was only because she and Lize didn’t receive fair treatment in regards to the contract.
Frankly, it wasn’t difficult for him to draft Marlene a contract. Rhode had already decided that if the Senia Family had no objections, he’d draft her a temporary contract without any qualms. The contract consisted of special rules that were different from the other mercenaries. There wouldn’t be any deadline so Marlene could leave the mercenary group anytime she wished. In other words, the contract didn’t bind her to the mandatory rules. Instead, it was just a way to console her.
However, Rhode didn’t spend too much time dwelling on her contract because he had something more important to deal with — an invitation from Klautz.
Rhode couldn’t be considered to be either familiar or unfamiliar with this person.
Not only was Klatuz the owner of Deep Stone City, but he also held the position of administrative officer of the Paphield Region. Klautz was undoubtedly a very influential man. And in fact, he was a role model for many officers within the Munn Kingdom. Although he wasn’t popular amongst the general populace, he still managed to obtain his title by possessing impressive talents.
So how did it turn out this way?
It was mostly due to the Munn Kingdom’s Grand Duchess Lydia and her unique hobby — her obsession to collect talents and shape them from a rough gemstone into a sparkling jewel. According to Lydia, the whole country was a large jewel case, and her, as the owner, naturally had to gather all the most beautiful gems together.
On the other hand, Lydia hated any rocks that hid within those shiny gems.
Contrary to her angelic appearance, her personality was quite the opposite. While she wouldn’t immediately discard the rocks within her jewel case, mediocre fellows would be stripped off their titles and turned into civilians. And that was when she was being lenient. If she found out that her aesthetic sense had been tarnished, it would be straight to the guillotine.
Based on his appearance, this man could be said to resemble a crook. However, his manners brought an unspeakable sense of character, which was this man’s unique charm. Although his features were unlikeable, friendliness and warmth could be felt from his smile.
“Please, have a seat.”
Klautz slowly walked to the middle of the living room and gestured at the seats at the same time. All three of them sat down as they stared at the city owner in front of them.
“I know that all of you have limited time, so I don’t want to waste your time.”
Klautz coughed softly. He lifted his head and turned his attention to Keller and Sereck.
“Recently there were rather strange incidents happening in Paphield Region… I think all of you must have felt it… the ore prices of the whole Paphield Region soared up by 30%. This created an impact on the rest of the industries in this region, however, our ores exportation didn’t fall… is that right? Mr. Keller?”
“That’s right, Mr. Klautz.”
Keller nodded and replied calmly, “I can guarantee that the exportation of ores had been very stable within Deep Stone City. There weren’t any major problems. The nearby regions did not have any surge in demand for ores, so the hike in price was indeed strange.”
“Not only that… recently the mercenary groups in the Paphield Region had been facing problems right?”
Klautz then glanced at Sereck.
“I’ve heard from the Mercenary Association’s report… This is indeed a very tough problem for you mercenaries, but things aren’t as simple as they seem, because according to my investigations, there are other problems hidden within.” Sereck raised his brows at Klautz’s claim and urged him to continue with his eyes, “Recently, many mercenaries came to this region, but their time spent here wasn’t long. They left soon after. Although this is normal for the inflow and outflow of mercenaries, to have such a bizarre scale of flow within a short period of time is very, very strange. I believe there must be some other reason.”
“Do you mean there were other reasons behind this?”
Sereck was surprised after hearing Klautz’s deduction of the matter.
“So… what you meant was…”
“This question shouldn’t be answered by me.”
Klautz laughed and shook his head. Next, he turned his head towards Rhode who was silently sitting down.
“Perhaps Mr. Rhode would have a better explanation?”