Translator: Kazumi
Editor: Silavin
As Barnabas was ushered into the reception room, he found himself inwardly amazed. After letting them in, Eku asked them to wait before leaving the room—a gesture that impressed Barnabas, though not for the obvious reasons.
Since this was an unannounced visit, it would have been perfectly reasonable to be made to wait. If anything, they were the ones being presumptuous by arriving without notice. What truly impressed Barnabas wasn’t the courtesy, but Eku’s calculated decision to leave them alone in the room.
Currently, only the members of the Mineille Company were present. With no Wolf Fang representatives watching, they were free to observe their surroundings. For a modest Guild, furnishing such a room would typically be challenging, yet from what Barnabas could see, it contained a fair number of luxury items.
Some might argue it was excessive for a mere upstart Guild. However, Barnabas felt quite the opposite.
The building itself had been constructed with incredible speed, demonstrating that Wolf Fang possessed substantial financial resources. While Barnabas didn’t know the source of their funds, their capability was undeniable. The fact that they hadn’t furnished the room with first-class items throughout was clearly intentional—a deliberate choice to maintain their facade as an upstart Guild.
Had they filled the space with ostentatious luxury, they would have appeared as nouveau riche. Instead, they had chosen items of moderate quality—a decision that revealed strategic thinking within Wolf Fang’s ranks.
Shortly after being seated, Eku returned carrying a tray of drinks for each guest.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Eku said as he distributed the beverages.
At Eku’s invitation, Barnabas took a sip and his eyebrows rose in recognition.
“Ah, Mill Drip.”
“Yes. I heard that the Mineille Company’s headquarters is in the Kingdom of Heity. I hope it suits your taste?”
“Not at all—it’s excellent. Quite delicious, actually.”
Barnabas took another sip, speaking with genuine appreciation. However, his wariness toward Eku only increased. The careful preparation of a drink from his opponent’s homeland was no coincidence.
Sensing Barnabas’s heightened caution, Eku began quietly, “So, what brings you here today? I should mention upfront that there are some matters I can discuss and others I cannot.”
“Of course, I understand,” Barnabas replied with a smile, though inwardly he was frustrated.
That opening statement had immediately established boundaries that would limit his questioning. Barnabas couldn’t object—Eku could have made this disclaimer at any point, but by stating it immediately, he had effectively controlled the direction of their conversation.
For Barnabas, this was the most disadvantageous moment possible. If the Guild’s representative had said such a thing, it might have seemed presumptuous, but coming from Eku, who presented himself as merely an employee, it appeared perfectly natural.
Barnabas briefly wondered if he was overthinking the situation, but quickly dismissed the doubt. In negotiations, one could never be too cautious.
“I understand your representative is currently adventuring. Do you know when he might return?”
“Unfortunately, no…” Eku’s expression grew slightly apologetic, and his tone seemed genuine.
“Do you have any rough estimate of the timeframe?”
“Well, when the representative challenges the Tower, sometimes he returns within a day, sometimes not for several days. Occasionally, he’s gone for an entire month, so I really cannot say with certainty.”
“A month?!” Barnabas exclaimed, unable to hide his surprise.
While it wasn’t uncommon for adventurers to spend over a week in the Tower, he had never heard of anyone remaining inside for a full month. This reflected the difference between adventurers who entered with specific material goals versus those who planned to harvest everything they could find.
In Gazenran Tower, teleportation was available every five Floors, so some adventurers did attempt extended stays to conquer those sections, but such cases were exceptional. From Eku’s tone, this seemed to be a regular occurrence, which genuinely shocked Barnabas.
Eku was not lying about the month-long possibility. This estimate was based on scenarios where Kousuke might begin conducting serious investigations, though whether he would still be Wolf Fang’s representative by that point remained uncertain.
Pushing aside his internal turmoil, Barnabas decided to ask his other primary question. Though he’d been outmaneuvered so far, he wanted to gather as much information as possible before leaving. Without the representative present, concrete progress was unlikely, but he could at least accomplish that much.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but has there been any discussion about where to sell your materials?”
This was the question Barnabas most wanted answered. Even without securing a direct contract, he needed to understand Wolf Fang’s intentions. Even if Eku claimed ignorance, that would be valuable information, confirming that Eku lacked decision-making authority in such matters.
However, Barnabas’s assumption proved incorrect as Eku answered immediately.
“Are you interested in a sales contract? What I can tell you is that currently, we have no intention of signing an exclusive agreement with any single company.”
“Oh, really?” Barnabas couldn’t conceal his surprise at this unexpected response.
All major Guilds in Seichun maintained exclusive contracts with trading companies. Barnabas had naturally assumed Wolf Fang would follow the same pattern.
Eku continued speaking to Barnabas as if he had nothing to hide. “That’s correct. Wolf Fang currently has no plans to enter into an exclusive contract with any specific trading company.”
“Currently?” Barnabas caught the subtle qualifier and sought clarification, but Eku simply nodded.
“Yes. The situation may change when our representative returns from the Tower.”
Having received a more informative answer than he had dared hope for, Barnabas nodded with satisfaction.
“I see. That’s certainly worth noting.”
“Really? Well, for information of this nature, I’m available anytime,” Eku replied with a slight tilt of his head, and Barnabas returned the gesture with a smile.
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Eku muttered to himself as he watched Barnabas’s carriage disappear into the distance.
“Well, I hope this helps spread the word to some extent.”
Kousuke aside, when it came to exclusive contracts, Eku had deliberately shared this information hoping it would circulate among the trading companies. Wolf Fang was scheduled to ally with Crown eventually, making it impossible to sign an exclusive contract with a local trading company beforehand.
It would be disastrous if they signed a contract in their current state only to be told the terms were invalidated due to their connection with Crown. To prevent such complications, they had no intention of entering exclusive agreements at this stage.
Incidentally, Kousuke had delegated these matters entirely to Eku. While the conversation’s flow had suggested that Kousuke alone held decision-making power, Eku clearly possessed significant authority as well.
Whether their careful exchange—each party probing the other—had been successful for either side remained to be seen.