Chapter 24
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Matt swore to the heavens that he had never tasted such a delicious breakfast since he was born .
Although it was just ordinary white bread, beef, and vegetable soup placed on an old wooden table . But compared to dried meat and cold water from a few days ago, the meal they had right now was almost comparable to the sumptuous dishes from the palace .
"Praise the great Holy Spirit, thank the Holy Spirit for giving us food . . . "
This was maybe one of the most earnest prayers before meals from Matt . But before he finished expressing his gratitude, suddenly a voice called out to him .
"I did not expect that you were a believer . "
Matt quickly opened his eyes . He saw Rhode and Lize walking down the stairs and sat in front of him . His face was still as indifferent as before . He not could tell if Rhode was being sarcastic or not . Thus, the fat merchant could only show an embarrassed smile .
"This . . . I always have a certain gratitude towards food . There is no relation between being a believer or not . . . "
His voice slowly drifted off . It was obvious that the fat merchant did not intend to prolong this boring topic, so he quickly changed the topic .
"What are you guys planning to do after this?"
However, Rhode did not answer immediately . He ordered two breakfast and asked a question out of nowhere, "How about you, Mr . Matt?"
"Me?"
Matt was caught slightly off guard, and he gloomily shrugged his shoulders .
"For me, I will go to the Deep Stone City to apologize to the recipient . Then I must compensate for their loss . Sigh, what lousy luck! Not only did I lose all the goods, but I also need to pay a large sum of money . My luck is really not so good . . . "
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"So sorry . . . "
Lize revealed an apologetic face . After all, her mercenary group was responsible for protecting the merchant and his goods . But now the products had been lost . It could be said that they did not do a good job . Although to many people, these matters would be labeled as 'just an accident' . But as a responsible person, Lize did not want to accept it like that .
"No no no! It's not your fault, Ms . Lize . I am also at fault . "
Perhaps it was because he had returned to the safety of civilization, Matt subconsciously revealed his merchant side .
"If I knew that such thing would happen, I would never have done it . Sigh, but now it's already too late . It was thanks to both of you that I can sit here and not become the dinner of those terrible beasts in the forest . "
He stopped talking and showed a rare sincere smile . He reached out his hand and took out two purses .
"This is the reward for both of you . Ms . Lize, thank you for saving my life for several times . If it was not because of you, I am afraid that I wouldn't be sitting in front of you now . "
"No no no . This is what I am supposed to do . After all, we have taken your money . . . "
Looking at the purse, Lize hurriedly stood up and shook her head vigorously . But Matt was an old slippery fellow . He did not wait for Lize to finish her sentence . Then, he turned around and look at Rhode .
"Mr . Rhode, especially you . . . Frankly, if not because of you, the both of us would not be able to escape from Twilight Forest . I know that for high noble like you, this amount of money might not mean much, But please take it as a token of our gratitude . "
"You don't have to be so polite, Mr . Matt . "
Rhode looked at the purse but did not reach out and take it .
"You have also saved my life . If you did not order to stop the boat, I am afraid I'd long be residing inside a beast stomach . So about the money . . . I think you can take it back . . "
"This…"
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Matt felt a bit awkward . It was alright if it was just Lize . But against Rhode, he could not merely wave it away . In fact, this money was not only for repayment for service and gratitude . Instead, he wanted to increase their relationship with each other . Even though Matt wanted Rhode to accept, but he did not dare to force him since it might cause Rhode to be dissatisfied with him . As a merchant, he had dealt with a lot of nobles before, so he knew that nobles truly regarded their reputation, dignity, and position - especially the very talented young ones . Their self-esteem was high and some of them were even eccentric . Thus, he did not dare to force him like what he did to Lize . He revealed an embarrassed smile before taking out a small silver badge .
"Since Mr . Rhode said so, then I will no longer force you . But I hope you accept this badge . This is a keepsake from the Silver Libra Merchant Guild . Although our guild is not powerful in the Dragon Soul Continent . But it can be considered quite prominent . If you need my help in the future, please do tell me and I will do my best . "
This time, Rhode did not refuse Matt good intention . In fact, he had been waiting for it .
Rhode understood how these merchants usually think . In their opinion, money was above all else . Including their own life . The reason he took out the money was only to repay his life-saving grace . But he knew that after he took the money, they would be on even grounds .
This was not what Rhode wanted to achieve . He had his own goal, and to accomplish this goal, he would need some help . Matt's Merchant Guild was of course not some large organization . But since it was a merchant guild, it had important information between the trade network that Rhode could not acquire by himself . After considering for a moment, it was more beneficial to his future to let them owe something to him right now .
Matt, of course, did not think that Rhode would think like this . His mind was filled with the preconceived notion that Rhode was a high noble with a strong family backing . For people like Rhode, why would he even try to curry favor with a small fry like him? It was Matt that should try to curry favor with Rhode instead .
This was a beautiful misunderstanding .
Of course, Rhode did not mind allowing this misunderstanding continue .
After that, the three people began to chat about some boring topics and then discussed the current plan . What made Matt glad was because Rhode and Lize also planned to travel to Deep Stone City . It wasn't strange for her to go there because her mercenary group establishment's home was in Deep Stone City . This was one of the reasons why Carter took the job to escort Matt because they headed for the same location . But Matt was surprised with Rhode's decision . When he heard that Rhode joined Lize's mercenary group, he was shocked and speechless for a moment .
It was not as if Matt did not understand Lize's situation . Choosing a mercenary group was not his business, but he was still puzzled why would he join a declining group . However, it was not something he should worry about since he had already given enough money to her . As a cleric, she would face no problem with moving to another mercenary group . If she still had nowhere to go, then he would gladly welcome her to his guild . Since her profession was highly sought after, it was not a bad thing for Matt to accept her .
But he never thought that this soft, weak, timid girl actually planned to settle everything by herself!
That would be a challenging and dangerous thing to do .
Matt wanted to give her some advice, but seeing Rhode beside her, he did not dare to say much . In his point of view, Rhode was joining the mercenary group for fun . Since he had the power, money, and status, it was completely different with an ordinary mercenary .
Perhaps . . . maybe it was also because of Lize? Taking a closer look, she is quite cute and pretty…
Of course, Matt did not dare to voice out his thoughts . Since he was an outsider, he had no reason or position to pry into Rhode's personal matters . That was why he only reminded her to seek him if she encountered any difficulties . If saving her mercenary group was something in his power, he would definitely try to help . After all, many things had happened and he concluded that befriending her wasn't a bad idea .
After having their breakfast, they decided their next goal . Matt and Lize went their separate ways . Matt searched for a carriage to Deep Stone City while Lize prepped the supplies for the three of them . It was different from the time in the Twilight Forest; now they could make proper preparation .
Both of them were busy doing their own things, and only Rhode was idle . Even though Lize told him to have a good rest, but apparently Rhode did not intend to do that . After he finished his meal, he went out for a stroll .
Walking in the quiet town, looking at the scenery before him, Rhode could not help but feel a hint of warmth in his heart . In the game, this place was a newbie gathering ground . The bustling of adventurers could be seen everywhere . They were either shouting for party quests or was selling equipment . Based on Rhode's memories, this town was actually very lively and crowded . But now without the players, all that was left was a quiet and serene town .
But soon, that silence was broken .
The noise came from the corner of the street . Rhode looked up and saw the roadside carriage . Four people were in a fierce quarrel . One of them was a young man wearing beautiful clothes with two swordsman dressing like guards standing in front of him . The other was no one else but Matt . He just left the hotel not long ago .
What happened?
Rhode frowned and then walked towards the four .
"Don't you think that you are something just by having some stinky money . Our Lord was giving you face!"
"That's right; you are just a merchant . Don't be shameless!"
"Bullsh*t . What Lord? Just a third-rate aristocrat, you think us merchants are good to bully?"
"Hey, you dead fatty . I think you are tired of living!!"
The quarrel was getting heated . Rhode did not make a sound, he looked around and patted Matt's shoulder .
"What's the matter? Mr . Matt?"
"Who is it? Even if you look for help . . . Ah !! Mr . Rhode!"
Matt who was busily swearing finally turned his head around and saw Rhode . His expression immediately changed from the Siberian blizzard into a tropical rainforest sunshine .
"You came in the right moment . . . "
Indeed, he deserved to be a merchant . After seeing Rhode, Matt's attitude immediately changed 180 degrees . His expression right now was different with that domineering fatty from before . But Matt obviously knew the current problem . He did not wait for Rhode to ask and blurted out everything that happened in a flash .
The matter wasn't complicated . It was just that after leaving the hotel, Matt quickly found a carriage . He successfully negotiated the price and the other side also agreed . When Matt was about to leave, three men suddenly appeared and said that they also wanted to rent the carriage . Because they were very arrogant, it caused Matt to be angry . Originally, Matt would approach the matter peacefully . But because he had bad luck for these days and even lost a shipment of goods, his mood was already awful . Now that someone provoked him, he just flared up .
Riverwood Town was just a small town . It only had one carriage . Matt wanted to leave a good impression on Rhode, so he did not want to give up the transport . But the other side also seemed urgent . They would not give in no matter what . Even the two impatient guards began to resort to force . They thought that by revealing their swords, the merchant would immediately concede . But they never expected that it would make the merchant even angrier .
I have seen wild wolves, wild ghosts, and other scarier monsters in these few days . Why would I be afraid of two small guards?
In the end, both sides were in a stalemate . No one refused to give up .
So that was it .
After listening to Matt about what happened, Rhode nodded, indicating that he understood .
But all of a sudden, one of the guards unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards Rhode .
"Who are you?! You dare to poke in our business?!"