volume 3 - Chapter c264 (1/2)

The Payable Price

“I never heard of any incidents where the Merfolk appeared alongside the Nagas. May I know the reason why?” Brendel asked as he stood by the side of the boat.

“That’s unrelated to you, Human!” Before Sani could speak up, the woman next to him coldly glared at him. She had a pair of slim arms, her body slim and looked really similar to a human girl. It was clear that she was not a Naga, but an authentic Merfolk.

Looks like she’s p.i.s.sed off now.

The Merfolk were originally peaceful creatures, and never partic.i.p.ated in any cases or robbery. If it was not for them facing a dire situation, they would definitely not break that code and appear here. It made her angry at the fact that the human used a straight face to ask that question. That guy is really dumb! I just hope there won’t be any rumors suggesting that we’re pirates now as well.

“Seems like you all are facing some troubles,” Brendel said with him keen perception.

“What are you suggesting?” Sani said with his brows arched.

“I was just wondering if I could help with anything.” Brendel curiously asked.

Sani hesitated for a moment, and was a little shocked. But as he did, Brendel realized that just how much trouble they were in to think so deeply about this matter. Normally, they would just decline straight off the bat. Brendel racked his brain to find a big event that happened in the s.h.i.+ning Sea back in the game, and could faintly recall the “West Ocean Battle”. But that happened way before the War of the Black Roses and the Battle only had a few forum discussions even till the end of the first volume.

This was a fight that happened on the borders of Aouine, beyond the involvement of the players and their battles.

Brendel thought for a moment and asked before the other got a chance to say anything, “How about this? We’re merchants. Our s.h.i.+p is mostly filled with cargo. If there’s something you all need, we can discuss business. I promise you that it won’t hurt your reputation.”

Even James could see that he was trying to curry the favor of the Grey Fins’ commander. However, he had another question in mind. The Grey Fins were an infamous troupe of pirates. It was unclear whether or not they could be trusted and, besides that, they were not even the strongest group in the s.h.i.+ning Sea.

“You’re right,” the mermaid spoke up. Her voice was melodious, like she was singing. However, the words were also laced with poison, “Didn’t you say we’re pirates? So what if we wanted everything on your s.h.i.+p, would you agree?”

She glared at Brendel as she completed her sentence. If he doesn’t comply, I will have to mock him till he does. But if he did… Seems like I may have to come up and meet him myself. But merchants are greedy, and they will probably come up with an excuse to decline.

However, she did not expect Brendel’s reply, “It’s not like that is impossible. We can come down to an agreement. I’m sure of it.”

The mermaid’s eyes widened, “Human! Aren’t you trying to make business? Is there anyone that does it like you?”

She was sure Brendel was amused with everything that happened right now, and could not help but ask.

“I heard that the battle among the Nagas is getting intense as of now. There’s a system in the wars of humans. If I put out money and invest in you to win this war, and if you so coincidentally win, you give us a cut from the spoils. And even if you lose, I will only lose my goods, but I still earned a favor from you. That’s a win-win situation for me, so why won’t I do it?”

Hearing him say that, the mermaid got wary. She arched her eyebrows and asked, “How do you know that we’re fighting a war?”

“He’s bluffing,” Sani sighed. He may be clumsy, but he was not stupid. The term ‘dork’ was just something Brendel and his friends from the game nicknamed him for that clumsiness. He pulled the mermaid to his back, afraid that she would expose everything to the human. I’ve never heard of such good terms in business. He must have something else to gain in this.

The mermaid soon came to her senses, and, between gritted teeth, glared at Brendel. I’ve never seen such a cunning human before. As they said, humans are devious creatures. Seems like it’s true!

The people behind Brendel was trying to suppress their laughter. Especially Carglise who realized at the moment that his Lord is really crafty. I heard that his fiancee is really good at managing finances and was a first-rate merchant. Seems like the two of them are really similar after all!

Amandina tried to warn, “My Lord…”

Brendel just nodded his head to tell her not to worry. She must be uneasy that we’ll be losing out in this deal. It is not a big matter to lose the cargo on the s.h.i.+p, but it will be a problem for me if I indeed agree to invest in this war.

Of course, he was just saying all that for fun. He knew that in the future, although they did not manage to unite the sea creatures, they were still alive even tens of years later. It just meant that they must have either won the war, or did not lose that badly.

Plus, even if he wanted to invest, Sani and the leader of the Grey Fins would definitely disagree. After all, she should be smart enough to know that nothing is free in this world.

“Alright,” Sani finally thought it through. “Do you have medicine on your s.h.i.+p?”

“Medicine? You have injured men?” Brendel received a hint in the sentence. There was no shortage of medicinal materials in the seas, but the Nagas lacked the alchemists to create them. It must only mean that they have a large number of casualties, and it would explain their use in Demon Whales and Mermaids. He immediately thought of the death of the queen in three years time.Maybe she died of an injury too serious rather than a sickness…

The queen was someone who awakened her Elemental Powers, and it was totally plausible for her to hold out for three years. The more Brendel thought about it, the more he felt his guesses were on point.