Johan, who was laying all the time on the couch, sat up properly to face the Duke before him. He spoke no word but his expression showed he was waiting for Rivan to speak.
Seeing the merchant giving him full attention, Rivan begun speaking.
"A deal or a trade. I'll leave that to your side to name."
Siva raised his eyebrows with a questioning look. Despite the similarities between a 'deal' and a 'trade' as they were both with profits for both sides, they were two different things.
A 'trade' is an exchange of materialistic items while a 'deal' can include further more offers.
'Either way it seems like he wants something we have. If it could be a trade then he's looking for a materialistic item. As for the exchange, it's up to our side to decide, huh.'
Siva thought before looking at the merchant beside him. He guessed that Johan have already understood the meaning behind the Duke's words.
When his eyes landed on the blond merchant, Siva held back the curse threatening to spit from the edge of his tongue.
'...This bastard merchant...!!'
Looking at Johan, the obvious excitement and interest beamed on every part of his face. There was even a wide smile that turned his glimmering aqua blue eyes into a crescent moon.
It was as if the cold gaze that the merchant landed on Rivan was nothing but an illusion to never be seen anymore.
Siva frowned his eyebrows deeply as he noticed one more thing. Johan have abandoned his pipe. It was Johan's companion ever since the start of the conversation. Siva knew the merchant loved to breath some smokes while making new trades. However, the item have been long placed on the table between them and the Duke as Johan have poured his whole attention on the latter.
Siva wanted to sigh deeply. The one before him is no longer the Consultant and Merchant of the underworld and the could even be considered its king, Johan Lauzin. This was just a stupid merchant who have been baited into a new thing.
Siva was absolutely sure that Johan wanted something.
'What on earth would he want from a zombie suspicious Duke?!'
"Speak."
Said the merchant.
"I want information."
And answered the Duke.
Rivan proceeded slowly.
"I want every possible information and details regarding all of Earl Arinton's doing. Trades, deals, contracts. Anything related to the underworld."
Siva and Johan similarity blinked thrice. Did they hear that right?
"...What?"
Siva unconsciously asked for both him and Johan. He couldn't be blamed for his confusion. Even Johan was wondering whether they misheard the children's disappearance or the Earl's part wrong.
Rivan who have seen their reaction, smiled while placing his chin over his hands. Rivan lowered his voice into a hearable whisper, as he spoke with all meaning of mischievous.
"If the disappearance of a considerable number of children wouldn't leave a visible mark then..."
Rivan made sure his eyes were locked on the merchant's interested eyes as he spoke the following words.
"...The disappearance of one Earl won't matter as much, right?"
Silence. No one spoke at the striking question. As if they were handling what they heard and running it in their minds.
"Hmm."
And the first to break that continuous silence, was Johan with a thoughtful humming. The merchant decided to just speak his thoughts out boldly.
"You can't really compare the disappearance of a high class noble and an underworld merchant to a few children's."
Despite that being the bitter truth, Siva frowned. If a few children disappeared, especially from the slums, there could hardly be a commotion about it, let alone leaving a visible mark.
"Oh?"
A surprised exclamation came from someone who was quiet all time long.
Nile asked Rivan with respect.
"If I may?"
Rivan nodded. Granted the permission to speak, Nile turned to the merchant with a cold smile.
"Giving that this is an official exchange, I will assume that the information about Earl Arinton being a merchant in the underworld, a confirmed thing from Johan Lauzin, Consultant of the underworld."
The spoken words made Johan eye Nile with a similar cold look. His sharp gaze, however, turned instantly into an approving one.
'Not bad. Not anyone would step to point out a slip from the Merchant of the underworld. I guess it's not a surprise for who flipped the southwest to find me.'
Siva, on the other hand, was thinking of something quite different. Absolutely different. And it seemed like he had not the slightest plan of hiding his thought as he glared holes into Nile.
'Did he just say that in a way meaning 'Be careful of what you say'?!'
"Let's see."
Rivan spoke suddenly, catching everyone's attention.
"Earl Arinton is considered as a moderate businessman. His paper company will be inherited by one of his children and his impact on his people isn't as grate as his popular first son. The Earl could even be considered isolated.'
Replaceable.
Unwanted.
Not important.
These were the words that described Rivan's examination on the Earl.
"He~h. So you're saying his disappearance will not impact his land as his presence barely has any importance?"
Johan's words came straight to the point. Rivan smiled at that and added nothing.
Johan looked at the Duke before him blankly before asking. His voice were holding a teasing tone.
"And the underworld? Isn't Earl Arinton a dear merchant among us?"
'A test.'
Was Siva's thought. It was clearly obvious what Johan wanted form that question.
'Let's see who he will do.'
There was barely no time to pass before Rivan wore, for the first time, a pure innocent smile. His while pale skin seemed to brighten up as his face looked like an angel.
Johan widened his eyes as the young man had no longer any of the dark deadly aura and no more of the mature presence. He looked like the teenager he is with that warm smile.
However
As the young Duke spoke with his honeyed innocent voice and angelic smile,
"What are you saying Mr Johan Lauzin? The underworld doesn't exist outside, right?"
His words were not the slightest innocent.
The pair of yellowish green eyes glimmered brightly.
"Mm."
Siva shifted uncomfortably looking at the innocent smile. Somehow, he felt iffy the longer he looked at that smile. It felt like a really bad thing will occur whenever that Duke smiled 'innocently'. If he had to be honest, Siva would seriously prefer if Rivan got back to his cold aura mode.
What's even more troubling is that Rivan was at point.
Indeed, the underworld is a shared secret among its workers. You can say that there is an underworld. Anyone could spread such a rumor but how can you prove such a thing if every member of it has no plan of exposing it?
"Ha..!"
A defeated laugh came from Johan before it was followed by a rain of laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHA! You're really amusing Little Rivan!"
Johan took his time to breath and wipe the tears from the corner of his eyes. The way Rivan answered his question, playing innocent and shifting from a dark cold atmosphere to a young pure angel, almost made him choke on his laugh.
'What magic bean? I found a double edged weapon!'
Did he think before speaking.
"Fine."
Siva was surprised by his words as he looked at Johan with widened eyed. However, Siva didn't seem to protest and proceeded to solely listen.
"But..."
Johan raised the corner of his mouth slowly with every word he spoke.
"What is my exchange?"
Rivan replayed flatly as if there was no need to say more.
"A trade or a deal."
Nonetheless, Johan who was expecting such a reply had something in mind. His aqua blue eyes became darker and his voice became lower as he spoke.
"Then, I want those eyes."
He pointed at Rivan's face, precisely at his pair of eyes.
The merchant had an interested look with no mocking smile. His gaze was serious while speaking.
"This unusual yellowish green glow. They'll make a great price in the black market, don't you think?"
Siva, who was watching the merchant seriously asking for a Duke's eyes with all desires to smack his head and ask what on earth is he saying, decided to keep quiet at the moment. Johan might have not notice it but there was a deadly aura pointed at the merchant.
Ever since earlier, a different feeling from the Duke's cold aura was filling the air. The feeling that held bloody thirst for the merchant's life was coming from none other than the servant accompanying Rivan.
Siva chose to be alerted and watch Nile. He had a feeling that Johan's words have triggered something in the gray bird servant and the desire to smack Johan from the back came rushing in his mind.
Rivan who headed the absurd offer wasn't the slightest dejected. He simply leaned back into his chair, with his mouth behind his hand in a thinking position.
Johan who looked at that was frozen.
'...Seriously? He's thinking about it seriously?'
The merchant was only having too much fun which why he asked for such an absurd exchange for a wait that the Duke would give him another of his shocking replies.
But to actually consider it?
'Could it be...he has a personal grudge with that Earl and he's ready to go that far for that?'
Finally, Rivan spoke. His expression was fully serious as he answered.
"I'd consider giving you one of my eyes if you grand me the authority on 2/3 of the underworld."
"...Excuse me?"
That was all that Siva could say. Rivan, however, ignored him and waited for Johan's answer. The merchant blinked in surprise before he asked with full shock.
"You mean I can't afford both?"
'Is that what you're concerned about?!'
Is what Siva wanted to yell at Johan. Siva was having a major headache. The stupid merchant doesn't seem to hear his own ridiculous words let alone Rivan's.
Rivan answered Johan with a helpless smile and a light shrug like a merchant saying that's the price.
"...Ha!"
Johan let out a laugh like huff. His face was still full of disbelief and amusement before he covered it with his hand. Johan laughed quietly for a while.
This situation...his confident offer and Rivan's reaction. It all reminded him of his first trade when he knew nothing of trading and would occasionally scammed. He wanted to laugh and curse at the same time. This was embarrassing. He has lost to him.
This Duke is anything but a joke.
And Johan's institutions as a merchant, no as The Merchant of the underworld, told him there is an amazing opportunity before him and Johan would never dare to miss it.
Johan moved brushed his long goldenrod hair away from his face as he spoke.
"Alright, I'll give you the information you want."
Rivan has no reaction. It was as if he expected such an answer from Johan. Ever still, he waited for the price.
"However,"
Smirk.
Johan's lips formed a sharp smirk and his eyes were a crescent moon.
"I want no trade nor a deal."
For the first time since the start of the conversation, Rivan had a questioning look.
End of chapter 24