Aron reached Coffee Express 10 minutes early.
He expected the cafe to be bustling with customers, since it was rush hour, however, he was surprised when he noticed it was empty. He walked inside to make sure the shop was still open.
Inside, he observed that all the tables were empty except for the one reserved for his appointment with the representative from All Stars. He wondered whether the guild had booked the whole shop for his meeting. It was possible. After all, he was talking about the second highest ranked guild in America.
Aron walked to the table, trying to exhibit his best possible decorum, but as he neared the table his mouth opened in surprise. Sitting on the table, was the girl he saved in the dark alley from the gangsters.
Thinking she was an employee of All Stars, Aron sat down and prepared to talk, but her introduction stopped him midway.
"Hello, I'm Allisa Smith, aka the Alchemist. I'm the 9th ranked Awakener from America and the leader of the All Stars Guild."
Aron was confused and thought she was joking.
However, as if reading his mind, Alissa answered, "The time when I was confronted by the gangsters, I didn't have potions on hand. So, I wasn't able to deal with them. I am very grateful for you, risking your life, in order to save me."
Aron was dumbfounded. Of course, everyone had heard about the Alchemist, however, only a few people had ever seen him or her even once. People weren't even sure if the Alchemist was a man or a woman. Only the highest authorities in the world new the true identity of the Alchemist. After all, the Alchemist worked behind the scenes and brewed potions for all the nations around the world.
Aron was still hesitant about Alissa being the Alchemist. He thought she might have just come to thank him for saving her, and for some reason, she was trying to playing a prank on him. The call from the All Stars Guild might have also been part of her trick.
But, then, Alissa took out her Adventurer ID and showed it to him.
On it, were displayed the name, Alissa Smith, along with the nickname, "The Alchemist".
Aron was awestruck. He trembled, as he found out that one of the most important figures in the world was sitting before him.
Trying to ease up the mood, Alissa asked Aron if he wanted a cup of coffee.
Aron stuttered and finally managed to say, "N-no thank you. I'm okay with a cup of water." Actually, all he needed was a potion that could help him swallow the lump of information he was just given. But, that wasn't something that existed. Maybe it did, but he couldn't just ask Alissa, one of the richest people in the world, to make it for him.
The whole time while Alissa was talking to Aron, she was overflowing with excitement, however, she did her best to keep herself calm. She decided to put on her poker face, which she usually wore during business deals.
Aron, intimidated by her cold expression, trembled even more.
Alissa sensed this and tried to make Aron comfortable. She gently said, "Please be casual with me and talk to me normally. I like living as an ordinary person in society. That is also the reason why I don't have bodyguards following me. I don't like flaunting my wealth."
Aron wondered. If she flaunted her wealth, what would happen? Instead of renting a cafe, would she rent the whole city?
However, soothed by her gentle voice, Aron realized that the seemingly cold woman before him, was actually a kind girl who just wasn't good at expressing her emotions.
Then Alissa, returning back to her cold demeanor, asked, "Shall we start discussing the terms of our contract?"