"This man…" The man stared at the portrait of Mike with furrowed brows.
"The man seems familiar. Give me some time, I will find who this person is." He took the portrait from Lia and nodded his head.
Lia took out the list of her requirements and passed it to the man making his lips twitch.
Did she not say that he would give her the project as long as he would find out about this man?
But he still nodded.
"I will make sure to fulfill all these demands when you visit us, my lady. Thank you for giving us a chance of hospitality." Lia finally smiled and explained to him what else she was looking for.
He had passed all her tests. He was ready to help but did not show greed or did not flare when she demanded more.
It was a good conversation. The man was clear about their goals and had good ideas for the future of the granary business.
"You have good contacts. I do not understand why you are selling it." The man paused, hesitated for a second when she smiled.
"I will not change my decision by your reply." she prompted. Suddenly curious why the man was selling such a good business when he had the efficiency to run it smoothly.
"There are a bunch of ruffians here." an exhausted sigh escaped his lips, "they harassed the local farmers and pastoralists. Not only that, they steal grains from the warehouses."
"And knights are not able to stop them?" she raised a brow in confusion. "Crime was never that much in our territory."
The man gave a humorless laugh at her sarcasm not minding that she did not believe his words.
"They give some of the stolen goods to the poor. Those who did not have or do not want to work. For them, those ruffians are their heroes. They would support them, help those criminals in their escape and hide them among themselves. We had tried so hard to find them.
Knights followed their trails. But we always lose them as soon as they enter the village and towns. We could not win unless local folks help us." He shook his head and picked up the cold tea from the table.
The bitter liquid matched his mood and he had no trouble in gulping it down his throat.
Her eyes deepened. Finally a serious expression, but Elyon could still feel a thrill in those eyes as if she was enjoying it.
Their whole conversation was a joke to her. Suddenly, he did not want to do business with her anymore.
"I think.." he stood up, ending the meeting. He would let his elders handle this crazy woman but he was going to warn them how she did not care about their troubles.
".. you need my help." he blinked, confused. Not really caring that she had cut him in between when she tilted her head and met his eyes with a wicked look gleaming on her face.
But when he realized he was staring at her, he flushed.
"And what kind of help did I require, my lady?" he mocked, feeling irritated now. "Do you think you can catch the criminals that can't be caught by the knights and lords?" Did she think he was joking?
His eyes darkened and that thought when she nodded. The confidence was brimming in her eyes that made him laugh.
"Either you are underestimating the knights and criminals or overestimating yourself." he shook his head, "this is no joke."
She could feel hostility in his voice but she did not mind it.
"What is there to lose? If I can catch the criminals, you can save your business and the losses you are bearing. If I can't, I will still buy your business. Not because I will feel a moral obligation. But I am impressed looking at the designs and I think I would earn a good amount from it." Elyon had never felt such anger and pride, annoyance and amazement at the same time.
The way this woman spoke, as if she could change the course of time with the snap of her fingers. But he knew not to sway with words. The reality was harsh and cold.
But as she said, he had nothing to lose.
"Alright, I will give you the details when you visit the granary tomorrow. Is there anything else you will need?" It felt like he was standing on needles. He wanted to leave and discuss this matter with his elders.
Lia nodded what the man was thinking, but she did not mind it. She accepted his departure with a smile.
When he left, she pressed the bell to call the attendant,
A young boy wearing a white shirt with a black apron over it came in. He was holding a small tray in his hands.
"Do you need anything else, my lady?" She shook her head but took out five silver coins.
"I want you to tell me about the thefts that took place recently." a young boy paused.
His eyes flickered and she could feel he wanted to be anywhere but here.
"We are not allowed to gossip with our customers my lady." he bowed his head to make sure that she did not feel irked, "more than that, I do not know about this accident. I spend most of my time here."
Lia nodded as if she was convinced by his excuse. But she took out another five silver coins.
Ten silver coins was a month's pay for a waiter like him.
"I am not asking you to tell me the names of the thieves. Of course, you did not know it. I am asking you about gossip. I could have gotten it easily if I sat on a table on the common floor instead of in this private room.
And it is not because I am a justice-driven foolish woman. I am only asking because I am thinking of buying one granary here. But I do not want to do a deal that will bring me a loss."