Inside the Governor's Mansion, in a grand and elegant living room, the Governor -- a man donning a wig and a captain's hat -- was surrounded by a few men in military uniforms.
The governor looked at the bag filled with gold on the table, puzzled. "What do you mean by this?"
He glanced at Ivita, sizing him up, "Giving me such a large bag of gold at this time, are you trying to secure my protection? Although this is tempting, it's really unnecessary. If you can provide me with evidence of paying taxes at this port, or conducting large trade deals, you will naturally receive our protection."
"The Republic of Belisarius indeed worships money, but we are just in our means."
"Respecting the wealth of our clients is the same as respecting our own wealth."
He pushed the bag of gold on the table back towards Ivita, although he had not completely given up on the idea of that bag of gold.
He kept staring at Ivita.
