As Eris and Wilston settled back into their seats, an undeniable awkwardness lingered in the air.
Taylor broke the silence with a lighthearted tone, "Haha, lady, please forgive my dad. He's a bit old-fashioned and never interacts with the internet. He can't quite grasp how annoying it is to have your favorite story spoiled by some random comments."
Wilston shot his son a disapproving look, but Taylor continued to blink at him, signaling him to keep quiet. Turning to Austin, Wilston added with a laugh, "And as for this gentleman, please excuse my dad. He's a bit conservative, prefers quiet meals, and naturally isn't a fan of those who make a ruckus while eating."
Wilston stares wide-eyed at his son, clearly taken aback. Since when did he eat quietly? And what about you? Being a werewolf, eating quietly was close to impossible. It's not like they were vegetarians munching on leaves; they were chomping on meat, bones, and so on. Moreover, the louder the sounds, the more satisfaction it brought.
Although he had a lot of complaints and questions inside his mind, he kept his silence.
"I get it, but that doesn't justify him getting angry with me for no reason. I was just minding my own business, why would he suddenly come after me? But, since I'm a reasonable person, I won't push the matter any further," Austin said dismissively.
"I appreciate your understanding, sir," replied Taylor with a slight bow. He then turned to Eris and asked, "Lady, can I cut to the chase and explain the purpose of our visit here?"
"Sure," Eris said cooly.
Taylor spent what felt like ages explaining how his pack got dragged into the war against the Church's army. Their retreat was ambushed by another werewolf pack, resulting in the loss of dozens of their members. Currently, their pack was reduced to around twenty people.
As Taylor narrated the story, he emphasized a lot of unnecessary details that could easily evoke emotions from ordinary people, the kind of style most politicians used when they were doing campaigns.
For example, like, how when one of his pack's members, on the brink of death, handed him a photo of his daughter, entrusting her to him, and all that emotional stuff, bla, bla.
And then, there's the heartbreaking tale of the couple in his pack. One spouse died, leaving the other in a state of despair, and so on.
Obviously, Austin wasn't buying any of it. First, there was no way to verify the truth of these stories. Second, he always saw the father-son duo as deceitful and two-faced. When they mistook Eris for Alysia, they treated her with respect. Once they realized their mistake, they dropped the act and immediately scorned her.
After all this, why should he trust a single word that comes from the mouths of these deceptive individuals?
He'd rather believe the Earth was flat than trusting these guys.
...
"So, if I understand correctly, you wish to stay here with your pack and voluntarily become the protectors of the city, right?" Eris inquired.
"Not voluntarily, ma'am. It's a contractual arrangement," Taylor corrected.
"Contractual? Are you asking for payment?" Eris questioned.
"Yes," Taylor replied, feeling puzzled by Eris's reaction. Wasn't that the logic? He would provide his services, and in return, Eris would compensate him.
Eris gently set her cup down, crossed her fingers, and spoke with a cold tone. "Explain to me, why should I pay you?"
"Because I'm providing a service or working for you?" Taylor responded with a frown. Was she pretending, or was she genuinely stupid?
"But I don't need you. You're the one in need. Why should I pay you? You're just a refugee; you should already be grateful if I allow you and your pack to stay here. Why are you demanding payment? Is your mind even functioning properly?" Eris said sharply.
Eris's words acted as a trigger for Wilston, and he couldn't contain his frustration, slapping the table. "Insolent brat! You expect me and my pack to work for you for free? Do you see us as mere puppies?"
"Yes," surprisingly, Eris didn't mince her words and promptly responded.
"Haha, in my forty years of life, I've never been humiliated like this before. You're the first to accomplish that. Look, I didn't even know your name until now," Wilston laughed as all of his hair began to visibly grow at a rapid rate.
Eris's eyes secretly lit up watching the scene.
"Do you want revenge then? You want to beat me?" Eris spoke with a deadpan expression, but a subtle glint in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
Wilston took a moment to reflect, closing his eyes in contemplation. After a while, his transformation came to a halt. "No, I'm not foolish enough to start a fight here."
Eris's eyes dulled, as if a splash of cold water had dampened her spirits.
"Coward!" she cursed him.
"Let's go, son," Wilston stood up as if didn't hear her accusation, adjusting his suit before briskly leaving the pavilion without a backward glance. Taylor followed suit, not bothering to exchange words with Austin and Eris. Eris's unreasonable stance had left him fuming. Did she think he'd work for free? Does she think he's doing some charity?
Outside the pavilion, Taylor whispered urgently to his father, "Is it really okay for us to just leave like this, father?"
"Hmph! Then do you expect us to endure more humiliation? We should have left the moment that insolent brat informed us that bitch Alysia wouldn't be welcoming us. She could have lied and given us better excuses. But no, that brat chose to tell the worst excuse ever about Alysia preferring to watch anime. What does this mean? It means they don't really care about us at the very beginning!"
Reaching this, Wilston gritted his teeth and couldn't resist destroying some of the flowers with a sweep of his kick out of anger.
"My, my, what are you doing to my mistress's garden?" Eris chuckled coldly.
Hearing her voice, Wilston's blood began to boil once again. "You brat! Do you think there's anything I wouldn't dare do to you and your mistress?! I could easily wreak havoc on this shithole place with my pack if I wanted to."
"Then give it a shot!" Eris smiled coldly.
"What?"
"I said, give it a try. In my eyes, you and your pack are worth nothing more than ten cents." Eris declared with a cold sneer.
"Ten cents? You better give me a damn good explanation because your response is about to determine your fate," Wilston chuckled ominously as his entire body underwent a gradual transformation. His height surged to a terrifying 2.5 meters, and his fur and hair sprouted at an astonishing rate.
He had restrained himself countless times before, but with Eris continually testing his patience, this time his fury couldn't be contained. He refused to let his werewolf dignity be trampled any longer – it was time to teach Eris a lesson!
At that moment, he watched as Eris took out what appeared to be a ten-cent coin and flipped it into the sky.
His eyes naturally shifted at the hovering coin and suddenly, everything blurred, and a sharp pain shot through his cheek. Before he knew it, he felt his feet lifted off the ground, and as if being hit by a train, his massive body was forcefully pushed several meters away before crashing into the dirt.
Boom!
Ting!
Eris caught the coin effortlessly and coolly delivered with a poker face, "Ten cents. That's the value of your life in my eyes."