Arriving at the southern part of the city, the girl stood mysteriously before an inn’s entrance. She glanced around, not spotting Caius anywhere. Only then did she sigh in relief and quickly step inside.
Upon entering, she caught sight of several burly men dressed as merchants, cheerfully gathered around a table in the lobby. They were having breakfast, joking with each other, and sipping small glasses of liquor early in the morning. Olivia walked to the counter, pointed at the men, and asked the clerk,
“Are those men merchants from the north?”
“They sure look it—tall and sturdy…”
The clerk gave an awkward chuckle. Then, his eyes accidentally met the angelic face of the blue-haired girl. His thoughts shattered instantly. He froze on the spot, murmuring,
“Y-you… are you staying or dining…?”
“No need. I’m here to find someone.”
Olivia turned and strode straight to the merchants’ table. The group had been lively discussing the bustling sights of their first visit to the Imperial Capital. Unexpectedly, the blue-haired girl suddenly sat in the only empty chair. She crossed her legs, lightly lowered her hat brim, and spoke amid their bewildered stares,
“You’re from the north, right? I heard you have a batch of Han Chong Cao seeds. I’m very interested in buying them. Who’s in charge here?”
Her cool, clear voice left the men dazed. After a pause, a bearded man cleared his throat twice. He nodded, sizing Olivia up, and said,
“Your info’s sharp. I do have the Han Chong Cao seeds. Uh… little girl, let’s talk at another table.”
The bearded merchant stood up. Olivia followed him, sitting face-to-face at a different table. He glanced toward the counter, then politely asked,
“Shall I order you a coffee?”
“No. Let’s get straight to the point. I’m busy and short on time. I hope this deal goes smoothly.”
Olivia smiled slightly, but inside, she was anything but calm—she was frantic. An ominous premonition clung to her heart, especially seeing the man’s awkward expression. Sure enough, after a moment, he spoke hesitantly,
“I do have a batch of Han Chong Cao seeds, shipped from the north. Quality’s guaranteed. But… this shipment was already reserved earlier. Someone offered forty thousand denars—and paid a deposit.”
*Hssk…*
Olivia sucked in a breath. Her premonition was right. These seeds were in high demand. Luckily, she’d brought extra money… fifty thousand versus forty thousand… but was that advantage enough?
“They offered forty thousand? Fine. I… I really need this shipment, uncle~ I’ll pay fifty thousand denars. Just sell it to me! Please cancel that reservation for the other party~”
Olivia lowered her head, feigning weakness. Her almond-shaped eyes gazed pitifully at the bearded man, a look meant to evoke sympathy. But this trick rarely worked on seasoned businessmen. The man stroked his beard, putting on a troubled act. Olivia secretly gritted her teeth. *Tsk…*
She knew he wasn’t hesitating out of business integrity. For a merchant, profit was everything. His hesitation meant her offer wasn’t high enough. He seemed to be waiting… waiting…
The Bluehaired Loli gritted her teeth, just about to speak—when suddenly, loud, crude remarks erupted behind her.
“Heyheyhey! Bearded guy—yeah, you! Wow, got company? Heyheyhey, forget that! I’m here to collect the Han Chong Cao seeds I reserved earlier. C’mere, little girl, scoot over! Scoot over~! Big sister’s got urgent business with this uncle, uh…”
Accompanied by that cheerful voice, Martina—the red-haired lady knight and one of the three female leads—strode to their table. She reached out and placed a hand on Olivia’s shoulder.
The Bluehaired Loli clenched her fists, silent. After a long moment, Martina rapped hard on the small table before her, puzzled and annoyed,
“Little girl, don’t hold up big sister’s business, okay?”
“Who’re you calling ‘little girl’?”
Olivia lifted her head abruptly, icy glare fixed on Martina. The knight in light armor felt a chill run down her spine. After a pause, recognizing Olivia’s face, she gave an awkward laugh,
“Y-you’re… Olivia-senpai from yesterday?”
“Hah. Disrespectful to your senior, Martina. Still sore about yesterday’s slap? Heh. So… the ones who reserved these Han Chong Cao seeds are your group.”
Olivia snorted coldly. She knew Martina was just running errands for Caius. True to form, the red-haired knight blushed and flustered for a second, then quickly regained her composure.
Martina even smiled as she sat beside Olivia, casually dropping her bag on the table. In a calm, steady tone, she began,
“So… senpai’s here to buy Han Chong Cao seeds too? Hmph, how odd… Senpai, let me remind you: Han Chong Cao can’t be grown without serious manpower and resources. For this batch, Lord Caius personally borrowed royal farmland from Princess Rin. He spent a fortune hiring experienced technicians for round-the-clock supervision. Even then, harvest isn’t guaranteed. Senpai… you can’t manage that alone. Why be such a sucker~?”
“What’s it to you? Buying seeds doesn’t mean I’ll plant them. Can’t I just stir-fry and eat them?”
Olivia rolled her eyes, shooting back instantly. Martina blinked in bewilderment. *Huh? Stir-fry… beans?*
In the tense silence, the bearded man sensed Martina’s sarcasm and Olivia’s resentment. He waved his hands, eager to avoid more conflict. Cutting straight to the point, he declared to both women,
“Look, I’ll be blunt. Miss Martina, before you arrived, Miss Olivia here offered fifty thousand denars for the seeds. She needs them badly, and I’m stuck. How about… you let her have this batch?”
“Huh? No way! These seeds are for my master—ah, Lord Caius! He insisted we must get them. Raising the price? Fifty thousand… no, I’ll pay seventy thousand!”
