"I’ve rarely heard of rmaids appearing together with Naga. I wonder what the reason is?" Brand stood by the ship’s rail and asked.
"None of your business, Human!" Before Sani’er could answer, the girl beside him imdiately glared and snapped coldly. Only then did Brand notice that this girl had only a pair of jade-like arms, her figure lithe and graceful, shaped like a Human woman; she was not a Naga, but an absolutely genuine rmaid Girl. From the look of her, she was already on the verge of being both angry and embarrassed.
The rmaid race was kind by nature and never took part in plundering rchant ships. If not for the Gray Fin clan facing a life-and-death crisis, they would never have broken their promise and appeared here. What made Jenny angry was that this young man even had the gall to ask, in all seriousness, "I’ve rarely heard of rmaids appearing together with Naga. I wonder what the reason is?" It was stupid to death. She couldn’t help grinding her teeth, afraid that if the tales here spread, the world would take the rmaids for bandits as well.
"Looks like you’ve run into so trouble yourselves." Brand replied keenly.
"What are you trying to say?" Sani’er frowned.
"I just wanted to ask if there’s anything we might be able to help with?" Brand probed.
Sani’er hesitated for a mont, seemingly a little moved, but when his expression shifted, Brand imdiately guessed that the Grey Fin Naga must have encountered so real, serious trouble. Otherwise, with the other side’s usual resolve, how could he be so hesitant? He searched his mory for major events on the Sea of Shining around this period, and vaguely recalled the legendary "West Sea War". But the "West Sea War" began even earlier than the Black Rose War, lasting from before the ga started all the way to the end of the first Chapter, and there had only been a few brief ntions of it on the forums. It was rely a war occurring on Erune’s borders, outside civilization, with almost no players involved.
Brand thought for a mont and spoke before the other could: "How about this—We’re actually rchants as well, and our ship is mostly loaded with cargo. If there’s anything you need, we can trade right here. Doing business doesn’t have to be bound by formality." He wanted to make friends with the Grey Fin Naga, and even Captain Jas could see that by now. This young captain, however, had his doubts: the other party were notorious pirates, and whether they kept their word was another matter, not to ntion that the Grey Fin Naga weren’t even the strongest force on the Sea of Shining.
"Sounds nice," the rmaid Girl spoke up again. Her voice was beautiful, almost like singing, but her words were sharp: "Didn’t you say we’re bandits? If we open our mouths and say we want the goods on your ship, will you agree or not?"
When she finished, she stared at Brand. If this fake rchant said he wouldn’t agree, she would definitely mock him for going back on his word. If he agreed, then judging from the excited sparkle in her eyes, she clearly intended to push things as far as they would go. But the rmaid Girl knew that Human rchants were always stingy and greedy; most likely he would find so excuse.
Unexpectedly, Brand didn’t even think about it before he answered directly, "It’s not out of the question."
The rmaid Girl stared in surprise, eyes wide. "Hey, Human, weren’t you talking about doing business? Who does business like you?" She was convinced Brand was just making fun of them, and couldn’t help but demand an explanation.
"I’ve heard that war between the various Naga clans has already reached a white-hot stage. On land, there’s the notion of proxy wars between countries. I put up money to invest in your war: if you erge victorious, I might be able to take a share of the profits. Even if you lose, all I’d be out is a shipload of goods, and I’d still have bought myself a favor. With a deal that’s win–win like that, why wouldn’t I make it?" Brand countered.
As soon as he said this, the rmaid Girl imdiately grew alert, raising her brows and asking, "How do you know we’re at war?"
"He’s bluffing you." Sani’er sighed. Though he was rigid, he wasn’t stupid. "Stupid Fish" was just a nickna Brand and the others had stuck on him for being inflexible. He reached out and pulled the rmaid Girl behind him, afraid that this single-track-minded Lord Witch would, in one breath, spill every last one of their secrets. He’d never heard of doing business like this—wouldn’t they be losing out horribly?
The rmaid Girl also ca to her senses at this point and couldn’t help glaring at Brand again, grinding her teeth. She had never seen anyone so infuriating. No wonder the elders of the clan always said Humans were crafty and treacherous—so it was true.
The people behind Brand all had the look of wanting to laugh but not daring to, especially Caglis. The young man increasingly felt that his Lord was unbelievably crafty. He’d heard that the Lord’s Fiancée was good at managing money, a first-rate rchant, but now it seed this was simply a family trait. Only Antitina couldn’t help reminding him, "Lord..."
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