Li Ya crossed her legs with practiced ease on the chair.
She took a sip from her coffee cup, her mind already running through negotiation strategies.
Probe first, then dangle the bait, and finally seize the initiative.
She had used this routine countless times and never failed.
Everyone has a weakness; find it, and you can control them.
But now, as she looked at the man across from her—leaning back in his chair, staring blankly at the fireplace—she felt for the first time that her routine might not work so well.
This person, she couldn’t read at all.
Li Ya set down her coffee cup and leaned forward slightly, slipping into negotiation mode.
“Mr. Rex,” she said, her tone steady and confident, “Back at Wangfeng Fortress, those shipments from Aldo made it through safely thanks to your help. The Merchant Guild owes you one.”
Rex lounged casually in his chair, his gaze fixed on the dancing flames in the fireplace, not looking at her.
“Aldo already paid. So there’s no debt.”
“But that was a small sum,” she said, deliberately softening her voice, as if mentioning something trivial.
“What you did is worth far more.”
“I’m worth market price, fair and square.”
The corner of Li Ya’s mouth twitched, but she kept her smile intact.
She couldn’t break character—this was only the beginning.
“…Do you always talk this directly?”
“Beating around the bush is too tiring.”
Rex finally turned to glance at her, his expression flat.
“I don’t like it.”
Li Ya’s face remained still, but her mind was racing.
‘Judging by his demeanor… he really doesn’t seem to care about anything. Not who I am, not why I’m here, not even the favors or rewards I’m dangling.’
She set down her cup and decided to switch tactics.
Since probing didn’t work, she would showcase her value.
“Mr. Rex, you’ve certainly heard of the Granchester Chamber of Commerce. But you might not fully grasp our strength.”
She slowed her speech, emphasizing each word.
“Our transport routes cover the entire continent. We can provide any goods you need. We have close trade ties with over a dozen nations. Countless caravans line up hoping to partner with us.”
“Mm.”
Rex nodded.
“I’ve heard about it for a long time. Impressive.”
Li Ya waited…
And waited…
But no follow-up came.
“…Don’t you have anything else to say?”
She finally blurted out.
“About what?”
“Like, asking what benefits I can bring you?”
Rex seemed to seriously ponder the question, then countered, “What do you want?”
Li Ya found herself outmaneuvered.
Her carefully laid plans were completely disrupted.
She had intended to showcase her power, spark his interest, then lay out terms and gradually seize control.
But this man refused to take the bait, instead tossing the ball back into her court.
Taking a deep breath, Li Ya decided to stop circling.
“I’ll be direct, Mr. Rex.”
Her tone turned crisp and decisive.
“I had my people investigate you from top to bottom. I know who you are, and how you ended up here.”
She paused, meeting his gaze directly.
“And you’re short on money right now, aren’t you?”
The moment those words left her mouth, Li Ya sensed something shift in the room.
Not from Rex.
But from the maid behind him.
Hilda stood one step behind Rex, quiet and motionless like an exquisite doll since Li Ya had entered.
But now, Li Ya could feel her gaze settle on her.
It wasn’t hostility…
It was scrutiny.
Like she was assessing someone potentially dangerous, or weighing the truth of every word she said.
The feeling grew especially intense after Li Ya’s last sentence.
Rex finally looked at Li Ya.
His expression remained unchanged, but his tone carried a hint of seriousness.
“I’ll admit that,” he said.
“Right now, I do need a substantial financial backing.”
Hearing this, the corner of Li Ya’s mouth curled slightly.
She instantly understood what Rex truly wanted.
The rundown ancient castle and the simple furnishings proved he wasn’t greedy for money.
There was no hint of lust for power here either.
He didn’t seem to care about women—the maid beside him was unrealistically beautiful, yet he looked at her the same way he looked at that rye seedling.
This only earned Li Ya’s respect.
So what did he care about?
Li Ya thought back to what she saw on her way here—plowed fields, half-repaired waterwheels, sprouts emerging from the ridges.
He seemed to want to rebuild everything here.
“It seems you wish to develop your own territory, my lord.”
Li Ya leaned back in her chair, radiating confidence, making it clear she had seen through him.
“But you’re currently struggling without enough manpower, supplies, or trade routes. How long would it take to rely solely on farming and caravan trade to make money?”
Rex glanced at her.
“You care about my territory?”
“No, Mr. Rex.”
Li Ya shook her head, a smile tinged with merchant-like shrewdness.
“I’m proposing a deal.”
“What do you want from me?”
Li Ya smiled slightly.
Now, the initiative was back in her hands.
“I want to know,” she said slowly, “what happened during those five years you were missing. Why did you go from a prodigy everyone admired to someone willing to be called a ‘waste’ by those in the Empire Capital?”
Rex looked at her without speaking.
“Then I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you.”
His voice was calm, but his tone carried an unyielding distance.
“Why would I tell someone I’ve known for less than an hour about these things? Besides, you’ve already investigated me, haven’t you?”
Li Ya wasn’t fazed.
She hadn’t expected him to confess outright.
That statement was just a probe—testing where his boundaries lay.
Now she knew: those five years were off-limits.
“Fine, I won’t pry.”
Li Ya stood up, walked around the table, and came directly before him.
She crossed her arms and looked down at him.
“Aldo said you single-handedly dealt with over thirty bandits and killed two giant bears with one sword strike.”
Her gaze locked onto his face.
“I believe you have that ability. I need your help with something.”
Rex looked up at her.
“What?”
“There’s someone within the Chamber feeding information to outsiders.”
Li Ya’s tone became sharp and direct, abandoning all pretense.
“I need someone outside the system to help me figure out who.”
“So you found me through Aldo.”
“Exactly.”
Li Ya nodded.
“I can see you’re a sharp man, and since you’re not part of my Chamber’s structure, you won’t be targeted by the mole. Just help me clear this up.”
She paused, lowering her voice as if making a weighty promise.
“In return, I can provide everything you need. Manpower, supplies, trade routes. I can send people to help you build roads, cultivate farmland, even tap into all the potential resources hidden here in the North.”
She finished, didn’t return to her seat, but walked straight to the door.
At the threshold, she stopped and turned back to glance at Rex.
“Think it over carefully, Mr. Rex.”
The corner of her mouth curled with characteristic confidence.
“I think you’ll have an answer soon enough.”
Then she left.
The castle fell silent.
Rex sat in his chair with his eyes lightly closed, as if truly pondering.
Hilda approached silently.
“Will you accept her offer, my lord?”
“Accepting it won’t hurt, will it?”
He set down his cup, his gaze falling on the pitch-black night outside the window.
“And besides…”
A hint of meaning crept into Rex’s tone,
“This Chairwoman seems completely unaware of the danger she’s in right now.”
Hilda followed his gaze to the window.
The night was thick, obscuring everything.
But her ear twitched slightly.
From far away came the faint sound of stealthy movements.
“Should we intervene?”
Rex stood and stretched.
“Let’s not worry about whether this Chairwoman is worth helping. But it’s necessary to clean up a few assassins who’ve somehow appeared in my territory.”
Hilda stood silently behind him, her crimson eyes flickering in the firelight.