Chapter 41

Chapter 41

It was different from what Lorant had anticipated.

The guests who had been so pleasant and amiable during the previous open days at the Animal Pet Shop now seemed like entirely different people in this setting.

Hai Li wore an elaborate, puffy princess dress, carrying a delicate leather clutch that matched her dress, adorned with lustrous gems around her neck.

Her hair had been meticulously styled, and she even seemed to have applied some makeup.

She looked beautiful in a way Lorant had never seen before.

Hai Li followed her mother gracefully, chatting animatedally with dozens of other noble girls, occasionally covering her mouth with her hand to giggle.

This gesture was meant to show off her expensive white lace gloves to the other noble girls.

Silem had initially wanted to greet them but changed his mind and turned back.

Fortunately, the guests who had come as professionals were still easy to interact with. Silem quickly joined them, and Jaina, seeing that Lorant wasn't in the mood for socializing, introduced Silem to the knights around them one by one.

She treated him as if he were part of their family.

With such a deputy leader guiding him, Silem got to know quite a few skilled professionals.

Liszt was also invited, and the mage's relationship with Lorant had been quite good lately.

He found Lorant's occasional quirky ideas intriguing, always believing they could inspire him.

So, whenever possible, Liszt enjoyed chatting with Lorant and sharing his latest thoughts.

"Lorant, did you know that in Sakuren, the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs are currently one of the hottest topics?" Liszt sat down next to Lorant with a glass of red wine, looking mysterious.

"Hmm? You mentioned it before, didn't you? I forgot," Lorant glanced at Liszt with a strange look in his eyes, filled with a hint of pity, as if thinking, "How sad to forget things at such a young age."

Under Lorant's gaze, Liszt couldn't maintain his mysterious demeanor and twitched his lips: "No, I haven't forgotten. Okay, it's my fault; I didn't explain clearly. What I mean is, in Sakuren, the discussions about the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs have increased significantly recently."

"Oh? What happened?" Lorant asked, playing along.

Though he wasn't genuinely interested, he quickly chose between listening to Liszt's chatter and being dragged by Lancelot to entertain guests.

Liszt didn't realize he was being humored.

He glanced at the guests mingling nearby and nudged Lorant with his elbow, gesturing towards them: "Today, you invited all the guests from the Animal Pet Shop, right?"

Lorant nodded: "Yes, they're all guests from the Animal Pet Shop."

"Then, are the nine lucky individuals who bought the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs here?" Liszt raised his eyebrows and continued.

"Of course, I've been interacting with these guests quite frequently lately," Lorant nodded matter-of-factly: "They come to the Animal Pet Shop every open day, so we can say we're half-acquainted now."

"Haha, little shopkeeper, count again. Are those nine people all here?"

Lorant felt a bit puzzled but still counted as suggested.

"Huh?" Lorant looked around and indeed noticed something was off; one guest was missing: "Casey isn't here?"

Not all invited guests would attend; some might have genuine conflicts or feel the relationship wasn't close enough to warrant attendance.

However, regardless of the reason, it had been some time since the opening ceremony began. According to etiquette in this world, if someone hadn't arrived by now, they likely wouldn't come even if they were late due to a valid reason.

Missing a person wasn't unusual, but Liszt knowing one was missing was odd.

"Hmm! I knew it!" Liszt exclaimed, looking as if he had predicted it: "I bet that family will only send a servant to deliver the opening gift."

Lorant frowned slightly: "What's going on? Do you know something?"

Liszt stopped teasing and eagerly shared the gossip: "You know how the Professional Union in Sakuren has had several tasks posted to purchase Crystal Ice Flame Dogs?"

Lorant nodded; he knew more than that—the first task offering a high price to acquire a Crystal Ice Flame Dog was posted by himself.

"Of course, what about it?"

"Just two days ago, one of those tasks was suddenly completed," Liszt smiled mysteriously: "This means one of the nine lucky buyers chose to sell their purchase rights at a high price."

"That's why I was certain the buyer who sold their rights wouldn't attend the opening ceremony today," Liszt said proudly, raising his eyebrows.

"I see." Lorant thought for a moment and then laughed: "That explains why Casey came yesterday afternoon to reserve two more Crystal Ice Flame Dogs."

"He looked a bit embarrassed and left quickly. Now I understand why."

"Hmm?" Liszt was taken aback and then burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Lorant looked at the peculiar mage beside him, moving slightly away.

He had always thought Liszt was a bit eccentric; was he finally losing it?

"No, no." Liszt stopped laughing: "Actually, when I was preparing to leave yesterday, I overheard some colleagues in the Mage Tower discussing that the appeal of the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs might not be as great as everyone thought."

Lorant took a sip of purified water and said calmly: "There's nothing to discuss. The appeal of the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs isn't determined by one or two people. I think Casey's actions were quite right."

"Oh? I thought you'd be upset, feeling unappreciated," Liszt stared intently at Lorant's face, not missing any subtle expressions.

Lorant almost sneered, curling his lip: "Appreciated? What does that even mean?"

"First, I don’t feel that Casey’s actions were a sign of disrespect towards me."

"To me, anyone willing to pay for a beast pet is a qualified customer. Whether he transfers the purchase right or exercises it is his own choice."

"Moreover, didn’t you say those people offered three to four times the original price of the beast pet?"

"Faced with such temptation, if I were Casey, I would have made the same decision."

"Would you make the same choice? Why?" A gentle voice came from behind Lorant.

Lorant turned around and saw Lancelot, dressed in fine attire today, walking over with a small plate of orange fruits that tasted sweet and sour.

Lancelot walked straight to Liszt and sat down between the two, showing great interest in what Lorant had said.

Liszt was forced to move aside, looking at the eccentric count with some exasperation.

Mages are all crazy, he thought silently.

Lorant didn’t notice anything amiss; he took the 'Sun Fruit' Lancelot handed him and popped one into his mouth.

"You heard?" Lorant didn’t answer directly but asked instead.

Lancelot didn’t think there was anything wrong with eavesdropping and nodded naturally, pointing to his ears. "Don’t underestimate the ears of a Seventh-Level Knight. If I want to hear something, there’s no secret in this shop that can escape me."

Lorant raised an eyebrow. "Alright, looks like you don’t need any background information."

"This choice doesn’t seem difficult to me."

"Casey and Silem are both still trainee knights and won’t leave the Knights Academy anytime soon."

"In this situation, a beast pet of Fifth to Seventh Level strength is far beyond their capability. For him, keeping the Crystal Ice Flame Dog would be a waste of resources."

"Furthermore, Casey comes from an ordinary knight family. Although they run a small business, the Crystal Ice Flame Dog is still a considerable expense."

"But now, by making this choice, he will get two Crystal Ice Flame Dogs in nine months. One can stay with him, and the other can protect his family."

"And he earns a profit without any delay." Lorant shrugged. "For all this, he only needs to wait nine months."

"When did nine months become worth hundreds of thousands for a trainee knight?"

Lorant concluded, "If I were in his position, I would have made the same choice."

Lancelot tilted his head and looked intently at Lorant’s profile. Every time, Lorant gave him a complex impression.

This young man lived transparently and purely, unlike someone from his background.

Lancelot found it hard to pinpoint what kind of environment could produce such a complex, interesting, and talented individual.

"Second," Lorant continued, turning to look at the contemplative Liszt and smiling. "What makes you think I would care so much about being respected?"

"Don’t forget, Liszt, I’m a merchant, and a fairly successful one at that."

"For a merchant, the fear of not being respected is less than the fear of not making money."

Lorant showed a clear mocking smile, recalling something he had heard in class in his previous life.

"For a merchant, a fifty percent profit is enough to take risks."

"A hundred percent profit makes them willing to break any law."

"As for respect and importance, these things would be cast aside."

"As long as I become the most successful breeder and obtain the strongest beast pets, all respect and praise will come to me."

"Why should I care about others’ opinions? Right, Liszt?"

Liszt nodded blankly. This was the first time he had heard Lorant speak like this, and the first time he truly felt that the person sitting beside him was a self-made man who had risen through sheer ability in a short time.

Lancelot’s blue eyes were filled with the image of Lorant’s confident face.

For some reason, the ambition and shrewdness that should have been disdainful were like a poison on Lorant, drawing his gaze repeatedly.