253. Party Invite (1)
Edith.
As soon as he heard the name, negative emotions such as anger, hatred, betrayal, contempt, and disgust crossed Jane’s face.
It was only a brief moment, but it was there, and it was clear evidence that Edith and her emotions had not yet subsided.
“Hey… Are you a little surprised?”
Jane quickly adjusted her expression and emotions.
Perhaps thanks to Sisterhood’s training, his expression looked very good, but his inner emotions fluctuated and fluctuated as if it was difficult to control.
It was like a snake swaying, as if Oliver had dug up her sore spot.
Still, there was nothing. I don’t have that much time. I had to get an answer.
“Didn’t you hear from Forrest?”
“Yes······. He told me to meet him and ask him directly.”
“I think I know why.”
Oliver answered, looking at Jane’s emotions, stained with displeasure and anger. However, it seemed like a mistake.
“What do you think is the reason?”
“That is, Miss Jane is very… Is it time for me to shut up?”
Jane nodded with an angry smile.
“Yes.”
“······sorry.”
Oliver bowed his head to apologize, then shut his mouth and sipped his coffee.
It was pretty frustrating. The good news is that the coffee tastes good, right?
For a while, sipping coffee in awkward silence. Exhausted, Jane sighed and got up from her seat.
“Would you like another cup of coffee?”
“·················ogue.”
“Because I felt relieved. You can open your mouth now.”
“Then, one more drink, please.”
Oliver responds cautiously. At the sight, Jane sighed once more and went to the bar to pour another cup of coffee.
“······I’m sorry. Emotions have made me nervous before.”
Jane said as she put her coffee down in front of Oliver. Oliver shook his head.
“No, it is me. Sorry for the sudden request.”
“Can I ask why?”
Jane asked as she sat down and ruffled her hair.
Her emotions were intricately intertwined with hesitation, anger, and curiosity.
“So······. The reason I want to meet Edith. Are you talking about business? Or a request?”
“Not both. just······. To satisfy my personal curiosity.”
“Curious? what······?”
Oliver reflexively tried to answer, but the words were stuck just above his throat.
It wasn’t the time to talk yet.
“Well······. I can’t tell you yet.”
“Not yet?”
“Yes.”
At the calm but firm answer, Jane immediately closed her heart.
Even though Oliver looked soft, he knew that in some cases his wick was stronger than anyone else.
“In other words, you mean that you can answer me later?”
“Perhaps it will.”
“Uh-huh… like. I’ll be patient. But I hope you can tell me when the time comes.”
“If I can tell you, I will definitely tell you.”
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Not satisfied with it, but Jane nodded at the negotiable answer.“thanks. But will he be willing to cooperate?”
It was a pretty poignant question. Edith was one of the most eccentric people Oliver had ever seen.
When Oliver asked a question, there was little chance that he would be obediently answered.
The proof is that he did not get the answer he wanted even after talking to him at ＜Sapphire＞, a complex cultural facility in the past.
‘Of course, there are things that have changed since then…’
“It won’t be easy, but there is something worth trading.”
“Is it worth a deal?”
“Yes.”
“It’s great to have a confident attitude. That would be difficult to answer, too, would it?”
“Yeah, I’m not sure yet.”
“ha······. But, why did you come to me? I don’t want to associate with him.”
Perhaps the mental stress had reached its limit, Jane could not bear it and bowed her head to wash her face dry.
Fatigue, irritability, and feelings of sadness for Oliver lit up, but Oliver could only apologize.
“sorry. Because the only person I can ask for is you.”
“If it were Dave now, wouldn’t there be many other places to turn to for help?”
It wasn’t very wrong.
If Oliver wanted to ask someone else, perhaps Forrest would have found a way.
It would take more time and effort, though.
For now, that was Dave the fixer’s position.
Oliver was also vaguely aware of this. However, it wasn’t because she had the option of being Jane, and simply because she didn’t want to create a light for other people.
In a way, the reason is quite selfish and selfish. Oliver was aware of that too.
“sorry. I was cool Still, I would like to ask Ms. Jane a favor.”
At those words, Jane’s expression subtly changed, and her face turned slightly red.
“It’s so cowardly and rude.”
“Am I excused?”
“That’s the thing. really······.”
Jane bows her head again. But she quickly regained her composure, as she had always done. It was really respectful.
“What good? To be honest, I’m in a position where I need Dave’s help. I can’t keep fighting.”
“I don’t care.”
“Don’t say things like that too harshly.”
“ah······. I’m sorry if you were offended. We will be careful.”
“Hey, we look so stupid……. My request is for Dave to come to a party and light up his face. As an official guest at my invitation.”
“Is it a wave… tee?”
“Yeah, at the end of this month, several wealthy people from Landa are going to get together. All of our group members, including myself, will be in attendance, but I hope Dave will also come and brighten up the event. as my guest.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter, but is it okay if I go?”
“Sure. There must be a lot of people who would rather see Dave, right? By the way, Edith will also be here… It’s weird when I say it. Dave and I are like a revelation to help each other. What would you do? Come on out and I’ll set up a seat for you.”
Jane asked Oliver with her characteristic charming smile.
***
[So what did you say?]
“I said I would go.”
Oliver replied to Forrest’s voice over the communicator.
Forrest had expected it, but nevertheless responded that it was absurd.
[You just accepted it so easily?]
“Yes······. I’m also in a position to make a request, so I don’t think it’s polite to be picky… Did I make a mistake?”
[…to be honest, I didn’t make a mistake. You too, go out of a place like that. It’s time to put a face stamp on it. I just wish I had made a more careful decision.]
It was beyond the communicator, but Oliver noticed that Forrest was worried.
“sorry. It’s sudden for me too… By the way, can I ask what the party is? Miss Jane explained it to me, but I don’t really understand it.”
[It’s kind of like an investment meeting.]
Surprisingly, Forrest answered Oliver’s question right away.
If he didn’t expect Oliver to ask such a question, it was that he knew all the big events.
The former was absurd, but the latter was also quite absurd.
Landa was a city big enough to be called a city-state, and there were so many people, events, and parties for that size.
Even if he could see through only the big ones, it was truly shocking.
“An investment meeting?”
[Yeah, Landa is a place that fluctuates because of the abundance of money, so everyone with extra money is interested in investing. Bonds, foreign exchange, stocks… Do you know what it is?]
“Aren’t bonds, documents of borrowing issued by the government or corporations to raise funds, foreign exchange is a bill of exchange for foreign transactions, and stocks are certificates of ownership of the company for the amount invested? ”
[That’s right. Isn’t that great?]
“I read it in a book. That’s where I learned not to put all my eggs in one basket. I think that’s the wrong word.”
[In the first place, stocks are not the right answer. It seems to be made up of a reasonable number, but underneath it is intertwined with human greed and madness. There is no way.]
“Oh, have you tried stocks?”
[Don’t ask, it hurts my heart… Anyway, the party that Miss Jane was talking about is probably a party to share or attract investment information. There are a lot of people in this city who are crazy about that kind of information. If what I know is correct, not only rich people, but wizards and nobles will also participate.]
“Are you a magician aristocrat?”
Oliver asked as if he was really surprised.
As Oliver knew, the wizards and the capitalists had a relationship that kept each other in check, and they had only heard of nobles, but they had never been seen in Landa.
But how about attending a party like this? didn’t feel it
[It’s not that strange. Even wizards and nobles need money after all. In a way, money can be said to be a very equal thing that binds people together.]
Oliver nodded. It was pretty convincing.
“By the way, why did I invite you?”
[As I said before, you are now known as the captain of the Fighter Crew and an ally of the Crime Firm. In this city, force is both attractive and competitive. It’s not really weird.]
“Do you not talk much with the fighter crew at the Crime Firm? You would be offended.”
[Well······. Not necessarily.]
“Yes?”
Oliver felt awkward. It’s like hiding something.
[Let’s start with the story we talked about… The important thing is that your presence is not particularly strange or bad. Even people who don’t hire good solvers keep an eye on good solvers. You never know when or where you will need it.]
“Oh, yes…”
[The reason Miss Jane invited you is probably because she wants to show off her friendship with you… I heard there are rumors that you and I are friends with you and joined the Sisterhood group. Go to the party, hang out in moderation and come back. However, do not mention the specific relationship.]
“A specific relationship?”
[Some secrets were shared, or a romantic relationship or something like that. It’s a space where bluffs and illusions take up half of it, so it’s not good to show a specific relationship in many ways… I’m sure you’re not dating Miss Jane, are you?]
“Yes, no. Why is everyone asking that?”
[Or okay. Don’t worry about all kinds of rumors going around in this city.]
“Yes, I understand······. By any chance, Forrest-sama, do you have any plans to attend?”
[No. There is no place for me.]
“That’s unfortunate.”
[It’s sad to hear such a story from a man… Jokes up to this point, and since you have some time, prepare so that you can come and go. Seeing people’s faces there can be an important asset. When the ransom increases, you have to be able to see the whole game beyond just doing your job well.]
“You said that only then you can protect yourself without being taken advantage of.”
[I’m glad you remember. Come on, stop communication. Let me hear you before the party. I want to serve you a meal.]
“Yes, I will visit you as soon as the circumstances allow.”
Oliver said goodbye and turned off the communication device.
As the call ended, silence quickly drifted over the basement of a house in District L.
Evidence of good sound insulation.
Oliver returned to his work and asked, looking down at the Tombstone-Batori.
“Child. how about it? Can I use it?”
“Kyaa!”
Child stumbled and stood up on his two legs as he adjusted to the new corpse doll-Batori.
“That’s fortunate. It was my first time with a female invoice doll, so I thought I couldn’t handle it. So, shall we go straight to acclimatization training? There are so many things to experiment with.”