Ni Wei stood at the door, staring at His and Li Nuo Er embracing, her pupils shaking in shock.
“You!”
She pointed a trembling finger at His.
“I knew it! You really are that kind of person!”
“No… let me explain…”
His immediately sprang away from Li Nuo Er.
“Explain what?”
Ni Wei’s voice grew louder.
“I saw it with my own eyes—what else is there to explain?!”
“I…”
His glanced at Li Nuo Er beside him.
The emotionless girl was quietly sitting in a kneeling position, though pushed away, her hands still maintained the angle from when she was being held, reaching out toward His.
“Hey, Li Nuo Er, say something too…”
“I want more of Young Master His’s reward.”
Li Nuo Er said expressionlessly.
The air in the bedroom instantly froze.
“Reward?!”
Ni Wei puffed out her cheeks and demanded loudly at His.
“I’d like to hear what kind of reward requires two people embracing on a bed?”
His was about to continue explaining when he suddenly realized that he was, after all, the master here.
So he immediately put on a serious face and cleared his throat.
“Ahem, let’s set that aside first. Don’t you know you’re supposed to knock before waking me up? Right now you’ve barged into my bedroom, and I haven’t even addressed that yet.”
Ni Wei froze.
She opened her mouth to argue but couldn’t find the words for a moment.
It seemed… she really had pushed the door open without knocking.
But what did that have to do with him holding a girl in bed?
“This isn’t about knocking or not knocking, is it?!”
Ni Wei shouted defiantly.
“This is my bedroom. Do I need to report to you what I do in here?”
His simply leaned back against the headboard.
Ni Wei was stunned by his momentum.
After a brief silence, the girl abruptly turned around and ran out of His’s bedroom.
Before leaving, she made sure to slam the door shut.
His stared at the closed door and let out a long sigh.
“Li Nuo Er.”
“Young Master His.”
“From now on, if you have anything to report, wait for me in the study. Don’t come to my bedroom anymore.”
“…”
“Li Nuo Er?”
“Yes, Young Master His.”
The emotionless girl nodded.
His looked at her.
‘I have a feeling… she didn’t understand.’
‘Forget it.’
‘I’ll deal with it later.’
***
Dawn Trading Company.
Sijina stacked the last crate neatly, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and rolled her shoulders.
The girl’s gaze swept across the warehouse, and a small sense of accomplishment welled up in her heart.
Thinking back on what had happened recently, it felt like a dream.
And it was a mix of nightmare and sweet dream.
That day when Weisi came with people to collect the debt, Sijina really thought she was at the end of her rope.
But just as she was on the verge of despair, a brand-new recruitment notice posted at the street corner seemed like a helping hand from fate.
Dawn Trading Company is hiring shop assistants. Daily wage of eighty copper coins, includes one lunch.
Eighty copper coins!
That was an amount she could never earn in a whole day even if she took odd jobs at the Mercenary Guild.
Almost without hesitation, the girl went to the Steward of the trading company that very day to apply.
The Steward was a middle-aged man in his forties, speaking slowly and methodically, and when he smiled, it gave people a warm feeling.
He simply asked Sijina a few questions and agreed to let her work at the company.
Over the next few days, Sijina worked at Dawn Trading Company.
Although the tasks varied each day, they were all simple and easy to handle.
When Weisi came looking for her again, Sijina still couldn’t pay back the ten silver coins all at once, but at least she could fork over two silver coins as a partial payment.
Perhaps seeing that Sijina now had a stable job and could afford to repay the debt, this time Weisi didn’t make a fuss and readily agreed to her request to “delay a few more days.”
Half a month later, Sijina finally paid off the debt with interest, lifting a huge weight off her shoulders.
After that, she stayed on at Dawn Trading Company.
After all, working here was far better than her previous life as a mercenary.
There was a steady salary, a kind boss, and friendly colleagues.
The work atmosphere at the trading company was different from the dog-eat-dog world of mercenaries.
Here, people helped each other, shared the work, and whenever someone ran into trouble, others would lend a hand.
One day, when she was sick and asked for leave, the Steward even came to the inn to visit her, bringing food and medicine.
“Your health comes first. Don’t come back until you’re fully recovered.”
Hearing that, Sijina’s eyes reddened a little.
Since she was a child, apart from her deceased parents, no one had ever cared for her like that.
For the first time, Sijina felt she had found a place where she belonged.
Of course, there were also some odd things about the trading company.
For instance, late at night, a few carriages would deliver tightly sealed wooden crates straight to the locked room at the back of the warehouse.
Sijina once asked the Steward about it, and he casually replied that they were goods sent from headquarters for storage, telling her not to worry about it.
The girl didn’t press further.
After all, which trading company didn’t have its own connections?
And besides, everyone here had been so good to her—she had no reason to be suspicious.
***
Dawn Church, Steward’s Office.
The Steward who had recruited Sijina was now kneeling on one knee, head bowed, in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window in the office.
Before him stood a man dressed in a white robe, his face hidden by a hood.
On the robe, the emblem of the Church of Light was clearly embroidered.
“How are things going?”
An aged voice came from beneath the white robe, carrying a strong sense of authority.
“Sir, regarding the Gray Crystal you mentioned earlier…”
The Steward’s expression was conflicted.
“We’ve gone to the coordinates you provided many times, but now those mines are all assets of the Blackstone Family. Recently, their security has gotten noticeably stricter—it doesn’t look like they’re planning to seal off the mines.”
“That brat got there first, huh.”
The White Robe spoke, then turned his back to the Steward, facing the window.
“As for the Gray Crystal, continue to keep people watching as I said before. As soon as the Blackstone Family shows any intention of selling the mines, acquire them immediately.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Also, that mercenary you recently hired—do everything you can to keep her here. Find opportunities to preach to her, and if necessary, introduce her to me.”
“Sir, is this really necessary?”
“Just carry out the orders. Don’t ask too many questions.”
With that, a bright light flashed from the White Robe’s body, and he vanished from the room.