"I'm back!"

Pater, or rather the kid, shouted as he burst through the doors that I just opened, nearly crashing into me in his excitement.

'It seems that he's okay,' I thought as I turned to the side to allow the kid to pass… before focusing my eyes on the actual person the appearance of which I myself was pretty excited about.

The man that my younger brother dragged all the way to this desolate part of the docks was no one else but Ka'Lahr, the man whom the other, low-level clerk wrote a recommendation letter for.

"It looks like our piggy bank has just arrived," I muttered to myself in a voice silent enough not to reach the man who still had to cover some distance before he would reach the Inn's entrance.

After all, for a high-ranking clerk of the Imperial Express like him, it would be pretty unbecoming to just rush up ahead like the kid did.

"Piggy bank?" Nay muttered in a questioning voice as she gazed up at my face from just a bit lower point of view warranted by her delicate frame. Yet, as she quickly turned her attention off me and towards the approaching clerk, I didn't really feel pressured to elaborate.

"Good day to you, young sir," the clerk spoke in an extremely polite manner, clearly struggling not to let it show on his face what he thought about visiting such a low-end place.

Still, he kept up the appearances as he bowed before raising his eyes, quickly glancing at Nay before turning his eyes to me.

"How may I be of service to you, young master?"

'I have no idea what rank he is, but shouldn't he be able to sense that Nay is stronger than me?' I thought, puzzled by how the man figured out who he was supposed to talk to.

In this world where the imperial blessing that provided one with ranks was everything, there should be no way for such blatant chauvinism!

Still, this was something for me to consider at a later date. Right now, the sooner I got everything moving in the right direction, the greater our chances would be at escaping this damned town and Imperial Influence with it!

"It's really a simple matter," I replied as I reached out under my clothes before pulling out the formerly worthless slip of paper that finally regained its true value.

The clerk glanced over at the bill of promise… And then, his face changed.

The slight suspicion that lingered at the bottom of his eyes, the hint of disgust and annoyance that I could formerly see in his face… They all disappeared, replaced by endless and shameless servitude.

"First, don't take the number on it all that seriously. I believe I've thrown away roughly a hundred imperials in just the last two days," I claimed.

Just like I prepared the lines for the kid to speak when he would visit the Imperial Express, I wasn't going into the meeting with this high-ranking clerk without lines for myself.

And boasting over how wasteful I was about my fortune appeared to be simply the best way to attract the real attention of the clerk.

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After all, what could make him happier than a customer that didn't care about how much he was spending? And if my guess was correct, for every imperial that this man would help me spend, he would likely receive a cut in the form of a commission.

'Just like I hoped,' I thought when the clerk's eyes flashed a little.

And from the rustling that I heard coming from behind my back, the captain I was dealing with finally understood the situation.

"I've heard you are sending off one of my juniors for a journey," the clerk then mentioned, his face turning all serious.

Hearing those words, my lips inevitably formed a small smile as I glanced over at the kid, only to see him gently nod his head.

This was the most expensive yet also the most important part of our plans. With how our pursuers were sure to set up an ambush in the Express branch and how they were extremely likely to interrogate anyone they considered likely to interact with me… Neither the clerk from before nor the high-ranking clerk that stood before me right now could return to the branch anytime soon.

And having the man himself bring it up pretty much pointed me out to what would be the main topic of our negotiations.

"That's right," I confirmed the clerk's assumption before crossing my arms on my chest and putting a mysterious smile on my lips. "When it comes to conducting business with new inventions, leaving the traces for others to follow is the greatest mistake possible."

I turned around and took a few steps away, only to then stand still, lock my hands behind my back and stare up, as if trying to gaze at the stars despite the roof of the inn blocking my sight… or how the raising sun was soon to reach its lowest point on the sky, which in this weird world, strangely meant the very middle of the day.

"And I don't think I need to mention how new discoveries can be monopolized by their inventor for only…" I put a small smile on my face, "a very short amount of time?"

I laughed out loud before turning around and looking at the high-ranking clerk once again.

"And that's why I'm willing to throw gold into the drain, as long as it buys me even just one or two more weeks before anyone will be able to either figure out or outright steal my new recipe."

Ka'Lahr squinted his eyes, clearly intrigued by the pile of bullshit I defecated from my mouth and fed directly into his brain.

'I might not like lying all that much, but this is one of the times when I can't really avoid doing so.'

For a man who lived his life by operating on money, I had no other choice but to provide a valid reason for how weird my requests would be. An explanation that would make him slap his own face as the understanding would dawn on him.

Ka'Lahr took a moment to think about the matter before heaving a deep sigh and shaking his head a little. He then raised his hands and slapped his cheeks before shaking his head again.

"And that's why you are sending my junior out for a long journey?" he asked while refocusing his eyes on my face once again.

"Not at all," I smiled widely while shaking my head in denial. "To be perfectly honest, he's but a decoy I threw some imperials at to validate his role," I explained while shrugging my shoulders and acting as if I stood nothing to lose by being honest right now. "But while he will be leaving to somewhere where my competition expects me to arrive, I will have you come along on my next trip."

This was the hardest part of the negotiations.

Contrary to how I could convince a low-rank clerk with just a fewteen imperials to leave the city, doing the same with a high-ranking clerk…

While not impossible, it would likely come at a much greater cost.

"That's…" Ka'Lahr hesitated when he finally realized that if he were to go along with my proposition, he wouldn't even be able to say his farewells before leaving the city.

"I will be honest. I'm not going to just throw imperials at your feet… But I'm willing to make it more than just worth your time."

The clerk squinted his eyes as he took a step forward, once again peering into my soul through the windows of my eyes.

"And what exactly do you want me to do while making it worth my time?"

My lips trembled, only to turn into an even wider smile.

"First, I need you to pay those gentlemen for their services. I also need you to gather the supplies I've listed on this note," I pulled out a piece of paper and passed it over to the man. "I need them on the ship in three hours. And then, since you will be aware of what ingredients my new recipe uses, I will have you accompany us to our real destination!"