The sudden silence that fell onto the inn was fascinating. No one spoke, no one even moved as the weight of the order settled over all of us. The people at the surrounding tables stopped in shock, their gazes bouncing between the owner of the bar and our table.

Effects were even more pronounced on our table. Every occupant froze, doing their best impression of a statue, their trembling eyes the only evidence they were still alive.

Well, everyone except me. I was busy trying to decide how to react to an unexpected escalation. On one extreme, I could retaliate with my own Charisma, turning it into a battle of power and will — something that I knew to be possible, as I watched the old Knight using his meager Charisma to shield himself whenever the young noble used his wide-effect orders.

On the other side, I could act just as weak and fake the impact of Charisma working on me. I would have to choose the former between two options … but luckily, my adventure with Karak showed that I had a third choice.

That I could just defy the order … which didn't require Resilience. Especially since the Charisma behind the order wasn't particularly strong compared to the young lord.

I paused a second, like I had been struggling to throw the effect of the order, then slammed my fist onto the table. "Try that again …" I growled in anger even as the table crushed into pieces, "and you'll be busy trying to bottle your blood from the floor."

The owner's eyes widened slightly, showing my display was more than he expected, but not much that it made him collapse in panic. "My greatest apologies, my lord," he ducked his head down. "I'm too weak to control the effects of my order, and I had ashamed myself in my attempt to prevent a shameful event to happen in front of such a precious guest."

I gave him the smallest of nods, doing my best to show I was lowering myself to accept his apology. His expression tightened, but that was the only compromise he had made to his affronted pride as he tried to read me.

My choice of not using Charisma yet easily rejecting his call pushed him to the edge. Was that a deliberate choice, or I lacked the ability. If so, just who was I working for to easily insult and threaten a minor noble — he had to be, considering he dared to use Charisma in such a public venue — that easily, not afraid of consequences.

I said nothing else as I stood up, not even bothering to look at the money I left behind as I started to walk outside.

"My lord, may I please have a chance to apologize privately," he called, even as the bouncers were already dragging the other players out. Even the merchant, who was innocent, was not spared the same treatment.

I looked back at him, sighed, and nodded.

"Show our precious guest the way," he called, and a young woman, wearing a short skirt, appeared in the main room.

"Please, my lord," she said, leaning just enough to present her body in the best light. She waited for my nod to stand up straight, and walked in front of me. I followed her hips, which were swaying far too perfectly not to be a calculated effort.

Not exactly an unused practice. She brought me to a private room, one that had both a table and a bed, the intent clear, but I didn't want to play that game. "Just tell your boss to be here quickly," I said.

She retreated, and a minute later, the owner arrived. The table was filled with both food and drinks — both clearly more luxurious than what was available — but I didn't even glance at them, something that he noticed.

"My apologies about the mess, my lord. May I learn the name—" he started.

"Not yet," I cut him quickly. "Otherwise, why would I bother with all this," I said, pointing at my general attire dismissively."

"As you wish, my lord. May I interest you with anything else, maybe some other refreshments, if those are not to your liking," he added, showing his identity as a minor noble didn't prevent him from groveling now that he was convinced of my superior social position… but then, I shouldn't be too surprised. I had seen many such men in my previous life, rich people, law enforcement, and politicians, arrogant against their inferiors, yet without a hint of pride when they begged for my help to squash a scandal … or create one.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"No," I said. "I don't want to waste too much time. My mood is already ruined." I was acting smug and petulant intentionally. I had already shown that I was here for a mission, and now, I was short-sighted enough to let my pride take priority.

Rich, arrogant, representing a great power… I was forcing him to reveal his hand if he wanted to make contact. A beautiful illusion, making him think that he was the one that was under pressure, and he need to make a decision if he were to take this amazing opportunity…

Fear dancing with greed, the root of every con…

His expression solidified as he made a choice. "As you wish, my lord. Is there a way I could help you with your mission? I have contacts with the dungeon."

"Maybe," I answered, not bothering to make a big issue about it. "That depends on your capabilities. If you can help me leave this dump faster than necessary … I would be very appreciative."

"And, what do you need, my lord?"

"Information, of course. I need to know exactly what the dungeon offers, to make sure it's worth the investment."

He looked confused for a moment. "I'm sure House Maell would be happy to share that information—" he started, but I raised my hand.

"I don't need the bragging of a minor house to convince support. I need evidence, and know what exactly is available." I said. He looked suspicious, which was understandable. I had overplayed my hand a bit.

It was time to take risks. Carefully, I expanded a string of Charisma, once again taking the risk, subtly fueling his greed. For a few seconds, I stayed silent as he shuffled, but since I didn't see any sign of alarm, it went unnoticed.

The impact wasn't great, but he was already feeling greedy, and fueling it further went unnoticed, especially when I timed it with my next bomb. "My lord needs to be sure the dungeon is worth the investment. He needs to prove himself as an astute decision maker, and prove himself that he could set up a successful guild."

"And you want to make sure the dungeon is worthy to make such a bet."

"Exactly," I said, fueling his greed even further, making him salivate with the possibilities.

"And you need a more reliable report about what the dungeon could produce," he started.

"No," I answered. "I need samples, at least enough to fill a cart," I said.

"That's doable, as long as payment is sufficient—" he started, trying to sound calm, but failing.

He was already suspicious. I could have stopped here, but instead, I increased the pot. "You misunderstand me," I said. "I need a full range. Mana stones, skills … and everything that's marked for disposal."

His eyes widened as he realized the illegal nature of it. I had no idea what were the items slated for destruction, of course, but I didn't need to. I needed a lot of mana stones, and the rest was just a smoke screen. "That would be most difficult," he said.

"And, the payment would be equally impressive," I countered, fueling his greed even further. "High-quality magical weapons, restricted skill stones, maybe even some chance to contact young warriors trying to find a well-paying boss," I suggested.

"And, stat stones," he declared. "I need Strength and Vitality, a dozen each."

"A tall order," I said, but even as I said so, I smiled indulgently, like I was talking to a child that tried to bargain for chocolate bars, reinforcing the impression. "Bring me a full range of products in less than a week, and you'll receive two dozen each," I countered. "Along with a bonus of hundred weapons on top that I'll conveniently forget to mention any partner that you might or might not have…"

I saw someone broken in his eyes. His greed won.

Understandable. A great number of dungeons would soon be established, with many new guilds being established. For a long while, the weapons would be in short supply, bringing a lot of money. An enterprising noble could use that to climb — erasing whatever disgrace that left him running an inn.

It was time to deliver the final hit.

"Of course, you need to prove yourself, and I'm guessing you need me to prove myself as well," I suggested.

"Of course not, my lord, your word is —" he started, but I waved my hand, cutting him off.

"Nonsense, that's how the business is done. Tell me, can you bring a sample of ordinary mana stones tonight?"

"H-how many?" he asked.

"At least a crate," I said.

He paused. "And, the payment?" he asked.

I drew my sword, and he tensed, until I passed it to him, hilt first. His eyes widened as he took its excellent craftsmanship and its absolute lack of any adornment. A weapon that meant business.

Only natural considering I had taken it from the corpse of a magical black ops team.

While he examined it in fascination, I chuckled. "This is a sample of what you can get. For every crate of ordinary mana stones, you get a weapon … and for every banned crate, you receive three," I said. "How does it sound?"

"Sounds excellent, my lord," he gasped.

"Good, bring me a map," I said, and he dashed out of the room. When he returned, he had a very detailed map of the whole area, far better than what Zolast had. Which was a nice benefit, I supposed as I committed it to memory. "Here," I said, as I pointed to a mountain. "We're going to meet here, right at dawn? I hope that's in your capabilities," I said.

"Yes, my lord," he gasped. I stood up, leaving the sword with him. "Your weapon," he said.

I wanted to rip it off his hands, of course, but I had to be patient. "That's not my weapon, do you think I'll walk around with a garbage like that," I said. "It's just a part of my disguise." His greed burned, but just as I was about to leave, I returned and took it from his fingers. "But thanks for reminding me. I might have to deal with a monster or two while on the way."