Hobart waited outside the Herb Shop for over half an hour before Gael finally returned. He opened the carriage door. "Gael!"
Gael, who had just gotten out of the carriage, was visibly taken aback. "Mr. Hobart?"
Hobart smiled and pointed to the coffee shop not far away. "Let me buy you a cup of coffee."
Naturally, Gael was willing to strengthen his relationship with a client. "All right, please wait a moment."
He went back into the shop to put down his box, then quickly came out and entered the coffee shop with Hobart, chatting and laughing.
This was a mid-range coffee shop, with partitions separating every table, making it very suitable for discussions.
After some small talk, Hobart finally said, "Gael, after several transactions, we can be considered friends, right?"
"Of course."
"Now I have something I'd like to ask you to help with. As a friend, I hope you won't refuse."
Gael replied cautiously, "What can I do for you?"
Hobart stopped beating around the bush. "What did Mr. Kate buy from you?"
Gael looked somewhat troubled. "Mr. Hobart, every Mysticism enthusiast likes mysteries. My Herb Shop does such good business precisely because I keep every customer's secrets."
"How about this?" Hobart said. "I'm moved by your integrity. Consider these 10 pounds in cash a reward for you."
As he spoke, he took out 10 pounds in cash and pushed them toward Gael.
At the sight of the cash, Gael visibly hesitated, but in the end, he said, "I'm sorry, but I can't sell out a customer's secrets."
Hobart put the cash away. "Your professional ethics are admirable. I won't make things difficult for you."
Gael breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his coffee for a sip.
But Hobart continued, "How about I make a guess?