Perhaps because the gentleman in formal attire stood so straight and carried himself with such impeccable poise, Yu Lian had initially thought he was a burly, towering man. But when the man approached, Yu Lian discovered, to his surprise, that he was more than a head shorter than himself. He was a Kaldan goblin with brownish-yellow skin, a high, sharp hooked nose, and narrow gray eyes. His thinning white hair was neatly and properly combed.
Well, by Kaldan goblin standards, he was probably quite tall for his kind.
Then the goblin stepped forward and bowed with perfect formality. "Might I ask if you are Lord Yu Lian? My name is Delo Silvervault. I have been sent by the young master to welcome you."
"But I never arranged to meet him." Yu Lian glanced at the black-cloud-and-violet crest of the Belmont family on the goblin gentleman's chest. "Is this over-the-top gangster routine a reflection of some aspect of Brother Krell's mental state?"
The goblin gave him a humble smile. "The Turanka system is the gateway to the Alliance capital. But precisely because of that, it's not as safe as one might imagine. This is to protect your safety."
Even if all of you came at me together, you wouldn't be enough to take on one of my hands. If anything happened, who'd be protecting whom? Yu Lian had really wanted to say that, but as the Kaldan goblin gentleman spoke, he had already drawn a dagger from behind his formal jacket. Yu Lian might have thought he was going to attack him with it, if the goblin hadn't suddenly dropped to his knees with a thump and started positioning the knife over his own stomach.
"If I have offended you, or if this has damaged your friendship with the young master,